Joe Felice
Level 2 (166 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Can an imac mid 2010 use Airplay (i.e. NOT Mirroring, but audio only)

So, the title says it all.

 

Basically, I have a mid-2010 iMac and am thinking of upgrading from Lion to Mountain Lion. I understand that I can't use Airplay Mirroring on this vintage iMac, but what I would like to be able to do is use Airplay to play audio (music, podcasts, etc) through the Apple TV to my home audio/theatre system.

 

Is this possible? Or am I forced to buy a bluetooth receiver and connect that to a spare port on my receiver?

 

Thanks.

 

Joe.

Posted on Nov 4, 2012 8:05 PM

by jjm182510,Solvedanswer
jjm182510 jjm182510
Level 1 (10 points)
A:

Yes, it is possible. I know because I enjoy AirPlay from my 2010 iMac running ML to my 3rd Gen Apple TV. Though you cannot do mirroring of ML, you can view photo slide shows, movies, audio, etc., basically anything you can play on iTunes, to your Apple TV.

 

Third party apps might also work well for you. For example, I use the Mac version of djay with or without the djay Remote app for iPhone. These work very well for me without a hitch.

 

Hope this helps.

 

JJ

Posted on Nov 4, 2012 9:31 PM

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Joe Felice

Q: Can an imac mid 2010 use Airplay (i.e. NOT Mirroring, but audio only)

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Nov 4, 2012 8:09 PM in response to Joe Felice
    Level 10 (271,811 points)
    Desktops
    Nov 4, 2012 8:09 PM in response to Joe Felice

    About AirPlay and Airplay Mirroring

     

    AirPlay Mirroring requires a second-generation Apple TV or later, and is supported on the following Mac models: iMac (Mid 2011 or newer), Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer), MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer), and MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer). For non-qualifying Macs you can try using Air Parrot.

     

    Several Apple Articles Regarding AirPlay

     

    Apple TV (2nd and 3rd gen)- How to use AirPlay Mirroring

    How to set up and configure AirPort Express for AirPlay and iTunes

    About AirPlay Mirroring in OS X Mountain Lion

    iTunes 10- About playing music with AirPlay

    Troubleshooting AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring

    Using AirPlay

  • by jjm182510,Solvedanswer

    jjm182510 jjm182510 Nov 4, 2012 9:31 PM in response to Joe Felice
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Nov 4, 2012 9:31 PM in response to Joe Felice

    Yes, it is possible. I know because I enjoy AirPlay from my 2010 iMac running ML to my 3rd Gen Apple TV. Though you cannot do mirroring of ML, you can view photo slide shows, movies, audio, etc., basically anything you can play on iTunes, to your Apple TV.

     

    Third party apps might also work well for you. For example, I use the Mac version of djay with or without the djay Remote app for iPhone. These work very well for me without a hitch.

     

    Hope this helps.

     

    JJ

  • by mandinho,

    mandinho mandinho Nov 7, 2012 10:07 AM in response to Joe Felice
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 7, 2012 10:07 AM in response to Joe Felice

    I am not 100% certain that upgrading to ML is giving me issues with Apple TV playback (not mirroring) but I AM having trouble with playback of music and movie stored in iTunes/iMac mid-2010. 

    I have an iMac mid-2010, 3rd generation Apple TV, cable broadband connection, and linksys wireless router.

     

    Ever since I upgraded my iMac from snow leopard to ML (and yes I followed all directions and updated my apple TV as well to the latest software version), Apple TV takes as long a 5 to 10 minutes to play a song in my iTunes/iMac. 

     

    I thought it was the broadband or wi-fi connection so I tried netflix streaming using apple TV and it was fine.

     

    Playback of movies stored in iTune/iac are also affected and it takes a long time to load as well.

    In addition, once the content is playing, there's lagging/buffering and the playback stalls.

     

    What's going on?  Is it the speed of the wi-fi or broadband as suggested by Apple troubleshooting tip and this forum?  The only thing that has changed from the time that playback of itunes contents using apple TV was working vs. not is the upgrade to ML.

     

    Anyone else experiencing this problem?  Recommendations?

  • by Joe Felice,

    Joe Felice Joe Felice Nov 9, 2012 1:36 AM in response to mandinho
    Level 2 (166 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 9, 2012 1:36 AM in response to mandinho

    Hey, thanks for your feedback. I haven't yet made the decision to upgrade to Mountain Lion - but I'm very interested to see what responses you get or what you find out from your research into this.

