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When we AirPlay the online stream on iPad to Apple TV, does the iPad remain in the chain (online stream to iPad and then iPad to Apple TV) or does the Apple TV virtually get and play that stream (online stream to Apple TV)?

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5 Answers 5

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If you stream a video from the internet, and then AirPlay is to a suitable receiver like an Apple TV, then all the devices in the chain still take part. The Apple TV doesn't simply get the stream location and other data like playback location, then stream it by itself, it get's a secondary copy that the iPad is essentially repeating onwards.

You can easily test this by streaming something, then airplaying it to the AppleTV, then turning airplane mode on the iPad - the Apple TV stream should fail.

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  • I like the should there. ;)
    – Thecafremo
    Jan 8, 2014 at 15:48
  • This guy might have a magic Apple TV ;)
    – stuffe
    Jan 8, 2014 at 15:53
  • So, That means the stream can not be airplayed in the background, too, yes or no? , because after pushing the home button also the airplay will be stopped.
    – jerremy
    Jan 8, 2014 at 16:15
  • If the app supports backgrounding, there is no reason why it should not continue to airplay when you switch out.
    – stuffe
    Jan 8, 2014 at 16:30
  • The mentioned app includes streaming using the browser? (for example safari)
    – jerremy
    Jan 8, 2014 at 16:32
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AirPlay works as follows: there is no handoff, the iPad pushes data to AppleTV the entire time AirPlay is engaged.

iOS will connect to AirPlay receivers and offer to mirror the screen. If the application that you run is programmed to do other things, it can then send different content to the TV, continue to mirror and do things like play in the background. If the app you use is simple or doesn't implement Apple's more advanced AirPlay features, then you will get the default mirror behavior without the app maker needing to take any step whatsoever.

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  • What is the advanced features of airplay? Is there any app that implemented to use that features? These features are just potential or really available to use?
    – jerremy
    Jan 8, 2014 at 18:43
  • Advanced being the case with a racing game where you see the controls on the iPad and see the actual game track and cars on the "second screen" which is the Apple TV. Mirror is the same content on the device and the TV - advanced is different content on the device vs the TV.
    – bmike
    Jan 8, 2014 at 20:04
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For some apps with AirPlay integration, the app will send the link for the video stream to the Apple TV which will then connect to the internet to play the content. I used a WiFi sniffer during AirPlay, which showed minimal wifi activity from my iPhone and considerate internet usage from the Apple TV. It also showed that the Apple TV was using the internet to stream a MP4 video. However, when I tried putting my iPhone into airplane mode, after a few seconds the video cut showing that a connection between the Apple TV and device is needed to play the video.

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I'm not 100% sure what the op means by "AirPlay online stream". If you mean something like YouTube or some other app- or browser-based content, the iOS device is definitely in the loop.

If you mean for iTunes-purchased content, there is a way to "stream from iCloud", but it's not terribly clear either. There's another thread on this site about iCloud streaming: How does Airplay from iCloud actually work?

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A good link to have basic idea about how apple TV with airplay works!

http://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1347605891

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  • Looking through the link above, the answer to the question is: NO, IT DOES NOT "When using internet sources for watching video (such as YouTube) or listening to music (such as Pandora, Spotify or any internet radio service) something else happens when using AirPlay. When streaming from an internet source and pressing the AirPlay button on your iOS device, your AirPlay-enabled music system or Apple TV box will open a direct connection to the internet source. The AirPlay receiver (for example Apple TV, AirPort Express, or systems with built-in AirPlay) is being authorized to access the internet
    – user77170
    May 1, 2014 at 16:32

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