Use case · HDMI inputs

Bring HDMI Sources onto Apple TV — Wirelessly

Apple TV has no HDMI input, so cable boxes, IPTV set-top boxes, professional cameras, and other HDMI-only sources can't play directly through it. PMVW + a $30 USB capture card bridges that gap. Plug your HDMI source into the capture card on a Mac or PC, and PMVW streams the picture to your Apple TV over the local network — and, with multi-receiver support coming soon, to every Apple TV in the house at the same time.

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Why HDMI sources are stuck off your Apple TV

Apple TV is a streaming-only device. There's no HDMI input on the back, no AV receiver path, no way to plug a cable box, set-top box, or camera into it. If you've moved to an Apple TV as your main living-room device, anything HDMI-only either gets relegated to a different TV or you keep two boxes plus an HDMI switcher behind the screen.

The traditional fix is an HDMI matrix or distribution amp — a $200–$1,000 piece of pro AV gear with HDMI inputs on one side and HDMI outputs on the other, plus runs of HDMI cable to every TV in the house. It works, but it's expensive, requires drilling, and it doesn't help if you specifically want the source on your Apple TV (next to all your streaming apps) rather than on a separate input.

The PMVW approach: capture once, stream over LAN

PMVW uses your existing computer plus a small USB HDMI capture card. Plug the cable box (or any HDMI source) into the capture card, plug the card into the Mac or PC you already have, and PMVW streams the captured picture to your Apple TV over Wi-Fi or Ethernet — no HDMI cable runs, no matrix box, no extra device behind the TV.

HDMI matrix / distribution

Pro AV install

$200–$1,000+ in hardware
HDMI cable runs to every TV
Source appears on a separate TV input
Permanent install, hard to change later

With PMVW

USB capture + LAN

~$30 USB capture card, no cable runs
Plays inside the Apple TV like a streaming app
Same source on every Apple TV (multi-receiver, coming soon)
Reconfigure or move sources anytime

One source, every room (multi-receiver, coming soon)

Multi-receiver support is on the PMVW Pro roadmap and is the natural extension of the LAN-based architecture. Capture an HDMI source once on the source machine, and play it back on every Apple TV in the house at the same time — cable box in the kitchen, same channel in the living room, same channel in the bedroom — without a second cable box, without an HDMI splitter, and without an AV install.

This is the multiroom video distribution problem that traditionally requires an HDMI matrix and dedicated cable runs to each TV. With PMVW, the matrix is the LAN, and every room only needs an Apple TV. Move a TV to a different room, add a new room, or take a source offline — all of it is a setting change rather than a wiring job.

Until multi-receiver ships, single-receiver HDMI streaming works today: pick a tile slot on your Apple TV, point the PMVW sender at your USB capture card, and the live HDMI feed appears on the Apple TV. You can also mix HDMI with other PMVW sources — three live cameras and the cable box in a 2×2, or the cable box paired with a Grafana home-server dashboard.

How to set it up

Get a USB HDMI capture card. Any UVC-compliant USB capture card works. Elgato HD60, Cam Link 4K, AVerMedia Live Gamer, or a generic ~$30 1080p model from Amazon are all fine.
Install the PMVW sender app on your Mac or PC. Download from the home page. Plug the capture card in; the sender will detect it as a video source.
Install the PMVW receiver app on your Apple TV. Free download from the tvOS App Store. Requires tvOS 17 or newer.
Open tile.pmvw.app and pick the capture card as a source. Enter the pairing code shown on the Apple TV, choose the capture device for the tile slot you want, and the HDMI source appears on your Apple TV.

What you need

Apple TV (tvOS 17+) — any current Apple TV HD or 4K model.
A Mac or Windows PC — already running, on the same local network as the Apple TV.
A USB HDMI capture card — UVC-compliant, ~$30 and up. Most cable boxes output 1080p60, which any current capture card handles.
An HDMI source — cable box, IPTV set-top box, professional camera, drone receiver, broadcast monitor, or anything else with HDMI out (and no HDCP, see FAQ).
Wired Ethernet recommended — for both the source machine and the Apple TV. Wi-Fi works on a clean 5 GHz network.

Who uses it this way

Cord-cutters with a leftover cable box or IPTV STB who want it on their Apple TV without buying a second cable box for another room.
Multi-room households distributing one cable subscription across 2–4 Apple TVs (with multi-receiver, coming soon).
Live event production sending a camera or program-out feed to a green-room Apple TV monitor.
Drone pilots mirroring a ground-station HDMI output to a larger TV for spotters.
Conference rooms using an Apple TV as the main display while still showing legacy HDMI inputs (laptops, document cameras) without rewiring.

Cable boxes, cameras, IPTV — all on your Apple TV

Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime. ~$30 USB capture card is all the extra hardware you need.

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FAQ

Apple TV doesn't have an HDMI input — how does this work?

PMVW captures HDMI on a Mac or Windows PC using a USB capture card (Elgato, AVerMedia, and similar work well), then streams that captured video to your Apple TV over the local network. The HDMI source plugs into the capture card; the Apple TV plays the resulting stream.

What kinds of HDMI sources work?

Any non-HDCP-protected HDMI output — cable boxes (most regions), IPTV set-top boxes, professional video cameras, drone receivers, broadcast monitors, dedicated sports decoders, document cameras. Premium streaming services (Netflix, Disney+, etc.) use HDCP and will show a black screen; for those, use the browser-tab capture path instead.

Can I send the same HDMI source to multiple Apple TVs in my house?

Multi-receiver support is coming soon to PMVW Pro. Once shipped, you'll be able to capture an HDMI source once and play it back on every Apple TV in the house simultaneously — cable box in the kitchen, same channel in the bedroom, no second STB or HDMI splitter required.

Do I need a specific brand of capture card?

No. Any USB UVC-compliant HDMI capture card works — Elgato HD60 / Cam Link, AVerMedia Live Gamer, generic 1080p USB capture cards in the $20–$30 range. The PMVW sender enumerates connected capture devices and lets you pick the one you want.

Does it support 4K HDMI?

PMVW captures whatever resolution your capture card supports. Most consumer USB cards top out at 1080p60; 4K cards exist but are typically PCIe and require a desktop tower. For most living-room and small-business uses, 1080p is what cable boxes and set-top boxes output anyway.