Success - AppleTV to Projector

[G P Ashe]

After some research I have sourced a cable that will enable AppleTV to be plugged directly into a projector.

No external power source required and it deals with HDCP issues too.

It doesn't do sound but I have another cable for that.

So far I have tested this with 2 Epson projectors - EB 460i and EMP-X3 (both XGA native resolution).

The details:

Video cable: HDFeat GAMER cable - www.3dfury.co.uk

Audio: any 3.5mm to Digital Optical will do (eg iWires from the Apple Store) - assuming projector/speakers take 3.5mm input.

Cables will cost about 100 euro and the new Apple TV is 109 euro but if you have existing projectors in classrooms and would like to use wireless iPad mirroring then this solution is cheaper than a 50" TV at the moment.

gpa

[John Hegarty]

I like Apples Airplay system and I've seen it in use where multiple iPads were being used in a room and taking turns to link wirelessly to a projector - very smooth and easy to use. It will get more useful when the feature becomes available to Apple laptops too with the next version of the operating system due out in the summer (Mountain Lion). 

I'd say though, even in an Apple environment it is going to take years before it becomes mainstream, as there will be a lot of hardware out there that can't take the new operating system. I have a pile of MacBooks that can't take the current OS (Lion) as they don't have enough RAM. I know I have little to be complaining about, even at four years old they are great machines and capable of so much but the line from a Paul Simon song is playing in my mind ...... "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains"

The cost of adding an Apple TV and required cables to every projector is going to stop it from happening here anyway for the time being.

Of course the other factor is that this is an Apple solution for Apple machines and we have plenty of Windows machines in the school to cater for too. I've seen solutions involving VNC and RDP but they seem a bit involved for the non techie teacher. I've seen wireless projectors from Epson but as on the Apple side the Epson software was Windows only. I dare say there are good solutions I haven't seen but I suspect they will be Windows only.

And the future holds Android and Google Chromebooks too as promising possibilities which no doubt either have or will have their own solutions for wireless links to projectors.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was an agreed, open, cross platform standard and everyone supported it - yeah I know, dream on.

In the short term I'll be buying a one of those cables (Thanks Greg for taking the plunge) and I'll bring in my Apple TV from home to play with and be like one of the guys from "Tomorrows World" on the BBC (well if the Paul Simon reference didn't show my age this one will) and talk of the classroom of the future. 

On a related note I'll be trying to make sure that all future projectors bought in the school have a HDMI connection as part of their arsenal.

jh

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[Greg Ashe]

I wouldn't envisage sticking an AppleTV on to every projector either! Because the cable solution is nice and tidy I may have a few "AppleTV To Go" bundles in the staffroom so that a teacher once shown could easily hook it up in a classroom on an ad hoc basis. Also if you are only going to use Mirroring you don't even need the AppleTV remote.

gpa

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Greg Ashe

IT Systems Manager
Glenstal Abbey & School

+ 353 61 386443

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[Brian Henry]

An alternative would be to install XBMC on the computer already
connected to the projector. It can act as an AirPlay receiver. It's
free.

http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=AirPlay

[John Hegarty]

With a few caveats it seems ...

From the website,

• All platforms support video (without DRM, meaning videos downloaded from the iTunes store will not play in XBMC).
• All platforms support pictures.
• All platforms except Windows support music (with or without DRM). Windows will be supported when libshairport is ported to Win32.
• AirPlay mirroring is currently unsupported.
• Videos recorded from an iDevice might not display with the correct rotation. Support for this is planned for later.

jh

[G P Ashe]

I need to clarify my initial post about audio:

 

The HDFeat GAMER cable is video only and it works fine with AirPlay.

 

The more expensive HDFeat 2 solution provides both video and audio.

 

The iWires cable for audio as suggested is in fact a digital only cable so it requires a digital input (probably something most projectors don't have). If you are using an amp or powered speakers what you need will depend on the inputs available. However unless you have a sound system which has a digital input you will need a converter.

 

There are many out there - all seem to require a power source however there is one which can take its power from USB port (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Analog-Audio-Converter-Optical/dp/B0068IPE40)

 

Another option - if you happen to have an Airport Express colocated then I wonder can you stream the audio via this and use the audio out port to connect to speakers/projector? The audio out on Airport Express is both digital and analogue. My Airport Express is kaput so I can't try this right now.

