Click on AirPlay, choose the Apple TV, type a code and voila, your MacBook, iPad, or iPhone screen is projected. The Apple TV is a pretty magical device.. when it works. To relieve some of your frustrations, it is important to understand the miracle it accomplishes, identify its limitations and look at a dead simple solution for your YouTube videos.
Apple TV in the Room
In a sea of network data, the Apple TV in your room receives a wireless stream of high quality audio and video in real time from your computer (or student computers, iPads, iPhones) and displays it on your projector. This is ideal for wireless presentations, but if you start pushing too much data (DVDs or long HD YouTube), what may work at home can start hiccuping in a room full of devices fighting for bandwidth. Leave your Apple TV or your computers on for too long, and these lagging issues can be compounded.
This is why a first line of troubleshooting is always to turn Wi-Fi off and on and restarting the Apple TV and your computer.
Directly Watch YouTube Videos on Apple TV
There is a better way to watch YouTube videos on your Apple TV than using your computer. If you think about it, when you use your laptop, you are streaming twice: once when you stream the YouTube video to your computer, and a second time when you stream your computer to the Apple TV. Instead, you can cut the middle man and use the Apple TV YouTube app to stream your YouTube videos directly. No need to connect with AirPlay, turn your Apple TV, and with the remove, navigate to the YouTube app. YouTube videos will play much better. But try looking for a specific video and you will be faced with the worst keyboard-search combination interface in existence.
The slowest keyboard interface in existence
Sync your YouTube Playlists on your Apple TV
The simple solution for this is to create your own YouTube playlists (need a refresher on this? look up create playlists) and login to your YouTube account in the Apple TV YouTube app:
- Turn your Apple TV on (but do not connect any device via AirPlay).
- From the Apple TV home screen, navigate with your remote to YouTube app.
- Once in the YouTube app, click on My YouTube and you will be provided an 8-letter code (e.g. ABCD-EDFG).
- On your computer, go to youtube.com/activate and type enter the code found in My YouTube .
Done! If successful, your YouTube app should reload with all playlists.
Signing Into Apple TV YouTube App
Don’t forget to share your favorite YouTube playlists in the comment section:
Pingback: Create a Collaborative YouTube Playlist • Tekiota