Q: Mountain Lion AirPlay Mirroring (iMac to AppleTV) Not Working

After weeks of searching, I just found this thread; so it's the AGE of my MBP is the issue!?!? Why!?!? I have a "mid-2009" 2.53ghz running OS 10.8 which still runs circles around newer Windows boxes. What's the logi in making a durable laptop that has a 3-5 life cycle if the features....oh, I see....apparently I need to purchase a new NBP, and iPad2, and iPhoe 5 this year. I'm not often disappointed by the folks in Cupertino, but this issue NEEDS to be fixed. #AppleFail

Why dont you re read the posts then you will realise apple dont need to fix anything, you CPU does not have the physical instruction set for intel quick sync.. you have a 2009 machine with a cpu that may be able to do in software processing that the i5/i7's do but u will never get airplay working..

You are indeed correct, cgleek will be using an older generation Intel processor (i.e. a 'Core 2' family CPU) which does not have x264 encoding rules embeedded into the processors architecture. However, as you stated, the machine is more than capable of utilizing software encoding (much like a certain third party application that has been mentioned on numerous occasions). At the very least Apple should have been able to have the operating system dynamically switch between software transcoding and hardware dedicated encoding; perhaps presenting a message that there could be a performance impact.

The thing that has hurt users most (myself included) is that Apple advertised this feature as one of the main selling points (and the only one of any use as far I can see, Growl is still leaps and bounds ahead of Apple's noification centre, however Apple's solution still in it's infancy so I can't pass much judgement) only then to prevent most of it's customers from using the feature. It then becomes even more offensive to discover that there is a thrid party application can perform the task regardless of hardware (within reason). Apple have handled this very poorly and should respond appropriately, otherwise this just feels like a blatent marketing move to make user's abondon their still perfectly healthy machines in favour of new devices (which I would like to point out are no longer approved for their low environment impact).

Can we please also refrain from "Windows Bashing", I use both OS X and Windows daily; both perform admirabley and without issue. Most of the time that Windows users experience issues it's normally because of something that they have done.

I agree this could be implemented, before these types of gpu accelerators it was the only way to do this was via the cpu and it was painfull.

However I am sure many factors come in to apples decision, but as we dont know its only speculation.

Possible reasons for not using the cpu:

Battery life when portable would be terrible

Using non optimised silicon could bring heat levels in these sleek machines above the max opperating limits.

The OS might not cope using the cpu when airplay is sending the video, if the user is needing the cpu to say process audio, play and animation and encode the video I dont think it would give a very good user experience.

Majority of the posts here are just people who want something without looking in to the technical reasons of whats actually going on...

I have been caught out on lots of things and soon as I seen the little 1 next to the advertisement I read the info on what cpu was required.. But heh I have lots of time on my hands

That's very true indeed - one forgets how jaw droppingly slow (and hot as you quite rightly said) CPU encoding was - I think people just struggle to deal with the fact that a third party has managed to do it just fine with perfectly good results (perhaps not a slick on some occasions); see: http://airparrot.com.

To be honest I could deal with a big button in the display preferences that just said "Use software encoding", but then told you to expect a performance decrease. But one thing that I have noticed though it that on a friend of mines latest Retina MBP the machine does become noticeably slower and get significantly warmer, despite supposedly using the x264 rules built into the CPU.

Maybe Apple just aren't using very good encoders.

I can't argue with the fact that the small print was there to be found on the tech page, but sometimes that insignificant of a disclaimer is not approporiate.

The problem here is that AirPlay was not advertised as being a hardware feature.  It was advertised as a software feature. If Apple had said, "Buy a new 2011 and up Mac and get access to AirPlay." that would have made sense.  But that is not what they did. The said, "Buy Mountain Lion and an Apple TV, and get AirPlay."

So, that's what a lot of people did. I am one of those people. And I normally consider myself fairly tech-savvy, so I'm a little embarrassed that I missed that tech note, but maybe that's exactly the problem. If I could have missed it, then it's not surprise that a lot of others, who probably don't get into "tech stuff" would also miss it.

