Q: When using airplay from mac to apple tv it lags/freezes, but works fine with iPhone

I had the same issue since a couple of days, even with Netflix!
Sound stopped every 5 minutes, movies were freezing without any possibility to look further while the files worked fine on my laptop.
All of this and the fact that Netflix did the same thing made it clear the problem came from the Apple TV, I went on a search in the preferences, found nothing that could rely to the problem and then I saw "restart" at the end of the "general" list, so I tried that.
Everything works fine now, streaming without problems, Netflix without problems!
My thought was that the Apple TV always goes to "sleep" but never restarts and if we have problems with a computer or laptop we can mostly resolve them by restarting, I thought right!
I really hope this works for everyone!
***Using Macbook unibody mid 2009 installed with Mavericks and Apple TV 2***

You would think that the Mac is more powerful than the iPhone that it would be smooth, but it's not. My father has an iPhone 6 and it runs really smooth, but on my 5 and my Mac is stutters and sometimes shows artifacts.

Also disabling WMM doesn't solve the problem. WMM should be enabled, because it was built around streaming video in mind.

Information about WMM here: http://nuangel.net/2012/01/in-my-router-what-is-wmm-and-should-i-enable-it-yes/

I had the same problem when streaming sound from Spotify on my MacBook Air mid 2013. I solved it by lowering the quality of the stream in Spotify. Go to preferences -->playback and make sure to uncheck high quality streaming. Sound quality is still good can't tell any difference.

When it comes to video I stream to apple-tv using a program called Beamer.  Works great, even in Full HD. Get beamer here: http://beamer-app.com

I had the same problem as many of you here, video was lagging like crazy (looked like one frame per second) and audio was horrible as well. BUT my iPhone worked fine streaming.

I read this whole thread, tried EVERY fix, one by one and when I did I turned off AirPlay Display, tried a new fix and then turned it on. Just to mention a few things, I tried: updating Apple TV, the routers firmware, (had already the latest updates for my macbook pro), tried turning off bluetooth, tried using 5GHz as well as 2,4GHz radio, restarted all my units one by one, etc etc. The last thing I tried worked and now I am a happy camper again!

Solution: I logged into my router (ASUS RT-N660U) and turned off WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia), ironically it worked...

Relevant specs:

Macbook Pro Retina Mid 2012, Yosemite 10.10

Apple TV 3rd rev A (connected wirelessly to my router)

ASUS RT-N660U

Same problem here.

I have the latest MBP retina 15" 2,6Ghz Core i5 8Gb Ram 512Gb SSD, Apple TV3, Airport Extreme.  My house is Apple-gear-only :-)

No problem with mirroring from iPod 5, iPhone 6, iPad mini retina, iPhone 5C, iPad 3,...

Unfortunately mirroring screen from MBPr to Apple TV3 is a disaster.

Worked fine for years.

Somehow loads of problems started when upgrading to Yosemite.

I feel like I'm on Windows95

Thanks "huana"  I didn't have the option to turn off WMM on my modem, but there was a option for WMM AUTOMATIC POWER SAVE DELIVERY to be disabled. Streaming now works perfectly.

Thanks again huana

1 SOLUTION:

Mine worked flawlessly while I was in Korea and I moved to the US and found it lagging too.  Thus I knew it was my set-up and the only difference I had was I had my apple tv directly connected to my SOHO switch (a cisco 10port switch -- if you want wireless speeds of 80+mb/s you'll need a good switch). Note the switch just ensures I get what I pay for on my internet speed.

Since the router/switch are further away I used an extra airport extreme to connect directly to the apple TV. The computer is plugged into the switch.  This appears to have removed the load off the Apple TV and it is now flawless.

I agree that this means spending another $40 or so, but that is what worked for me.

So my system is this:

imac ---> switch ---> time capsule <wireless connect> airport extreme ----> apple tv

I have the same issue, I just got a Mac Book Pro, and I have a Airport Extreme, my Internet is 25 mbp, with the Airport Extreme the speed is between 25 and 30 all the time..but when I do the Airplay from my Mac to the Apple tv 3rd generation the video lags or freezes....all devices are up to today. (Mac, Apple TV, Airport Extreme

APPLE PLEASE REVIEW THE ISSUE AND ADVISE, no issues with my new Iphone 5, no issues with my Ipod......

