OS X Mountain Lion For Dummies

AirPlay Mirroring

There is one last feature I’d be remiss by not mentioning, even though most of you won’t be able to use it without buying an Apple TV. (See the “What’s an Apple TV” sidebar for my take on this marvelous little device.)

The feature is called AirPlay Mirroring, and with it, you can stream whatever is on your Mac (or iOS device) screen wirelessly to your HDTV with a connected Apple TV.

It couldn’t be easier to use. If an Apple TV is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac, an option for AirPlay Mirroring will appear in the Displays System Preference pane. Just enable AirPlay Mirroring, and what is on your Mac screen will appear on your HDTV screen almost instantaneously.

Enable Show Mirroring Options in the Menu Bar When Available in the Displays System Preference pane, and a handy menu lets you switch AirPlay Mirroring on and off without the bother of first opening the Displays System Preference pane.

What’s an Apple TV?

Simply put, Apple TV is a shiny little black cube (3.9 x 3.9 x 0.9-inches; 0.6 pounds) that costs $99. It connects to your HDTV via an HDMI cable and lets you rent or buy movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store, as well as stream movies, TV shows, photos, and other media from computers and other devices to your HDTV.

Unlike so many audio/video devices, ...