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apple tv lag when using airplay on macbook pro

Hi folks,


i have recently bought a new apple tv (november 2013) partly for using net flix, listening to music and using youtube on my big screen, but the main reason was for me to watch movies i have on my mac book pro without having to manually plug it in.


the air play feature works seamlessly with my iphone 5 and i get good hd quality and no lag, however when i use my mac book i am experiencing some audio lag and what looks like a low frame rate as the picture is jittery and rarely smooth. This is the case whether i am watching youtube, sky go, and also videos in QuickTime or vlc player. i don't understand why this is and want advice on how to get a smooth airplay experience from my mac book.i have followed all the advice I can find online without success:


1) i have checked my internet connections and ensured i it is fast and stable (15 mb/s down, 1mb/s up)....(obviously the same as on my iphone anyway)

2) i have toggled on/off bluetooth and it make no difference

3) i have ensured all other programs are turned off and i am not downloading anything

4)i have tried changing the display options to optimise the display for airplay

5) i have ensured my apple tv and mac have the latest software (including the last maverick update)

6) i have tried connecting my laptop and apple tv to my router via Ethernet


i am using a 2012 mac book pro 2.6ghz core i7 with 8gb memory, and even when playing full 1080p video activity monitor shows that my laptop is hardly stretched.


can anyone help and advice why I'm having problems airplaying from my laptop and not on my iphone as this is infuriating!


thanks

AppleTV 2, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Nov 14, 2013 9:37 AM

Reply
40 replies

Nov 14, 2013 9:50 AM in response to KINGBABS

wifi often use 2.4Ghz microwave ovens, dect landline wireless phones, bluetooth you name it also use that band

it's busy it can give interference


wifi networks use something called channels if everybody just keep their router on the default channel they are all runing in on the same channel this can cause problems if one live close by other networks again interference



network equipment can get periodic defect in a million ways and if it happens it don't usually mean no connection it can mean no connection every 3 times resulting in a retransmision of the data which mean everything gets much slower

Nov 22, 2013 10:30 AM in response to KINGBABS

Same issue here- I can airplay my amazon prime library just fine from my iphone 5 but on my macbook- (mavericks, 15 inch 2013 retina with quad core i7, nvidia 650 M and SSD) it just sputters and lags.


I have noticed web video is considerably worse than local content, giving me pauses of up to 2 or 3 seconds in which video stops but audio continues in the amazon player. Youku video, however, seems relatively stable. Our subscription speed is 25 mbps, so that should be plenty to stream SD video from Amazon and doesn't account for why it would be nice and stable from the iphone, but not the mbp.


Playing light, locally hosted steam sidescrollers like Limbo is better but gives periodic drops in framerate on the Tv. when mirroring the framerate remains steady on the MBP screen.


Games airplayed from my iphone seem relatively stable, though with a noticably lower framerate on the TV than on the phone.


It seems these issues have abated considerably since yesterday's Apple TV update, but are still curious nonetheless and I'm not sure that the update yesterday was specifically meant to address those issues or if I'm just getting a time with less network interference now.


Comcast recently installed a new router/modem/phone combo, replacing our old separate modem and router setup. I'm going to test if putting the network on a different channel helps.

Nov 30, 2013 9:45 PM in response to KINGBABS

Yeah, It's exactly the same for me with my MacBook Air 1.8Ghz i7 4GB memory and a solid state hard drive. I occasionally had trouble before but since I installed Maverick there is no hope. Video pauses intermittantly with any player and any resolution. At all times of the day and night, Video from the phone workd fine. (I really do not think it's the microwave.) Lesson Lesson learned: Never be an early adapter to a new os.


Fix this, Apple!

Dec 16, 2013 8:36 PM in response to KINGBABS

Ok, I just fixed mine!

I have a MacBook air 15" and was only having the same problem when Airplaying on my laptop but no issues watsover from iPhone iPad. Before Maverick all worked fine.

