How do I connect my apple TV to my IMac?

You can purchase an Apple remote, assuming your Mac has an IR receiver. However, it wouldn't take the place of a keyboard. There would be no reason for an Apple TV to display as all content is readily available directly.

Rudegar: Solid question; I'm also looking for the same function as the OP so i thought i'd answer your question (after many years lol). A specific example is, as I'm watching the new Apple Keynote on AppleTV and need to step out of the room (i.e. Bathroom) it would be ideal if I could just bring the laptop or iOS device with me and pick up exactly where I'm at on the TV. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be easily available. I believe "easy" is the key word that both the OP and myself are specifically looking for and after some research, it does not appear to be possible.

No. It’s not. What we want to do is view all of AppleTV’s functions on our iMac screens and use it’s powerful and function-filled remote to navigate as one can with a TV monitor.

While it’s true we can view much of the same content in iTunes, the app based content from many networks does not work on iTunes and/or not compatible with MacOS. For example, using the PBS app on iOS is seamless compared to the browser based interface of their ill designed website. Same with SlingTV and DirecTV Now. Moreover, switching from Netflix to Youtube to Amazon means going to the computer’s browser and searching for shows or the last episode one watched. Browsers are dumb.

With AppleTv, one can navigate through the curated list of channels and apps from anywhere in the room. Apple makes it available on iPhone and iPad iOS, so why not on MacOS?

We have three 27-inch iMacs (graphic designer & photographer), all of which far exceed the quality of the average television, which we have not owned since 2006. A 27-inch iMac sits in our living room (and those of my sister and our neighbor and another coworker) functioning as our “television.” For us, that’s 10+ years. I wish Apple would catch up.

I'm interested in a solution too.
I have 2 iMacs and no TV set. I was interested in buying the AppleTV (for this Christmas) but I don't want to buy a TV just for that and I was hoping there is a way to use the (awesome) 5K monitor of my iMac instead of a TV. Space is a problem for me.

Someone have a solution?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities

Unfortunately, you can only connect the Apple TV to a HDTV. Note that the iMac hasn't got a HDMI port, so you can't connect the Apple TV even if you use adapters

The connection method is called airplay. I do it all the timee with my macbook air and play to with my new imac. I also do it with my ipad. The resolution is limited to 1080p (apple tv limit).

The macs that can do this are listed here

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5404

for what purpos would one want to use appletv on an imac?

itunes will play the same rented or bought movies

and youtube and netflix and hulu+ and ...

I use an apple tv connected to a projector via hdmi, use airplay to project my MBA screen for presentations. Now I'm cable free. I have also played movies (non-itunes) in my living room. Funny but i really like the apple TV and have 3 of them.

I was asking the OP who unlike you wish to display the appletv's output on his or her computer

not the other way around

unless me and mende1 misunderstand and you are the one who interp OP's question correctly

if i use hdmi to usb converter is that possible to connect my apple tv to my mac?

no usb is an universal serial bus for it to do anything a driver has to be present

you can connect your appletv to your mac with a normal usb cable but only! for the purpose of restoring a crashed firmware it enable iTunes on the computer to connect to the appletv and override the failed firmware with a working one.

to be able to use the remote rather than the keyboard

That function is available for most services, it be best to give feedback to Apple to add that for playback of keynotes.

The point was that the content and functionality is available, being unhappy with the website interfaces wasn't relevant to that and would be something to take up with the developers.

As described above, that’s not possible and that content would be available directly (this is a media streaming box that connects to a TV)