Viewing photos via AirPlay: too soft?

[Russell L]

Just got a new Apple TV for use with my new-ish Panasonic 65" plasma display. I want to use the ATV primarily as an easy way to view photos (via AirPlay) stored on my iPad 3, iPhone 5, iPhone 4, and MBP. AirPlay works just great with all of those devices, but the photos themselves don't look as sharp as I was expecting. Of course, they look super sharp on the iPad and iPhone, but look just a bit 'soft' on the Panasonic. Is this an unreal expectation, given that the photos are being blown up so much, or is it the fault of the AirPlay process?

 

[Stewart21]

Just got a new Apple TV for use with my new-ish Panasonic 65" plasma display. I want to use the ATV primarily as an easy way to view photos (via AirPlay) stored on my iPad 3, iPhone 5, iPhone 4, and MBP. AirPlay works just great with all of those devices, but the photos themselves don't look as sharp as I was expecting. Of course, they look super sharp on the iPad and iPhone, but look just a bit 'soft' on the Panasonic. Is this an unreal expectation, given that the photos are being blown up so much, or is it the fault of the AirPlay process?

I think it will depend on the original resolution of the photos to some extent. What did you use to take them with and how did you process them? I'll be able to say more in a few days when I get my Apple TV3 delivered and connected and can view my photos on my 40" Samsung TV.

 

[Madmic23]

Your photos will look a bit softer on the TV because your iPad has a higher resolution on a smaller screen. On a 65" TV, the pixels are getting pretty big compared to a 9.7" iPad screen.

 

[TJ61]

Have you set the display settings on your AppleTV properly? Could it be outputting standard definition by any chance?

Regards,
Tom

 

[Russell L]

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. The photos are mostly from the iPhone 4 and 5, which of course look fabulous on the devices' retina displays (even when zoomed in). I looked at several more via the ATV, and some are better than others in terms of sharpness and detail, even though they might have all looked equally as sharp on the much-smaller retina displays. So it seems that it's simply a matter of a large display being much more revealing, and not the ATV's fault....