Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Apple TV for Zwift?
Quote | Reply
Do I really need Apple TV for Zwift? My plan is to just pull up Zwift on my phone and then connect/project it to my TV on my wall. Is spending $130 on Apple TV worth it when I could just save myself the money and project it off of my phone and onto my TV for free?
Last edited by: BigDoeRehab: Dec 13, 23 9:15
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [BigDoeRehab] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
BigDoeRehab wrote:
Do I really need Apple TV for Zwift? My plan is to just pull up Zwift on my phone and then connect/project it to my TV on my wall. Is spending $130 on Apple TV worth it when I could just save myself the money and project it off of my phone and onto my TV for free?

Much depends on how often you Zwift, your overall budget, and your tolerance for tech-related mishaps. If you go with a projected phone experience, hopefully you will never have an issue with drops, glitches, or failures-but that's happened to my friends using this approach. On the other hand, I've never had an issue over three years of Apple TV Zwifting constantly over that span. N=1 for sure, but Apple TV always works. People using phones tend to experience more interruptions, so if you can afford the $130 and you want a seamless experience and you're going to Zwift often? Worth it.
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [BigDoeRehab] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
BigDoeRehab wrote:
Do I really need Apple TV for Zwift? My plan is to just pull up Zwift on my phone and then connect/project it to my TV on my wall. Is spending $130 on Apple TV worth it when I could just save myself the money and project it off of my phone and onto my TV for free?

yes, it is worth it. frees up your phone to use the companion app, listen to music or to answer a text or whatever. no brainer in my opinion

the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Callin'] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Callin' wrote:
BigDoeRehab wrote:
Do I really need Apple TV for Zwift? My plan is to just pull up Zwift on my phone and then connect/project it to my TV on my wall. Is spending $130 on Apple TV worth it when I could just save myself the money and project it off of my phone and onto my TV for free?

yes, it is worth it. frees up your phone to use the companion app, listen to music or to answer a text or whatever. no brainer in my opinion

Alright. No brainer does it for me. Thanks much.
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [BigDoeRehab] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes, worth it.
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [BigDoeRehab] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
If you want a dedicated zwift setup, Apple TV is the best way to go. Right now I just bring my laptop into the pain cave for workouts (with the iPhone for the companion app), and have used the iPhone zwift app with a lightning->HDMI dongle in a pinch (works fine).

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Callin'] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Callin' wrote:
BigDoeRehab wrote:
Do I really need Apple TV for Zwift? My plan is to just pull up Zwift on my phone and then connect/project it to my TV on my wall. Is spending $130 on Apple TV worth it when I could just save myself the money and project it off of my phone and onto my TV for free?


yes, it is worth it. frees up your phone to use the companion app, listen to music or to answer a text or whatever. no brainer in my opinion

Same story, 4 yeras and hundreds of hours and not a hiccup!
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [mjdwyer23] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
ATV since 2018 and 50000km not one issue.

But the haters will still point out there are no riders' shadows on ATV. :)
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Darren325] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Similar question but with Trainerroad. Is anyone using the Apple 4K tv with trainer road?
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Darren325] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
There are riders shadows! Currently just over 24k kilometers and I never knew!

He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Brewbadger] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Brewbadger wrote:
Similar question but with Trainerroad. Is anyone using the Apple 4K tv with trainer road?

Does TR have a tvOS app?

Janyne
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Darren325] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Starting to think my 4090 rig is a bit overkill for Zwift
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
How are the graphics on the Apple TV? I’ve heard it’s significantly simpler and slower ( I’m careful not to say “worse”, because it’s a matter of personal preference)

I’m not comparing it with 4090-based gaming ring, but does it hold it against a simple 2070 or 3070 tower?
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Titanflexr wrote:
If you want a dedicated zwift setup, Apple TV is the best way to go.

well... apple tv is a GREAT way to go if you want the game to display on a full sized screen (which is a must for me) and you want to do it in an easy, cheap way.

but the best way to go is to run zwift on a gaming rig. the graphics are richer.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
Titanflexr wrote:
If you want a dedicated zwift setup, Apple TV is the best way to go.

well... apple tv is a GREAT way to go if you want the game to display on a full sized screen (which is a must for me) and you want to do it in an easy, cheap way.

but the best way to go is to run zwift on a gaming rig. the graphics are richer.

