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Using AirPlay With Apple TV

Apple TV 4 Using AirPlay

published by Chand Bellur
March 23, 2016 at 6:24 p.m. PST

AirPlay beams audio and video onto Apple TV 4, enabling access to a universe of content. This article examines using AirPlay with the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Windows PC and virtually any computer.

Apps are central to the Apple TV 4 experience, but not everything is available. Spotify doesn’t offer a tvOS app yet. There are a lot of other holdouts, as content providers develop strategies for digital media and developers tackle the tvOS learning curve. The good news is that you don’t have to wait. You can use Spotify and other services by beaming them onto Apple TV using AirPlay.

What is AirPlay?

AirPlay is Apple’s wireless audio and video streaming technology. Using an iOS device or computer, users can beam video and audio content directly onto Apple TV.

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Although AirPlay wasn’t the first wireless beaming technology, it is mature and feature-rich. Intel’s WiDi technology predates AirPlay by a few months, but it never gained traction. WiDi was only offered on select computers and users had to buy a TV appliance to facilitate wireless streaming. Unlike Apple TV, the WiDi receiver only served a singular purpose. WiDi only offered screen mirroring, which is just one aspect of AirPlay.

AirPlay is actually an evolution of AirTunes, which allowed iTunes users to wirelessly beam audio to external speaker systems. The first version of AirPlay, launched in 2010, expanded on this functionality, offering wireless streaming video. Users could still configure different AirPlay receivers. Third party companies such as Marantz, Pioneer and Yamaha quickly jumped on board, creating AV receivers with built-in AirPlay support. There are now hundreds of AirPlay compatible devices, however, Apple TV seems to be the most popular.

AirPlay has continued to evolve over time. In mid 2011, Apple added AirPlay Mirroring, enabling wireless beaming of the entire device screen onto Apple TV. This feature is essential to using AirPlay with apps that don’t directly support it. It’s a great way to enhance presentations and has useful implications for education and business.

Dual screen AirPlay functionality is another innovation setting it apart from the competition. Developers can create apps that display different content on the device and TV screen. This makes it possible to develop games where an iOS device functions as a controller while game play is displayed on TV. This AirPlay feature never really gained traction, with only a few apps supporting it. With the new Apple TV, tvOS and the App Store, there’s not much of a point to the dual screen AirPlay mode. AirPlay itself may become obsolete, but for now it is a useful workaround for beaming content that is not yet available natively on Apple TV.

Apple TV can also use AirPlay to connect to external speakers. This is useful if you want to improve your TV experience with external audio speakers. AirPlay works in so many different ways. The technology is feature-rich, flexible and has been imitated by competitors. Indeed, some inexpensive TV appliances only offer the ability to beam content from a device. Apple TV offers more options and choices than most other TV appliances.

Using AirPlay with an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch

AirPlay is built in to iOS. Apple’s mobile operating system offers the simplest way to beam content onto your Apple TV. There are a few ways of using AirPlay with an iOS device. Users can launch AirPlay from Control Center or turn the feature on within most supporting apps. It’s also possible to turn on AirPlay Mirroring, however, this must be done using Control Center.

Before you use AirPlay, you must be connected to the same WiFi network as your Apple TV or AirPlay target device. I also recommend turning on Bluetooth. Apple overhauled AirPlay in iOS 9, and the technology now uses Bluetooth to help maintain a better connection. Bluetooth is not required, but in my experience, AirPlay is faster and more reliable with it turned on.

You can turn on AirPlay at any time, but it’s best to do it prior to playing content. First, turn down the volume on your TV or any external speaker systems. This will prevent any surprises or speaker damage. Next, slide your finger up from the bottom of any screen on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Control Center will appear. Tap the AirPlay button and then select the target, which is typically Apple TV. All AirPlay compatible devices will be displayed in the list. AirPlay is now connected. Anything you play on your iOS device will be beamed to Apple TV, if the app supports it.

You can adjust the volume on your iOS device, but I recommend setting it to the maximum level. It’s better to adjust the volume on your TV or connected stereo. Adjusting the volume level on your iOS device won’t greatly affect the sound quality, but it will prevent a nasty surprise. If you turn down the volume on your iOS device, you may experience louder than expected sound levels when you resume using your Apple TV. Also, if the volume on your AirPlay beaming device is turned down, you may experience amplifier hiss, as you will need to turn up your sound system.

