How to play a video file (avi/mp4) in AppleTV? Suppose I would like to play a video file (avi/mp4) in AppleTV 3. I see two options:


play the file in the laptop and mirror the screen via AirPlay on the AppleTV.
import the file into the ITunes in my laptop connected to my home network, enable home sharing, and make AppleTV play this file from the ITunes. 


Is it correct ? Are there easier ways to play a video file in a laptop in AppleTV ?
The easiest way to to stream it via AirPlay. 

You could also use a cable to hook up your TV, or stream it from an iDevice. You could also put in on a supported video stream site (like YouTube), and play it from the Apple TV's app. There are more ways then I'm able to list in the answer, so explore!