AirMyPC is celebrating Cyber Monday (Week) by offering a 33% discount. Just set CYBERMONDAY in the order page to get the discount on AirMyPC or AirMyPC with Interactive Tools Suite.

The discount code is valid until the end of the week.

AirMyPC is a powerful AirPlay client for PC that lets you wirelessly mirror your Windows computer screen and sound to your Apple TV using Apple’s AirPlay technology. It also brings specific-app mirroring and it can even mirror the computer webcam and microphone. It’s fully compatible with Apple TV 4.

Check out the complete list of features.

More deals: 

• Best deals on TVs for Apple TV
• Best deals on Bluetooth speakers for Apple TV 4
• Best deals on Bluetooth headphones for Apple TV 4
• Best deals on AirPlay speakers for Apple TV (2nd, 3rd and 4th gen.)
• Best deals on skins/stickers for Apple TV (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th gen.)
• Best deals on Bluetooth keyboards for Apple TV 2 & 3
• TotalMount Pro for Apple TV (2nd, 3rd and 4th gen.) now 33% off

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

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AirMyPC, a powerful AirPlay client for PC, has been updated to fully support the new Apple TV. AirMyPC lets you wirelessly mirror your Windows computer screen and sound to your Apple TV using Apple’s AirPlay technology. It also brings specific-app mirroring and it can even mirror the computer webcam and microphone.

Check out the complete list of features.

Partnering with the developer of AirMyPC, we’re giving away 20 free copies of this amazing piece of software.

Here’s how to participate:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post AirMyPC updated with support for Apple TV 4 (+ giveaway) appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

If you got a new Apple TV but you find native AirPlay mirroring in OS X too limited or you own a Windows or Chromebook machine, you may want to check out AirParrot 2. It’s the go-to app for all of your mirroring and streaming needs.

AirParot 2 allows you to wirelessly send your Mac/PC screen or media files to Apple TV. Among the main features are:

• Specific window or app mirroring
• Ability to mirror to multiple devices simultaneously
• Ability to stream audio around the house to AirPlay-enabled speakers
• Mirroring support to Apple TV, Chromecast and Reflector
• High-quality streaming for video and audio files (5.1 Surround Sound, 1080p mirroring)
• Compatibility with every mirroring-enabled generation of Apple TV

Check out our review of AirParrot.

Related articles:

• Pangea releases five tvOS games with support for 3DTV
• MAME emulator running on Apple TV 4
• VLC coming to the new Apple TV
• tvOS not coming to Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3
• How Apple is fixing what’s wrong with console gaming today

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post AirParrot 2: the ultimate companion app for Apple TV 4 appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Until now, streaming media files from a Windows PC to an Apple TV was only possible with iTunes (for supported file types only) or AirParrot (using its media streaming or specific app mirroring features). Recently released PopCast is a new player to the market. It lets you stream all of your videos to your Apple TV or Chromecast, no matter what file format.

PopCast does live video conversion, which means you can instantly begin to watch your video content. It supports all the popular file formats, including AVI and MKV.

It also lets you queue up your favorite videos and create playlists.

Here’s how it works:

You can get PopCast from here. A $15 license allows unlimited usage and 1 year of upgrades. Free trial is also available.

We heard from the developers that the Mac version is in development and almost ready for release. To be notified once it is complete, sign up for their notification list.

If you’re looking for a Mac app that offers similar functionality, check out Beamer.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

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If you own a Windows PC and an Apple TV, you are not making full use of the duo unless you start AirPlaying from the computer. AirMyPC can help you with just this.

AirMyPC is pretty powerful bringing almost every feature we have seen with other big players, like AirParrot 2. Download a 4 megabyte file and you are ready to get started in under two minutes.

In addition to the usual complete mirroring, AirMyPC also has options to send just the audio or only the video to your Apple TV.

It can also mirror the computer webcam and microphone – no other software can do that.

