Screen shot? I'd have to do that when I'm at home where I have a separate camera. The main difference is typically with onscreen controls being bigger on iPhone games. I don't stretch games typically, but I could do both so you could see how much less distortion or how similar the distortion is on stretched games. Give 2R a bunch of tries. Switch to the wheel on the left and gas & brakes on the right control option. MUCH better that way. It may seem odd having the gas below the brakes but I never use the brakes anyway. I just take my thumb off the gas if I need a moment (though really I don't do that very often, if ever). The extra fun to this game beyond the easy to get achievements are the leaderboards. But all in all it's an excellent throwback to arcade racers of old. IMO it's a near perfect gaming experience if you love OutRun classic.
So... Got more time to check out games on my TV, playing with my iPad 2... And they definitely don't look crisp. Repulze, NFS Most Wanted, Reckless Getaway, Cordy 2... They all look pixelated on the bigger screen. I'm not really complaining, because graphics have never been a huge deal for me... But I am definitely looking forward to getting a new iPad next January with that tax check (I rotate... 2 years ago I got an iPod, last year I got an iPad, this year, an iPhone...). Ordered my iPhone on Friday and should get it Tuesday or Wednesday, but I'm definitely psyched about playing games that have Joypad support (especially OrangePixels titles) - and quite a few of my favorite games have pixel graphics anyway... So I'm still not too worried about the loss of crispness... Was just a bit bummed to finally see how big a difference it really is from the iPad2 to the TV.
Final Freeway 2R is cool cause it has joypad app support, so I can use my iphone 4 as a joystick, which makes it way cool cause it is so heavy lifting my new ipad with the hdmi cable stuck in. So I really appreciatate that. The 2R version definitely looks far closer to outrun than the original final freeway version, so that is cool, kind of reminds me of being in an arcade a long time ago. Yeah, would like to see screenshots of an iphone hdmi, I can imagine what it would look like cause I can do iphone 2x from my new ipad, but I would have to imagine it would be a lot worse than ipad retina due to the lower graphics. In fact, I can notice a huge difference even between ipad 2 games and ipad retina on my hdmi tv screen, and iphone graphics like Deathsmiles look obviously a little blockier, I have some screenshots of Deathsmiles on here somewhere. I know you have Afterburner climax, so if you could post some screenshots both stretched and native format that would be cool. Also, maybe Deathsmiles if you have it, or any iphone only game that I could match your picture with would be cool. I am curious to see now iphone hdmi would compare to ipad retina hdmi. My hdmi tv almost always looks better than my new ipad mainly due to the size, brightness, contrast, and colors are so much better. The actual resolution is better on the ipad, cause it is downscaled to 1080p, but it looks much much better on my tv usually. Afterburner Climax is an awesome hdmi tv game if anyone is interested. While it suffers from control issues like the fire buttons on the bottom right of my ipad, and the speed throttle on the top right of my ipad - which does not work, you need 3 hands!!! Also framerates slug along at times on my new ipad. It looks ok on my new ipad, but it really comes alive on my hdmi tv. Really fast, furious looking graphics. Really really impressive on tv. Take a look at my screenshot.
Tried posting images from my phone... It said it was attached and so I return to the post and pressing the submit reply does nothing. I'll try posting them from my computer tomorrow. I took one of Final Freeway 2R over HDMI and one over appletv. Then two of After Burner Climax over HDMI. My tv downstairs doesn't have any stretch options for signs over HDMI. Just 2x zoom which makes the images wayyyy too big. My images look as good as the ones you've posted connector. Just without any zoom but still no distortion and very close to full screen height without much in the way of borders at te top and bottom. To me it's near perfect. I'd expect iPhone 5 to be perfect. But then I'd need a new hdmi adapter since the connector is different.