It’s often easier to launch AirPlay within a specific app. Most apps will display an AirPlay icon on their media player controls. Spotify integrates AirPlay into their Connect feature. Tapping the icon will display the AirPlay target selection panel. Just tap on the target and it will be beamed to your Apple TV or other AirPlay enabled device. You can turn on AirPlay at any time, even while a video is being played. You can also turn off AirPlay whenever you want.

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Since AirPlay is part of the iOS application programming interfaces (APIs), it is easy for developers to add it to their apps. Virtually every app that plays audio and video supports AirPlay. In some cases, developers have implemented custom video and audio players that don’t support AirPlay. Other apps have AirPlay disabled. Most apps that don’t offer AirPlay support will work with AirPlay Mirroring. In a few cases, the apps have disabled all AirPlay support. This is sometimes done because they want to prevent you from watching the content on TV. For example, a TV network may disable AirPlay so you watch their show on cable or broadcast TV, increasing their ad revenues. It’s very rare that AirPlay is completely disabled, and sometimes the developers change their mind and enable it in an update.

You can turn on AirPlay screen mirroring mode using Control Center. Slide your finger up from the bottom of any screen on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Tap on the AirPlay button and then select a target device from the list. Next, turn on the Mirroring switch. Your iOS device’s screen will now appear on Apple TV. Virtually any app you use will appear on your TV, unless the developer has intentionally disabled AirPlay Mirroring support.

Standard AirPlay can be deactivated by turning off AirPlay using Control Center or tapping the AirPlay icon within an app. This displays the AirPlay device panel. Simply tap on your source device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) and AirPlay will be disabled. You can also press the Menu button on your Apple TV remote to turn off AirPlay. AirPlay Mirroring can only be turned off using Control Center or by pressing the Menu button on your Apple TV remote.

AirPlay is enabled by default on both your iOS device and Apple TV. If AirPlay isn’t working, first make sure that your iOS device and Apple TV are on the same WiFi network. If that doesn’t fix the problem, it’s possible that AirPlay has been disabled on your Apple TV. Click on Settings > AirPlay on your Apple TV to display the AirPlay settings screen. Make sure that AirPlay is turned on and the security features are turned off. If you want to keep the security features enabled, consult with the owner or administrator of the Apple TV unit. Apple TV can be secured by requiring device activation or a security code.

Turn off Play Purchases from iCloud

iCloud refers to content stored on Apple’s servers. There is an Apple TV feature that will play content from iCloud instead of beaming it from your iOS device or computer. This only works for iTunes purchases. I recommend turning this feature off. It will actually end up consuming more network bandwidth. For example, if you have an album downloaded on your iPhone and play it via AirPlay, this feature will stream it from iCloud instead. This means it will have to download the same data again over the Internet instead of streaming it through your iPhone. Not only is this wasteful, but if Apple’s servers or your Internet service provider are having problems, you will not experience smooth playback. This feature doesn’t even make sense. You can play iTunes purchases directly on Apple TV. All of your iTunes albums, movies, TV shows and content are already accessible on Apple TV.

You can turn off Play Purchases from iCloud by going to Settings > AirPlay > Play Purchases from iCloud. I highly recommend turning this feature off, as it will just cause problems. If your ISP is having problems and your last resort is playing an album or movie stored on your iPhone, this feature will just fail miserably and you may forget it even exists.

Using AirPlay with a Late Model Mac

Mac OS X and iOS are slowly converging. Many of the features found on your iPhone are gradually being integrated into the Mac. AirPlay was added to the Mac about a year after its debut on iOS. The feature only works with newer Macs, as it relies on system-on-a-chip embedded technology to work. AirPlay is supported on the following Macs: iMac (Mid 2011 or later), Mac mini (Mid 2011 or later), Mac Pro (Late 2013 or later), MacBook (Early 2015 or later), MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or later) and MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or later). You also need to be running OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) or later.

If you have an older Mac or Windows PC, you can still use AirPlay. iTunes offers AirPlay support on most Mac and Windows computers. We’ll also take a look at third-party AirPlay tools later in this article.

AirPlay for the Mac only works directly within a few apps, such as iTunes, QuickTime and Safari. This isn’t much of a limitation, as you can use AirPlay Mirroring to display your Mac’s entire screen on Apple TV. You can even use Apple TV as an extra display for your Mac.

