Mounting AppleTV4K on back of television

[dwrufus53]

Has anyone done this? My question has more to do with the function of the Siri Remote, as there will be no direct line-of-sight between the remote in my hand and the ATV4K behind the television. Any issues with responsiveness?

I have to ask because until last month, we had a lot more video equipment and use a Harmony remote which did not work well without a direct line-of-site to the ATV4K. I have experimented a bit by pressing various buttons on the Siri Remote while purposely pointing the remote away from the ATV4K and it seems to work. But I don't want to spend money on a behind-the-television mount if this whole thing is a fool's errand.

 

[hg.wells]

Yes, I’ve mounted one on the back of our tv. The remote doesn’t use IR to connect to the Apple TV. It connects to the Apple TV via Bluetooth. The remote has IR functionality to connect to your tv for the volumes controls.

 

[dwrufus53]

Yes, I’ve mounted one on the back of our tv. The remote doesn’t use IR to connect to the Apple TV. It connects to the Apple TV via Bluetooth. The remote has IR functionality to connect to your tv for the volumes controls.

Thanks!

 

[cawgijoe]

Check Amazon for mounts, or go super cheap with Velcro.

 

[bozzykid]

You just need to be careful not to mount it somewhere that gets hot or it could cause overheating issues.

 

[dwrufus53]

Check Amazon for mounts, or go super cheap with Velcro.

You just need to be carefully not to mount it somewhere that gets hot or it could cause overheating issues.

Yeah, already picked this mount:

IFCASE Wall/Under Desk/Back of TV Mount Compatible with All Apple TV Generations (Including All 4K Models) (Black)

Quality Material: Crafted from high-quality aluminum with an oxidation finish, this holder guarantees rust resistance and a seamless blend with your device.

www.amazon.com

 

[JulianL]

Yes, I’ve mounted one on the back of our tv. The remote doesn’t use IR to connect to the Apple TV. It connects to the Apple TV via Bluetooth. The remote has IR functionality to connect to your tv for the volumes controls.

I don't know much about this stuff apart from recognising a few acronyms and having a vague idea what they refer to but with a TV that supports it then does one have to rely on (resort to) using IR to control the volume or can the volume control inputs (up/down/mute/unmute) be sent to the AppleTV via Bluetooth which then passes them on to the TV via CEC?

Like I say, I don't pretend to be anything close to an expert on this (I'm waiting for the rumoured product refresh before buying my first Apple TV) but as I understand it CEC can do that provided that both ends (the TV and the Apple box) support CEC and the Apple TV does support it so it should come down to whether you also have a CEC-enabled TV which I think includes pretty much all modern TVs now.

My instinct would be to try to get as many remote commands as possible going via the Bluetooth connection to the Apple TV since, based on my past experiences with non-Apple streaming boxes, the speed of response and reliability tends to be noticeably better with a Bluetooth remote vs an IR remote and I'm guessing that the IR function on the Apple TV remote is perhaps mostly for compatibility with legacy TVs that don't support CEC or for people who might not be comfortable setting up CEC even though their devices support it.

 

[dwrufus53]

I don't know much about this stuff apart from recognising a few acronyms and having a vague idea what they refer to but with a TV that supports it then does one have to rely on (resort to) using IR to control the volume or can the volume control inputs (up/down/mute/unmute) be sent to the AppleTV via Bluetooth which then passes them on to the TV via CEC?

Like I say, I don't pretend to be anything close to an expert on this (I'm waiting for the rumoured product refresh before buying my first Apple TV) but as I understand it CEC can do that provided that both ends (the TV and the Apple box) support CEC and the Apple TV does support it so it should come down to whether you also have a CEC-enabled TV which I think includes pretty much all modern TVs now.

My instinct would be to try to get as many remote commands as possible going via the Bluetooth connection to the Apple TV since, based on my past experiences with non-Apple streaming boxes, the speed of response and reliability tends to be noticeably better with a Bluetooth remote vs an IR remote and I'm guessing that the IR function on the Apple TV remote is perhaps mostly for compatibility with legacy TVs that don't support CEC or for people who might not be comfortable setting up CEC even though their devices support it.

The short answer is “yes”. The CEC will solve the volume control issue with a single ATV remote. There is a setting within tvOS that controls enabling CEC and another which lets you pick the audio output if you have options (TV, soundbar, HomePods, etc) and allows the Siri AppleTV remote to control it all.