With AirPlay, you can play audio and video content from your Mac or iOS device on your Apple TV. You can also mirror your entire screen to the Apple TV, so whatever you see and hear on your device, you also see and hear through the Apple TV. And, in 10.9 Mavericks you can turn the TV attached to your Apple TV into another display for your Mac, just like any other external display. Read on to learn more, including how to prevent your prankster neighbors from playing video on your Apple TV without your permission.

Apple’s AirPlay technology may not seem sexy, but it’s the utterly useful glue that ties together Macs, iOS devices, and the Apple TV. In this chapter from “Take Control of Apple TV,” Josh Centers focuses on how you use AirPlay to send content from your Mac or iPad to the Apple TV, or even from your Apple TV to AirPlay-capable speakers.

The Apple TV’s lineup expands with PBS and Yahoo Screen. And for you “Downton Abbey” fans, Josh Centers has the inside scoop on what’s available.