Apps Extending the technology behind "Beamer" to prevent lag

[samuelf92]

Hello MacRumors

I've had problems with lag on my ATV3 in mirror mode on my MPB 2011.

I bought a new router which helped fixed the lag on my iPad Air and iPhone 5S. But the lag on my MBP remains, though with a difference: It doesn't lag when streaming through Beamer.

The solution would therefore be to buy Beamer, but the app can only stream downloaded media. I'd also like to stream things from Photos, YouTube etc.

My question is: What is the technology behind Beamer that prevents lag when streaming HD media, and how do I extend it to other kinds of streaming on my MBP?

FYI: I've tried only extending the screen in stead of mirroring it, and HD media still lags in VLC. I've also tried to disable Bluetooth and decrease the screen resolution to fit the ATV.

I hope you can help.

Thanks

Sam

 

[Rigby]

There is a fundamental difference between streaming compatible video content and using screen mirroring. With compatible video (H.264 in an MP4 container in the case of the Apple TV), the device can simply forward the compressed video stream to the ATV for playback. Screen mirroring, on the other hand, requires the device to sample and compress the screen content in real time so it can be streamed over Wifi/Ethernet and played back by the ATV. The encoding process requires significant compute power and the hardware will usually limit the frame rate that can be handled (also, the quality will likely be degraded to be able to handle the encoding in real time).

So, when mirroring anything else than compatible video content, the only way to reduce the lag is to use faster hardware ...