Can I stream from ONE Apple TV to TWO TVs/Home Cinemas?

Hello!

I am thinking of buying an Apple TV, but I am willing to connect it to two TVs... One directly using an HDMI cable and the other I wish I could connect it wirelessly via Time Capsule (and perhaps using an Airport Express as a receiving hub on the second TV). Is this possible?

Bottom line is to have ONE Apple TV streaming to TWO TVs/Home Cinemas! Is this possible? How can I do this using the Apple TV?

Thanks in advance for your help!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Aug 31, 2010 1:49 PM

Reply
19 replies

Aug 31, 2010 2:02 PM in response to jsdias

The Apple TV does not send wirelessly to any other device (except to sync purchases from the iTunes Store to it's "parent" computer), so you can't do this just with an Apple TV. It might be possible to split the HDMI output and then send that wirelessly to a TV - there are wireless HDMI extenders - but I've not done any research on the issue to be able to make any recommendations as to what to use.

Regards.

Sep 1, 2010 8:02 PM in response to jsdias

The newer one is certainly cheaper and has a smaller footprint, the interface seems even easier than the existing one and it now supports 720p, it has a lot going for it, but some may miss the syncing features of the older tv.

I wouldn't pay for a new one to replace my old one but I may be tempted to go for the newer model from a price point of view if I was buying for the first time just now.

Sep 2, 2010 8:58 AM in response to jsdias

I have the original and this new product does not tempt me in the least to replace it. The original has multiple outputs for both video and audio. I am feeding audio to my TV and to a whole-house amplifier. It also has component video output.

If you want to do what you mention (feed two TV's) the only real option with the new device would be an HDMI switcher connected to two different TV's, or a wireless HDMI receiver, but I'm not terribly familiar with that. My appleTV is hooked up to a component matrix switcher so it feeds two TV's simultaneously.

The new AppleTV looks intriguing but your question about price being unimportant makes the decision a no-brainer IMHO. I would buy a new appleTV, but not to replace the original - perhaps to feed my bedroom TV.

Sep 2, 2010 9:35 AM in response to jsdias

jsdias wrote:
Thanks for your reply!
But isn't it possible at least to stream music to the other home cinema receiver using an airport express connected to it?


Just to make sure you understand, it's not possible to do this from an Apple TV at all. Streaming can only happen from a computer.

The new Apple TV, being much less expensive and being set up to operate solely by streaming from a computer (or the iTunes Store or Netflix), might be an option - you would get one for each television and still cost less than the old Apple TV - but you would want to confirm that a single computer could stream to more than one of the new Apple TV units; I'm not certain it's possible.

Sep 2, 2010 1:11 PM in response to jsdias

Dave, you mean that if I want to stream (at least) music to the other receiver wirelessly, I can't do it with simply the ("old") ATV switched on?

No! Again, you cannot wirelessly stream from the Apple TV to anything. The Apple TV must be connected directly, by video and/or audio cable, to the TV/stereo (and that is not streaming by the normal definition of the term "streaming").

If you want to stream wirelessly to any device, you can only do so from your computer.

I hope that now makes it clear.

Regards.

Sep 2, 2010 1:35 PM in response to Alley_Cat

I missed that capability somehow in the 2.3 update. Thanks, AC, and apologizes to jsdias for the misinformation re. streaming audio from the Apple TV. Here's an article on the subject:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3291

But jsdias, if you're trying to set up two different television/stereo systems, your best option is still probably to get two of the new Apple TV units, one for each TV/stereo. One Apple TV, even the old model, will not be able to serve two TVs. Or look into another product such as the Slingbox.

Regards.

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Can I stream from ONE Apple TV to TWO TVs/Home Cinemas?

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