Will 1st generation iPads work with Apple TV?

[Dave2002]

Newer generation iPads can do mirroring to TVs, but first generation models can't. Can they work with Apple TV, or does one still need a later generation iPad?

The new iPad looks good, but I'm not sure I want to relegate my original one yet.

[Stunsworth]

Mirroring isn't available...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5209

However you can still use the remote app to control the Apple TV

[Dave2002]

Mirroring isn't available...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5209

However you can still use the remote app to control the Apple TV

Thanks. Do you know what exactly the Apple TV provides? Maybe it offers things we don't want/need, and few things we do.
Will it do ITV player, Channel 4 etc.? Our Freesat Humax box only does iPlayer. We can pick up other things using a Macbook, but it's a bit of a faff plugging it in. I think some Roku boxes may do similar things, but the one we have (last years basic model) has the same issue about 1st generation iPad compatibility.

[Stunsworth]

There are no UK based catch up services available.

i use it to stream music from my iTunes library, view film/TV I've bought from iTunes Store, rent films, and watch programmes on Netflix. Also there's a good deflection of radio stations - including R3 at 320k

iPlayer etc would be useful, but as I say they're not there at the moment.

[Dave2002]

The Roku devices have quite a range of "channels", though the official release is still missing 4OD and ITV player I think. There is a list here - http://ukrokuchannels.blogspot.co.uk...t-popular.html However, there is a work-around using Plex, which might help some people.

Seems as though neither the Roku devices nor the Apple TV really address some of the services that users in the UK might want. I don't particularly want to have to plug my Powerbook into the TV all the time, nor to have to install a Mac Mini permanently in order to have 4OD and other services.

[Stunsworth]

Seems as though neither the Roku devices nor the Apple TV really address some of the services that users in the UK might want

I agree with that, though since I have a later iPad/iPhone it's easy for me to stream content from my iOS device to the Apple TV when required. The real solution is for Apple to get the licensing rights to the UK services.

[Dave2002]

I agree with that, though since I have a later iPad/iPhone it's easy for me to stream content from my iOS device to the Apple TV when required. The real solution is for Apple to get the licensing rights to the UK services.

Can you stream 4OD and ITV Player material to the Apple TV from your iOS devices? If so, it would seem that the issue re licensing rights is somewhat muddled!

[Dave2002]

One possible benefit of using Apple TV devices which has only just been made available is described in this quote

Best of all, you can use the AirPlay feature on a $99 Apple TV to turn your HDTV into a wireless secondary display, not just one that mirrors your computer.

from http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/up...ect-8C11466183

This applies for Apple users who upgrade their systems to the latest OS - Mavericks - a free upgrade.

I've not done that yet myself - I'm working out the best way to do it, and whether it is worth doing. I have several machines to upgrade, if I go for it, so probably makes sense to download once, and then either install via ethernet between the machines, or from a USB stick.

It'd be interesting to know if anyone else is converting to Mavericks.

[Stunsworth]

Can you stream 4OD and ITV Player material to the Apple TV from your iOS devices? If so, it would seem that the issue re licensing rights is somewhat muddled!

Yes thats possible. I agree that this whole right thing - assuming that's the reason for them not being available - is a bit of a farce.

[Stunsworth]

It'd be interesting to know if anyone else is converting to Mavericks.

I updated both my Macs this weeks. No real problems - I had to reboot to get email working, but that was the only 'issue'. It's a 5 gig download by the way.

Screen mirroring works fine, though don't think you could use a TV as a cheap monitor for day to day use. It's fine for things like video, but the refresh rate is too low IMHO to allow comfortable use for 'normal' work.

Theres an extensive review of Mavericks here...

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-10-9/

[Dave2002]

Screen mirroring works fine, though don't think you could use a TV as a cheap monitor for day to day use. It's fine for things like video, but the refresh rate is too low IMHO to allow comfortable use for 'normal' work.

The review I read suggested that it is not only possible to do screen mirroring, but also to use the TV as a second display - with distinct content.

It's curious that it works for video, yet you suggest it won't work for "normal" desktop work due to poor refresh rate. One reason why I could see that a TV might not be so good (as I have noted during the last year with my Macbook Pro) is that the display resolution is not as good as the resolution on some new computer monitors.

As I recall, the bandwidth required to connect a computer to a display runs into Gbps, yet using compressed digital for HDTV, the data rates are currently typically in the range 7-11 Mbps. Perhaps the clunkiness you are reporting is because of the processing delays for encoding and transferring the display data from the computer to the Apple TV, and the additional processing delays within the Apple TV to decode the data and render it.

For video purposes it often doesn't matter if there's even up to a one or two second delay in the video stream, but even a small delay (order 10-50 milliseconds) in a feedback loop can be noticeable. There is usually a feedback loop produced by interacting with a mouse or trackpad and using the display screen. Thus trying to use an Apple TV as an additional monitor might be frustrating for some, though perhaps it could be useful for displaying fairly static data - for example a copy of a text file, which is to be checked against a file being edited.

[Stunsworth]

The review I read suggested that it is not only possible to do screen mirroring, but also to use the TV as a second display - with distinct content

That's correct, though the image isn't as sharp as a real monitor - presumably because of the compression needed to get it to work over a wifi connection.

[Dave2002]

That's correct, though the image isn't as sharp as a real monitor - presumably because of the compression needed to get it to work over a wifi connection.

I believe you, though it should be possible to get very good quality with an HD codec and an appropriately high bit rate. The bit rate requirements for most content are far lower than then the raw data rates used for connecting a procesor to a display. HDMI rates go up to 340 MHz**, to support quality somewhat better than standard 1080p high definition video, though even that rate is about an order of magnitude lower than the rate which might be needed to drive the display (pixel count x frame rate x bits/pixel, and also taking into account colour and colour resolution) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI

Possibly devices such as the Apple TV do not drive HDMI up into the higher qualiy limits. Not all HDMI outputs are the same, and implementation might reduce quality in order to satsfy some other design constraints. End users may not realise this. Just because two devices are both described (possibly for marketing purposes) as having 1080p high definition quality over HDMI does not imply that they are implementd in the same way and deliver comparably similar quality.

** PS: This depends on the version of HDMI. Some (all?) versions of HDMI use multiple twisted pair connections (4), and the coding used on each pair may also increase the effective bandwidth. Even the basic version goes up to around 4 Gbps, while later versions will handle at least 10Gbps.