Scott Henry here again to talk about the ever popular Apple TV. Recently at Mac Outpost we have had a lot of clients asking about the Apple TV. What is it? What can it do? Why do I need one? I am here to answer those questions and give you a quick rundown on this amazing little black box.
I have been enjoying my Apple TV for just over a year now and I really don’t know what I would do without it! The Apple TV is a small black box that plugs into your HD TV via HDMI. Once set up on your wireless network the Apple TV allows quick access to a massive library of media from iTunes, Netflix and best of all your own media library.
I personally have a ton of media on my iMac desktop computer, the problem is my iMac is in my office room and when I have friends over we are not going to hang out in my office and watch a movie. Apple TV solves this problem for me as it can wirelessly connect and stream all my media content form my iMac’s iTunes library to my HDTV via the Apple TV. This allows me to browse all my media from the convert of my living room while entertaining friends. If I see a new release movie on the iTunes store I want to rent/buy, I can instantly start viewing it with a click of my Apple TV remote.
Like most people, my best speakers are attached to my TV through my home theatre system. The Apple TV is a great asset when I want to stream audio from my massive iTunes library. I get all the content I want playing through the best speakers I own without leaving my living room.
All this streaming media is great but it is not all the Apple TV can do for me. I also own a Retina Display iPad and a 2011 MacBook Pro. The great new feature on the Apple TV is AirPlay. AirPlay allows me to stream video and audio from my wireless devices right on to my TV! No wires! This is great if I am surfing the web and come across a video i want to check out on a larger screen or if i simply want to screen mirror a gaming App from my IPad and play on the TV, just like a video game console. I have also used the AirPlay option to view slideshows with family and friends in the same room with out having to pass around the iPad.
The best thing about the Apple TV is the price! The Apple TV sells for $109.99, and with the very easy step-by-step setup process you can have the Apple TV up in a matter of minuets. As always, please feel free to swing by Mac Outpost for a live demo of all the great features the Apple TV offers.
I hope all this info has been helpful to you, feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Have a great day!
Scott Henry
Mac Outpost Hero
