I have a mid-2009 MacBook Pro 17" with OSX 10.8.4. My ipad and iphone use AirPlay mode easily (iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 2). My laptop does not have the AirPlay button in the menu bar and I've asked for this to be enabled in the Display Control Panel.
Any help?
Liam
A better solution for using your TV as a monitor is to connect an HDMI cable from the TV to an adaptor that in turn plugs into your computer's display port. In this way you get maximum video speed and the TV functions as a true second monitor.
AirPlay Mirroring needs an Early 2011 or newer MacBook Pro and Mountain Lion > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5404
As your computer isn't supported, you can use an app like AirParrot > http://www.airparrot.com
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
Thanks to the $15 Beamer, AirPlay streaming is still possible on Macs that do not support Airplay and mirroring.
Another solution is the Air Parrot.
Thanks for the advice and I downloaded a trial of AirParrot which does the job - but it is quite slow. What I don't understand is that, without AirParrot, I can share iTunes videos via AppleTV but not the screen alone. I am hoping to start working from home more so I wanted to utilise the TV as a second monitor.
You have AirPlay to transfer iTunes data to your Apple TV, but you have AirPlay Mirroring to mirror your screen. AirParrot only allows you to mirror the screen
Is my MacBook Pro too old for AirPlay?
