AirBeamTV launches Mirror to Windows PC for iOS

AirBeamTV, launched Mirror to Windows PC, a new iPhone and iPad application for screen mirroring from iOS devices to Microsoft PCs negating the need to install a receiver application on the PC.

Platform : iOS
Cost : $4.99/£4.99
Website : airbeam.tv

In essence, AirBeamTVs Mirror to Windows PC iOS app interfaces with Apple’s Screen Recording capability that was introduced with iOS 11, to stream your iPhone or iPad’s display to a Google Chrome browser on your PC.

We’ve oversimplified the above in order to convey how straightforward Mirror to Windows PC is in use but here's what going on under the surface according to Roeland van der Spek, co-founder and Director of Special Projects at AirBeamTV:

Developing this app was a challenge that has paid off. It has so many use cases. Mirror to Windows PC is perfect for those who want to share family photos and videos with friends and for those presenting mobile content at a larger screen during a business meeting.

One of the main advantages of the approach taken by AirBeamTV is that you don’t have to install a receiver application on the target PC. Keep in mind though that you need to have the Chrome browser installed.

Upon launching Mirror to PC on your iPhone/iPad you're presented with a nine-digit authentication code and instructions to open Chrome on your PC. Follow the instructions and goto https://start.airbeam.tv/ and you're presented with a screen that instructs you to enter the code displayed within the Mirror to PC app:

Connect Mirror to PC to Chrome via a nine-digit authentication code

Usefully, if only one iPhone or iPad is attempting to make the connection on the network the nine-digit authentication code is pre-filled for you.

Long pressing on the Screen Recording icon within Control Centre and selecting Mirror to PC followed by Start Broadcast and you're off to the races.

Thanks to AirBeamTV we got the opportunity to go hands-on. There’s something quite surreal when you first see your iPhone or iPad display appear on your PC. The Chrome window can be made full screen or a window alongside your other PC applications.

Mousing over the window brings up a couple of icons for quickly accessing Full Screen and hanging up the connection.

You'll experience some latency with Mirror to PC, with the delay dependent on the capabilities of your particular network and PC setup, but you wouldn't be using this for gaming anyway - right?

There are some limitations with Mirror to PC but in fairness, most are outside of AirBeamTVs control. Digital Rights Managment (DRM) results in a blank screen if you attempt to playback movies from iTunes and Netflix, but we did have success playing back UltraVoilet movies via Flixster Video.

Similarly there is no audio when playing back content from within Safari. We also failed to get audio playing back via iTunes, clearly, for this particular use case you'd use iTunes for Windows anyway.

Video playback via Apple Photos • DRM didn't stop us playing back Gravity from our UltraViolet collection

Accepting some of the limitations and dependent on the right use case, Mirror to PC could be an invaluable addition to your iPhones armory.