A while back I bought an M1 iMac and I have loved it. I’ve always been cautious of buying an all-in-one machine because of legacy concerns, but it was just such a lovely package that I got it.<\/p>\n
Roll forward to 2025, and I bought a Mac Studio, effectively making my iMac obsolete. But its display is incredible and buying a new display of comparable quality would cost more than the sale value of the iMac.<\/p>\n
I tried Luna Display, AirPlay and other options, but was never satisfied. Then, ironically, whilst testing Luna with a wired connection, I discovered something surprising and delightful.
\nAirPlay supports wired connections using a USB-C cable. Obvious really, it’s right there in the name, AirPlay.<\/p>\n
Having decided to share this mind-blowing knowledge, I decided to get some evidence and, whilst I am convinced I have seen an Apple article mentioning this, I am becoming more and more convinced I’m losing my mind. I cannot find it; ChatGPT cannot find it. Claude. Perplexity. Nothing. So, having recorded a 90-second version of this piece, I went back to the drawing board and I did a hardware test (although see the citations for an after-the-fact update).<\/p>\n
I have my iMac connected to my Studio using a Thunderbolt 4 cable. The iMac shows up in Displays in System Settings. Great. I can choose to Mirror or Extend to the iMac, and that is surprising enough for people.<\/p>\n
But I’m talking about using a cable, so I went to the iMac and turned off WiFi. The iMac still showed as a display.<\/p>\n
I then disconnected the cable, and the iMac disappeared as a display option.<\/p>\n
Plug the cable back in, and it comes back.<\/p>\n
So, what’s going on? I have BetterDisplay installed, after Allison had sung its praises recently I think, so I had a look there, and it shows the iMac and lists it as an AirPlay display. Great. That confirms it is AirPlay, but no WiFi.<\/p>\n
It turns out AirPlay does not need the air to let you play. AirPlay, as documented online, works over other connections, reducing latency.<\/p>\n
So, here are the steps you need:<\/p>\n
In my use, which has been months, it is rock solid, low latency (I don’t play games), good frame rate, and high-quality image. It looks better than the Dell monitor that remains my primary display.<\/p>\n
Apple support article: Extend or mirror your Mac desktop across multiple displays
\nhttps:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-gb\/guide\/mac-help\/mchlb5f905a1\/26\/mac\/26<\/p>\n
Final update: I eventually found something online, with the 9to5 article being the most mainstream, at https:\/\/9to5mac.com\/2021\/06\/20\/macos-monterey-airplay-to-mac\/:<\/p>\n
Send wired or wirelessly\nAirPlay works both wirelessly and wired using USB. A wired connection is useful when you want to ensure that there\u2019s no latency or you don\u2019t have access to Wi-Fi.\n<\/code><\/pre>\nThere’s also a copy of the macOS Monterey page at web.archive.org that has the same quote.
\nhttps:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20211025191413\/https:\/\/www.apple.com\/macos\/monterey\/features\/<\/p>\n
It seems it was planned as a thing for Monterey, then appears to have not really been pushed, and exists in a kind of limbo. It works, and that’ll do for me. But perhaps the problem is that it does not remove latency, and Apple just decided it’s not enough for them to push.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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