LONDON - Screen mirroring has a privacy problem, and a UK developer thinks the fix is a QR code. V U This, a free web tool launched this week at vuthis.com, lets anyone show photos, PDF documents, large text, countdown timers and QR codes on any TV or projector directly from a phone, without casting the entire phone screen to the room.

The service works on any display with a web browser, which today includes most smart TVs, laptops plugged into projectors, Raspberry Pi signage boards and Chromecast devices in browser mode. The screen opens vuthis.com and shows a QR code. A phone scans it and becomes a remote control. From there the user picks what the room sees: a photo slideshow, a PDF with page controls, a full-screen countdown timer, a notice board message, a clock in any time zone, a live tally counter, or a QR code for guest Wi-Fi.

Unlike AirPlay, Chromecast or Miracast mirroring, only the chosen content reaches the screen. Notifications, messages and open tabs stay on the phone.

"Every meeting room, classroom and church hall has a screen, and every screen has a browser," said John Wilson, the founder. "Casting was designed to show your whole device. Most of the time you want to show one thing and keep everything else private. V U This is that: open, scan, show."

The tool arrives as small organisations look for cheaper alternatives to digital signage software and wireless presentation systems that require dedicated hardware, subscriptions or installed apps. V U This installs nothing on either device. A free session needs no account and runs for 60 minutes with up to 20 photos and one PDF. Passes from $5.99 for 24 hours to $299.99 a year unlock unlimited sessions, multiple screens, 250 MB of storage and an automatic playlist mode that turns a TV into a simple digital signage display.

Teachers were among the first to try it, using the full-screen countdown timer on classroom projectors and putting worksheets on the board from a phone. Other early users include coworking spaces putting agendas on meeting-room TVs, shops and reception desks running notice boards, event organisers showing schedules and Wi-Fi codes, and families showing phone photos on the living-room TV without a casting device.

The company says the service can also be self-hosted on a private network for schools and businesses that cannot use cloud tools.

V U This is available now at https://vuthis.com. No download or sign-up is required to start a free session. Guides for showing photos on a TV (https://vuthis.com/show-photos-on-tv), displaying a PDF on a TV (https://vuthis.com/display-pdf-on-tv) and running a countdown timer on a screen (https://vuthis.com/full-screen-countdown-timer) are published on the site.

About V U This: V U This makes it intuitive, effortless and polished to connect one device to another screen. The name is pronounced "V-U This", as in "view this". The company is bootstrapped and based in the United Kingdom.

Media contact: John Wilson, Founder, [email protected], https://vuthis.com