Apple TV mac streaming

[infinityharry]

hi if sombody has already made this question direct me to it please

i was just wondering if there is an app i can get for the mac to stream unsupported file formats to the apple tv 3generation...
Any Ideas?

 

[MonkeySee....]

Jailbreak. Not sure how. You'll have to wait for the Pirates

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Actually can't you now "airplay" to the ATV? Just get VLC player and mirror the screen?

 

[itickings]

Try Beamer.

 

[sim667]

I use plex either with airplay mirroring direct from my mac, or using aiplay from my iphone/ipad.

works a treat, supports subtitles, and i've never found a filetype that doesnt work.

 

[jdag]

I would really suggest that you try Plex. The Media Center is free and the iOS app is $4.99.

You then can use your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to browse your library, select the video you want to play, and send it via AirPlay to your AppleTV.

It works very very well. In fact, I had a JB AppleTV 2 and moved to an AppleTV 3. I find the ATV3 and Airplay method to be more stable that using the JB ATV2.

2 negatives...
1) You need to have your iOS device handy (which for my family is not an issue as we all have our own devices with Plex installed).
2) You do not get 5.1 surround sound (my receiver does a decent job of using a logic virtual surround).

The other advantage of the Plex app is that you can actually set it up to play remotely. I've watched TV episodes stored on my home computer while sitting in a barber shop waiting for my son to get a haircut.

 

[Exit34]

When doing this method, does the video play on your ipad simultaneously? Doing this, do you see a major drain in battery life of your ipad?

I would really suggest that you try Plex. The Media Center is free and the iOS app is $4.99.

You then can use your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to browse your library, select the video you want to play, and send it via AirPlay to your AppleTV.

It works very very well. In fact, I had a JB AppleTV 2 and moved to an AppleTV 3. I find the ATV3 and Airplay method to be more stable that using the JB ATV2.

2 negatives...
1) You need to have your iOS device handy (which for my family is not an issue as we all have our own devices with Plex installed).
2) You do not get 5.1 surround sound (my receiver does a decent job of using a logic virtual surround).

The other advantage of the Plex app is that you can actually set it up to play remotely. I've watched TV episodes stored on my home computer while sitting in a barber shop waiting for my son to get a haircut.

 

[jdag]

When doing this method, does the video play on your ipad simultaneously? Doing this, do you see a major drain in battery life of your ipad?

No. The audio and video are displayed through the AppleTV only.

I have not noticed side effect such as battery draining any more rapidly than normal. In fact, you can still use the iPhone or iPad for other tasks (although I don't believe I've ever rec'd a call while using the Airplay-to-Plex via the iPhone).

I believe that once you "pass off" the audio and video to the AppleTV that the iPhone/iPad are basically just your remote controllers.

In any event, for $4.99 it is really a great package.

 

[Mrbobb]

I would really suggest that you try Plex.

He said Mac, not an ios device.

 

[jdag]

He said Mac, not an ios device.

Yes...I understand that.

The Mac is the host computer. Plex Media server runs on the Mac. Videos can be stored on the Mac and/or on external hard drive(s). The iOS device is used to browse the available videos, start them, and then Aurplay them over to the AppleTV.

In effect, the iOS device is a sort of remote control. The only cost is the $4.99 Plex iOS app. Plex Media Server is free.

It works beautifully. I have many TB of movies and Tv shows that I can search using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch then "beam" them to my AppleTV.

I also have the Plex iOS app on my wife's iPhone and my son's iPod Touch, so we can all access the video library.

Note: Plex Media Server also runs on Windows. AirPlay requires iOS.

 

[Mister Barmy]

I believe that once you "pass off" the audio and video to the AppleTV that the iPhone/iPad are basically just your remote controllers.

If the DataMonitor app is accurate, this is exactly what happens. My (wifi) data usage is huge when streaming video to my iPad, but goes up not at all when using AirPlay.

EDIT: I can even turn off wifi on my (wifi-only) iPad, and airplay from the WatchESPN app continued for something like a minute, presumably when the ATV tried to check in with the iPad and couldn't.