Not to mention that, when I bought my Apple TV, even the guys at the Apple store apparently didn't realize it would be limited to the newer models, because I told them I was choosing ATV over the competion, soley for the AirPlay feature. I would have rather had a device that would run Hulu Plus (which I know ATV now does, but earlier this year when I purchased mine, it did not). But Airplay was important enough to me, that I chose ATV just for that feature. And the guys at the store knew what machines I owned, and said nothing about them not being compatible.  They asked what machines I had, checked the compatibility specs (which don't mention AirPlay - only what machines ML will function on, which included mine). So yeah, I was pretty ticked off when ML came out, I bought it, and THEN found out AirPlay was a no-go.

I don't agree with all the silly comments about "Apple fix this!" and "Obviously the machine can do it, if AirParrot works!", etc. I understand the reality of the x264 situation and why. However, the problem is not that people don't read the specs. The problem is that you have to know your audience and you have to advertise appropriately. It is not acceptible to tout a big new feature, and advertise it soley as a software advancement, and not take extra pains to make certain your customers understand that it is even more so a hardware advancement.

What if Adobe had released Photoshop and advertised all the great photo editing tools, and then in a little footnote that appeared on only some of the web-pages about the product -- called out only by a tiny, sub-script, light gray number at the end of one line of text, led to fine print that disqualified the abilty to color correct on the majority of machines in use today?  It sounds riduculous, but that's a similar scenario.  A lot of people would be very angry (and, I suppose, few tech geeks would sanctimoniously preach about how they saw the little tech note, so everyone else must be foolish).

That's pretty much where we are. Yes, the information was there, but, in my opinion, it was not appropriately disseminated to the purchasers. End of the world? No, but plenty frustrating, and for good reason.

Thank you for that info Anthony. Mountain Lion is so cheap that I don't mind paying the bit extra for Air Parrot. If only I could solve all my other Mountain Lion problems this easily. :-)

Very well put....I work for a technology company and we often release products with similar issue but we also publish it before the release so everyone knows what the issues are before the purchase. If people don't want to upgrade the hardware with the software that is their choice, but they know that going into the purchase.

I agree there should be an option that would allow you to select a hardware or software interface. Of course the hardware would have a better resolution and faster but the software would still "just work" as Apple always has in the past.

