Any way to use AppleTV for distance viewing?

[godslabrat]

Hi All.

I've been reading up on the AppleTV for a while now, so I kind of have a hunch that I already know the answer to this question, but... is there a way (preferably without hacking, though I'll at least consider it) to stream video and music from your Mac to an AppleTV unit that's not in the same house, or even on the same network?

Real-World application: Suppose I decide to rip all my DVDs to my Mac, and set up AppleTV units at my relatives' houses. Then, provided I have access to their network, I could remotely access my entire library from home, without having to transport any discs (or worry about forgetting something).

This is one of those things that seems like it should be really simple to do, but if it were, I'm sure everyone would have been talking about it by now.

 

[TEG]

Perhaps with some sort of VPN. I might be able to figure it out after a few hours, but that's my answer for now.

TEG

 

[VideoFreek]

The killer would likely be your internet connection at home--most ISPs throttle upstream speeds to something like 1Mbps, much slower than the advertised download speeds. You'd need something much faster to support stable streaming--Apple's specs say at least wireless-G speeds (theoretically 54Mbps, in real life you get maybe half that, but still this is far faster than the typical cable or dsl upload speed, or download speed for that matter).

 

[kfordham281]

I think you need something like a Sling box for that. As far as I'm aware of, the AppleTV doesn't do placeshifting.

 

[MikieMikie]

You can always sync content to the TV, and then take it to the other location. When it's all been watched, you can pick it up, take it home, sync new content, etc.

It's an easy way to share content.

 

[godslabrat]

You can always sync content to the TV, and then take it to the other location. When it's all been watched, you can pick it up, take it home, sync new content, etc.

It's an easy way to share content.

True, but when you're looking at upwards of 1,000 miles, it becomes much less convenient than just physically grabbing a few DVDs and putting them in a wallet.

No big deal, just had a little brainstorm that hasn't panned out.

 

[MikieMikie]

1000 miles? Wow! You're asking a lot from those poor little 'lectrons.

 

[maokh]

1000 miles?! You'd have to use non-unionized electrons too. Because of this, i only stream for 50 miles tops.

This is actually an interesting idea, as you can select various itunes sources from your appletv. I'd be concerned that apple tv streaming is not robust enough to handle high latency networks.

 

[northy124]

You can use Sling Box Pro to stream from your ATV to Laptop if your near Wireless internet. I'm getting one next holiday to US.

Northy124

 

[godslabrat]

This is actually an interesting idea, as you can select various itunes sources from your appletv. I'd be concerned that apple tv streaming is not robust enough to handle high latency networks.

Wouldn't even need to be streamed, per se, if I could get the video file from Point A to Point B. I'd gladly give it 15-20 minutes to buffer if the idea was otherwise solid. But, since it won't do it out of the box, I'm not going to get my hopes up.

The Slingbox concept is interesting, but it requires too much on the user end (PC, broadband, etc). AppleTV was neat because it was a set-top box and for $600 I could get three of them. Can't argue with something that's both cool AND cheap!

 

[jim.arrows]

The Slingbox concept is interesting, but it requires too much on the user end (PC, broadband, etc). AppleTV was neat because it was a set-top box and for $600 I could get three of them. Can't argue with something that's both cool AND cheap!

You're going to need broadband on both ends in any case, and if you connect the TV to a slingbox and then connect a Slingcatcher to the TV at the remote location, you're all set. Just need Sling to release the catcher, it keeps getting delayed!

 

[northy124]

You don't need Sling Catcher but you need broadband (Which you should already have for ATV or no point in having it) You need 256 Kbps Upstream Min and 720 kbps Downstream for viewing you should be fine with the Pro and if your router isn't near the TV for the Pro you can use Sling Link Turbo (1 or 4 Ports) not quite sure how it works though but i'm buying one just for the novelty of having decent connection in my lounge