AirPlay is one of the most touted features in OS X Mountain Lion because it allows you to extend your computer’s screen to the Apple TV and your television. This new tool also lets you stream audio from your computer to any AirPlay-compatible deice. We're so excited about it we couldn't wait to tell you about it's features, so read on!
For many years, iTunes has supported AirPlay features, allowing you to wireless stream your tunes to an AirPort Express or Apple TV. In Mountain Lion, you can now take that one step further by streaming all audio from your Mac to an external wireless speaker.
To do this, navigate to System Preferences > Sound > Output. Once there, select your available AirPlay device from the sound output list. AirPlay devices will be denoted by “AirPlay” in the Type field.
Note that the volume of the audio sent through the AirPlay device can be controlled using the volume buttons on your Mac keyboard, or in the menu bar.
With iOS 5, you could mirror your device screen to an Apple TV. Mac users longed for the ability to do this, but the feature has finally made its way to OS X in Mountain Lion.
To use the AirPlay mirroring feature on a supported Mac, navigate to System Preferences > Displays > Display. Select your Apple TV from the “AirPlay mirroring” drop-down menu. Your Mac will automatically connect to the device and begin mirroring the screen.
After a successful connection, you'll see new settings in the Display preference pane. You can choose between “Best for built-in display,” “Best for AirPlay,” or “Scaled.” The Best for built-in display will replicate your current Mac resolution on the TV display. The Best for AirPlay option will adjust your Mac display resolution to match that of the television. Finally, the Scaled option will let you choose a resolution from a list of choices.
If your television is chopping off a portion of the screen, then you can check the option for “Overscan correction.” This will ensure that the screen is positioned properly on your television.
If you enable the option for "Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available" in the Displays System Preference pane, then you'll see a new item pop up in your menu bar. Clicking on this icon will give you the option of connecting to any of the available AirPlay mirroring-compatible Apple TVs. This menu bar option is a great time saver if you plan on mirroring often.
Cory Bohon is a freelance technology writer, indie Mac and iOS developer, and amateur photographer. Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.
Carsten Legaard
October 30, 2012 at 4:21pm
To clear things up: I do own a compatible unit, MacBook Pro mid 2010. I do have the Mountain Lion, thus I do not know why. I do have everything updated to the last minute.
I also own an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4. Every unit set up to share.
But Airplay?
It does not show in iTunes.
It does not show up in Quicktime.
It definitly does not show in Safari.
Then what is left. You tell me.
I think there's a hell too much marketing shit coming out from Apple Inc. and not much of a real life service.
It is magical, they use to tell us.
Yea, and the rabbit has gone into the hat.
You blew it, punk.
teddyc
July 25, 2012 at 2:46pm
"Note that the volume of the audio sent through the AirPlay device can be controlled using the volume buttons on your Mac keyboard"
This is not the case for me and I'm wondering if you're sure about it. On both my 11" MBA and an old iMac, I can only control the AirPlay volume by adjusting it in iTunes on the screen. (The device I'm using is the 2nd generation AirPort Express.)
If you think it should be working for me, any idea as to why it ain't?!
Thanks.
violentlove
July 25, 2012 at 1:31pm
Maybe we should've put out a list of compatible devices so people are not going around in circles because they can't get it to work, yea. It pisses me off that the first time i see this list is after searching high and low for reasons i can not get my air mirroring to work.
nimerz
July 25, 2012 at 6:14pm
I second that. So annoying and this was the biggest reason I decided to upgrade. Have you found a list of compatible devices? I was certain that a 2009 mac pro would have worked just fine which doesn't seem to be the case.
corybohon
July 25, 2012 at 8:28pm
It looks like Apple has relesed a list (albeit in the fine print on the "What's New" feature page for Mountain Lion). Here's the list of Macs that will work with AirPlay:
AirPlay Mirroring requires a second-generation Apple TV or later, and is supported on the following Mac models: iMac (Mid 2011 or newer), Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer), MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer), and MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer).