As Director of Technology for a major university. I have persueded over 12 faculty in the last month to switch to Mac Products. Now Apple it gets harder every year and sadder to see you lose your mission statement of think different. You started not caring about education and on top of that coming up with idea's that have the potential to be great but your follow threw and execution just fails! You got the best teaching tool , ipad , airplay and apple tv but ok why can't the ipad just airplay right to an apple tv ? Why do I have to have a airport to if I just want to present. Students, Faculty , Staff all want to walk into a classroom and wirelessly have that appletv hooked to a projector and bam mirror presentations, etc. Our faculty have laptops and ipads and we were excited about having airplay to mirror laptops. Now my MacBook Pro Mid 2010 i7 with 8 GB of Ram can't Airplay!!! Apple your living in a box and not thinking different and are out of touch with the end user. This has been a problem since 2004 when I spoke @ iCamp . You need to know your end users and what they want. Universities only give faculty new laptops every 3 yrs and in this economy this can be 5 yrs but teaching has to evolve sooner then later. If a faculty member can airplay and not be teathered to a podium or desk. This is needed. Inquiry based learning is happening , groups discussions , group presentations, ability for students and profressors to be able to at wim airplay from their device a movie or presentation or data or what ever is the future!!! This is thinking different. Imagine a classroom with all ipads , faculty should be able to airplay to each device (take over) to show students something, or airplay to a projector or have laptop airplay to ipads or projector. This would change how we use devices in classrooms. Right now you can all have ipads but everyone is individual. we need group learning , use airplay to all work on a paiting together, all ipads , macs , laptops all being able to work and see one app or docuemnt. This is what you should be working on not the icloud sync your failing at. Goolge is going to control the world cause they make stuff that people want. The chatting with white board , face tracking, plugins . That is collaboration at it's best. Social networking is waning but not collaboration, not inquiry based working. America might have lost a sense of community but communities can make a come back through technology like having people use something like facetime but have many people see each other work on documents together , white boarding , planning, or just being creative. Apple your products are still just basic and aren't pushing what whe can do. When I worked with Apple you guys were so cutting edge creative thought of amazing ways to use technology but now adays it's google. Both you and Microsoft are playing catch up and trying to do stuff like the cloud or like page with cloud,etc. The thing is Goolge beat you made it easy to use it. So stop playing catch up and take your technologies and allow us to all think different. Intergrate google docs, you can still have pages, who cares. people will either use one or the other who cares but choice is good. However if you could use airplay and your cloud or your devices to all work together no matter what people used . Then you would control the device war. This is not a war among who can do the same thing it about people being able to be creative , collaborate , etc. You will never be able to force people to use your pages, your icloud your ,etc, just won't work but if you can think different and make is so doesn't matter and we can still collaborate on your apple products with the different clouds and the share using airplay and allow for people to not worry about what app or technology they are using but to be able to learn or think different or invent . Then you will change the world and is what Steve wanted. Apple could be the rosetta stone device that controls them all. Who cares if it google app or pages or office a user wants to use , but if each person can share, create, edit, display , using apple devices think of the possibillites. That is what people want. You started doing that with intergration with facebook and twitter now do the same with google and dropbox and what ever else people want to use . That wil be why people will use Apple products over anyone else. Well this is my 2 cents

Ronald,

As a Director of Technology, one would think that you would be able to:

• Spell;
• Punctuate; and
• Use a paragraph.

Regards,

-colin.

Colin,

I'm sure what you meant to say is:

"One would think that you, as a Director of Technology, would be able to spell, punctuate, and use a paragraph."

As is stands, you identified one (you every reader implied) as  Directors of Technology and then used arbitrary returns and semi-colens with little regard for proper sentance structure.

Oh — and thanks for your enlightening contribution to the discussion. We all appreciate your well thought out nugget of relevant and inteligent information.

I realize there have been quite a few petty posts in this thread; congratulations, yours is now one of them.

Hi,

No - I think that you will find that you have over-used the comma in this particular use case.

I had acutally used a bullet point structure which was not translated into the HTML that this particular site uses.  Thus, my use of the semicolon was proper and not incorrect.

Also, you spelt sentence incorrectly. As well as semicolon.  And intelligent.

But your point is well made.  If not spelt incorrectly, and poorly punctuated.

Regards,

-colin.

Message was edited by: Colin Neeson - how many more spelling mistakes can I pick up?

More mistakes than you can envisage. Colin, the word spelt in the English language refers to a kind of wheat. The word 'spelled' is what you needed there.

Sorry about that, but we all make mistakes.

Regards, Mary/Grainne

Colin,

I realize you're an "internet troll" and have little regard for the conversation at hand.  If, however, you insist on steering us away from it with criticisms of punctuation, grammar, and spelling, your argument might be better served if you endeavored to, as they say, practice what you preach.  Your sentence fragmentation and your persistent inability to capitalize your own name, both conjure the image of a bored teenager, desperate for attention.  Good luck with whatever life-troubles have been motivating your recent outbursts.  I hope you attend the best community college money can buy.  Thus.  Also.  But.

Regards,

Kyle

Hi Mary/Grainne,

Thank you for your comment.

The word spelt and spelled are interchangable in the English language. 

There are various reasonable uses for either, however the use of "spelled" appears to be more prevalent in American English.  I am not American, and have not had that influence.

As such, this is not so much a mistake.  It is more based on to how the language is taught, likely based on geographical location.

Thank you again.

-colin.