Beamer, the AirPlay movie player for Mac that allows you to stream any movie file from your Mac to your Apple TV, has been recently updated to version 1.6.2 that brings a bunch of improvements and bug fixes. The developers promise Beamer is now more stable than ever.

What’s new in Beamer 1.6.2?

• Fixed an issue where audio would sometimes be muted for the remainder of the movie.
• Fixed an issue where some subtitles would be parsed incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue where some movie files would not open (since version 1.6).
• Added the ability to report movie files that cannot be opened.
• Added support for MPL2 subtitles.
• Added support for audio-only movie files.
• Various performance, stability and cosmetic improvements.

Read our review of Beamer.

Beamer for Mac is sold at $15.00 and you can get it from here. A free trial (limited to the first 15 minutes of each video) is available from here. The app is currently on sale on MacUpdate Promo (25% off).

Beamer requires a Mac (2007 and up), OS X 10.6+ (Snow Leopard, Lion or Mountain Lion) and Apple TV (2^nd or 3^rd generation).

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The Apple TV 2, Apple TV 3, iPad 2-4, iPhone 4-5, and some iPod touches have all shared one thing in common over the past few years and that one thing is AirPlay. Well, as of this year Apple has decided to updated its latest Mac OS X, Mountain Lion build, with support for the mirroring functionality as well. There is no arguing that AirPlay is one of the strongest growing features in Apple’s multimedia arsenal. For those of us who have the distinct pleasure of utilizing AirPlay to the fullest, we know that it is something everyone needs in their lives. That said, there is a large segment of the globe that is unable to take advantage of these features.

What about those of us who haven’t done the upgrade to the newest Operating System? What about those of us who have upgraded, but want to use AirPlay while still working on your Mac? What about those of us who have an amazing surround sound system and discover that the Mac’s AirPlay functionality only supports stereo? Well… your answer just may be in a tool for Macs known only as Beamer!

Beamer App For Mac (by Tupil) – Straight From The Source

Now you can play any movie from your Mac on Apple TV.

Features include:

• Drag, Drop, Watch

Drag any movie file onto Beamer and it will start streaming wirelessly to your TV with Apple TV instantly. No jailbreak required.

• No Conversion Needed

Beamer plays all (OK, almost all) movie files, so you don’t need to convert your videos. AVI, MOV, MKV, MP4, WMV and FLV files will play just fine.

• Wondering if it will support another File Format?

You can easily download the trial to test any obscure file format you may have. We strive to support as many movie files as possible. If you have a video that doesn’t work, we’d love to hear about it.

THE GOOD

Beamer could not be any easier to use or set up! It is important to note that I say this because there is NO SETUP! Users need only download the app and turn on their Apple TV. Yes, that is it. Now, in order to play a movie from your Mac to your Apple TV 2, or 3, you need only drag the file from your Mac and drop it in the window that appears when opening the Beamer application. Within seconds your Apple TV will be streaming your movie.

There are many benefits to Beamer that Mountain Lion’s implementation of AirPlay Mirroring does not account for:

1. With Beamer you can user your Apple TV Remote to control your movie. This includes all remote functionality such as Play, Pause, Skip, Fast-forward, and Rewind;
2. With Beamer you can continue to work on your Mac, as the Beamer app is “just another window” on your desktop;
3. With Beamer you can user your Apple TV’s complete audio setup. This means if you have a great surround sound system connected to your Apple TV, you can utilize it with your movie streaming;
4. With Beamer you can download and test the app before deciding to make the purchase.

THE BAD

I did have a somewhat poor experience with the app in two situations.

1. While the app handled all of the video formats I sent to it, I found that if I used larger .mkv files I wound up with very slow navigation.
   • As an example, when I played the 1080p release of BRAVE, by Pixar, I found that as I attempted to skip forward in the movie, my Apple TV would hang for a good 5 minutes or more while the App and the TV communicated.
2. In one instance (and only one) I found an .MP4 formatted video that would only play in intervals of 10 seconds, or so, at a time. Now, the app handled 3 other movies formatted in the exact same way so we can be sure it is not entirely and issue with its ability to read codecs. That said, the video does play via my Mac and AirPlay using Mountain Lion.

