Guides

Browsing, video, and reading from the couch

A Mac mini or a laptop plugged into a TV is a better media box than most media boxes, except for the part where you need a keyboard and mouse on the sofa. A controller fixes that. The built-in Web Browsing and Media Controller presets cover most of it, and this guide adds the bits that make a ten-foot screen comfortable: a big pointer, scroll that does not run away, and one button for play and pause in every app.

The browser

Activate the built-in Web Browsing preset. Left stick moves the pointer, right stick scrolls, A clicks, B goes back, bumpers switch tabs, Y opens a new tab, X closes one, Start opens the address bar (Command L) and then dictation on Back / Share types the address. Pull the pointer speed down a notch for a TV; the screen is far away and precision matters more than speed.

Video

The Media Controller preset sends real media keys, so play / pause, next, and previous work in Music, TV, Spotify, and a browser tab playing YouTube, whichever is in front. For a video that only responds to its own keys, the D-pad sends left and right arrows (skip) and up and down (volume in most players), and Space is on A for play / pause in a web player. Switch on per-app auto-switch so the browser gets the browsing preset and TV gets the media preset without you doing anything.

Reading

For long articles and books, scrolling with a stick is tiring. Bind the bumpers to Page Down and Page Up instead, or the D-pad to space and Shift space, and put Speak Selection on a spare button to have an article read aloud. The Smart Preset Maker's Reading & Scroll and eBook Reader workflows are built for this. Safari's Reader view (Command Shift R) on a hold makes everything larger and calmer on a TV.

A TV screen

System Settings, Accessibility, Display: larger text and a larger pointer.
System Settings, Displays: lower the resolution one step so text is readable from the sofa.
Hide the pointer in the preset's automation section for video, and switch presets to bring it back for browsing.
Give each preset a light bar colour so the controller says which one is running.

Volume and sleep

The System Volume output on a trigger makes the right trigger a volume fader: pull to set the level. Lock Screen on a hold of the Home button puts the Mac to sleep when you are done, and any button wakes it; the preset comes back with the app.

Two people

Two controllers get two slots. Both can drive the pointer, which is chaos, so give the second one only media keys and volume. It makes a good remote for whoever is not browsing.

Questions

Does the controller wake the Mac?

A Bluetooth controller wakes the Mac from sleep like a Bluetooth keyboard does, if Bluetooth wake is allowed in System Settings.

Can the Siri Remote do this instead?

The Siri Remote does not pair with a Mac as an input device. A controller does.