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can i stream "anything" on my computer to airplay?

i just purchased apple tv (the new little black one) so that i can watch netflix on my tv. im trying to figure out what i can and cant do with airplay. my computer is connected and i would like to stream things like hulu or be able to put a keynote presentation on the "big screen" to see how it will look before my big juior research topic presentation. how can i do this? so far i have only figured out how to stream from something that is in my itunes library from my mac. is there a way to get my entire desktop to show up on my tv using apple tv and/or airplay?
thanks!!

MBP 13" 2.53 ghz, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Feb 1, 2011 5:51 PM

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19 replies

Feb 1, 2011 6:05 PM in response to Niel

i have no idea what that is, but im basically looking for a way to display my desktop on my tv. that way i can stream from hulu (since apple tv doesnt support the hulu app even though its available on my ipad) or look at a keynote presentation on full screen. im fine with airplay to play videos and music that i already have, but since netflix isnt available for android phones (which i have) and hulu isnt available for apple tv, im trying to avoid paying 2 subscription fees for essentially the same services.
is there a way to get my desktop to stream to the apple tv?

Feb 4, 2011 7:21 PM in response to ipodderguy41

actually it is available from computers as long as itunes is open. im doing it right now. it works beautifully for music, and i assume it works the same for video, however i would like to stream shows from the internet (like say hulu) that i do not have stored on my hard drive in itunes and play them on my much larger and easier to watch television. or be able to put up a keynote presentation so that i can practice it and make sure its solid before i do it in front of my faculty and get graded on it.

Feb 4, 2011 7:32 PM in response to Niel

ummm, i know how to click a link i had just never head of it before so how could i know if it does what i want. after looking at it though the answer is "no". im not looking to simply "play music" from my computer around my house, i want to actually take my desktop (or whatever application im working on at the time) and throw it up onto my tv like a projector only without the projector or the wires part. i was wondering if it is possible to use airplay (or even an app on my mac or apple tv) to turn my tv into a "projector screen" instead of just use netflix or airplay for my own music. i tried the internet tab, but there is no browser, so im stuck with the options that are there.
maybe im not stating it in terms that are easy to understand because i get the feeling that people are misinterpreting what im asking to do.

Feb 4, 2011 7:58 PM in response to Elisabeth Hogrefe

Why not just connect your pc to the tv?

A pc can stream anything to the tv, games, netflix, hulu, the internet, you can pick up a netbook for about $200, it will have built in wifi so as soon as you connect to your home network you can stream anything to the tv from any other pc on the network wirelessly.

I do this, I use my evo phone as my netwrok and internet source, it allows me to view anything on any computer from any computer, but you could use a simple wifi router if you have internet coming in the house.

I reccomend the logitech tv730 all in one controller it's bad ***. Or just a simple wireless keyboard mouse combo for $30, hide the netbook behind the tv.

Feb 4, 2011 7:55 PM in response to David M Brewer

david,
thank you. i had a feeling i couldnt do that. i was just hoping that there was someone out there that knew more than i did and had figured it out. i bought the apple tv for other reasons, but i have a big presentation coming up and i wanted to try it out before my faculty grades me. guess ill just have to do it the old fashioned way and make my friends and classmates look at my computer while i practice. i love my apple tv for what it does, i just wish it did more.

Feb 4, 2011 11:34 PM in response to randomManFromTheStands

random man,
i dont have the right connector right now. when i went to buy one, apple tv was suggested instead, but i had only asked about netflix at the time so in all fairness the guy was just trying to save me from buying a separate cable for my ipad and MBP and to make it easier for me because i could avoid having cables and wires all over the place. i could go out and buy one and if i need to i will, but i wanted to know if i could make it work with what i had. streaming my desktop didnt occur to me until after i set the whole thing up.
plus, im a student. i can buy a 20 dollar cable for my ipad before i can run out and buy a netbook for 200 dollars. and if i do that then i might as well take back apple tv, lol.

Message was edited by: Elisabeth Hogrefe

Feb 4, 2011 11:41 PM in response to Elisabeth Hogrefe

Don't give up on the Apple Tv. I have a feeling better days are coming to the Apple Tv. It's so limited now and I don't think Apple is going to let those limitation hamper it. They sold over a million so far.