Differing concepts of “best.” A dedicated gaming PC will deliver better graphics than the Apple TV, but at 5x-10x the cost for what many would consider an incremental improvement. As with any assessment of value ymmv.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Titanflexr wrote:
Slowman wrote:
Titanflexr wrote:
If you want a dedicated zwift setup, Apple TV is the best way to go.


well... apple tv is a GREAT way to go if you want the game to display on a full sized screen (which is a must for me) and you want to do it in an easy, cheap way.

but the best way to go is to run zwift on a gaming rig. the graphics are richer.


Differing concepts of “best.” A dedicated gaming PC will deliver better graphics than the Apple TV, but at 5x-10x the cost for what many would consider an incremental improvement. As with any assessment of value ymmv.

2k+ on a dedicated rig so u can watch the mosquitos on the trees when u get drop LOL

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Titanflexr wrote:
If you want a dedicated zwift setup, Apple TV is the best way to go. Right now I just bring my laptop into the pain cave for workouts (with the iPhone for the companion app), and have used the iPhone zwift app with a lightning->HDMI dongle in a pinch (works fine).


Same setup here, except I use my iPad instead of my laptop with the Lightning->HDMI converter thing. Works like a charm with a 42" TV.

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"
Last edited by: klehner: Dec 14, 23 15:46
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
Titanflexr wrote:
If you want a dedicated zwift setup, Apple TV is the best way to go.


well... apple tv is a GREAT way to go if you want the game to display on a full sized screen (which is a must for me) and you want to do it in an easy, cheap way.

but the best way to go is to run zwift on a gaming rig. the graphics are richer.


I have used Zwift on ATV and my M2 MacBook Air. Differences?

In ATV, you will see distance scenery rendering as you approach it. On the M2, the scenery is rendered without seeing the process.
Sometimes in large groups, every once in a while, the animation will be somewhat less smooth. Very rare.
If you are riding in a large group, ATV only renders 100 riders so you can't easily tell where you are in the peloton (front to back) and you won't see very many riders in the opposing direction. I think for racing this could be a bigger issue, but I don't race on Zwift.

Do gaming computers render the entire peloton or what is the limit to the number of riders they will display on screen at one time? This could be important to many.


BUT...putting an emphasis on Zwift graphics in selecting the hardware seems somewhat odd to me. Even on the fastest machine on the market, Zwift graphics pretty much suck compared to the leading video games that I have seen. I'm not a gamer other than Zwift, but I don't imagine Zwift is graphically the state of the art in the gaming industry.

The bottom line is if you use ATV and not running it side by side a gaming rig, I don't think there is anything that you will notice you are missing and the value plus reliability of ATV more than make up for its limitations for me.
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Darren325] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I run Zwift on a lo-spec PC and also have the 100 rider limit. It's only an issue for things like the TdZ/ToW where you can't see the actual lead riders in the beginning as you are trying to work your way up.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I run it on a NZ$99 (USd60) compact PC (second hand ex-lease office pc). In fact I have two of these, and whilst I did add cheap graphics cards and swapped to small SSD then they have been running Zwift on dual screen (NZD69 second hand office 23" monitors and a cheap 42" non-smart TV). So dedicated for zwift, with the second screen running Netflix. Works flawlessly.

Wireless mouse (the keyboard is wired and not used / reached on bike) is enough to control zwift as needed. Companion app for it I want to chat. And the PC was also used during lockdown for parallel zooming when we were doing tri-club sessions.

I've no apple things so can't comment on the ATV as a solution, but zwift runs absolutely fine on ancient (can't install win11 on the PC as it doesn't meet min spec) pcs you can pick up for almost free. And having a dedicated solution is just easy.

I have run Zwift when I've been at a venue for IM race and want to do some rides (and my wife will zwift too) off my Surface Tablet, and whislt way higher spec, the surface does not run as well as the ancient cheap desktops. The Surface throttles due to heating up (admittedly it's been used outside in the sun).
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [BigDoeRehab] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
BigDoeRehab wrote:
Callin' wrote:
BigDoeRehab wrote:
Do I really need Apple TV for Zwift? My plan is to just pull up Zwift on my phone and then connect/project it to my TV on my wall. Is spending $130 on Apple TV worth it when I could just save myself the money and project it off of my phone and onto my TV for free?

yes, it is worth it. frees up your phone to use the companion app, listen to music or to answer a text or whatever. no brainer in my opinion

Alright. No brainer does it for me. Thanks much.

