Need Advice on Ideal AppleTV Setup

[MBP123]

I just got the new AppleTV and I’m in the market for a new TV, so I want to get a setup that will enable me to do the following:

• turn on/turn off TV and adjust volume from the Apple remote
• Listen to music via airplay without TV needing to being on
• Ideally use my existing speakers/amp setup though I realize this might be limited because there’s no 1/8th inch audio plug on them. Instead, the speakers plug into the amp via the insulated copper cables, and then the amp plugs into the TV via the split red and white cables. I really want to be able to control the audio (volume included) via Airplay from my phone. Is there a way to do this or would I need an entirely new speaker set?

I realize not all of these might be possible, but I want to get pretty close to this ideal. Was wondering if anyone has a recommended setup they can share?

 

[Rigby]

If you want to listen to music from the ATV without turning on the TV, you'll need an A/V receiver with HDMI inputs (you will then route the signal from the ATV through the receiver to the TV). You can probably keep using your existing speakers with a new receiver.

 

[MBP123]

I'd rather not have a receiver if possible. Is there any way to hook the AppleTV up directly to the TV via HDMI and have it control the TV on/off that way? I thought I read that some newer TVs (HDMI-CEC) support this?

 

[d21mike]

I'd rather not have a receiver if possible. Is there any way to hook the AppleTV up directly to the TV via HDMI and have it control the TV on/off that way? I thought I read that some newer TVs (HDMI-CEC) support this?

Yes. Probably most do. Just verify for sure.

 

[Rigby]

I'd rather not have a receiver if possible.

Well, alternatively you could get an HDMI breakout box that can extract the audio from the HDMI signal and output it on analog (red/white) or optical audio ports. It's a bit kludgy but should work. Also see this thread for some discussion about that:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...v4-because-no-optical-audio-question.1932340/

Is there any way to hook the AppleTV up directly to the TV via HDMI and have it control the TV on/off that way? I thought I read that some newer TVs (HDMI-CEC) support this?

Many newer TVs support CEC, although they often use their own trademarked name for it. E.g., Panasonic calls it "Viera Link" or "EZ-Sync", Samsung "Anynet", LG "Simplink", Sony "Bravia Sync", Toshiba "Regza Link" and so on. There are also sometimes incompatibilities that keep certain features from working.

 

[MBP123]

Thanks for the help. How about getting the speakers to play music wirelessly via the AppleTV/Airplay? I'm guessing I have to get rid of my existing amp?