Mirroring Apple TV TO an iPad

[mpainesyd]

I use an AppleTV and stereo Homepods for listening to music. I don’t need a TV screen on all the time for this and prefer to turn the TV off. I am not particularly impressed with Homepod Siri selecting music and so currently must turn the TV back on to select my music.
It would be much better if I had an app on my iPad or iPhone that mirrored the AppleTV screen. A search of the AppleTV app store and other resources failed to come up with a solution.
Apple’s Remote app provides control of the AppleTV but it does not mirror the screen. I suppose I could give feedback to Apple to add this feature but won’t hold my breath!
BTW - I realise I can play music directly from the iPad to the Homepods using Airplay but for several reasons this does not suit my needs.

 

[CarlJ]

The Apple TV is designed to output only to HDMI - and, obviously, iPad has no HDMI input. It would be a matter of Apple putting in a bunch of work to add AirPlay video output to the Apple TV, and AirPlay video input to the iPad, and getting it to work perfectly on both platforms, and... that would appeal to dozens of people. They're looking for features that appeal to millions of people.

If you could get Apple's top management into a room, and explain your request, I'm absolutely certain that they would say, "No! Just AirPlay from the iPad to the HomePods, we literally built them to work together this way."

Your only other alternatives are hardware solutions - one would be to maybe find, or cobble together, a box that would take an HDMI input (the output from the Apple TV), and make it available over something like VNC or some other remote desktop system, and then get a viewer for that remote desktop system to run on the iPad. But that wouldn't be a very good experience on the iPad. And you'd have to switch the Apple TV output between that and your actual TV.

Another might be to buy a roughly iPad-sized TV (eh, HDMI-capable monitor), something in the 10" range (they do make them that size - I've looked at 5" HDMI monitors before, for Raspberry Pi's), then put an HDMI splitter between your Apple TV and your current TV - split the signal out to run the tiny screen too. As well, they make wireless HDMI transmitters/receivers (think of an HDMI cable, but chop out the cable part and replace it with two small boxes with antennas) - you could split the signal from the Apple TV, and send it via wire to the main TV and over a wireless converter to a corresponding box attached to the smaller screen, so you could move it around somewhat.

Both of these hardware solutions seem fairly clunky and a lot of work, and not as nice to use as simply AirPlaying from the iPad to the HomePods.

If the problem is that you're doing other things on the iPad, a final solution would be... get a second iPad (doesn't have to be fancy, doesn't even have to be new), and use that as a dedicated AirPlay device for sending to the HomePods. Works great, but it's spendy, and if the problem was that you really want the Apple TV UI rather than the iPad Music app UI, it doesn't help with that.

 

[priitv8]

Alas, after 15 years of waiting, any Mac running Monterey, can now become an AirPlay receiver.
So, technically, I do not see why an iPad could not become one.
Another obstacle, obviously, is that appleTV won't AirPlay video content, only audio.
This must have to do with protection of intellectual property rights.

 

[mpainesyd]

The frustrating thing is that iOS apps like (ancient) EyeTV and Air Video HD allow me to view, on the iPad, videos streamed from server software on a Mac on the same home network. So the system doesn't have to use Airplay.

‎Air Video HD.

‎Air Video HD is the ultimate streaming video player for all videos stored on your computer. If want to watch them on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV, this is the app for you. Download and install the server software on your Mac or PC (Linux coming soon) and you’ll be watching your...

apps.apple.com

 

[CarlJ]

This must have to do with protection of intellectual property rights.

How about, this would get dozens of people to buy Apple TVs and iPads, when they're only really interested putting lots of time into features that will get millions of people to buy Apple TVs and iPads.

Does it sound like a nifty feature to implement? Sure. Is it something that can be properly implemented by an intern in an afternoon? Absolutely not. And the number of new customers it would attract is a rounding error away from zero.

The HDMI spec has support for digital rights management. The Apple TV likely confirms that your TV is "secure" before it sends the signal over. Apple could implement something similarly secure for AirPlay going out from the Apple TV.

 

[priitv8]

The HDMI spec has support for digital rights management. The Apple TV likely confirms that your TV is "secure" before it sends the signal over. Apple could implement something similarly secure for AirPlay going out from the Apple TV.

Probably so, but I believe studios have a lot to say about what Apple is allowed to implement.
Especially considering, that Apple essentially forced them to sell UHD content to us at FullHD price (the upgrade to UHD was free to us, wasn't it?).

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

OP, there's the AppleTV remote "app" on iPad and there's the Apple Remote app available for iPad. The latter would let you control your Music/iTunes library from your iPad, including selecting playlists, songs, albums, etc comparable to doing in on the computer. In other words, there are TWO "remote" apps for iPad:

1. AppleTV remote emulator: a virtual AppleTV remote that can control your AppleTV using an iDevice screen.
2. Remote app: a virtual remote that can control your media library back on the main computer. I don't think this one comes pre-installed but it is made by Apple and free in the App Store. This link may point to it online: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/itunes-remote/id284417350

Using #2 Remote app, you can select airplay through that app to airplay from computer to those HomePods (which would NOT be using Airplay from iPad, but from the Mac). This seems like what you want to do... and would use those HomePods as if there is no AppleTV in your home at all for this (music listening with TV off) purpose... while still giving you a simple way to see/choose all songs, playlists, etc in your collection on your iPad.

I use it all the time for this same purpose. It works great! Use it when you want to manage music playback with TV off and flip to the other one when you want to manage AppleTV actions with TV on. Among other things, this keeps your AppleTV free in case maybe you want to show a YouTube fireplace video or similar while airplaying a playlist of your choosing from Mac to those HomePods.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Probably so, but I believe studios have a lot to say about what Apple is allowed to implement.
Especially considering, that Apple essentially forced them to sell UHD content to us at FullHD price (the upgrade to UHD was free to us, wasn't it?).

No, even Apple is not powerful enough to "force" movie studios to do anything movie studios don't want to do. There is no real "selling" per se because buyer doesn't possess a UHD copy and cannot download a copy of the file either (unlike the HD version). What you buy and can possess (download) is the same (DRM'd) HD digital file. However, the bonus is that you can dynamically stream the 4K version of the file if available.

My guess (I do not know this) is the Studios agreed to participate in this option to drive the sales and rentals of more movies without having to actually deliver a 4K version in a way that a buyer can control, loan to a friend, sell to someone else, donate, etc. Movie Studios maintain firm hold and completely control on the product... buyer simply THINKS they "own" a 4K version. In reality, buyer only somewhat "owns" the HD version too, since it is DRM'd for their own use such that they also can't loan it to a friend, sell it to someone else, donate it, etc. either.

The Studios DO have a lot of say about what Apple is allowed to do with THEIR "software" including- if they like- pulling up to all of their content if they want to pull it, pulling select files anytime they like (which drives countless "the <movie/TV show> I bought is no longer available to me" threads, etc. I would guess (but also do not know this) there are renewable timetable contracts between Apple and the Studios giving the Studios the option to up to bail completely on the iTunes Store when those dates are reached... much like how some have bailed on services like Netflix at the end of comparable contracts. That good guess is based upon the general structure of the deal that put Universal vs. iTunes about 15 years ago.