Well fooled around with the app and safari. I think I've got this figured out. Enjoy. Edit: 1st one for FF2R is HDMI (the one with the city), the other is AppleTV. Both AB:Climax images are HDMI. The camera makes this look worse than it is, on the tv these are super sharp. The first AB:Climax image I took with a few more lights on so the black bars on the side show... but notice top and bottom they are barely even there. I'll try to take some better pictures with more stuff on the screen on the LED TV upstairs tonight. These pics, the more I look at them aren't good examples. IT looks MUCH MUCH better in person... and much better on the LED tv versus this one which is a 42" Visio LCD with a max of 1080i. I wonder too if my son's ipodtouch didn't have a few fingerprints over the lens? I mean, seriously these are terrible pictures of After Burner.
question(s) about hdmi hello, toucharcade comunity, im starting this thread becasue id like play on my tv screen through hdmi, i dont know much about this so what could you tell me? my tv is samsung (not a smart tv, just a normal tv) it is LED technology, 32 inches, it has hdmi ins, pc/dvd in, audio and video ins (those ins that you use with your wii/xbox/ps1,2,3 etc). will any iphone-tv hdmi work? how much are those "wires"? (im not american, maybe wire is not the right word and we dont use dollars here but itll give me an idea) where are those sold? only on appstores? any idea about its length? ive heard people talking about "components" "AV" and hdmi (AV and components sounds strange, what are those)? ps: i got an iphone 4s
Well, you've just come to the right place. We have a really good hdmi thread which I am kind of the leader of, go and read this, we are currently talking about iphone 4s hdmi cause night just recently bought hdmi with a 4s so we are posting pictures. Don't buy anything until you have read the thread. I recommend amazons 25 foot hdmi cable for $6 and apples hdmi adapter. Anyway, if you have questions, ask us over here. There is so little information on the internet about hdmi, but it is a great tool! http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=173262
Hmmm... This is strange, while I would have thought that an iphone hdmi would be very pixellated, I can't imagine an ipad 2 hdmi having this problem. I *think* I see all viewpoints since I can play ipad 2 resolution games and iphone only games on my ipad to hdmi tv. I am not positive though, but nightc1 is reporting that he is getting close to full screen images that are pretty good. I would figure ipad 2 output would be even better. I can confirm that ipad retina graphics look even better on tv than my new ipad, and that there is absolutely no pixellation at all. In fact, jaggy edges look better on tv than my ipad easily. I realize this whole thing depends the most on your tv. Do you have a good sized tv with 1080p? Also, was curious which adapter and which cable you bought. There were reports that I read that the Chinese generic ones were having some compatibility problems and also read that some were blurry or pixellated. I wonder if this is a cause of your problems. I really think there is something wrong cause ipad 2 games look wonderful on my hdmi tv. Iphone only games I think are a little pixellated, but it should be pretty good for you too. However, I have a new ipad, so how I think it works is the hdmi is putting out 1080p, the ipad retina is downscaling to get to 1080p. In your case, since 1080p is better than ipad 2 resolution, the graphics are being upscaled, so this is worse than being downscaled like on my new ipad. But I still can't fathom why it would look bad on your hdmi. Can you post some screenshots of what you are seeing? Might want to try an original apple hdmi adapter or different hdmi cable too to see if it makes a difference. I have attached a screenshot of afterburner climax, even though pictures suck in terms of quality, do these look bad to you too? And how do they differ from your ipad 2 hdmi?
Your tv is fine, it will work with hdmi. Get this cable: 25 foot hdmi cable for $6.20. http://www.amazon.com/Link-Depot-HDMI-Cable-feet/dp/B000IJY8DS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360716462&sr=8-1&keywords=25+foot+hdmi+cable This cable has worked for me. At first I was going to get a 15 foot cable, but man, now I am happy that I got the 25 foot cable as one person recommended, cause I use my ipad in more unexpected places than I thought. Plus you need a long cable so you don't get constrainted. This generic cable is good quality, doesn't circle up, and has been very reliable, no problems even at 25 foot. Highly recommend it for $7. Don't get a 6 ft cable, your ipad needs space to move. Get the 25 foot even if you don't need the length now, it is plenty cheap and good. For the hdmi connector, couldn't find a cheap alternative on amazon. I wouldn't risk a couple of bucks to get a china one and constantly getting a not recognized on my ipad errors or having other issues. The ones in the applestore are probably your best bet. Make sure you get the right one cause they make new lightning connection ones too. They are around $40 at the applestore or online. Hdmi is one standard which is the most recent, but in the old days, they had vga out, rca out, etc... But since hdmi is the latest and greatest for tv use, get it. Nightc1 could probably help you with hdmi iphone 4s stuff. He just bought one. Please ask if you want any more info.
