Can I ... With Apple TV

[anonymust]

OK I want to get an Apple TV.
Currently I have a Macbook Pro, iPhone 4S and a Windows Desktop
I live in an dorm type house with "housemates" with wired and wifi.

My configuration is as followed. I have one HD monitor connected to my Windows Desptop on LAN (wired internet), iPhone and Macbook on Wifi. and when I get the Apple TV i will hook it up via Wifi.

before I buy I want to know if I am able to do a few things.
So can I........

• Play movies from my windows desktop on my Apple TV
• Switch my HD monitor between viewing my windows Desktop and my Macbook (will be connecrted over HDMI so audio will be via HDMI also)

 

[waw74]

to play movies from your computer, they must be in a compatible format, and in iTunes. doesn't matter if on windows or mac.

supported formats from the apple tech specs page

H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High or Main Profile level 4.0 or lower, Baseline profile level 3.0 or lower with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Switch my HD monitor between viewing my windows Desktop and my Macbook (will be connecrted over HDMI so audio will be via HDMI also)

really not sure what you're talking about, you can switch the HDMI cable, and change the view that way.

if you're talking about using airplay, there are third party apps that will let you use it, but they are processor intensive, and depending on the speed of your computer, it may not be a smooth of an experience for watching movies as you would like.

for the mac, you must have a supported model to use airplay mirroring that is built into mountain lion, if you don't, there are third party apps for OSX also, but once again they are processor intensive.

 

[26139]

iTunes

If it can be played in iTunes, it can be played on an AppleTV.

I have a Mac Mini connected to multiple external hard drives and wired to an Airport Extreme.

I can play movies on my iOS devices, laptops, and AppleTV from and to any source (except from the AppleTV, because nothing is stored there) that way.

 

[chenks]

If it can be played in iTunes, it can be played on an AppleTV.

whilst that is generally true, it is not 100% accurate.
it is possible to have content in your itunes library that is outwith the spec that an appletv have play.

 

[26139]

Really?

whilst that is generally true, it is not 100% accurate.
it is possible to have content in your itunes library that is outwith the spec that an appletv have play.

Oh, you're right. I suppose with the right plug ins my computer CAN play stuff in iTunes that AppleTV can't.

Pretty rare though.

 

[anonymust]

It sucks that I have a MacBook Mid 2010 (not supported for AirPlay)...

Let me clarify my second question...

Switch my HD monitor between viewing my windows Desktop and my Macbook (will be connected over HDMI so audio will be via HDMI also)​

I have one computer monitor with built in speakers, with one HDMI port.. I would like to be able to control/switch between viewing my Windows machine and my Macbook..


So can I stream my windows desktop on my apple tv? (most likely with some third part apps, that allows video and audio through the apple TV)

 

[rdas7]

Seriously, check out Air Video (http://www.inmethod.com/air-video) —*this has been such an awesome app, I use it almost daily.

You run the Server app on your Mac or PC, then you connect to it from your iOS /Android device. The Server will stream (including realtime convert any format) to your iOS device. If you prefer to then watch on the big screen, just AirPlay it over to the AppleTV.

Plus you can configure the Server app to "watch" any folder on your computer — so you don't even have to add movies to iTunes.

 

[warvanov]

It sucks that I have a MacBook Mid 2010 (not supported for AirPlay)...

Let me clarify my second question...

Switch my HD monitor between viewing my windows Desktop and my Macbook (will be connected over HDMI so audio will be via HDMI also)​

I have one computer monitor with built in speakers, with one HDMI port.. I would like to be able to control/switch between viewing my Windows machine and my Macbook..

Yes, you can do this. I think it's confusing because people were thinking you were talking about using AirPlay or your AppleTV to do this. What you need is something like this.

 

[lunaoso]

Yes, you can do this. I think it's confusing because people were thinking you were talking about using AirPlay or your AppleTV to do this. What you need is something like this.

Highly recommend that produce also. I have one myself for a PS3 and an TV and it works great.