     

    Thanks.

  • by jjm182510,

    jjm182510 jjm182510 Nov 9, 2012 6:55 PM in response to mandinho
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Nov 9, 2012 6:55 PM in response to mandinho

    If you are having no issues with content from the internet, it could be a file sharing issue or a problem with interference from other devices you may have. I have experienced both of these headaches. What helped me was the following:

     

    1. Check to make sure there are no other devices within close proximity of the Apple TV which could cause interference. Check any other devices using wi-fi, but also any Bluetooth items. [Hint: if an iPhone or other Apple product is also having a problem connecting to the local network from the same location as your Apple TV, you may find interference to be the issue.]
    2. Restart both the iMac and the Apple TV.
    3. On the Apple TV, confirm it is configured to your local wi-fi network
    4. On the iMac, turn file sharing off and then on again. And yes, go through all the motions to do this: Preferences > Sharing > Internet Sharing (unchecked) > Wi-Fi Options > Click OK > [Make sure "To computers using Wi-Fi" is checked] > Internet Sharing (checked) > Click Start
    5. Go to iTunes and confirm Home Sharing is turned on.
    6. Go to Apple TV and confirm Home Sharing is turned on.
    7. Now check the status of content on Apple TV under the "Computers" icon.

  • by LodewijkClaeys,

    LodewijkClaeys LodewijkClaeys Jun 21, 2013 7:41 AM in response to jjm182510
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 21, 2013 7:41 AM in response to jjm182510

    Do you by any chance know if  works with that airplay on my MID 2010 iMac?

  • by jjm182510,

    jjm182510 jjm182510 Jun 21, 2013 8:42 PM in response to LodewijkClaeys
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jun 21, 2013 8:42 PM in response to LodewijkClaeys

    Not sure I understand your question. But to reiterate my first post above, AirPlay works on "my 2010 iMac running ML [Mountain Lion] to my 3rd Gen Apple TV. Though you cannot do mirroring of ML, you can view photo slide shows, movies, audio, etc., basically anything you can play on iTunes, to your Apple TV."

     

    If that is not the issue you are trying to resolve, please elaborate.

  • by LodewijkClaeys,

    LodewijkClaeys LodewijkClaeys Jun 22, 2013 1:07 AM in response to jjm182510
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 22, 2013 1:07 AM in response to jjm182510

    Well, I was kind of trying to ask if it works with VLC but I kind of forgot to add the VLC part... I'm asking cause you were talking about third party apps. Is VLC one of thouse?

  • by jjm182510,

    jjm182510 jjm182510 Jul 2, 2013 9:18 PM in response to LodewijkClaeys
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jul 2, 2013 9:18 PM in response to LodewijkClaeys

    Sorry just getting back to you. I have never used VLC, so I really couldn't give you a definitive answer to your question. That said, I don't mean to speak on something I am not well versed on. However, I have read that concerns with VLC to AppleTV may involve:

     

    1. making sure the files you are trying to stream are AppleTV compatible, of course
    2. audio issues, as some users have reported inability to get 5.1 sound

  • by Joe Felice,

    Joe Felice Joe Felice Jul 6, 2013 11:13 PM in response to LodewijkClaeys
    Level 2 (166 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 6, 2013 11:13 PM in response to LodewijkClaeys

    With a mid-2010 iMac you'll need to install 3rd party software such as AirParrot, then you can mirror whatever is on your iMac screen to your TV via Apple TV, including any audio.

     

    That's what I've done and it works fine.

  • by Chirogue,

    Chirogue Chirogue Sep 14, 2013 12:01 PM in response to Joe Felice
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 14, 2013 12:01 PM in response to Joe Felice

    AirParrot ($10) is one of the only options that will mirror iMac 2010 screen to Apple TV.  The quality of AirParrot mirroring as compared to AirPlay mirroring is not that good. Must depend on your wi-fi speed, how far the iMac is from Apple TV and how far they both are from the wireless router etc.

     

    Technical details of why AirPlay is not available on pre-mid 2011 models:

     

    http://www.cultofmac.com/178460/the-real-reason-why-macs-before-2011-cant-use-ai rplay-mirroring-in-mountain-lion-feature/

     

    Message was edited by: Chirogue