Using AirPlay within iTunes, Safari or QuickTime on your Mac is just as easy as on your iPhone. Simply tap the AirPlay icon and select the target device from the list. The video is displayed in full screen mode on your Apple TV, regardless of its size on the Mac. If you are playing music, the album cover and track information are displayed on Apple TV. Not every video can be played using AirPlay. If the AirPlay icon is displayed, the video can be beamed to your Apple TV.

AirPlay Mirroring is much more useful on a Mac. Mirroring allows you to display full screen videos and even extend your desktop. Launch AirPlay mirroring by clicking on the AirPlay icon on the top right menu bar. A small menu will appear. Select Apple TV and your desktop will be beamed onto your television. You can play any video from any source and put it in full screen mode. This is a great way to watch content from Hulu and major networks without a subscription!

If you choose to extend the desktop, the main desktop will be displayed on your Mac and a secondary desktop is beamed onto Apple TV. You can even use Apple TV as a third desktop, if you already have a multiple monitor configuration.

Apple TV offers an Underscan feature to compensate for differences between TV and monitor screen ratios. This Apple TV setting defaults to Auto, but can be turned on or off manually from the Settings > AirPlay screen. Turn Underscan on if the image on your Apple TV is cropped. If you see black bars on Apple TV, turn Underscan off.

Using AirPlay with a Windows PC or Older Mac

Apple’s full AirPlay implementation is limited to newer Macs, but iTunes provides AirPlay functionality for all Macs and Windows PCs. Any video or music track can be beamed onto your Apple TV from iTunes. Simply tap on the AirPlay icon and select Apple TV from the list of devices. This is also a great way to play music over AirPlay speakers. If you own a large home, you can play perfectly synchronized music in multiple rooms using AirPlay. Simply activate AirPlay on multiple targets. You can also convert and import videos into iTunes and play them on Apple TV using AirPlay. You can import any mp4 video into iTunes. This is a bit beyond the scope of this article, but it’s not difficult to accomplish.

iTunes can’t play everything. If you want to beam a web-based video or a DVD onto Apple TV, iTunes’ AirPlay support won’t work. Fortunately, there are a few third-party AirPlay tools that allow older Macs, PCs and even Chromebooks to use AirPlay. I have used and recommend AirParrot 2. Although this app costs $14.99, it is both professional and rock solid. It supports screen mirroring, multiple desktops and the ability to beam individual apps onto Apple TV. AirParrot also provides advanced settings for frame rate and video quality. This is important, because an older Mac or PC may not have the computing power to handle AirPlay gracefully. It is important to note that older, less powerful computers may have problems beaming AirPlay using AirParrot 2 or any similar third-party app.

AirPlay Works with Android, ChromeOS and Linux Too!

AirPlay is not an open source technology. Apple has licensed the technology to third-party companies for the purposes of developing AirPlay compatible apps. Developers are clever, however, and have been able to reverse-engineer AirPlay. Virtually every desktop and mobile operating system supports AirPlay. Some of these third-party apps are free. If your computer or device doesn’t have native AirPlay support, simply search the web for other options. Unless you are running some strange academic OS or have a very old computer, you can probably find an AirPlay app.

Surf the Web Using AirWeb and AirPlay

Apple TV 4 opens up a whole new world of apps for your TV. The absence of web browsers, however, is an unfortunate deficiency. tvOS does not provide the WebKit API, which enables developers to create web browsers. Apple won’t approve apps that use other web browser frameworks. Developers can’t create a browser for tvOS until Apple adds WebKit to the operating system and developer tools.

AirWeb Apple TV Web Browser

AirWeb provides an excellent alternative for those who wish to surf the web on the biggest screen in their home. At $1.99, AirWeb is an inexpensive iOS app that provides a browser for Apple TV. It turns your iOS device into an intelligent control surface, while the web content is displayed on your TV. This is different from using AirPlay screen mirroring with Safari. AirWeb uses Dual Screen AirPlay technology to turn your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a smart browser controller. With AirWeb, you won’t need to shift attention between your iOS device and Apple TV. Using multi-touch gestures, you can completely control the browsing experience without straining your neck. It even has smart controls for interacting with web-based videos. For more information, please read “AirWeb: The Apple TV Web Browser”.