I use a Netgear router that uses both a 5G connection and a regular connection. When i was connected to 5G t it would lag or almost not work at all. I switched to the regular connection(only on my macbook not Apple TV) and it worked right away, like a charm no problems. I knwo this may not be the fix that everyone is looking for but it does the job until Apple adresses the issue.

Hope this helps

Jan 12, 2014 7:36 PM in response to KINGBABS

Same Issue. I am able to view the video or whatever i am streaming clear on my laptop. As soon as i connect to Apple TV it becomes pixelated and the audio is choppy. I discount and everything works again. the update has ruined my apple TV airplay features. This is the only reason i own this device. I am running 10.9.1 and am still having this issue.

Feb 22, 2014 1:32 PM in response to KINGBABS

I just bought an Apple TV and hooked it up in our work conference room using our new WIFI setup. Pretty easy. But immediately I was prompted to update the AppleTV, which I allowed it to begin doing so.


While it was updating I fired up Air Play and had some fun streaming my MacBook Pro OS X 10.9.1. Everything was as it should be.


However, once the AppleTV update completed and rebooted, it stopped working. Same problem as everyone else noted here.


So it isn't a 10.9.1 direct issue. It's the AppleTV software.


I ran a "Restore" option to get the little box back to it's out-of-box config, but it updates itself automatically in the process. So this did nothing to fix the issue.


Before I returned it to the store, I took it home and put it on my home old wireless network and TV. Lo and behold, it works fine!


So the AppleTV update breaks something in the WIRELESS config.


I'm going to take it back to work and run it through ethernet to validate this idea and will update later.

Feb 22, 2014 2:44 PM in response to 1sharpdesigner

It appears that once you connect AppleTV to ethernet, it's only availble to devices that are hardwired on that network.


I've unplugged the ethernet and the wireless turns on automatically and my MacBook Pro senses the AirPlay capability come back. But once I try to activate it, the LAG/Seizing issue is back.


Appears no way around this but to experiment with an alternate wireless router or return the AppleTV.


I hooked up an older wireless router (CISCO Linksys e1200) and connected the AppleTV to it. Guess what? Works like a champ!


The router that doesn't work is a newer CISCO Linksys e2500. The difference is the e2500 has Dual Band N. The older router (that works) is simply a Wireless N.


Apple will have to take it from here.


Hope this help!

Mar 23, 2014 5:35 AM in response to KINGBABS

Just like upgrading to 10.9.1, upgrading to 10.9.2 had fixed the lag and pixelation problems ONLY TEMPORARILY


After each upgrade using AirPlay mirroring from my late 2013 MBP to my 3rd gen Apple TV worked perfectly. After a few weeks however it became unusable (quarter-inch sized pixels and multi-second lag).


Whatever is happening during the Mac OS X updates, it fixes the problem (temporarily).

Is it some kind of network related cache that only gets flushed when updating the OS?

Come on Apple, give us a fix or a workaround!

Mar 23, 2014 7:30 AM in response to KINGBABS

Just need to put in my $0.02 worth. I have been experiencing this problem ever since I installed Mavericks. My problem manifests as a delay during streaming causing pauses of from 1 second to 10 seconds several times each minute. It makes the experience unwatchable. I have a 2011 MBA and a 3G ATV. I do science for a living and am used to unravelling problems. I have been working on this for almost 6 months. I think I know the problem but I don't know the solution.


The probelm happens for all software that shows video (browsers, itunes, quicktime, skype, Lyn, VLC, even powerpoint) and I have run through all possible screen options. My computer plays videos just fine on its own screen. I can wire up the TV via the hardware video port and it plays just fine. I can stream from my iphone via Airplay and that works fine. Most telling is that a third party software program called Beamer works GREAT vial my MBA and the AppleTV. that means it is not a connectivity issue. What falls out of this, the only thing left that can be messing up is the code that powers AirPlay in Mavericks. C'mon Apple. Give us back a cat. This OS is a real dog.

apple tv lag when using airplay on macbook pro

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