FINALLY FIXED IT! The issue is the "TCP Max Buffer Size" within my router. The only way I could access this is with a custom firmware for it. I'm using a TP-Link WR1043ND. As soon as I changed that buffer setting airplay mirroring has been running smooth. The only time it hiccups is when it first connects for a couple of seconds and then it works without a problem. This is where I got the information for setting up my router for OpenWRT. (This will be different for other routers thats not mine.) http://aspiregemstone.blogspot.com/2011/07/hacking-tp-link-wr1043nd-part-4.html

This looks like a major issue with some after market routers so if you have a router that's not Apple then you all should start reporting that they need to raise the TCP buffer with their next firmware release.

Ok after messing around for a bit more on this issue it is IN FACT something to do with Yosemite. My iPhone is running flawless, but with my Mac I noticed at random times pressing the volume button makes Airplay Mirroring lag like crazy. This sure is an issue that Apple has to fix there's no doubt about it.

I fully agree with Paul. I have the exact same issue.

Here is my analysis and test results:

Tested with following to find the root cause...

Test1:

1. Changed my router to Asus ac router (RT-87U) and getting excellent bandwidth. (50MBPS with ATT Uverse)

2. Connected Apple TV to 5GHZ channel from router.

3. Connected MacBook Pro (OSX Mavericks) to same channel on the router.

4. Switched Macbook Pro to Apple TV (Airplay display with Mirroring).

Result:

Observed lag during video streaming. Audio seems to be Ok though found few instances where there were breaks in audio signal.

Test2:

1. Connected iPhone 6 plus to again same channel on the router (5GHZ)

2. Switched streaming from iPhone to Apple TV

Result:

No logs observed and both Audio and Video streaming seems to be working OK.

Test3:

1. Switched to Macbook Pro (OSX Yosemite) and connected to Apple TV

2. Streaming video and audio test.

Result:

The video almost freezes for few mins and result is worst. Apple TV is unusable for video streaming with OSX Yosemite / Macbook pro.

notes:

1. Tested Netflix and Youtube directly from Apple TV and is working fine without any issues in HD mode.

2. Tested tv channels (ABC news) from Apple TV and no issues found using my network.

My Conclusion:

Apple TV / iPhone seems to be working fine.

Apple TV/Macbook pro doesn't work well with Video Streaming. (Periodic Lags in video signal)

The problem is not due to any issues with router or network but is clearly with streaming protocol between MacBook and Apple TV. 

Clearly Apple needs to resolve this.

Hope this helps.

Apple, more than a year has passed and you have yet to offer a solution to this issue.

You are letting down your loyal customers by not resolving this problem.

What use is Apple TV to us if we cannot airplay from our Laptops? Think about it, Apple. Do not force us to find an alternative to Apple TV...

Please fix this problem now - we should not have to go out of our ways to figure it out for you. You need to deliver a working device in all fronts. That's why we pay premium prices - so they "just work."

This is ridiculous!

(Yes, I read the whole thread and all the possible solutions - there like 10 different solutions - not all work for everybody. Apple needs to just make it work for us - period!

After a lot of reading and researching, I found a solution that worked for me. I had read that one could connect the PowerBook (laptop) to the Apple TV via an Ethernet cable, so I did.

Here is what you need to know:

It will work, but there is no DHCP server dishing out an IP address. So you have to configure the Apple TV IP manually:

With the Ethernet Cable connected from your computer to the ATV - Go to Apple TV Settings --  Network -- Manual: IP needs to be 192.168.000.001.

The Netmask needs to be 255.255.255.000 --- the rest just click done.. until you are out.

Also configure your computer IP address by going to System Preferences -- Network -- Click on Ethernet -- Configure IP Manually to 192.168.0.2 and the  Netmask to 255.255.255.000  ---  No DNS or router address is required.

You may leave the wireless ON - no need to shut it down.

Your airplay should stream perfectly now....

Once again, I hope Apple fixes this, but in the mean time... This works!

ZippingLou

indeed this worked for me as well

after that I switched to the 5ghz wifi and now even the mirror mode without extended screen works super smooth.