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AhRiHmAn

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 21, 2016
564
910
France
Hi ,

I'm sure this question has already been asked many times , but I can't find any clear answer.

When I use airplay to , for exemple , send Netflix from my iPhone to my Apple TV 4K , does the video go from Wifi>iPhone>Apple TV or is the iPhone only there to "tell" the ATV to get the stream directly form the Internet?
Thanks

( I hope my question is clear enough , english isn't my language ;-) )
 
In your example, it is Internet > WiFi > iPhone > WiFi > Router > ATV (Via WiFi or Ethernet).

If bandwidth is an issue, install apps on the ATV and steam directly to ATV rather than the extra steps. Even 4K video will use <20Mbps of your WiFi bandwidth (60Mbps total for the Router <> iPhone, <> Router <> ATV), so unless your in-home WiFi is really crappy, you should have more than enough for Airplay.
 
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I don't know how the Netflix AppleTV app works, but we have the Netflix on our TIVO box. Then if we load up the Netflix App on iPad/iPhone it gives you the Chromecast like streaming option where it plays directly from the TIVO. If you load up Netflix on AppleTV first, does it give you the same option?
 
In your example, it is Internet > WiFi > iPhone > WiFi > Router > ATV (Via WiFi or Ethernet).

If bandwidth is an issue, install apps on the ATV and steam directly to ATV rather than the extra steps. Even 4K video will use <20Mbps of your WiFi bandwidth (60Mbps total for the Router <> iPhone, <> Router <> ATV), so unless your in-home WiFi is really crappy, you should have more than enough for Airplay.

Thank you for your reply.
Yes that's what I do (Netflix is on my ATV) , that was just an exemple to try to understand how airplay works :)
 
it's not just the bandwidth - the signal is being processed twice - once on the iphone and then sent to the ATV and processed again.
 
I don't know how the Netflix AppleTV app works, but we have the Netflix on our TIVO box. Then if we load up the Netflix App on iPad/iPhone it gives you the Chromecast like streaming option where it plays directly from the TIVO. If you load up Netflix on AppleTV first, does it give you the same option?

No, Airplay streams, or forwards the stream to the ATV. The iPhone app is not a remote for the ATV Netflix app. Though, the ATV Remote app on iOS can take on Siri remote functionality and control any app on the ATV.
 
it works many ways depending on what app you're using it in, it all depends on how the app developer sets it up

it can send a web location, and the aTV plays locally
it can relay the file through the phone
it can play on the phone's screen, and then re-encode it and send that to the aTV.

or airplay audio only, which is another thing entirely
 
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