AirMyPC also brings specific-app mirroring, which means you will be able to send just one window to Apple TV in the background, while doing something else on your PC. El Capitan is bringing a similar feature with web videos in Safari for Mac (AirParrot 2 has this feature, too).

AirMyPC allows you to connect and manage AirPlay to multiple Apple TV devices. It also has a innovative new tool called Education Interactive Tools Suite (optional add-on), designed specifically for the modern classrooms. It lets you to draw, write, type and annotate directly on any open window on your desktop and of course, it gets mirrored to your TV or white screen.

With the Interactive Tools Suite add-on to Draw on your computer screen using the Pen Tool or using one of the the other Shapes Tools (as Circle, Rectangle, Arrows, Chats, Etc.) with opaque or transparent Colors. You will be able to use the Eraser tool, the Color Picker tool, the Opaque tool, Undo tool etc.

You will be able to type text using the Text Tool. You will also be able to save your work to files.

I had a quick hands-on with AirMyPC and found it to be really effective. It had some stutters while AirPlaying HD YouTube videos, but was snappy and responsive for everything else.

AirMyPC is available with a free 7-day trial. Go here to check it out and if you like the experience, you can purchase a license for $14.99.

If you are looking for an alternative app for Windows or Mac, check out AirParrot 2.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

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Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

HBO NOW, the new standalone streaming service from HBO, has gone live on Apple TV and other iOS devices yesterday. Although you can’t sign up to HBO NOW on your desktop, you can access the new service on hbonow.com via Mac or PC after signing up on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Here’s what you need to do:

STEP 1: Subscribe to HBO NOW directly on Apple TV or on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (via a free iOS app) using your iTunes account.

STEP 2: Purchase an HBO NOW subscription directly in-app for $14.99 per month (following the limited time, introductory 30 day free trial period).

STEP 3: Upon registering, you will set up HBO NOW login credentials, enabling you to watch your favorite HBO programming on hbonow.com via Mac or PC.

HBO NOW offers more than 2,000 titles online, including the series like Game of Thrones, True Detective, Silicon Valley, Girls, Veep, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Leftovers, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Blood, The Wire and Deadwood.

HBO NOW is only accessible in the U.S. (check out our tutorial on how to access U.S.-only services on Apple TV outside the U.S.).

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

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Squirrels has just released version 2.0.1 of AirParrot 2 for Mac and Windows with stability and performance improvements. Each platform received a number of bug fixes.

Here’s the full list of changes:

Mac:

• Resolved a crash when disconnecting from a media stream
• Resolved an issue that causes audio only mirroring to not un-mute if muted
• Resolved an issue that truncated the edge of 720p mirroring on 10.7 and 10.8
• Improved mDNS and device discovery performance
• AirParrot 2 now only prompts to install drivers when required, instead of on launch
• Added advanced logging preference for debugging advanced issues
• Miscellaneous performance and stability improvements

Windows:

• AirParrot 2 now prevents the screen saver from starting while mirroring and streaming
• AirParrot 2 now displays application icons in the “Application” mirroring menu
• Improved mDNS and device discovery performance
• Resolved a crash when disconnecting from a media stream
• Resolved an issue that caused Play/Pause to not be properly set during Media Streaming
• Resolved an issue that caused mute on “Audio only” to not mute audio to a receiver
• Resolved an issue that caused the connection menu to not properly size after launch if the task bar icon is quickly clicked.
• Resolved an issue that causes audio only mirroring to not un-mute if muted
• Added advanced logging preference for debugging advanced issues
• Miscellaneous performance and stability improvements

You can download this update by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the AirParrot preferences menu. The new version of AirParrot 2 can also be downloaded from here.

Learn more about AirParrot 2.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post AirParrot 2.0.1 for Mac and Windows released appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

AirParrot 2 highlights:

• Media streaming

The ability to stream video files adds an entirely new element to the formerly mirroring-only application. Users can now drag and drop their favorite movies, TV shows and other media files to begin streaming. When available, home theater users will enjoy 5.1 channel audio.