While I did have these two problems it is important to note that I did all of my testing while working on a 3MB connection speed, over a DSL line. This is not very good. So the fact is, this issue was likely caused by my internet connect more than the Beamer app itself. I would go as far as saying if you have at least a 6MB connection, this app will be smooth as butter… spread over your Apple TV.

THE UGLY TRUTH

In the end this app did exactly what it said it would do. Though the team behind the Beamer app is not trying to reinvent the wheel, they did find a way to do AirPlay without Apple’s supported method. To quote their reasoning for not being available in the App Store:

“It was turned down for using undocumented Apple technology. We use an undocumented way to talk to the Apple TV with AirPlay. While this is unsupported by Apple, it works well in practice.”

That aside, I was not disappointed with this app at all. There are many players in this field right now, but Beamer is by far the easiest option for users who have video content on their hard drive, or other local storage, and want to be able to share it on their Apple Televisions. All in all, if your set up is missing any of the features we have mentioned in this review, you should seriously consider Beamer. After all it is free to download and try.

Beamer for Mac is sold at $15.00 and you can get it from here. A free trial (limited to the first
15 minutes of each video) is available from here.

Beamer requires a Mac (2007 and up), OS X 10.6+ (Snow Leopard, Lion or Mountain Lion) and Apple TV (2^nd or 3^rd generation).

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

Squirrels, a developer behind AirParrot and Reflection, is running a sale for its products: both AirParrot and Reflection are 20% off. AirParrot, an app that enables your Macs or Windows machines to AirPlay its screen to Apple TV, is now $7.99 (was $9.99). Reflection, a little piece of software that lets you AirPlay mirror your iDevice to any Mac or PC, sells at $11.99 (was $14.99). Hurry up, sale ends on November 16^th at midnight EST.

Sale’s page.

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

AirServer, an AirPlay receiver that enables you to stream audio, videos and photos, to your Mac, Windows PC or iOS device, has been updated to version 4.6 that features support for projectors, iPad mini and onscreen passcode (very useful in classroom environments). New AirServer also add a new audio player with remote playback controls, support for Remote Speaker output and Mountain Lion mirroring support on older 32-bit Snow Leopard Macs.

Here is what’s new in AirServer 4.6:

• Added all new audio player with remote playback controls.
• Added audio only receiver in lossless quality.
• Added onscreen passcode/password.
• Added projector optimizations.
• Added support for Remote Speaker output Winamp plugin by Eric Milles.
• Added side by side connections for photos, videos and slideshows as well.
• Added Mountain Lion mirroring support on older 32-bit Snow Leopard Macs.
• Added always on top window option.
• Added option to turn off automatic check for updates.
• Improved video playlist support.
• Fixed random disconnects while mirroring.
• Fixed audio crackling issues
• Removed alert sound when starting audio playback.
• Fixed red icon.
• Fixed Syphon recorder bug on Macbook Pro Retina.
• Fixed IPv6 related issues.
• Fixed various other bugs.

The update for AirServer is free for existing users.

AirServer delivers full 1080p HD mirroring and allows you to mirror your display from your iOS devices or Mountain Lion.

AirServer also supports 3rd party media players, such as the BBC iPlayer, 4oD and Netflix. This new breakthrough means you can now Mirror content from popular media apps to your HDTV or Mac via AirServer (local restrictions imposed by media players still apply).

AirServer for Mac or Windows is sold at $14.99 (there is also free 7 day trial) and you can get it from here.

Check out our review of AirServer.

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Mac version of AirParrot, a fantastic little app that enables your Macs or Windows machines to AirPlay its screen to Apple TV, has been recently updated to version 1.5 that brings lots of performance enhancements, few bug fixes and improved compatibility with Apple TV’s latest firmware. Windows version of AirParrot will also be updated soon.

What’s new in AirParrot 1.5?

