Can you use Samsung Frame TV art on a standard television? As someone who sells these digital pieces, I get asked this constantly, and the good news is that it’s totally possible to run art or screensavers on basically any screen.
The full explanation takes a little bit of time, so I’ve broken it down into a simple walkthrough. To get us started, tell me about your current setup: what brand is your TV, and do you happen to have a media player or streaming stick plugged in?
I’ve laid out all the steps below to make things as clear as possible. That said, if you're in a hurry to get started, you’re more than welcome to skip ahead to the specific section that has the instructions you need.
Table of Contents:
- Samsung TV
- LG TV
- TCL, Hisense or Sony TV
- Other TV brands
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV Stick
- Chromecast / Google TV
- Apple TV
- AirPlay (iPhone/iPad)
- Screen Mirroring (Android)
- Flash Drive
Let’s start with Samsung first. They’re not just one of the most widely used TV brands in the US, they’re also the company behind the popular Frame TV, which is why this question comes up so often.
If you want to display your own images on a Samsung TV—whether you’re using a Frame TV or another compatible Samsung model—the easiest and most official method is through Samsung’s SmartThings app. Follow these steps:
- Connect your Samsung TV and smartphone to the same Wi-Fi network
- Download and open the SmartThings app on your device
- Add your TV by tapping the
+icon and selecting your TV from the list - Select your TV and tap on
Ambient Mode(orArt Modeif you have a Frame TV) - Choose My Album to upload and display your photos
You can also check Samsung’s documentation if you want a deeper explanation of how Ambient Mode works across different Samsung TVs.
It looks like we're going to have to find a different tool for our media sharing needs. Even though I was looking forward to using LG’s official ThinQ app to bridge the gap between my device and the TV, it didn't really pan out.
I realized the current version is missing a key feature: slideshows. Since it only lets you display a single image at a time, it's just not practical for us, so the search for another option continues.
You’re in luck if you own a Sony, Hisense, or TCL model, as these brands typically come with Google TV or Chromecast already built-in.
It’s honestly a huge win for what we're trying to do! Having that tech ready to go makes the whole process much smoother.
Because your TV likely has these features, I’ve put together a quick guide below on how to cast your favorite artwork directly to the screen.
Before buying anything new, take a look at what your TV—whether it’s a Panasonic, Vizio, or another brand—can already do in terms of syncing with your mobile devices. If those built-in tools aren't cutting it, you can always fall back on the old-school USB method. Plugging a flash drive directly into the TV is a super dependable way to get your photos on the big screen without any hassle.
Alternatively, if your TV is lacking those "smart" features, picking up a streaming stick is a total game-changer. Gadgets like Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, or Apple TV are usually pretty budget-friendly and are honestly a great investment for making phone-to-TV connections seamless.
Streaming sticks like Roku are a total game-changer for adding extra features to your TV—and you don't even need a smart TV to use one, since they work with any screen that has an HDMI port (unless, of course, you already have a "Roku TV" with the tech built-in). To share your favorite art, you can follow these steps:
- Connect your Roku and smartphone to the same Wi-Fi network
- Open the Roku mobile app
- Select the
Mediatab and choosePhotos - Start the slideshow from your mobile device
Another great streaming device is the Amazon Fire TV stick, which actually comes in various forms including a cube.
Here are the steps to share art from your phone to your TV using Fire TV and Amazon Photos app:
- Download and install the Amazon Photos app on your phone
- Open the Amazon Photos app and sign in with your Amazon account
- Upload the photos you want to display
- Ensure your Fire TV and smartphone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network
- Open Amazon Photos on Fire TV and sign in with the same Amazon account
- Select the album or photos you uploaded
- Choose the slideshow option to start displaying your images on the TV
I’d initially hoped that using Chromecast alongside the Google Photos app would be the perfect solution for casting art. While it technically gets the job done, there’s a bit of a catch: the slideshow is locked into a 5-second per image timer with a mandatory swipe transition. Because of those limitations, I didn't find it to be the best experience for displaying art, but it’s still worth a try if you don't mind the quick pace.
To get started:
- Make sure your Chromecast and mobile device are both signed into the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open your preferred album in Google Photos.
- Tap the cast button to pick your TV.
- Hit play on the slideshow.
If you want to dig into the finer details, you can always read up more on how Chromecast handles photo displays.
In my opinion, the absolute best way to utilize a Chromecast for art is through the Google Home app. Unlike other methods, this one actually gives you control over the timing—you can set the images to rotate anywhere from every five seconds to every ten minutes. While I’ll admit it felt a bit glitchy and took some troubleshooting during my first attempt, the end result was totally worth it. Just a heads-up: to make it run smoother, make sure your photos aren't archived and try setting the curation to "live albums only."
To get this running:
- Make sure your smartphone and Chromecast are on the same Wi-Fi.
- Fire up the Google Home app and pick your device.
- Dive into the device settings to find
Ambient Mode. - Select Google Photos as your primary source.
- Pick your favorite albums and tweak the slideshow speed to your liking.
Once configured, your TV will automatically start the show after about ten minutes of sitting idle. If you're impatient like me and want it to start right away, you can usually force it by long-pressing the home button or hitting the back button immediately after the TV starts up. It’s a fantastic way to keep your space looking fresh, and there’s plenty of extra documentation available if you want to master Ambient Mode.
If you’re a heavy Apple user, an Apple TV (or a TV that supports AirPlay) is definitely your best friend for this kind of thing. Before you do anything else, just double-check that your phone and your TV are both signed into the same Wi-Fi network so they can actually talk to each other.
To start the show:
- Open up your Photos app and find the specific art or album you want to display.
- Tap the share icon and select the "Slideshow" option—this is the part where you can customize the transitions and timing if you’re feeling fancy.
- Look for the AirPlay symbol, select your TV from the menu, and watch your art appear.
You can always look up more detailed guides if you want to learn how to run the slideshow directly from the TV interface or your iPhone instead.
If your TV happens to be AirPlay-compatible, you’re in luck! This feature makes it incredibly easy to beam a slideshow from your phone or tablet straight to the big screen. All you really have to do is find that AirPlay icon and give it a tap.
Before you hit that button, though, just make sure you’ve already got your images organized and the slideshow running in an app like Photos on your mobile device. It’s a pretty seamless process, but there are plenty of deeper guides available if you want to learn more about the specifics of streaming from an iPhone.
You might see this feature listed under a few different names like Cast, Smart View, or Miracast, depending on what phone you’re using. Usually, it’s super easy to find—just swipe down from the top of your screen to open your quick settings, and it should be right there. If your TV is compatible, it’s definitely one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get your screen shared.
Just remember that you'll still need a mobile app, such as Google Photos, to actually manage the images and run the slideshow while you're mirroring. It’s a great little shortcut for showing off art, and you can always dive into more resources if you want to learn the nitty-gritty of Android screen mirroring.
Honestly, sometimes the simplest way to get art on your screen is just by using a USB flash drive. As long as your TV has a USB slot and a pre-installed app for viewing media, you’re basically set.
The process is as straightforward as it gets.
- Move your art files—make sure they’re standard JPGs—over to the USB stick from your computer.
- Pop that drive into the back of your TV.
- Open up the Photos or Videos app on the screen, pick the USB input, and hit play on the slideshow.
It’s a foolproof method that rarely fails. Plus, a lot of TVs actually let you customize the experience, giving you options to tweak the slideshow speed or add cool transition animations to make the art look even better.