User profile for user: inz7
inz7 Author
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3 displays plus Apple TV cast for M4 Mac Mini possible?

Could we connect the M4 Mac Mini to an Apple TV via Airplay as an additional display even after connecting to 3 external displays?


Our organization is considering an upgrade. We’re currently using a 2019 iMac, and we've been able to do this (including the built-in display), being able to add the Apple TV as an additional display in the settings even though the official specs on the iMac says 2 external displays. Fyi, our display set-up is: the main screen, projector, a confidence monitor for people on stage, and the Apple TV being used for a live cast of what a camera is capturing.

Posted on Jan 5, 2025 12:45 AM

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User profile for user: Servant of Cats
Servant of Cats
User level: Level 7
30,989 points

Posted on Jan 5, 2025 06:12 AM

It is my understanding that

  • Technical Specifications tell you about first-class, hardware-supported display connections.
  • AirPlay and Sidecar connections are not the same thing as first-class, hardware-supported display connections.
  • You can have one AirPlay or Sidecar display in addition to your hardware-supported ones. (Sidecar is where you use an iPad as an extra display and as an input device.)


Because AirPlay is a software-driven method, and the video often travels over a network that has considerably less bandwidth than a cabled display connection, you may run into issues like

  • Very limited selection of resolutions
  • Artifacts and lags


However, if it has been working out for you on a 2019 iMac, there's no reason to think that it would act differently on a M4 Mac mini.

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User profile for user: Servant of Cats
Servant of Cats
User level: Level 7
30,989 points

Jan 5, 2025 06:12 AM in response to inz7

It is my understanding that

  • Technical Specifications tell you about first-class, hardware-supported display connections.
  • AirPlay and Sidecar connections are not the same thing as first-class, hardware-supported display connections.
  • You can have one AirPlay or Sidecar display in addition to your hardware-supported ones. (Sidecar is where you use an iPad as an extra display and as an input device.)


Because AirPlay is a software-driven method, and the video often travels over a network that has considerably less bandwidth than a cabled display connection, you may run into issues like

  • Very limited selection of resolutions
  • Artifacts and lags


However, if it has been working out for you on a 2019 iMac, there's no reason to think that it would act differently on a M4 Mac mini.

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3 displays plus Apple TV cast for M4 Mac Mini possible?

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