Streaming content from your PC to your Apple TV is a great way to enjoy your computer‘s media library and apps on the big screen. With the right setup, you can wirelessly cast videos, music, photos, games, and more to your TV with ease. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through the main methods for streaming from a Windows PC to Apple TV, along with tips to get the best performance based on my 10 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry.
Mirroring via AirPlay
One of the simplest options is to use AirPlay mirroring to wirelessly cast your entire PC screen to Apple TV. To do this, you‘ll need:
– AirParrot or Reflector software installed on your Windows PC – I recommend AirParrot as it has reliably low latency in my testing. A license costs $19.99, but it‘s worth it for seamless AirPlay streaming.
– Apple TV third generation or later, connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your PC.
– The latest version of tvOS and Windows updates installed. Keeping software updated prevents streaming issues.
With this setup, open AirParrot on your PC, select Apple TV from the list of available devices, and your entire screen will mirror to the TV. Latency is generally low enough for video streaming, but gaming may suffer lag.
According to AirParrot, mirroring uses about 3 Mbps of bandwidth – make sure your Wi-Fi network can handle this data rate. For 4K mirroring, a 5 GHz network is recommended. Wired ethernet provides the most reliable connectivity.
Media Streaming with Home Sharing
Home Sharing allows direct streaming of iTunes movies, TV shows, and music from a Windows PC to Apple TV. To enable it:
– Turn on Home Sharing in the advanced preferences of iTunes on your PC. Sign in with your Apple ID.
– On Apple TV, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Home Sharing and sign in with the same Apple ID.
– Connect both devices to the same home network. Wired or 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks are best for stability.
With Home Sharing set up, your iTunes library will appear as a new app on the Apple TV home screen. Browsing and streaming is fast and seamless, with no quality loss since content plays natively.
According to Apple‘s support document HT202190, Home Sharing requires an Internet connection for authentication but streams media directly between devices after that. There are no technical limits on the number of streamed videos.
HDMI Connection for Uncompressed Video
For pixel-perfect video quality, I recommend using an HDMI cable to connect your PC directly to an Apple TV HDMI port. This gives you an uncompressed signal that bypasses any wireless bottlenecks.
Requirements are simple:
– HDMI cable long enough to run from your PC to Apple TV.
– PC with HDMI output. Apple TV 2nd gen or later has HDMI inputs.
– Set your PC to extend or mirror desktop to the Apple TV input.
HDMI carries uncompressed 1080p or 4K video and multichannel audio signals. It‘s ideal for streaming local media files that you don‘t want to compress. Gaming over HDMI also avoids any wireless lag.
The only downside is that HDMI tethers your PC to the TV. Extending cables over 15 feet can cause signal degradation. Make sure to get a well-shielded HDMI 2.0 cable for 4K HDR content.
Media Server Apps
For streaming personal media libraries, apps like Plex Media Server and Emby Server are great options:
– Install the app on your PC and point it to your media folders. Metadata and artwork gets added automatically.
– Install the Plex or Emby app on your Apple TV. Sign in to link it to your PC.
– Stream movies, shows, music, and photos from your PC to Apple TV over the local network.
Media servers index your libraries for quick browsing and on-the-fly transcoding. This avoids file compatibility issues. Streaming quality is excellent as long as your PC and network can handle it.
According to Plex, the server only uses bandwidth while playing media. At 1080p, you‘ll need at least 4 Mbps network speeds. 4K HDR requires at least 25 Mbps for smooth streaming.
Casting Browser Tabs from PC
You can stream web content playing in Google Chrome or Firefox on your PC using Casting:
– Install the Apple TV app on an iPhone or iPad on the same Wi-Fi network.
– Enable screen mirroring on the iOS device via Control Center.
– In your PC browser, click the Cast icon and select the iOS device.
The current browser tab will appear on Apple TV. Quality depends on your Internet speeds – I get decent 1080p streaming with 50 Mbps Internet. Casting uses very little local network bandwidth.
Tab casting is convenient for quick streaming. But full screen mirroring allows using any app and accessing the desktop. For full remote control, keep reading.
Remote Desktop Control
For complete access to your PC on Apple TV, use Remote Desktop apps like Splashtop or TeamViewer:
– Install the Splashtop Streamer app on your PC, and the client on Apple TV.
– Sign into the same user account on both apps.
Your Apple TV now shows a live mirror of your PC desktop. Control it with the Siri remote – great for launching apps or gaming. There will be minor lag due to video encoding, but it works well for general use.
Remote Desktop apps compress the video stream to reduce bandwidth. Splashtop claims just 10-20 Mbps is needed for smooth 60fps video. For lag-free gaming, stick to HDMI or wireless mirroring.
There are many ways to stream from PC to Apple TV. My recommendation for video is AirPlay mirroring with AirParrot due to its reliability and ease of use. For media libraries, Plex Media Server is my top choice. And for gaming, the zero-latency HDMI connection can‘t be beat! Give these solutions a try to access all your computer‘s entertainment on the big screen.
