How good is AirPlay Mirroring?

[VideoBeagle]

I presently have a Dell optiplex hooked up to my TV running Win 7. It's mainly used for netflix, youtube..those things.

I'm considering getting a refurb Apple TV.

I found the Dell's cost to operate per year (based on power) is about $120.
And AppleTV would cost $2.62

So the savings pay for itself.

HOWEVER, one thing I do occasionally run on the Dell is a Windows only proxy client that lets me watch some overseas channels.

I believe it will run just fine on my 2012 iMac in Parallels, though.

Assuming it does, how good is the Airplay Mirroring? Is there lag or distortion ?

(Everything would be connected thru ethernet, not wireless)

 

[S.B.G]

There isn't any lag that I've noticed. Though, you can see the difference in time, less than a second, between what's on the screen of your Mac and what is played through the network via AirPlay Mirroring. But watching it on the big screen is just fine.

 

[Shrink]

There isn't any lag that I've noticed. Though, you can see the difference in time, less than a second, between what's on the screen of your Mac and what is played through the network via AirPlay Mirroring. But watching it on the big screen is just fine.

Agree^^^

Unless you're watching both screens at the same time 🙂p), watching on one screen or the other (for me, preferably the big screen!), there is no problem.

 

[VideoBeagle]

Thanks for the replies..
I guess an extended question, does anyone use this set up for gaming? (or program use like photoshop?) Can it be used for that?

 

[S.B.G]

I don't. Actually, I don't use it very much at all. Only when there is a video I want to watch on the big screen is when I use it.

 

[whooleytoo]

Thanks for the replies..
I guess an extended question, does anyone use this set up for gaming? (or program use like photoshop?) Can it be used for that?

I've only tried it from an iPad, and found it not great for any game that requires responsiveness (in my case a racing game). It doesn't look too bad, but you just find it hard to control because the lag means your control inputs are just a bit late and thus you tend to over-correct. If you switch to playing watching the iPad screen, it's immediately a lot easier.

I imagine it should be the same for a Mac.

Strategy/board games that don't require 'twitchy' controls are probably fine.

 

[VideoBeagle]

This has some good review (a comment even talks about a game thru parralells being playable, so yay)

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/mountain-lion-airplay-mirroring-v-airparrot-fight/

 

[Mrbobb]

Thanks for the replies..
I guess an extended question, does anyone use this set up for gaming? (or program use like photoshop?) Can it be used for that?

Most problems with mirroring has to do with sub-optimal WIFI, but if hardwired, no prob.

Gaming, NO. Because there is a lag between sender and display TV. Playing chess OK but none of that stuff and requires fast interaction.

The downside with mirroring is, while in progress, your iMac cannot be used for anything else.

$120 to operate your PC? 😱 Don't you put that beast to sleep when idle?

 

[Lord Hamsa]

$120 to operate your PC? 😱 Don't you put that beast to sleep when idle?

Dunno if recent OS upgrades have changed this, but it at least used to be that PCs had three modes: off, sleep, and full-blast - that is, if the computer is on at all, the CPU is drawing full power all of the time. Contrast to UNIX and Linux based systems (including MacOS) that offer an "idle" mode for the CPU. (The main reason that Mavericks is introducing the timer coalescing feature is to bunch these small operations together so the CPU spends less time going into and out of this idle state, which should save power.)

 

[mslide]

Dunno if recent OS upgrades have changed this, but it at least used to be that PCs had three modes: off, sleep, and full-blast - that is, if the computer is on at all, the CPU is drawing full power all of the time. Contrast to UNIX and Linux based systems (including MacOS) that offer an "idle" mode for the CPU. (The main reason that Mavericks is introducing the timer coalescing feature is to bunch these small operations together so the CPU spends less time going into and out of this idle state, which should save power.)

Even a Windows PC, when properly setup to S3 sleep, will only consume a few watts. Depending on how much the OP uses the PC, the cost to operate it should be a fraction of what it is now. $120 / year sounds like he's running it full blast 24/7. I'd still change it out for an Apple TV though 🙂

 

[VideoBeagle]

$120 / year sounds like he's running it full blast 24/7. I'd still change it out for an Apple TV though 🙂

Well, that's how the calculator work out (http://www.abyssunderground.co.uk/calculator-runningcosts.php), based on 24/7. Technically it can go much time being just turned off if I'm not using it, but so would a proposed Apple TV.

It's the apple to apple....pun not meant....comparison that's the real importance.

(though pointing that out does remind me in fact that the "savings pay for itself" isn't necessarily true..or at least not as quick short time...I need to remember the caveats in my own testing)

 

[H00513R]

No lag for me when using my iPhone 5 or iPad 3.