How to turn my Blu Vivo X into a selfie video camera-real time recording on TV (monitor)

[call4me_2013]

Cell phone: Blu Vivo X- Android Nougat 7.0

TV: Visio Model M322i-B1

Objective is to be able to view on this TV in real time video being recorded on my phone (such as an external monitor).

I am kind of dumb when it comes to electronics etc. A techie I am not. Looking for a little advice please if I may.

When I have company over to the house I would like to set up my camera for taking video of my quests. What I mean by this is a guest will sit down in front of the phone and be able to see themselves on my TV while they record a video of them self telling about the party, saying hi to our other friends and anything else they would like. Almost like what a photographer does at a wedding. Guests will sit in front of the camera and wish the bride and groom good luck or tell about how they met or some other fun or memorable fact.

I would like to set my cell phone up on a tri-pod so a friend can sit and record themself but at the same time while they are recording them self that they can see them self on the TV while they are recording. This will add some fun to the action of recording themself plus they won't have to get up and make sure that the phone was not moved and where they are sitting they end up being out of the frame.

My TV does not have any "mirror" capability of which from I read I would be able to cast from my phone to the TV. It does have a USB port but will only take FAT32 files which have been previously recorded.

Again, I am dumb when it comes to electronic technology and know a little bit about WiFi (which the phone and TV both have).

I was reading something the other day about placing a 3rd device in between the TV and the phone to make this possible but was not able to figure it out and got totally lost. Something about a Chrome or something like that.

Is this possible? I know there are some camcorders on the market that are capable of doing this but they are expensive. I figured since I had this cell phone with the dual front and rear cameras that I might as well use the phone's camera to record instead of buying an expensive camcorder to do it.

I would guess that there would be no way to control the phone's camera via WiFi while it is sitting on the tri-pod. Would think that the guest would have to have a specific app on their phone in order to control my phone's camera. But maybe possible as I am not really knowledgeable in this area.

Some suggestions on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[SpookDroid]

You can get a Chromecast or Roku or streaming device that supports screen mirroring and do it that way. Easiest way is to use the Chromecast. Plug the Chromecast onto your TV, connect to the same WiFi as the phone, and 'cast' (or mirror) your screen. If your phone has the option built in you can initiate it from there, but if not, you can share the screen from the Home app (used to configure the Chromecast... don't worry, it'll guide you step by step once you plug it in).

Note that, depending on your router, you might have some lag between the phone and the TV, and also, the phone's screen will need to be on to be mirrored. Turn off the phone, and mirroring stops.

 

[call4me_2013]

SpookDroid thanks so much for the information, So very much appreciated!

I have been trying to decide which Roku device I want to purchase now for about 3 weeks. I am trying to look ahead a bit into the future that maybe within the next year or so I may be buying a 4K tv so I think my best bet would be to go with the Roku Streaming Stick Plus - have been reading up on it and it seems to give me what I want and it does supports screen mirroring. My phone, Blu Vivo X is a powerful phone and does have screen mirroring ability.

Would really prefer to only have to purchase one device such as a Roku and not a Roku and Chromecast.

So far I think Roku would be best for me from what I have read but still open to suggestions. I am trying to pull away from my cable company in the way of TV programming (cable) but keep the internet. They are not inexpensive but they do not require contracts or minimums on their services like larger cable companies and have no terms such as you have to keep your service for a year or pay a steep penalty. You can add or drop services each month as you please. Sorry - rambling here and off topic. Anyway, my decision of a Roku or other device will be dependent on its ability to do the video real time as I described in this thread and also give me the most movies and tv programs.

 

[SpookDroid]

Roku Stick+ is a very solid purchase. I own one and it's amazing. You don't need a Chromecast and a Roku; having either one would work for what you want. Chromecast just plays nicer with Android devices and allows you to leave the streaming to the Chromecast rather than your phone, but in your case since you're mirroring the camera, it wouldn't really matter. And price-wise, they're both similar. Roku just has the actual remote instead of using your phone as one.

 

[call4me_2013]

Roku Stick+ is a very solid purchase. I own one and it's amazing...

