How to play iTunes movies on TV without Apple TV

lrd


Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
347
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
Las Vegas
Your Mac's Specs
2009 MacBook Pro 15" - 2013 iMac 3.4GHz quad-core i7, Fusion Drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX
I have my iMac connected directly to my TV via HDMI. How do I play iTunes movies (both video and Audio) on the TV? Only way I've found so far is to drag iTunes to the second screen (the TV) but the sound still comes out of the iMac. Not what I'm looking for...

This is for my wife mostly (she hates my Mac after years of using a PC...not because she likes PCs but because it's different and she learns computers by rote) and she needs a painless easy way to just hit play and not have to go through hoops.

Thanks
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
What you need to do is to Navigate to where your iTunes Movie Folder is, and drag said movie to say your Movies folder. Then double click on it and Quicktime will open up.

You will still have sound coming out of your Mac, but if you have Speakers set up on your WiFi Network with AirPort Express, then you need a App called AirFoil so you can pick where you want you sound to come out, and if you have speakers set up like this, still use your iTunes way of doing it.

Bottom Line is you NEED a ATV3 because there is so much you can do from it, and if you have AVI files, you can use Apps like Beamer to Stream straight to your TV with sound out of TV Speakers, of for me, my AirPort Express Speakers.
$99 for ATV3 ;)
 
OP
L

lrd


Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
347
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
Las Vegas
Your Mac's Specs
2009 MacBook Pro 15" - 2013 iMac 3.4GHz quad-core i7, Fusion Drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX
All the movies are in iTunes already. I just want to push them to the TV, audio and video. Not through some silly app, but directly. I could that with my PC easily, can't believe that a Mac makes this harder.

Several online articles talk about this in general, but none gave the specifics on how...
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
Well i just found the solution.
Go into System Preferences then Sound then click the OutPut Tab and select your TV if the HDMI is Audio as well then it should show up in Output under Sound

Just tried it and worked perfectly
 
OP
L

lrd


Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
347
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
Las Vegas
Your Mac's Specs
2009 MacBook Pro 15" - 2013 iMac 3.4GHz quad-core i7, Fusion Drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX
Thats great, but that moves sound there all the time. I was hoping to have that happen only when iTines is pushing a movie, which I haven't found an easier way than having to drag the application to the second screen...which is not open all the time. Is this not possible without an Apple TV?

Sigh...for those that say "Macs just work" are kidding themselves.
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
Sigh...for those that say "Macs just work" are kidding themselves.

HaHa

There still could be, im one person in a big pond here. If anyone would know, bobtomay would, but they way the Mac is set up, with Airplay and the way we use our ATV's, "It just works".
Go back to PC or put it in Bootcamp if your not happy, but im happy with how things "Just work" for me. Im happy being in the ecosystem.

Have a look at Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes ♫ - dougscripts.com
And see if he has a Apple Script there that will do what you want, as he has a lot there.
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
Let me see if I understand things. When you follow TatooedMac's suggestion the sound is pushed out of the HDMI cable as you would like correct? You want it pushed there if iTunes is active but not at other times correct? I think I have seen directions for doing this With Audio Hijack Pro.

The demo is free so It would not cost anything to try and set it up. I'll see if I can find the directions.
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
You want it pushed there if iTunes is active but not at other times correct? I think I have seen directions for doing this With Audio Hijack Pro.

The demo is free so It would not cost anything to try and set it up. I'll see if I can find the directions.

Thought AHP was for recording Audio only ?? I could be wrong. If he had Airplay Speakers it could be done with AirFoil, but then i thought about SoundFlower, but then again these are ALL Apps that the OP doesnt seem happy in using to get what he wants, because "Macs Just Work"

I think he forgets we are only trying to help :-/
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
I found the thread with the directions I was talking about. I tried them and they don't seem to work. I could be wrong. Perhaps it is something with the setup I have. I'm curious to know if it is possible. Could you take a look at the post in this thread by Cory Cooper.