 

gpa

[Pádraig Ó Dubhaigh]

Re. software for connecting Apple products wirelessly to projectors, Epson have a utility (For Mac & Windows) called EasyMP Network Projection http://esupport.epson-europe.com/FileDetails.aspx?lng=en-GB&data=qRgpG4+M3DW6OrmBQiCSAOle963kyu8f&id=373210&cl=1

I've used it to connect a MacBook Pro to an Epson EB-450Wi. Works fine, but not excellent - there's about a 1-second delay, and video playback is shaky via both WiFi and wired connection. But it works all the same. I'm sure other network projector manufacturers offer a similar product? 

It'll be interesting in the future to see if they also offer apps for iOS / Android to connect wirelessly, without the need for extra kit like Apple TV etc. 

--
Le meas,

Pádraig Ó Dubhaigh

WWW: www.pdu.ie

Twitter: @podubhaigh

[G P Ashe]

An overdue update on connecting AppleTV to existing projector for AirPlay

Kanex ATV Pro cable is a non-powered short cable which plugs into AppleTV via HDMI and at the other end has standard VGA female and 3.5mm audio out.

Works a dream with AppleTV and standard projector (tested with 5m VGA cable) and powered speakers.

Cost 60 euro (sourced in CompuB, Limerick) - best option.

gpa

On 13 March 2012 17:00, G P Ashe <gpa...@gmail.com> wrote:

[John Hegarty]

Airplay is also coming to Apple laptops and desktops with the next version of their operating system, Mountain Lion next month. It was announced yesterday that it will be a $20 upgrade. There is a demo of it in use here. http://youtu.be/9N9DEiwcHvI

Someone suggested to me (Pat Seaver I think - Hi Pat) that in some cases it might be better to use a big TV screen rather than a VGA projector for this kind of thing, especially as they are getting bigger and more affordable each year.

Good to hear the Kanex device works - it is a neater solution than any I've seen before now.

Thanks

jh

[G P Ashe]

I agree about large TVs in principle - although 60" ones are not that cheap! What's the optimum size for classroom use? TV best suited to playing video and Keynote but perhaps not for portrait-oriented apps.

If you have non-HDMI projectors already dangling from the ceiling then the Kanex gizmo is certainly the most cost effective option if you want to AirPlay.

gpa

[Pádraig Ó Dubhaigh]

In this thread a few months ago I suggested using EasyMP Network Pojection to connect Mac/PC directly to Epson Projectors without need for Apple TV

I was also hoping they'd bring out an iPad app ... well they have, and it's great!  http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Landing/ProjectorApp.do?BV_UseBVCookie=yesiref=in_acc-lc_iproject-hub-to-lp 

Le meas,

Pádraig Ó Dubhaigh

PDu.ie     Google +     Twitter     You Tube       facebook     CESI.ie

[G P Ashe]

Yes this is great if you have a compatible Epson projector with WIRELESS - it won't work if projector is WIRED to LAN. I am actually waiting on delivery of a wireless module for an Epson projector (about 150 euro!)

gpa

[Pádraig Ó Dubhaigh]

Greg
I don't know about all Epson projectors wired to LAN but we had it working perfectly with an EB 450i WIRED to LAN a few weeks ago,  definitely not Wireless....
Took a bit of configuring but was really smooth when set up

Pádraig

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[G P Ashe]

Ok that is good to know as it somewhat contradicts what Epson suggest. I tried it with an EB-460i wired and they wouldn't communicate )-:

gpa

[Pádraig Ó Dubhaigh]

From somewhere in the Epson FAQs....

Epson iProjection for iOS

Selected FAQ

Q: I don't have the optional wireless module for my projector, can I still use iProjection? A: Yes, you can still use iProjection if your network supports wired and wireless connections and your projector has a RJ45 LAN port. Follow the steps below to set it up:

1. Connect your projector with a RJ45 connection to your network.

2. Connect your iOS device with a wireless connection to the same network your projector is connected to.

3. On your iOS device, tap iProjection, then tap projector.

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[G P Ashe]

Thanks for this - it will make me persevere. When I did try this approach, the App would let me see the projector but only if I manually specified IP settings on the projector however as soon as I tried to connect it would fail and the projector would disappear.

gpa