• Automatically detect TV Overscan settings
• Added ability to force 720p for improved performance on slower networks
• Corrected an issue that could cause passwords to not save
• Improved logging for network problem resolutions
• Improved menu status messages when unable to connect
• Resolved an issue that could cause problems connecting audio to an Apple TV
• Added support for deployment to all users (when installed as admin/root) – contact support@airparrot.com for more details on bulk deployment
• Added support for date-limited promotional keys
• Improved compatibility with iOS 6
• Misc. performance improvements and bug fixes

AirParrot is available from here with a single machine license for $9.99 USD and a 5-machine license for $29.99 USD. 10 minutes trial version is also available.

Check out our review of AirParrot.

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

With the introduction of iPad 2 and Apple A5 processor in March 2011 Apple TV fans got an amazing new feature called AirPlay Mirroring. A5 was powerful enough not only to send a separate picture or video to an HDTV via Apple TV (AirPlay), but also to wirelessly display everything what’s on the iPad 2 screen right on the HDTV, allowing to stream apps and play games on the big screen TV (AirPlay Mirroring). Since then, all the iDevices that got A5 chip or one of its more powerful brothers (A5X, A6) supported AirPlay Mirroring. Yesterday, A5-powered iPad mini and A6X-powered 4^th gen. iPad joined the family of devices that support one of the iOS coolest features.

Here is a complete list of iOS devices that support AirPlay Mirroring:

• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 5
• iPad 2
• iPad 3
• iPad 4
• iPad mini
• iPod touch 5^th gen.

AirPlay Mirroring is also supported on OS X Mountain Lion.

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

Air Show, an iOS app that lets users preview, select and edit images on their iPhone/iPad screen while simultaneously displaying the more polished view on an HDTV screen via Apple TV, has been recently updated to support iPhone 5 and iOS 6. Air Show now also lets you add color captions and soundtrack to your real-time photo presentation.

Air Show is simple to use and fast. It lets users do basic crop, zoom, rotate and highlight with a laser pointer — all literally in a couple of seconds as users are showing off images in real time for an audience. With Air Show, Apple TV owners can share their iPhone/iPad photos on an HDTV screen while using the handheld as an on-the-fly preview, slideshow builder and editing tool.

Unlike photo collage apps that can’t display content outside of the device, or slide-builder apps that require sitting down and building a presentation first, Air Show is about on-the-fly previewing and tweaking of images on the small screen of the iPhone or iPad while the audience enjoys the show on the big screen.

Air Show is free and available in the App Store. There will be some add-on features and online storage for additional image playlists that will cost extra for heavy users, but the free version is great for most casual users.

Check out the review of Air Show HD on What’s On iPhone.

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ESPN has finally updated its WatchESPN app with AirPlay support. The update includes AirPlay support for all channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN3) and support for AirPlay in background. This is a great news for sports fans and the owners of older iDevices that don’t support AirPlay mirroring feature.

The free WatchESPN iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app gives you 24/7 access to live streaming feeds from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU. The app features:

Live streaming access to the top events from the ESPN family of networks, including:
* NBA Regular Season and Playoffs
* Major League Baseball
* The Masters, US Open and The Open Championships
* College Football and Basketball
* Barclay’s Premier League, Spanish Primera Division and Euro 2012 Soccer
* All 4 Grand Slam tennis events
…and thousands more live events airing on the ESPN networks

Up-to-the-minute news, highlights and analysis with live streaming access to your favorite ESPN shows, including:
* SportsCenter
* PTI
* Mike & Mike
* SportsNation
* Baseball Tonight
…and every other ESPN original show

Note: Access to WatchESPN live video is determined by your TV provider and, in some instances, your internet service provider.

WatchESPN is a free download from the App Store.

Also read:
How to watch live sports on Apple TV
Watch live sports on Apple TV with SportsDevil XBMC video addon

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

With friends like AirParrot, who needs a jailbreak for the Apple TV 3? You are able to stream movies, watch TV, run XBMC, play music, and watch home videos – all on your Apple TV 2 or Apple TV 3, without any hacking whatsoever. AirParrot is a fantastic little package that enables your Macs running 10.6.8 and up and your Windows machines running XP and up to AirPlay its screen to Apple’s little hockey puck. Yes people, Windows machines! Now we can take full advantage of these Apple TV’s, especially those 3rd generation units that are still, patiently, awaiting a jailbreak.