I just picked mine up through a seller on newegg.com. I think it was around $25. I grabbed a couple 25' HDMI cables to go with it but I gotta say at a desk that its far too long. 15' or 12' is better. 6 is fine though too depending on how close you sit. On the downstairs TV I just unhook the one from my appletv and use it and stand a couple feet back so it's like an arcade experience. I'll post some new pics in the morning. Going to load up several games and try to get some better detail shots.
Took 35 pics tonight (well more than that but I deleted a bunch). I'll sort through and post them in the morning. The best game by far was Pilots Path. Heck it let me set the resolution to full 720P. So no borders at all. I took some pics at a distance but got closer as well to show the detail. I played nearly all the way through after burner without even trying. That was hard to get a good pic due to the high action. In one of the levels near the end called clouds or something the HDMI side lagged while the regular display on the iPhone was perfect. Anyway it's a bunch if different game pics. Hope it helps show off how the detail is IMO better or equal in many respects than even the iPad. Not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. iPhone 4S does HDMI out masterfully. Probably not having to push as massive a display helps.
Better??? Do you realize that ipad retina resolution is 2048x 1536 and iphone 4s resolution is 960x640??? How the heck can it be even close or better??? Ipad 2 is 1024x768, so even that resolution is better than the iphone. 1080p is 1920x1080, so ipad retina is far far better than 1080p. So ipad retina is downscaled to 1080p. The iphone 4s resolution is far worse, so it has to be upscaled to 1080p. Upscaling is always worse than downscaling. And nothing I have seen from your screenshots even comes close to my ipad retina screenshots. Look at our Afterburner climax pictures, there is a huge difference in your pictures and mine. Anyway, it doesn't hurt my feelings one bit, and if you do post screenshots, we can compare some since I can take some more pictures. But remember I am taking pictures from a crappy iphone 4 with low low lighting in my room, so in real life, the hdmi ipad looks much better than what you see. I realize you somewhat have the same problem, but there is no way that ipad retina hdmi is worse than iphone 4s hdmi. No way possible. Here is a screenshot of pilots path, we can compare from that to start. You realise it is an airplay game right? That is why it is full screen for all of us ios users. If you post some more pictures, I will try to take some to match. Try posting some iphone only and universal games. I have a feeling that running iphone only games on 2x mode is similar to what you are seeing. But maybe you can prove me wrong. Hehe
Exactly, not to mention PPI of the screen. TV can hide some imperfections, but generally at an overall quality sacrifice, to some people it may look better but to others it'll be fairly obvious. But at the end of the day like they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so that's all that really matters I guess.
Thanks for the info Connector. Yes, I did get one of the cheap Chinese adapters... So that's probably what the problem is. I am going to get the kids a "real" adapter for their birthdays (all 3 have birthdays in the spam of a month)... So I'll see if that makes a difference. Any clue if the official Apple adapters work on both the iPad and iPod/iPhone? Cause the cheap Chinese one I got only works on my iPad... Not with an iPod. =o/ I did get a top notch official cord... So that's all good, and our TV is a 44 inch with 1080p (not 1080i)... I might also get a lightning adapter for our new iPhones... See how those look... Anywho... Thanks for all the great info in this thread... It's great knowing there's pretty much a whole support system here for HDMI iOS gaming. =oD
It's hardware. What you see on the screen can be a different experience over what is shown on tv over hdmi. Go play some Pilots Path or Chopper 2. I see the same 720P image that an iPad owner does. Infact, I read somewhere that the max game resolution from any iDevice is 720p. My screen resolution on my device has little to do with what is going out over HDMI for those games that push hdtv resolutions. For non-optimized games, I'm getting 13.5:9 (1.5:1) aspect ratio instead of a 12:9 (4:3)... so for landscape gaming, I get a wider native image than what iPad puts out. It has skinnier black bars on a 16:9 tv because it's closer to that format. No matter how high res the iPad gets on it's own screen, it's still pushing a 4:3 image for unoptimized games. Granted there will be HD versions of games on an iPad that'll just look better because they have more content on the screen or other tweaks. But comparing apples to apples (pun intended ) with the same software and stuff.. unless a dev makes special use of HDMI on iPad over iPhone... or turns off certain graphics or something... the iPhone version is by default closer to the aspect ratio of a standard