There are times I want to watch something on the TV instead of my computer (e.g., I want to show the wife something). I have paired my MacBook Pro with the TV. When I choose the Input option on the TV, it gives me a screen with instructions on how to connect… an iPhone. I want to connect the computer. I googled and found this:
Just turn on the TV and Apple TV, then on the Mac, go through the Apple logo, then “System Preferences,” then click “Displays” and select the TV from the “AirPlay Display” taskbar.
I click Displays, and there is nowhere to select a TV. It has Resolution (Default for Display), Brightness, Automatically adjust brightness, True Tone, Profile (Colour LCD), and buttons for Universal Control, and Night Shift. I tried searching for AirPlay from the System Preferences, and it takes me to the same Displays window.
The casting tech is not consistent between all the devices. I’m not an expert, but I think Apple devices only talk to AirPlay devices. I don’t think the Sony has AirPlay. I have a similar XBR TV and my Apple devices can’t connect to it. My Android devices can. My Sony has Google/Android as the OS, so the Google/Android casting works to it.
Do you have a Roku hooked up to your TV? The Roku’s which support 4k typically have AirPlay support. I can get Apple screens on my TV by switching to my Roku and casting to the Roku.
You may also have to upgrade from Monterey. I just helped my sister with this issue of connecting her Monterey Mac book to AirPlay and we had to upgrade her OS for the casting option to show up.
Like I said, I’m not an expert. But this stuff is always a hassle. The instructions are just “click the button to cast”, but then there’s 15 layers of tech which needs to work perfectly in order for casting to work.
No. I’m not inclined to get one. Another box, another remote… I seldom want to watch the computer on TV. Maybe if I could ‘just do it’, I’d watch more. But for now, I can always search YouTube on the TV.
If you don’t have an Apple TV (i.e. a little hockey puck sized box similar to a Chromecast or Roku) then those instructions won’t work. It’s an AirPlay receiver that can rebroadcast your computer screen even if the TV can’t. There’s some other devices out there, wi-fi HDMI dongles like Airtame, but they’re limited in their bandwidth and are meant more for conference room presentations and aren’t the best for video. Monterey isn’t the issue, that’s the most current version of macOS, @filmore may be thinking of Mojave, which is several versions behind.
My Mac has a Thunderbolt port. Our TV has an HDMI cable input port on the back. I bought a Thunderbolt to HDMI cable and plugged them into each other. THEN I went to SysPrefs/Displays and there it was, an additional monitor; I set it up to function as an extended desktop (i.e., not mirrored). EDITED TO ADD: Also made the TV the Sound Out device in the Sound prefspane.
From your (OP’s) description, it doesn’t sound like you’ve actually connected them to each other physically. Does the TV have HDMI, or DisplayPort, or other digital video input ports on it? Or, for that matter, analog ports, either as RGB in or S-Video or VGA or something? You can connect any of those ports to your Mac either with a direct cable or with the combo of Thunderbolt-to-[whatever] adapter and then that flavor of cable.
The idea isn’t to stretch the cable across the living room. Put the computer a foot away from the TV set. Plus a wireless mouse USB pluggy thing into that adapter along with the cable. Run your computer from your living room arm chair using your wireless mouse.
Well, the TV just isn’t compatible with your computer for a wireless connection. Sony’s intended way to do what you want is to use a cable. Apple’s intended way to do what you want is to buy an Apple TV and stream to the TV via that. Those are the official answers to your question.
Where are you trying to cast videos from? I found recently that I could cast from the YouTube app on my phone to my sister’s TV, as long as the YouTube app on her TV was running.
It also seems your TV has Chromecast built in. Ignore the stuff in @DCnDC’s link about needing a Chromecast device, and see if you can use Chrome to broadcast video to your TV. And, if you can’t, look at the manual for the TV for how to actually get the Chromecast feature working and displaying content on your TV.
Avoid using the Mac’s built-in casting, as that uses AirPlay and is not compatible with your TV.