Now, obviously Windows and Macs have been missing out on the AirPlay fun over these past few years. That is until Apple recently added this exact functionality – AirPlay Mirroring - to its latest OS release Mountain Lion. That said AirPlay Mirroring is only available on certain machines and what about those of us who do not intend to upgrade or own Windows machines? Well, AirParrot is here as a digital savior to us all.

The GOOD

1)  Unlike so many applications out there, AirParrot works right when you install it. There was not a set up, no trying to adjust a million little settings that are far outside my realm of understanding. I just clicked the download link, installed, and was streaming my Mac to the Apple TV in a matter of moments!

2)  I love that fact that the audio streams to the Apple TV as well. You can actually choose where your sound is going: computer speakers or the Apple TV connected television (with dolby digital surround sound perhaps). This program can really make you forget you are using a computer, and with the help of a iOS remote you can forego the mouse and keyboard all together.

3)  I was able to stream video, in fullscreen, without stutters and/or freezes. This has not always been the case with this application. The AirParrot team has done some fantastic updates to get us where we are today.

4)  When you do decide to play with the settings, they are easy to understand. Everything was very self explanatory.

The BAD?

1)  There was only one thing I found wrong with my time using this program, and it was easily fixed. When I first installed AirParrot I attempted to stream a movie right away. This caused my television screen to stutter and everything began to slow way down. I then checked the settings and saw that I was streaming in 1080p to my Apple TV 2. Once I adjusted the picture quality I was sending to the television, everything smoothed out and I was watching The Daily Show in no time. Shout out to #JonStewart!

The UGLY TRUTH

In the end, AirParrot is a great option for work or entertainment, the home or office, the shed or your bathroom. It opens up a world of possibilities to your laptops and desktop computers. For me, I am all things XBMC and and therefore I am all things media, so my interest was in streaming movies, shows, and music and AirParrot handled it all. I then ran PowerPoint, Keynote, Chrome, and even iMovie: AirParrot knocked it out of the park. You haven’t lived until you have edited a movie on a 55 inch screen.

If you are one of the millions of owners of an Apple TV 3, I cannot see why you would not download and install AirParrot today. Load it on the computer in the other room, download a free iOS, or Android, or Windows 7 (soon to be 8) remote control for your computer, sit in the living room, and watch TV as if it your device had a glorious jailbreak. I did it, and so can you.

AirParrot is available from here with a single machine license for $9.99 USD and a 5-machine license for $29.99 USD. 10 minutes trial version is also available.

Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

It’s September 19, so iOS 6 should be with us any minute now. Once you install it on each of your iDevices, don’t forget to check out the newest version of AirServer (for Mac or PC) which has already been re-engineered for iOS 6. The new AirServer includes 1080p HD mirroring, content streaming and better support for video-on-demand apps like Netflix. The PC version hits version 1.0 and is now feature complete, with audio, movie and photo streaming.

Full HD support

AirServer has been enhanced for iOS 6 and now lets you stream content or Mirror your display in full 1080p HD. According to the developers, this enhancement is “twice as crisp as before and makes all the difference when viewing content on your iMac or HDTV via AirServer.”

Big screen browsing with Safari

iOS 6 with AirServer brings even better web browsing to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. With AirServer you can view the web full-screen on your Mac, HDTV or projector. Zooming-in to read illegible text becomes a thing of the past thanks to AirServer.

Facebook

Now that Facebook has been fully integrated into iOS 6 you’ll be able to share, post and stay up-to-date in a myriad of new ways. Combined with the new update of AirServer this means you’ll be able to stream all your social interactions to the big screen to share with others around you.

Maps

Apple has designed Maps from the ground up and is purely vector based, so graphics and text are incredibly detailed – even in full-zoom. With AirServer you’ll be able to stream the new Maps application from your iOS device onto your Mac or HDTV. Great when you need to debate the route with your friends before you even hit the road.

AirServer is sold at $14.99 for Mac and Windows version (there is also free 7 day trial) and you can get it from here. The new AirServer is a free update for existing users.

Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!