Apple TV all the way.
My only issue is that (not sure about newer generation appletv's) it is limited to 2 Bluetooth devices. So my power meter and trainer take that up and I can't do HR monitor. There appears to be a way to add these with the phone but it seems to me to be a hassle so I just skip the HR data.
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [Darren325] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Darren325 wrote:
Slowman wrote:
Titanflexr wrote:
If you want a dedicated zwift setup, Apple TV is the best way to go.


well... apple tv is a GREAT way to go if you want the game to display on a full sized screen (which is a must for me) and you want to do it in an easy, cheap way.

but the best way to go is to run zwift on a gaming rig. the graphics are richer.


I have used Zwift on ATV and my M2 MacBook Air. Differences?

In ATV, you will see distance scenery rendering as you approach it. On the M2, the scenery is rendered without seeing the process.
Sometimes in large groups, every once in a while, the animation will be somewhat less smooth. Very rare.
If you are riding in a large group, ATV only renders 100 riders so you can't easily tell where you are in the peloton (front to back) and you won't see very many riders in the opposing direction. I think for racing this could be a bigger issue, but I don't race on Zwift.

Do gaming computers render the entire peloton or what is the limit to the number of riders they will display on screen at one time? This could be important to many.

BUT...putting an emphasis on Zwift graphics in selecting the hardware seems somewhat odd to me. Even on the fastest machine on the market, Zwift graphics pretty much suck compared to the leading video games that I have seen. I'm not a gamer other than Zwift, but I don't imagine Zwift is graphically the state of the art in the gaming industry.

The bottom line is if you use ATV and not running it side by side a gaming rig, I don't think there is anything that you will notice you are missing and the value plus reliability of ATV more than make up for its limitations for me.

i don't care what anybody uses to watch Zwift, and i don't care of anyone watches Zwift. my comment was simply to say that the *best* Zwift experience is not to be bad on Apple TV. the graphics - harsh on them all you want - are richer, more 3D, better colors - on a gaming rig. i happened to have a PC with a good graphics card, optimized for that sort of thing, so i could appreciate the difference regardless of what anyone thinks about Zwift. but bang-for-buck Apple TV on a larger (40" or whatever you prefer) screen is the way to go. i would rather spend my money on that plus a decent TV stand that lets the TV sit low to the ground and has up/down in addition to side-to-side rotation (that's atypical of TV stands). and a kickr climb. better use of the money than buying a gaming rig.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [AchillesHeal] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
AchillesHeal wrote:
Apple TV all the way.
My only issue is that (not sure about newer generation appletv's) it is limited to 2 Bluetooth devices. So my power meter and trainer take that up and I can't do HR monitor. There appears to be a way to add these with the phone but it seems to me to be a hassle so I just skip the HR data.

I use a 4iiii Viiiiva heart strap, which works as a bridge to connect more devices. The trainer is paired directly to my ATV, and HR and cadence go through the Viiiiva. The closest thing to a hassle using it is on the pairing screen, 2 options come up for cadence: the sensor itself, and the Viiiiva. Just have to remember to select "Viiiiva", and not the sensor...

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"
Quote Reply
Re: Apple TV for Zwift? [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Thank you everybody for the answers!

It looks like ATV provides a reliable Zwift experience, it's convenient and fast to use. I agree that everybody has their own priorities. If "bang for the buck" is important for you - it's a very good approach. The problem with "bang for the buck" is that it's often highest if when both "bang" and "buck" are at their minimums.

On the other hand, if you spend considerable amount of time Zwifting and like to dial to 11 your experiences, running Zwift at 4K@60FPS with Ultra details might me something you'd want to chose.

And for this Apple TV (even if it's called "4K") is not enough. Looking at some videos like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFIisMdKrhg or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl_NUH693yQ I think what technically happening is Zwift app limiting the resolution and framerate based on the hardware you're running.

So ATV and even M2 MacMinis are not enough to get you to max quality. But, it looks from the reports from https://zwiftalizer.com/ previous generations 30x or 20x gaming rigs are enough. And those you can get for less than $600. Again, anybody can decide if it's something worth investing into.
Quote Reply