Apple TV and Airplay - no Roon display, but

Audio Gear Talk Airplay
1

Been fiddling around with our two Apple TV’s in da house to get them working with Roon. So I found out that we can use them for audio but not as a Roon Display like Chromecast devices.
But behold, when the Apple TV gets into screensaver mode (?) whilst playing music via Roon, this happens:

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So a little bit of display after all…
Is this regular behavior for an Apple TV when using it as a Roon endpoint?

2

I don’t know, but there’s the Roon Remote app for Apple TV in the App Store, contributed by a community member. It is limited by the TV interface, but it costs a few euros and makes a nice display, problem solved

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3

I second @Suedkiez on the Roon Remote app for Apple TV, very nicely done, low price, works well.

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4

You are able to get sound out of the Apple TV using Roon? I can only get my Apple TV to display what is playing (via the Roon Romote app mentioned) but never hear the associated audio. ( The AppleTV shows up in Roon and I enable it and Roon says it’s sending audio and the Remote App shows it’s playing audio on the Apple TV, yet, I hear nothing)

5

Yes, it worked with no tinkering needed. I will check the settings in Roon and the Apple TV later and share them here.

6

I haven checked the settings - nothing special on either side. All I can think of is that you need to set the TV to the HDMI channel you’re using for the Apple TV and that you have to select the TV speakers in the Apple TV setup as audio output…

My setups are both straight forward: Apple TV connected to TV with HDMI cable; with ethernet cable to the home network; both selected as endpoint in Roon. Everything concerning Roon is cable connected except the remote on the iPhone…

7

Was there any resolution to this? I’m having the exact same issue.

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@Jason_Howes, what issue are you having? There were a number discussed in this thread.

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Oh, sorry for not being clear. I’m able to stream audio to my Apple TV just fine, but it does not show up as a display. I swear it used to, but alas, no longer.

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10

I just checked two approaches and I believe I understand what is happening with three use cases, only one of which shows information on the TV screen:

  1. When I play directly from Roon to my Apple TV, all I get is the sound. No video.
  2. When I set my Mac’s System Output to my Apple TV and play from Roon to my Mac’s System Output, all I get is the sound, with a small icon of what is playing (the track title and album cover) in the upper right corner of the TV screen.
  3. When I set my LG TV with AirPlay 2 to my Mac’s System Output, I get the sound and the title/album cover of the track appearing front and center on the TV screen.

The only option I have found to provide more Roon control over Apple TVs is the Apple TV app Roon Remote. This provides track, title, album artwork, and control of the track directly via the Apple TV Remote for a very reasonable price.

11

I don’t think the Apple TV is expected to work like that. I thought that’s mainly why the Roon Remote app exists that I mentioned at the start of the thread.

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Anyway, I can’t even play audio to it, every time I start the stream to the Apple TV output the Apple TV shows me a new code on the TV to enter :man_shrugging: