AppleTV

Steve wants to use TV screens to create a large screen photo gallery in his home. Leo says he could use a Chromecast or Apple TV for each TV screen and stream photos from Google Photos. He would also want to join all screens together for one big picture. Leo says that could be a bigger challenge because each TV has to join with the other. A Raspberry Pi could perhaps do it, but you'd have to write custom code to be able to create a Video Wall Mosaic.

Tom recently picked up a new Apple TV. It's his third one. And since it supports Hi-res music, Tom wants to know how it will sound? Leo says that with good speakers or headphones, users with "golden ears" will definitely be able to tell the difference. The music also has to be mixed that way. And even then, those who listen to mp3s and don't really care may not. It all comes down to how he can listen to music. Hint - none of the AirPods will be able to. 

Jeff lives in a condo and he has a problem with his neighbor taking over his Apple TV (she has one too). Obviously, a remote from the neighbor's Apple TV is taking control. How can he prevent that from happening? Leo says to go in the settings, under Airplay, and turn it off. Settings->Airplay->Allow Access-> Allow nearby. But that may not prevent the remote from taking over. Leo recommends moving Jeff's Apple TV as far away from the wall as possible. Or, if possible, he could try and place a metal tray or sheet behind it to block the signal. 

John has a 55" Samsung TV that's about eight years old. He also moved away from surround sound to a soundbar. But even though his TV is a smart TV, it won't accept the internet signal to stream. He talked to Samsung and after resetting several times, they decided his chip was defective. Leo says that doesn't mean he'll have to get a new TV. Those smart tv apps are terrible because they are never updated. He recommends getting a ROKU device and plugging that into the HDMI port. Let the Roku handle the stream. But don't get the stick, they tend to overheat.

Mike wants to know how to stream workout videos from his iPhone to his TV. Leo says that using Airplay is great, but he will need an Apple TV to do it. He can connect a phone to the TV directly by using a lightning adapter. But Apple Airplay with Apple TV is the ideal method. Android can also do it if the TV is compatible with it. Samsung, though, tends to only work well with Samsung TVs. 

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Jack got an antivirus notification that an Apple TV that was trying to access his network. He said no, but it keeps requesting it. Leo says that if Jack has an Apple TV, it's probably trying to connect. It uses a utility called BONJOUR to connect. It's perfectly safe to talk to your mac. And since Jack has a router, his router is a perfect firewall to prevent outside connections. That's how he'll know it's the  Apple TV that's trying to connect. So let it. And get rid of the AVS.

Jack is having a "fluttering" issue with his AppleTV, where it goes to black. Spectrum says it's a box problem, and it should be rebooted. Apple says it shouldn't. Leo says that Apple is wrong; he has to reboot his AppleTV all the time. It's easy by pressing the menu and home button at the same time for five seconds. Stuttering can also indicate a bandwidth issue. Samsung also says his TV is out of date as well. But Leo says that it's probably not the TV. He suspects that his carrier Spectrum and a bad app. Uninstall the app and reinstall it. Also, try using a wired ethernet connection.

Marty got a message from Netflix that his Blu-ray player won't support Netflix anymore. Leo says that can happen when an upgrade can break connectivity. And it sounds like Netflix isn't going to support that anymore. The good news is, smart TVs have Netflix, as do players like the Roku and AppleTV. He can even get a $35 Chromecast and do it. Go with Roku!

Terry wants to buy a device to cast to his home office TV. Would the Chromecast work or should he buy the FireTV Stick? Leo says that the Chromecast is a great device, but it doesn't stand on its own. He'll have to navigate to what he wants to watch on a phone and then cast to the Chromecast device. Stand-alone devices like Roku and AppleTV can act as their own independent devices. As for FireTV, Leo says it really serves as a portal to sell stuff from Amazon, so he's not much of a fan. Leo says ROKU Ultra is a better choice all the way around and will also stream in 4K.