Getting More Out of iPhone Video Features
The iPhone is a visual medium (it uses a touchscreen after all). The large screen makes it a perfect portable media device. The Videos app organizes and plays back videos that you import from your computer. Your commute (okay, your nondriving commute) doesn’t have to be boring any more. Just put in your headphones and start an episode of your favorite show.
Playing iPhone videos on your TV
You can carry a bunch of videos with you on your iPhone, so why shouldn’t you be able to play them on a TV if you want? That’s a good question, but for now the answer’s mixed. As I write this shortly after the iPhone 5’s launch, there is no way to connect the iPhone 5 to a TV via a cable. Fortunately, Apple has announced that HDMI and VGA video adapters that allow direct connection of the iPhone 5 to a TV via a Lightning cable are in the pipeline. For now, your only alternative with the iPhone 5 is a wireless connection via AirPlay, which I discuss in the next section.
If you have an earlier version of the iPhone, you can indeed connect your phone to your TV. You have to buy another cord, but that’s the only investment you have to make to watch iPhone videos right on your TV.
To connect your iPhone 4S or earlier to your TV, you have three choices:
Apple Digital AV Adapter. This $39 cable has a 30-pin connector on one end that connects to the iPhone or ...
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