The Google Play store is where you now get apps for Android/Google TV. The Apple TV app is on the store, but when I select my device, it says “Apple TV by Apple isn’t available on Google Play on this device”.
It’s probably Apple being Apple, and setting the app requirements so you can only install it on the newest devices with the newest OS version.
My Sharp LC-70EQ10U TV uses a proprietary OS called SmartCentral 3.0. But regarding the TV/AVR/TV connections, I have 4 HDMI In ports on the TV with #1 also having ARC, and #4 MHL (whatever that is). Currently I have the #1 port connected to my Yamaha RX-A1030 AVR HDMI Out 1 as it has the ARC but TV is connected to the TV’s #2 HDMI port. When I turn on the TV, it triggers the AVR to turn on. If I connect the TV directly to an HDMI In on the AVR, might that trigger a “turn on” signal to the AVR which in turn would trigger the TV?
What sequence do you use to turn on the TV, the AVR, and the TV?
Since I have a modern setup with HDMI-CEC controls, I use that which uses communication via the HDMI links to turn on and control the Apple TV, AVR, and TV. However, your system probably doesn’t have that, so there is an alternate method that you can use to control the setup via your Apple TV remote:
I used these settings before my current generation of devices.
MHL is a system for cramming an HDMI-like video signal onto a micro-USB connector. It was invented to permit mobile devices to directly connect to TVs.
MHL has one one TMDS data-pair (vs. the four pairs used by HDMI), but the data carried over the line is otherwise HDMI compatible.
Your TV’s MHL-compatible HDMI port means you can connect an MHL-equipped mobile device using a passive cable (USB micro-B to HDMI). If you didn’t have that port (or if you want to use one of the other three ports for an MHL mobile device), then you’d need an active adapter, which costs more than a cable.
It might. It does on my system (Sony TV and Onkyo receiver).
With my setup, I’ve found that HDMI-CEC works surprisingly well.
If I turn on the Apple TV with its remote, it turns on the TV and receiver and also selects the correct input on the TV (or receiver, if it’s connected there).
I see the same behavior when turning on my (Sony) 4K Blu-Ray player. Powering it on will turn on the receiver and TV, and select the correct inputs.
If I turn off the Apple TV with its remote, everything is turned off (if the receiver or TV has the Apple TV selected).
If I turn off the TV with its remote, it also turns off everything.
But I also know that older/cheaper setups don’t work this well.
In another setup at home (TCL Roku TV, Apple TV and Sony Blu-Ray player), the Apple TV will power-on/off the TV. The Blu-Ray player will power-on the TV, but won’t power it off. Powering off the TV, however will turn off the BD player. And CEC won’t change the TV’s volume (the Blu-Ray remote can’t configure it. The Apple TV remote has to transmit IR for this).
And in another room (LG TV, Apple TV, Sony Blu-Ray player), none of the devices will power-on the TV, but they will power it off. And none of the devices will change the TV’s volume level (both BD and Apple remotes need to do it via IR).
We have 3 Apple TVs in the house. The latest is a current 4K model.
Sound is played through a pair of HomePod minis.
Daughter on the other hand has a mega system, a NAD AVR, a compete 6 speaker system by Mission, a Samsung TV and BR player.
They use the BR infrequently - in fact it’s only used when I want to play The Beatles LOVE album (simply stunning!)
The day to day use of the entire system (with the exception of the BR) is through the Apple TVs remote.
The only time there is a problem is after granddaughter 2 has managed to find the remote for the NAD!
Others seem to have done a good job talking about the apps and configuration for sound but I just wanted to add my 2¢ worth:
I really have no use for the Android TV OS that Sony burdened us with. Frequent restarts are required to overcome it’s shortcomings.
As a result I pretty much use my TV to the exclusion anything else. Also I’m happy with the pair of original HomePods for sound. My viewing leans more to My Dinner with André than surround sound extravaganzas.
My Apple TV is not set up at the moment. I am not clear on how it will be, because I am in the process of changing from all WiFi to primarily ethernet connections. I can say that earlier with only WiFi connections, I found HDMI with eARC allowed Apple TV to control about everything wonderfully. For watching video my system started up controlled by Apple TV and stayed there, except for occasional firmware updates for non-Apple devices.
Does anyone have advice for connection an Apple TV 4k via ethernet, rather than WiFi? General advice I have seen is ethernet for stability and throughput, WiFi for convenience. Also, use either ethernet or WiFi, but not a mix of the two for a single setup. But some equipment appears to require both. And multiple connections to a device resulting from WiFi plus ethernet can lead to network-disrupting loops. I will figure this out as I go, but any experience-based advice would be welcome.
A few years ago I found a streaming function which should be mentioned. I do not know if Apple TV is required, but IIRC my use involved Apple TV. That is FaceTime calling. I do not remember the details, but my Apple TV was on when I received a FaceTime call. When I answered on my iPhone, the system offered to move the connection to be received through the Apple TV, instead of the iPhone. I was still sending through the iPhone and had to hold the iPhone horizontal, so the screen orientation matched the TV (Landscape). I was amazed to find the FaceTime call became essentially a closed-circuit full duplex 4k transmission. With conference calling I suppose we could call this broadcasting, of a sort. A nice feature to be aware of.
It should just work. One of the three I have at home is connected this way - Ethernet to a switch, which connects to a Wi-Fi mesh node.
I have an Apple TV 4K connected via HDMI to my TV. Until a few years ago, the Apple TV used Wi-Fi for online access. When I changed it to Apple TV => Ethernet cable => unmanaged Ethernet switch => ISP router/modem, (as I recall) the Apple TV automatically recognized the wired connection. No configuration changes necessary.
Continuity camera. I use it often. Note that it does drain the iPhone’s battery quite quickly though.
My Apple TVs (I have 5 in two homes) use a mix of Ethernet and WiFi and I cannot tell the difference. I use Ethernet if I’m able (one of my 4ks only supports WiFi), but, again, there’s really no difference in performance.
For earlier models of Apple TV hardware I found that it was best to set up the system with wifi. This was important for setting up stereo Homepods. After the set up was completed I could swap over to ethernet. These days I don’t seem to have an issue with either method but if the system crashes I will probably go back to wifi for set up.
Thanks to all who confirmed that setting up hardwire connections for Apple TV should be simple. I thought I would wait until I had everything working, then reply with that confirmation. Unfortunately, not yet. Knowing that it all should be really simple led me to discover the probable source of my problems. The UniFi switch intended to be the last step in the connections has been reported in Ubiquiti discussions to give many users problems. I switched to a different switch and things seem to be going more as expected. Not done yet, but looking much more hopeful.