Are you the proud owner of a new Apple TV, and want to share some of the great features with your friends or, showoff your gaming prowess playing with just a Siri Remote? There’s an easy way to record the Apple TV’s output using just your Apple TV, a Mac, and a USB-C cable.
First you’ll need a USB-C cable. While the Apple Store has some in stock, you’ll find cheaper alternatives on Amazon and other outlets. I bought the $14 iOrange-E cable. It works great, and it is reasonably priced.
You can leave the Apple TV connected to your television during the next steps.
After finding the USB-C cable of your dreams, connect your Apple TV to your Mac via the newly purchased cable. Plug the cable into your Apple TV in the USB-C port, which you’ll find just above the HDMI port. Then, plug the other end of the cable into any available USB port on your Mac. (You may see iTunes pop-up when connecting the Apple TV to the Mac, just close it.)
On your Mac, load QuickTime Player. (It’s in the Applications folder, or just go to Spotlight and start entering “QuickTime Player,” and hit return once you see the search result.)
You’ll see a red and gray Record Button, click the “V” shaped arrow next to it, and select “Apple TV” for the Camera and Microphone options. You should then see the Apple TV’s video feed on your screen. Hit the Record Button to begin your recording. Click it again to end your recording. You can then save the video for use in iMovie or for uploading to a video service such as YouTube or Vimeo.
If you want to make a screenshot, simply press the hotkey combination of “Command-Shift_4,” then hit the spacebar. You’ll see your mouse cursor change into a camera icon. Hover the icon over the QuickTime window until the title bar and record button disappear, then click on the window to take a screenshot.
The only time you might run into trouble with the setup above is if you attempt to record protected content, like you might find in iTunes, or in various video streaming apps.
(Thanks to 9to5Mac‘s Jeremy Horwitz for his original how to.)
