How can I get my Apple TV + speakers to play nice with regular TV?
March 30, 2015 12:34 PM Subscribe
I'm an Apple shareholder's dream, and it's rare that I step outside the Apple ecosystem. Shockingly, on occasion Apple fails to meet all my needs and I want to watch a DVD or a channel not available on Apple TV--but when I switch to regular TV, I also get switched back to the weak TV speakers.
I'm almost a cord-cutter. 90% of what I watch is through my Apple TV. In addition to the Apple TV, I have 2 Airport Expresses. One is connected to the modem & the other piggybacks the first and is connected to external speakers. Everything I watch through Apple TV is fed through those speakers. I also use the external speakers to play music from my desktop & iPad via Airplay.
How can I set it up so all audio goes through external speakers, regardless of its source?
A few considerations:
-I want to continue to use external speakers with Airplay.
-My TV/modem/cable/1st Airport Express are all on one side of the room. The 2nd Airport Express is on the other side, so the audio comes from behind me. I prefer that to having the speakers next to the TV.
-I'm currently using some old Bose speakers. The sound is good, but they have no wireless functionality. I'm willing to switch to an affordable amplifier and wireless speakers, but the key word there is affordable.
Thanks for all help! I feel like this shouldn't be so complicated, but so far my brain has refused to find a decent solution.
I'm almost a cord-cutter. 90% of what I watch is through my Apple TV. In addition to the Apple TV, I have 2 Airport Expresses. One is connected to the modem & the other piggybacks the first and is connected to external speakers. Everything I watch through Apple TV is fed through those speakers. I also use the external speakers to play music from my desktop & iPad via Airplay.
How can I set it up so all audio goes through external speakers, regardless of its source?
A few considerations:
-I want to continue to use external speakers with Airplay.
-My TV/modem/cable/1st Airport Express are all on one side of the room. The 2nd Airport Express is on the other side, so the audio comes from behind me. I prefer that to having the speakers next to the TV.
-I'm currently using some old Bose speakers. The sound is good, but they have no wireless functionality. I'm willing to switch to an affordable amplifier and wireless speakers, but the key word there is affordable.
Thanks for all help! I feel like this shouldn't be so complicated, but so far my brain has refused to find a decent solution.
Response by poster: I have a digital audio out port I'm not using, plus the standard audio/video components are free, as I'm using the HDMI ports instead.
If I understand your solution, it means using a different set of speakers for the TV and Apple TV, which isn't ideal. Am I missing something?
posted by mjm101 at 1:08 PM on March 30, 2015
If I understand your solution, it means using a different set of speakers for the TV and Apple TV, which isn't ideal. Am I missing something?
posted by mjm101 at 1:08 PM on March 30, 2015
I usually handle this by using AirFoil. This allows me to stream a video to my AppleTV via AirPlay using VLC on my computer while getting the sound from my speakers that are connected to an Airport Express via an amplifier.
Airfoil pretty much replicates AirPlay from Apple, but it works with a wider variety of programs, including browsers and video players.
The one challenge with using Airfoil to stream sound while AirPlay streams video is that the sound is significantly out of sync naturally (slower or faster than the video), but using VLC player, you can speed up or slow down the sound to sync properly to the video.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:16 PM on March 30, 2015
Airfoil pretty much replicates AirPlay from Apple, but it works with a wider variety of programs, including browsers and video players.
The one challenge with using Airfoil to stream sound while AirPlay streams video is that the sound is significantly out of sync naturally (slower or faster than the video), but using VLC player, you can speed up or slow down the sound to sync properly to the video.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:16 PM on March 30, 2015
The thing that is making it complicated is having the speakers at a different location than the TV. Having the audio come from behind you is not a common preference, so most of the standard solutions (of which an AV receiver as The Deej suggested is perhaps the most standard) will assume the speakers and TV equipment are in the same location. (That would, BTW, also allow you to eliminate the second Airport Express, since you could hook the Apple TV directly up to the speakers and stream everything through it).
Is there any possible way you can run speaker wires from the front of the room to where the speakers are? If you can do that, it opens up a world of possibilities (basically all of the standard options, except with longer speaker wire).
posted by primethyme at 2:03 PM on March 30, 2015
Is there any possible way you can run speaker wires from the front of the room to where the speakers are? If you can do that, it opens up a world of possibilities (basically all of the standard options, except with longer speaker wire).
posted by primethyme at 2:03 PM on March 30, 2015
Best answer: I have a digital audio out port I'm not using, plus the standard audio/video components are free, as I'm using the HDMI ports instead.
If I understand your solution, it means using a different set of speakers for the TV and Apple TV, which isn't ideal. Am I missing something?
No, only one set of speakers. Short version: All devices feed their audio IN to the TV. The TV feeds its audio OUT to external speakers via a receiver.
