$50 iPad AV cable or $100 Apple TV?

[Ravynmagi]

I want to output video from my iPad 4 to a TV. I was thinking about the $50 Lightning to HDMI adapter. But started thinking maybe I should just spend another $50 and get the Apple TV.

I've never used AirPlay before. I assume I hook up the Apple TV to my TV and will be able to stream Amazon Instant Videos and YouTube from my iPad to the Apple TV? Are there any audio sync issues with this? In your opinion is the Apple TV worth it for this?

 

[jalaram]

Not every video app supports AirPlay or video out or video mirroring. It seems to vary a great deal.

YouTube announced support for AirPlay when they rereleased their iPad app, so that might be ok. AFAIK, Amazon Instant Video doesn't, but I don't know for sure.

Best bet is to read the reviews for each app and see what they support. Jailbreaking would help, but since you have the latest iPad, I don't know if that's possible yet.

[Edit] Or use google. I searched and found Link

Can I use AirPlay with the Amazon Instant Video app for iPad?
AirPlay is not supported at this time by the Amazon Instant Video app for iPad.

and this

The HDMI out is disabled from Amazon Prime

 

[bearxor]

I'd prefer to get the ATV. AirPlay works pretty well on my Boxee and its much more convenient than hooking a cable up, IMO.

The downside, as mentioned is that not every app supports it. I was disappointed to find that HBO Go did not support Airplay, and even more disappointed to find the HBO Go app had been removed from Boxee.

The YouTube app works much better over airplay since the last update, but still has issues with ads for me. But that could be a Boxee Box problem.

I think if you were wanting the widest variety of online sources, a Roku may be a better deal. But for just the occasional YouTube watching or something, it's mighty convenient.

 

[Doppel]

Holy crap!!!!!

This is a no-brainer. ATV is marvelous. 😀

Not using cables is just a miracle cure to what ails you in life.