Getting my Mac to work with my TV

Factual Questions
1

I recently got a new Apple Macbook Pro. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it came with a free year’s subscription to AppleTV+. Cool.

My TV is a 2-year-old (approx.?) Samsung Smart TV with all the apps…except AppleTV+. Boo.

OK, no worries. I’ll simply plug my laptop into an HDMI input on the TV, and whatever my laptop is displaying will appear on the TV screen. Done it before with my old laptop and it works fine. Except: the new Macbook Pro doesn’t have an HDMI port. WTF, Apple??? All it has is Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports.

So I started doing research, and found that – in theory – a Mac can use AirPlay to mirror its content on a compatible TV. However…I’m not sure if my TV is compatible, and I don’t see any AirPlay icons (a little triangle thingy) on my Mac. I’ve enabled the setting that says to display Airplay when a compatible device is available. And even if my TV is not compatible, my iphone is always nearby. So why don’t I see Airplay on my Mac?

Or should I just buy a thunderbolt-to-HDMI adapter?

Or what about an AppleTV hardware device? What does that do?

2

TB->HDMI is the simplest.
AppleTV is like a Roku or Firestick. It turns a dumb TV into a Smart TV.

3

Well, Airplay is the simplest, if your TV has it.

And I believe any Apple TV device does add the Airplay functionality. (I don’t do it this way, so I’m not 100% sure, but that appears to be the case.)

A quick Google says Samsung added Airplay support in May 2019, so your 2-year-old TV probably doesn’t have it. I have a 6-month-old Samsung TV, and Airplay works seamlessly, it’s great.

So I think your only wireless option is to get Apple TV. But the cheapest device looks like it’s $150, so unless you want to buy into the whole Apple TV thing anyway that’s not worth it.

As for your issue with the icon not showing up when your iPhone is nearby - so far as I’m aware, Airplay only works FROM an iPhone. So the icon would only show up on your Mac or your iPhone if you have a compatible TV or an Apple TV device ready to receive the signal.

4

There’s a fairly recent article that gives wireless options here, I’m not seeing anything other than Airplay compatible with a Mac unfortunately.

If you’re keen on wireless, perhaps you could pick up an older generation Apple TV device for more like $100 on Black Friday. Otherwise so far as I can see I think the adapter and hard wiring is the only option.

5

Chromecast

6

Hey, you’re right. I have another older TV too, I’m going to try to set this up from my Macbook, will report back in a couple of days.

7

Have you checked to see if you’re missing any updates?

Here’s a list of Samsungs that have the app. Is your TV on the list?

8

I’m virtually certain my TV is a UHD Series 8. But I searched the apps, and AppleTV is not there – so Apple and Samsung may not be on the same page.

9

Then it’s likely a 2017 Series 8, which isn’t on the list.

10

Thanks, everyone, for the good info. It’s all making sense now.

If I need to get hardware, it looks like I can get an adapter for <$12, or go Chromecast and be wireless for < $30.

11

I have exactly the same situation as you on my older TV - 4-year-old Samsung TV, source Macbook - and I just ordered a Chromecast device arriving Thursday. So if you want to wait, I’ll confirm that it works fine, but everything I read says it should work. Seems like the ideal solution - and thanks for starting this thread, I didn’t realize there was a $30 solution for my older TV.

12

Additional wrinkle to throw into the mix: I’d also like to use my laptop as a DVD player (I do have DVDs with no streaming equivalent – like my wedding videos, for one…) and my old DVD player has bit the dust. I can play DVDs on my mac, with a plug-in DVD player – attached to a thunderbolt-USB adapter, of course. But Chromecast wouldn’t “cast” something I’m watching on DVD. Wired adapter may be the best and only choice for me.

13

Google has put out a new Chromecast model, which is a more user-friendly interface that you might want to look into. I greatly dislike the original Chromecast way of casting something. Also, a Roku can do the same thing, as it will have an Apple TV app, which may be more preferable, since it’ll have all the Apple TV+ content right on the screen, without having to mirror your screen or anything.

14

D’oh. I used to own a Roku but I gave it away when I got the Samsung supposed-smart TV.

15

Why’s that exactly? From what I’m reading, it sounds like it will just cast anything you can pull up in your Chrome browswer to the TV, which is exactly what I’d want. I’d use it for anything that I would not access via Netflix, Hulu, Prime, HBO - for which I have apps on the TV.

It looks like the new Chromecast device principally adds Google TV, which is not something I’m interested in.

16

Because the TVs I had my Chromecast on wasn’t smart, it had no apps - and its primary use was for Netflix, etc. So navigating through Netflix/Hulu/etc. all had to be done on my phone, as did pausing, fast forwarding, rewinding, etc. And once I start something, I’m usually on my phone reading the SDMB, emails, games, etc. I want a dedicated remote and interface for anything on TV.

17

The Chrome browser thing is the deal breaker for me. I’ve been happily using various generations of Apple TV since 2007 and they’ve worked well for my purposes. I mirror my MacBook Pro to the smart projector at school all the time that way.

18

For those in the market for a Roku, there’s a huge discount right now at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. You can get the 4K Roku for $27.

19

I think (maybe?) the VLC app will stream a DVD via AirPlay. It’s free so it’s worth a shot at least (edit- if you get an Apple TV I guess).

If nothing else works, I’d suggest converting your DVDs to h.264/h.265 files with Handbrake. You can store the DVDs away as backups and the converted video files should stream fine.

20

Despite their name, the media players in Smart TVs, really aren’t. They’re cheap and as you’ve found out, very limited in their capabilities because of that. A $50 Android box or Roku will do far more and properly.without klungely workarounds.