Thanks for letting me know that. I was wondering if I was making an educated purchase. 18 years ago I was pretty much up on technology but have fallen back a lot as things have changed in my life. I am presently discovering the world of "Hey Google" and my phone does what I tell it to. How "behind" am I? I will slowly be turning my home into a "Smart House" - well that is once I figure out exactly what a smart house is and how to do it best. I see those Alexa commercials and they seem interesting. Wow to think, speak out loud "turn off the light" and the light goes out. Who would have thought? Something out of Star Trek when you return to your quarters you walk in and the lights go on, then you say "computer, play some soft music" and it happens. Then you walk up to the "food replicator" and tell it what you want for dinner - I can't wait until that happens. I love to eat, basically love to cook, but those lazy nights I would love to tell the "replicator" to make my dinner.

 

[call4me_2013]

Update:

I bought the Roku Streaming Stick Plus
I am able to get my phone to cast to the screen but all the "apps" I have so far downloaded and installed will only show my phone on the TV screen as the shape of my phone as if there was a picture of my phone on the TV screen. It shows live feed, meaning what is on my phone is on my TV screen but I can only get on my TV screen the image of my phone with the content on my phone at the time. What I mean by this is I have a large screen TV but the picture of the phone only takes up about 1/4 of the TV screen. Looking at the TV screen is like looking at my phone. Even if I turn the phone (with rotation active) it shows vertically as if I was looking at my phone in my hand with it lengthwise. I can not seem to find an app which will broadcast onto my TV screen the full size image/video of what my phone is seeing. I am getting tired of downloading, installing and uninstalling apps; urgh!!

I must be missing something when searching the store for apps so that my TV will act as a full size monitor for my phone so when I have the camera on my phone on with the video recording what I see on my phone takes up the entire size of my TV screen and not just my phone on the TV screen with the contents of the video on the image of my phone on the screen.

Some help would be appreciated! Thanks so much!!

 

[SpookDroid]

Check the TV input settings and make sure that the 'Fit to Screen' option is active. Does the rest of the Roku interface look OK?

 

[call4me_2013]

Visio Model E470VL - About 7 years old (non-smart)
Visio Model M322i-B1 - About 3.5 years old (smart)

I have tried it on both TVs (checking "screen settings" ) and get the same results. I see an image of a phone on the screen. The image of the phone which takes up only about 1/4 of the screen but within the image you can see "real time" what the camera sees. Really crazy!!

The rest of the Roku interface looks fine. Everything else takes up the entire screen on both TVs except for the "casting/mirror".

I have attached two images of what is cast to the TV E470VL so you can see what I mean. I actually see the phone image on the TV but only what the phone sees within the phone image. Not what the phone sees on the TV as a full view monitor.

 

[SpookDroid]

Yeah, that's what screen mirroring does. It literally mirrors your phone's screen onto the TV, interface and all, not just the contents of an app. Unless the app you use supports landscape viewing, however, you are NOT going to see that filling up the screen.

 

[call4me_2013]

:-( I am so disappointed!! I figured the screen mirroring would be like a full size monitor.

 

[SpookDroid]

:-( I am so disappointed!! I figured the screen mirroring would be like a full size monitor.

Only if the orientation of the screen is right for the TV screen. You are getting a 'full size' image on your TV, but if your phone/app has a portrait orientation and your TV has a landscape one, then all your TV can do is fit that portrait size into its screen, which is what you're seeing. Some TVs do allow you to change the Zoom level but you are still not going to fill the entire screen without losing a lot of the original image in the process or completely deforming the image to fit the TV.

 

[call4me_2013]

ok thanks SpookDroid for the answer.

I guess I won't get what I want in a screen mirror for now. Maybe something better will come along soon.

Thanks for all your great help; it is so much appreciated!

 

[SpookDroid]

You just need a camera app that can rotate to fill the screen. Screen mirroring will never do what you want because it already does what it's meant to do: MIRROR the image. To fill up the entire TV, then you need the right aspect ratio/rotation or a TV that can zoom into the transmitted image (either cropping or deforming the original one).

If you get a camera app that rotates to landscape mode instead of portrait, then the image on the TV will automatically rotate and will fill up the screen. If it doesn't, check the TV's input settings and make sure it's not set to a weird 'zoom' option (usually 'Fill Screen' or something similar is what should be selected).