AirParrot 2 allows mirroring and streaming of audio only, too. It can now send audio files or audio from open applications to available receivers. Audio even plays in sync when sending to multiple receivers.

Streaming media is available to Chromecast, AirPlay-enabled speakers and traditional AirPlay receivers like Apple TV and Reflector.

• Multiple destination support

AirParrot 2 allows streaming and mirroring to more than one destination at the same time: Apple TV, AirPlay speakers, Chromecast – all at once. It works for both video and audio-only streaming.

• Chromecast support

AirParrot 2 is the first application to enable screen mirroring from a Mac or Windows computer to a Chromecast receiver.

• Bluetooth discovery/IP Connection/Quick Connect 

AirParrot 2 adds easier ways to connect to AirPlay receivers and Chromecast. Bluetooth discovery and patent-pending Quick Connect technology allow connections over complex and limited networks.

• Redesigned UI

AirParrot 2 includes an entirely new UI. Additions like a recently connected device list and new status bar are believed to “improve the overall experience and make wirelessly displaying content easy.”

AirParrot 2 is a paid upgrade. Original AirParrot users can upgrade at a discount through 11/26/2014 using the code AP2UPGRADE. New users can purchase AirParrot 2 for $14.99 from the Squirrels website.

We are already working on a review of a new version of AirParrot. Meanwhile, you can read our in-depth review of the previous version.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

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Most of you, Apple TV Hacks readers, are probably familiar with AirParrot, a little pice of software for Mac, Windows and Chrome OS that takes AirPlay mirroring to the next level. AirParrot lets you wirelessly mirror your Mac, PC or Chromebook’s screen to your Apple TV, all without any additional hacks or jailbreaks.

You can read our full review of AirParrot here.

AirParrot is brought to you by Squirrels, the developer of other popular apps – Reflector and Slingshot.

Partnering with Squirrels, we’re giving away three Super Prize packs! Each will contain:

The post Giveaway: win a free copy of AirParrot and Reflector, T-shirts, water bottles, mugs and more, courtesy of Squirrels appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Netflix comes on top of my “Apple TV-uses” list but AirPlay mirroring is a close runner up. The flexibility it provides is unlimited as you can show off almost anything on your HDTV with just a tap – it can be movies, games, webpages, presentations and what not. Though this works great if you are an Apple-only guy, for a person with a Windows PC or an unsupported Mac, this feature is fairly out of reach and that is where this post comes in.

Thanks to AirParrot from Squirrels, you will be able to AirPlay mirror your Windows laptop or an old Mac incompatible with Mountain Lion or those who just don’t want to get that free upgrade to Mavericks (and why was that again?). Squirrels are the same guys who earlier turned every screen into an Apple TV with their Reflector app.

AirParrot has been around for quite some time now and many of you might remember the in-depth review we threw in earlier. In case you missed that, here is what umOuch had to say about AirParrot:

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.

Read the complete review.

But that was a couple of years ago and things have changed since. Though Squirrels have pushed out many updates in the interim, it still stands to be seen, how well AirParrot has managed to age. Their changelogs look great on paper but let’s see how AirParrot of 2014 performs in my following tests.

Set up and getting connected

Once a 3MB file is downloaded, you only need to open it once to enter the license code for activation. Now on, you’ll have the green parrot icon on the tool bar: right click -> select Apple TV. That’s all, your Windows or Mac computer is now Airplay mirroring to the Apple TV.

I am not going to disgrace you with an elaborate how-to guide, which involves only 4-5 clicks. But here is a video on that and you can download AirParrot from here.

Generally, we see intermittent loss of connection plaguing many Wi-Fi based services and content streams. But for an app dealing with such heavy broadcasting, I was surprised not to see even a single episode of lost connection from AirParrot during the test period. So far so good!

