New Mac, ATV3 and 1080p MKV AirPlay mirroring

[MjW]

With the new mac on its way I'm exploring alternatives to the 10m long HDMI cable I'm currently using.

I could get a mini display>HDMI adapter but that will keep the current setup with a long, fat, black cable running as discretely as possible from the computer room to the living room.

With the 1080p Apple TV 3 and the airplay mirroring I'm wondering if I could do the same thing but wirelessly. Same thing being, 1080p and 720p MKV video files.

Sounds great right? But how good does it work? Or even how does it work?

Is there any quality loss?
Are there black borders around the image?
Is it perfectly smooth?

Many questions. Does anybody even have an ATV3+Mac setup?


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[Tutankhamun]

I don't have an Apple TV so I haven't tried it myself. But I would guess it would require a modern wireless network (802.11N) and a good downstream and upstream connection to start. Other than that it ought to work fine one would imagine.

From this thread at MR it seems you get to select if you want it to match the resolution of your Mac or of your TV (matching the Mac would result in black borders) http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...5&postcount=12

[MjW]

Thanks for the reply tut. I was hoping you'd still be around. lol

I will be using a new time capsule so that should cover the router part. The Internet bandwidth is 200/20 although I won't be streaming from the Internet. It will be 1080p MKVs with 5.1 dts stored on the 27" iMac.

So if I understood correctly, if I choose the "Best for Airplay" (match the TV's res) then the iMac will show a full screen 1080p image on the TV and a scaled 1080p image on the iMac's screen?

A wireless solution to the HDMI cable that will work just as good sounds great to say the least. I'm so tempted to try this route. The price of the ATV3 is not that bad either.


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[Tutankhamun]

That should be enough of bandwidth. Yeah, it won't be streaming from the Internet but it will be streaming locally over your network though. That's why you need a good connection.

It seems choosing Best for Airplay and matching the TV's res should do the trick. Although I haven't been able to try it myself. Going to get an ATV3 and check it out when I buy a new TV for sure.

[MjW]

I guess there is only one way to find out.

I'll make sure it works before ripping the HDMI cable out.

Maybe I can find an online shop with a good returning policy to buy the ATV3 from.

Tackar Tut

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Edit:

It seems Atv3 doesn't support DTS audio at all. Oh well. :/

[uofmtiger]

The main issue is the lack of surround sound (not just DTS). It is great for using on occasion, but I would keep the HDMI.

[MjW]

I thought it did support DD5.1?


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[uofmtiger]

I thought it did support DD5.1?


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If you are talking about mirroring (meaning showing the video on both screens), I have not been able to get any surround sound using this method. I would love to be wrong, so if you find a link that confirms that it does surround, please post it here. Maybe I just have a setting on my computer setup wrong?

[MjW]

Hmm. I saw it in the specs and assumed DD5.1 would be supported in mirroring. I guess, I assumed wrong.

Had a look at other media extenders. The Boxee Box and WD Live TV look up to the task with full support for MKV and even dts-hd. But they seem not to be playing good with Lion.

I got a headache searching and reading. I'll stick to the cable a while longer before making any decision.




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