I'm sure they are going to let apps have more access to it, like Keynote. Speaking of Keynote... wouldn't it be great to be able to send a Keynote presentation to the Apple Tv that is hooked up to a projector. Think of the mobility you would have!

Feb 5, 2011 12:10 AM in response to Elisabeth Hogrefe

It can be tricky getting everything setup the way you want, but it has been my experience that you're always better off staying away from locked down devices.

In my office I use a 23" all-in-one pc that has a touch screen, I lay it down on its back upside down and use the handle to elivate the far end like an easle, I then rotate the display, and used it's hdmi out to connect a second 23" monitor which sits on top giving me dual screens vertically, with the abiity to use touch if I want, and in a comfortable position. And I must say, windows 7 + touch screen is truly amazing, and insanely fast and responsive.

Total cost was $600.

In the living room I have 2 42" flat screens side by side connected to a gateway tower with an i7 black edition and gtx295, I play many pc games like gta while I watch netflix on the other, I also play online games and such. XBOX controllers can be used to play the games via a $20 usb adapter I bought for it.

Total cost was $1600

In the bedroom I have a netbook, which is what I also carry around with me, connected to a 32" monitor for watching stuff in bed.

Total cost was $350

I use my evo phones wifi hotspot with 4G to get online, which also allows them to be networked and share any files, like movies I have downloaded and what not, this has allowed me to cancel my cable and internet. The evo get's around 8mbps which is plenty fast enough to play online games, as well stream HD content.

Total cost $90 a month. And that covers my internet, tv needs (via hulu, netflix, tbs, fox, abc, nbc, etc), and phone bill.

I think if you add it all up, I'm just under the cost of a macbook pro. And trust me, people are much more impressed by my entire home setup, than they are by my brothers macbook. But you'd have to see it in person to really grasp the concept.

Feb 5, 2011 12:46 AM in response to David M Brewer

david: i hope so. in fact i have decided to keep it in hopes that some of the things i would like to do will soon become possibilities.
my career will likely involve giving keynote presentations from time to time and ive already gotten good feedback on what ive put together so far from the faculty so i think ill stick with the program. it would be so much easier to just being my apple tv in and hook it up rather than deal with my schools sorry excuse for an it department.
random man: that seems like quite the set up, but i'm already invested in what i have which is a MBP and my ipad, and i seem to have nothing but trouble with windows and windows-based machines. im not saying they're bad my any means, but for me i just work better with a mac. maybe its because of the newspaper and graphic design work i did in undergrad but they're just more intuitive to me than pc's ever were. besides the expense of getting new equipment and the time invested in getting it all set up, i need to be portable. i dont graduate vet school for another year and a half, and i will be doing rotations in at least 3 different areas, if not more. since my roommate pays for cable tv, going to all that trouble wouldnt do me any good. and i dont have the same cellular internet capabilities you currently have. i suppose all i would need to do is buy a cable then i could hook up my ipad to my tv directly and then i wouldnt need cable tv either. but that wont help me financially until i move out. thanks for your input though, at least i know theres more than 1 way to do what i want to do.

Feb 5, 2011 1:18 AM in response to Elisabeth Hogrefe

Schools often push macs onto students, my girlfriend attending college now was actually pointed out in class for her decision to use an asus laptop instead of a macbook.

Her asus was $400, and runs circles around the teachers macbook, but yet he still feels she needs to be using a macbook...

I work for a development firm, I won't say who the clients are, but we have 4 flash developers, 2 print media people, 2 html devs, and 4 .net devs. Not a mac in the building. My last job about 4 years ago now had even bigger dept's, and still not a mac on the floor.

It has been my experience that when you step into the big leagues, the toys get put away.

I tell my girlfriend not to worry about what the teacher says about her asus... those who can, DO, and those who can't, TEACH. When I attended the art institute of fort lauderdale I would say over the course of 6 years I met 1 or 2 teachers who had actually worked in the field.

They can teach you how to code, they can teach you how to animate, but when it comes to actually working, they have no idea what a machine really needs to be able to do, because all they use theres for is grading papers and sending out emails.

can i stream "anything" on my computer to airplay?

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