General navigation with AirParrot

I started with something really easy. I just browsed through various folders, menus and Settings on my computer without opening any files except some basic text files. Not surprisingly, the stream was crystal clear and without any lags whatsoever.

Browsing with AirParrot

Then came the turn of the thing I do most – surfing the internet. Double click Google Chrome and I browsed through certain simple blogs, then some news sites with picture & flash content and finally reached YouTube. Once again, AirParrot delivered perfect streams and it seemed as if I was using my mouse and keyboard directly with my HDTV.

Viewing photos

A Picassa slideshow of my college tour was next on the menu because that seemed like something I could really view on my TV at times. The results were again impressive, with smooth visuals and no dropped frames.

Powerpoint and Keynote

Though I won’t be using this for myself, it might be helpful for many who have the projector connected to an Apple TV at their office or classroom. In my test, the presentations came out in bright colors and clarity and so did the light animation effects as seen in the above image. If you’re looking for an app for presentation purposes, you can be assured that AirParrot will serve it.

Watching movies with AirParrot

For me, this is the only reason I purchased AirParrot and to be honest, I was a little skeptical about how it would handle my 1080p movies. Getting my hard disk full of films to show up on the big screen hasn’t been very easy till now.

The results were out of the world! I was almost sure that I will have to tweak the quality of the video from Preferences to have a decent show but AirParrot seems to smoothly deliver even 1080p videos without any hiccups. And this is where AirParrot won me over.

The best thing is that I can just bring my wireless mouse into the living room and browse through the huge library of movies on my hard disk, right on my TV and play it with a click. I have never felt so comfortable.

iMovie and Photoshop

Initially, I thought of ending the review by the movies section, but the results I got made me to push this further. I started with some photo editing (Gimp) and I knew that would go smoothly. No surprises there.

Next is the time for iMovie. The video editing progressed as smoothly as possible but when I started to render the movie, AirParrot showed the first signs of fatigue. Yes, as a reviewer, I finally had something to complain. Though playing back the rendered 1080p movie brought back the charm, I still had something to cling on.

Gaming with AirParrot

I am not much of a hardcore gamer but I knew I was going to win this round. So I borrowed Hitman Absolution from a friend and fired it up. The results were quite what we expected. The game was lagging and dropping frames all over the place. I tried reducing the frame rates and quality, but the game was still unplayable.

Just for the sake of completion, I loaded some flash games from the Google Chrome Web Store and AirParrot was back on its feet and bouncing.

Final scorecard for AirParrot

Why to get AirParrot on a new Mac?

The AirPlay Mirroring feature has been encoded directly into OS X since Mountain Lion. So if you have a new device, you’ll of course be able to make use of that. But if you have an old Mac that doesn’t support OS X 10 or for some reason don’t want to upgrade to a newer version, you can very well get AirParrot to enable AirPlay from Mac to Apple TV.

But even if you have a new Mac running Mountain Lion or Mavericks, AirParrot still seems to be a great buy because of these features:

(Click to enlarge)

Our favorite is undoubtedly Specific-app mirroring. This means that you can show the screen of only one particular app on Apple TV instead of showing the entire screen. So you will be able to mirror your Business Report keynote to the projector for your boss, while you play Blood and Glory on your Mac, at the same time.

UPDATE: Specific-app mirroring, our favorite feature on AirParrot for Mac, is now available on Windows too thanks to this huge update. Now you can mirror a movie from your PC for your family to watch, minimize it on your computer and have a Skype chat with your client, simultaneously.

The Verdict

AirParrot is like having a 50-inch monitor for your computer. If you have a Windows PC or an old Mac and an Apple TV, you’re missing out on a lot of fun and potential by opting against AirParrot. As seen from our tests, you’ll be able to mirror anything except hardcore games from your computer to the HDTV and enjoy them from the living room.

Get AirParrot for $9.99 or if you don’t want to take my word for it, you can very well get a free trial here.

Happy mirroring!

The post Review: AirParrot – taking AirPlay Mirroring to the next level appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.