widescreen tv. So squares and circles don't look like rectangles and capsules. See Manos below. But putting all that aside for a moment, it's easier to hold an iphone as a controller for a long period of time. Period. You can say no, it's easy to hold an ipad and use it as a steering wheel for hours... but nay... nay I say. Yes there are exceptions where you can use a phone for a controller with an ipad or a separate controller.. but that is pretty scarcely supported. ..........onto the pics.... Getting pictures is tricky. I need to use a real camera next time instead of an iPodTouch4. None of these look as good as real life. The only reason I'm posting the lossy looking Pilot's Path image is just to show it's full widescreen at 720P. IT looks heavenly in person with the helicopter floating. So here's a list of what's below: 1. After Burner Climax - Fairly close shot to show some detail. This game moves blazing fast though... getting a good picture with an ipodtouch is a pain... I threw out about 15 or so pictures of this alone. 2. Pilot's Path - as mentioned, only showing because it's 720P. This is a terrible picture compared to real life where the details are crisp and vivid. 3. & 4. Manos The Hand of Fate - To show a retro inspired platformer. Note on the second picture squares be square. No funky aspect stretching stuff going on here and that's how I like it 5. Mikey Shorts - To show off something more modern that has sharper graphics. Plus this picture just came out pretty decently which is nice considering the issues I had taking pics. 6. & 7. Frederic The Resurrection of Music - To show off more details in hand drawn graphics... plus... it's just cool.
HDMI Video is only supported on iPodTouch 5th gen, iPhone 4S and above, iPad 2 and above. Iphone 4 & 4th gen IpodTouch only support airplay and hdmi of Audio. They are also supposed to support showing pictures from the pictures app... but I haven't tested that. Make sure your kids have the right devices before you buy a bunch of expensive cables that won't work.
Yeah, thanks. Our two oldest both have 4S iPhones and our youngest just got her iPod 5 yesterday. My wife got her iPhone 5 last week, and mine should be coming today... =o) But... If its an Apple adapter, will it work on both my iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S? Or, like the cheap Chinese alternative,do I need to purchase separate adapters for the iPhones and my iPad?
The Apple 30 pin hdmi adapter is compatible for game mirroring with the iphone 4s, ipad 2, and ipad 3. So the answer to your question is yes. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD098ZM/A/apple-digital-av-adapter I don't understand why your Chinese adapter needs adapters to switch between the iphone 4s and ipad 2 since they are both 30 pin. I have a strange feeling that adapter is source of your problems since Nightc1 is reporting great results from his iphone 4s, and since ipad 2 resolution is better, you should be getting just a little bit better results than he is. What I would do if I were you is go to the local apple store, target, best buy, walmart etc (many stores sell this adapter nowadays) and buy it and if it doesn't work the way you like it return it. Most stores have 30 day return policies, so you can always buy it, and if you find something cheaper online, you can order it and use the store bought one in the meantime. I read so many negative feedback on generic hdmi adapters, that is why I have been so strong in my recommendations to buy an apple one. At most, one will save $10, and it is a really long wait from China. If you get it in the store, you can get it that day, and also return it easily if one doesn't like it. Hdmi cables though, I have read really good things about them, so I bought a 25 generic foot hdmi cable, and love it. It is super lightweight, and doesn't coil up. Works like a charm. For $6 it is a bargain, cause if you go into stores, you could pay up to $100 on this hdmi cable easily. Ipad Hdmi is not a widespread tech, because of this, the generics are just not very good. There is only one generic I would have recommended, that is the one nightc1 bought with the attached power usb, I was eyeing that one at first, but then decided just to go with the apple one and it is nice cause you can just use any apple usb cord for the power. Also, a lot of hdmi adapters will pop up error messages that say this ipad is not supported, even though it will work anyway. Anyway, I still stick to my guns about buying apple's hdmi adapters. It is not worth the agravation of being disappointed, and hopefully you can return it if indeed it is a defective item. If you get a chance, post a screenshot or two of your tv with a game on it, if you have a little free time. Too bad that it's not quite working out for you right now, but try it out again when you get a retina ipad. No matter what Nightc1 says, retina ipad is where it's at, especially on hdmi tv. It looks better than my friends ps3 in terms of resolution. Ipad 2, should look about as good as pc game on 1024x768 mode. Good luck.