I'm not sure if I totally get what your set-up is like, so let me explain my setup and you can decide if something like it will work for you.
I have numerous devices running through my TV, including Apple TV, Roku, A DVD player, Wii, cable box, etc. All of these devices run video and audio directly IN to the TV. It doesn't matter if they are HDMI or not, they just all go directly into the TV. Without additional speakers, this would mean all audio would be coming from the TVs internal tinny speakers. That's not what we want.
So, I have an amplifier/receiver which runs a pair a speakers. I run the TV's audio OUT to the receiver's audio IN port. (My use of the term AUX above was probably confusing... sorry!) Now, any source that plays through my TV plays audio through the receiver and external speakers. You might have to change a setting on your TV to make sure default audio is the external speakers.
With this set-up, I can also play music via AirPlay to the Apple TV, or stream music through the Apple TV from my iTunes Match account, or use Roku to run Spotify. My TV has to be on, but that's no big deal.
posted by The Deej at 2:30 PM on March 30, 2015
If I understand your solution, it means using a different set of speakers for the TV and Apple TV, which isn't ideal. Am I missing something?
No, only one set of speakers. Short version: All devices feed their audio IN to the TV. The TV feeds its audio OUT to external speakers via a receiver.
I'm not sure if I totally get what your set-up is like, so let me explain my setup and you can decide if something like it will work for you.
I have numerous devices running through my TV, including Apple TV, Roku, A DVD player, Wii, cable box, etc. All of these devices run video and audio directly IN to the TV. It doesn't matter if they are HDMI or not, they just all go directly into the TV. Without additional speakers, this would mean all audio would be coming from the TVs internal tinny speakers. That's not what we want.
So, I have an amplifier/receiver which runs a pair a speakers. I run the TV's audio OUT to the receiver's audio IN port. (My use of the term AUX above was probably confusing... sorry!) Now, any source that plays through my TV plays audio through the receiver and external speakers. You might have to change a setting on your TV to make sure default audio is the external speakers.
With this set-up, I can also play music via AirPlay to the Apple TV, or stream music through the Apple TV from my iTunes Match account, or use Roku to run Spotify. My TV has to be on, but that's no big deal.
posted by The Deej at 2:30 PM on March 30, 2015
Response by poster: The Deej--that makes sense and sounds straightforward with the right equipment. So it looks like I'm off to Best Buy to find an amplifier and wireless speakers. Thanks for the help!
Also, that is a seriously impressive list of devices you have there.
posted by mjm101 at 2:50 PM on March 30, 2015
Also, that is a seriously impressive list of devices you have there.
posted by mjm101 at 2:50 PM on March 30, 2015
So it looks like I'm off to Best Buy to find an amplifier and wireless speakers. Thanks for the help!
You're welcome. One note before you go shopping: you don't need wireless speakers if you an place your speakers near the TV and receiver. You just wire the speakers to the receiver.
You can get a lot more speaker for your money by just getting regular, non-wireless, non-powered speakers. The receiver will run the speakers.
To be specific, I have these speakers. Very inexpensive, and they sound great with my setup. Best Buy should have something in that price range that will sound great.
I have this (now discontinued) receiver.
Also, that is a seriously impressive list of devices you have there.
Which is why I have this remote to control everything.
posted by The Deej at 3:21 PM on March 30, 2015
You're welcome. One note before you go shopping: you don't need wireless speakers if you an place your speakers near the TV and receiver. You just wire the speakers to the receiver.
You can get a lot more speaker for your money by just getting regular, non-wireless, non-powered speakers. The receiver will run the speakers.
To be specific, I have these speakers. Very inexpensive, and they sound great with my setup. Best Buy should have something in that price range that will sound great.
I have this (now discontinued) receiver.
Also, that is a seriously impressive list of devices you have there.
Which is why I have this remote to control everything.
posted by The Deej at 3:21 PM on March 30, 2015
Wouldn't placing the speakers near the tv conflict with his desire to have them behind him while watching tv? That's the only constraint that's making this tricky.
posted by primethyme at 5:38 PM on March 30, 2015
posted by primethyme at 5:38 PM on March 30, 2015
Wouldn't placing the speakers near the tv conflict with his desire to have them behind him while watching tv? That's the only constraint that's making this tricky
Yes. He will need wireless speakers to keep it that way, and it should still work with a receiver that can broadcast to them. Or long wires fed to them somehow. But I put the "if" in there as a subtle nudge to at least consider that option. I wouldn't want speakers behind me (other than surround speakers) but to each his own.
posted by The Deej at 5:48 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yes. He will need wireless speakers to keep it that way, and it should still work with a receiver that can broadcast to them. Or long wires fed to them somehow. But I put the "if" in there as a subtle nudge to at least consider that option. I wouldn't want speakers behind me (other than surround speakers) but to each his own.
posted by The Deej at 5:48 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by The Deej at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2015