Fixing AirPlay Dropouts

I purchased my first Apple TV 2 several years ago. After trying Apple Music, I ended up subscribing to Spotify. I found Spotify to be more stable. The user interface was easier to use. Spotify even offers better audio quality. I could use AirPlay to beam music to my Apple TV and it just worked.

With iOS 9 and tvOS, Apple overhauled AirPlay. Unfortunately, they seemed to have made it more fragile in the process. AirPlay connects faster and there is no latency between my iOS device and Apple TV. Unfortunately, they seem to have eliminated any sort of buffer. I now experience the occasional audio drop out (dead air) when beaming Spotify to my Apple TV. This is frustrating, but it is still not as bad as Apple Music. This isn’t due to weak WiFi reception. My Apple TV 4 is in the exact same place as my Apple TV 2 was. I am using the same device to beam AirPlay. It is clearly a problem with the new, “improved” AirPlay implementation. It can’t be totally fixed, but the problem can be ameliorated.

It seems that the problem is due to dropped packets in the AirPlay stream. It tends to happen if I walk in between my iPad and my Apple TV. This never happened with my Apple TV 2 and both devices get perfect WiFi reception from a nearby Apple Airport Extreme WiFi router. The best solution is to turn on Bluetooth and place the beaming device (my iPad) right next to my Apple TV. This has limited the frequent dropouts to being almost non-existent. It still happens sometimes when I stand right in front of both devices.

As I mentioned, this isn’t due to WiFi reception. When I stand in front of the devices, the WiFi signal indicators still show a perfect signal. Sometimes they may drop to 4/5 circles on my Apple TV and 2/3 curves on my iPad. In this case, the WiFi signal should still be strong enough to beam music over AirPlay. I also know the problem isn’t with Spotify. It happens with downloaded music and even audio that isn’t beamed from Spotify. It appears that when Apple overhauled AirPlay they decreased the buffer size. Any minor fluctuation in WiFi signal can cause a dropout, even if WiFi signal strength is still very strong. We can only hope that Apple fixes this in an upcoming tvOS release.

Restart Apple TV After AirPlay Session

Dropouts aren’t the only problem with AirPlay. After some AirPlay sessions, a few of my Apple TV apps experience difficulties. I think that AirPlay may not clean up properly when the connection is closed. This extra overhead seems to stymie some video streaming apps. They either have a slow connection or none at all.

Restarting Apple TV is the easiest way to fix this problem. I also like to close all open apps before doing this. First, double tap the Home button (looks like a TV) to display the App Switcher. Flick up on the touchpad to close each open app. When you are back on the Home screen, go to Settings > System > Restart. You can also hold down the Menu and Home buttons until the light on your Apple TV starts flashing rapidly. Release both buttons and your Apple TV will restart. This latter technique is essential if your Apple TV ever freezes.

Restarting Apple TV will fix most problems. You may find yourself restarting Apple TV a lot. Apple TV doesn’t offer the same level of quality as the Mac or iPhone. After all, Apple isn’t going to put their best engineers on Apple TV. Fortunately, it only takes about 30 seconds to restart Apple TV.

AirPlay Opens Up a Universe of Content

AirPlay is a versatile and powerful technology. It opens up Apple TV to a universe of content. The App Store for Apple TV is relatively new. It only has a fraction of the apps available in the iOS App Store. Apple TV doesn’t have a browser, so you can’t play videos embedded into news stories or other web pages. Fortunately, with AirPlay, you can beam just about anything onto Apple TV. While it does have some limitations on iOS, AirPlay for the Mac or other computers can deliver anything to Apple TV. If you can see it on your computer, you can beam it onto Apple TV.

I am surprised at how many people are unaware of AirPlay. Fans of competing TV appliances point out that their chosen device has many more apps. This is true, but these are only built in apps. These other devices don’t have anything like AirPlay. While some can display content beamed from devices, the competing technologies aren’t as good. Without AirPlay, Apple TV would be a limited device. I wouldn’t be able to listen to Spotify or play videos from the web. If you are considering purchasing an Apple TV and are concerned about the lack of apps, keep in mind that AirPlay lets you watch just about anything. As the Apple TV App Store expands, AirPlay will become less useful. In the meantime, it is the bridge to beaming just about anything onto your Apple TV.

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