I was thinking that rather than route to the imic mentioned in that post he should set the output to HDMI. I'd like to get this working should I ever go back to using Mac as a media server.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
I have my iMac connected directly to my TV via HDMI. How do I play iTunes movies (both video and Audio) on the TV? Only way I've found so far is to drag iTunes to the second screen (the TV) but the sound still comes out of the iMac. Not what I'm looking for...

If you are seriously looking for the Apple "it just works" method, you've already been given it. Shake the cobwebs off your wallet and buy an Apple TV.

Your wife will LOVE IT.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
afaik - there is no way to set up the audio output on a "per app" basis (which is what you're really asking for) in any operating system with the standard install. As to whether there are 3rd party apps or scripts - don't have a clue - have never looked for such a thing.

Enable the audio control on the menu bar - then when you want to change the output press the option key while clicking on the icon, you should have a menu to allow changing the output without opening sound preferences.

Or spend $100 on an Apple TV - although, it won't "just work" until you meet some parameters also...
like setting up homesharing, have an operating system that's new enough, files are the correct type to work with the ATV, etc.
However, now you have another device to deal with related to the TV and she'll have to know how to change the input on the TV or whatever other device (surround receiver) you may be using as a HDMI switch.

(btw, while I am not too fond of the "just works" moniker myself, "just works" does not imply it works the way "we want it to")

(A lot of the where the audio is played automatically has to do with the TV the Mac is connected to and the EDID info it is passing along to the Mac. Some TVs, as yours apparently, you have to go into the sound preferences and select it as the output - other TVs, that is the default and you have to go in and deselect if you don't want the audio on the TV.)
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
344
Reaction score
19
Points
18
Location
Romford, Essex, England, GB
Your Mac's Specs
Mac mini Server 4,1 (2.66GHz Core2Duo CPU, 16GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 500GB HD), iPhone SE 2nd gen (128GB)
Thats great, but that moves sound there all the time. I was hoping to have that happen only when iTines is pushing a movie, which I haven't found an easier way than having to drag the application to the second screen...which is not open all the time. Is this not possible without an Apple TV?

Sigh...for those that say "Macs just work" are kidding themselves.
Having to go into the audio settings & switch the chosen device between internal speakers (or Line-out) & HDMI-out is the same thing you'd have to do on Windows or Linux.

Yes - technically - it's something that OS X doesn't "just do" automatically, but neither do any other OSs; and at least Apple has the excuse for not having worked on automatic audio switching because they've already provided a solution in the form of the Apple TV (a nifty device which isn't just a way of playing iTunes content & can actually do a fair few things beyond, all for a reasonable price).
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
I found the thread with the directions I was talking about. I tried them and they don't seem to work. I could be wrong. Perhaps it is something with the setup I have. I'm curious to know if it is possible. Could you take a look at the post in this thread by Cory Cooper.

I was thinking that rather than route to the imic mentioned in that post he should set the output to HDMI. I'd like to get this working should I ever go back to using Mac as a media server.

Well it seems like it can work, but honestly, this is why i bought AirPlay, so i can push selected audio to certain speakers around the house. You can select any App, or just System Sounds i.e.: what ever comes out of your Mac while its selected. That can be email Swooosh when sending email, or iTunes music when playing iTunes.
I use selected Apps now so i keep said Apps going through the selected speakers and System sounds still coming out of my Mac.
With the Help Reemote Server App on Mac and the Remote App on my iPhone, i have even more control from whenever i am. . . . . AirFoil is my most used App on my Mac, because i have music on All the time.
Because of iTunes Match, i have All my songs now back on my Mac in the higher iTunes Bitrate, and with another Rogue Amoeba iOS App, i can push music to my iPhone for when im pottering around the house, and dont want to use any BandWidth haha im a stingy prick lol
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
I had never really thought about that possibility. That solves the problem I used to have using my Mac Pro to do basic video trimming and be able to hear the audio on my MacBook Pro. In essence the MB Pro was the keyboard for the Mac Pro in the other room.

This fixes the problem of needing to hear the audio.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top