Right now I have a Roku 3, and the only thing keeping me with it is the headphone port in the remote - very handy feature, and doesn't require me to buy bluetooth headphones. Has anyone heard if the upcoming Apple TV will have a headphone port in it's remote?
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headphone port in upcoming Apple TV?
- Thread starter vroom1863
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My TV is way across the room. I'm not interested in getting hooking up headset to the TV. The Roku earbud port in the remote control is fantastic, and that's what I'd like from Apple TV. Has anyone heard anything about Apple making this happen?
Oh, in the remote...
Nope, would require a completely different remote design and lose the simplicity of it.
My TV is across the room too, that's why I bought wireless headphones with a base that can be wired to either the TV or the AppleTV.
Nope, would require a completely different remote design and lose the simplicity of it.
My TV is across the room too, that's why I bought wireless headphones with a base that can be wired to either the TV or the AppleTV.
Okay...
You mean AppleTV remote, right?
Which, if it were to be able to transmit data, would likely use low-power bluetooth, yes?
Which would make it bigger, I assume.
How big is the Roku remote with the headphone port? What kind of batteries does it use?
You mean AppleTV remote, right?
Which, if it were to be able to transmit data, would likely use low-power bluetooth, yes?
Which would make it bigger, I assume.
How big is the Roku remote with the headphone port? What kind of batteries does it use?
I didn't know that about the Roku 3. That's a really neat feature. Can't see Apple doing it though. Apple are more likely to drop ports than add them these days!
The Roku 3 remote takes 2 AA batteries. It uses standard headphones - comes with a pair of earbuds, but you can use any kind you like. I like using small wired earbuds - Bluetooth headphones are all pretty big and bulky.
The Roku 3 remote is really comfortable in the hand, and if Apple chooses to alter the design of their remote it would improve it. The current ATV remote is so small that it's hard to operate IMHO.
The Roku 3 remote is really comfortable in the hand, and if Apple chooses to alter the design of their remote it would improve it. The current ATV remote is so small that it's hard to operate IMHO.
What would be good, would be, if you could use an iOS device as an AirPlay receiver. That way if you need to listen with headphones you could just plug a pair into your iPhone or ipad. If you have the old Airfoil app you can do this already, though it is a bit clunky as if you come out of the app or the phone sleeps you have to start again.
Or they could enable Bluetooth audio so you could use Bluetooth headphones.
Or they could enable Bluetooth audio so you could use Bluetooth headphones.
I wonder if Roku has patents, or has licensed patents, to the headphones jack in a remote idea. It's certainly a cool idea - I just think there must be an IP reason nobody else has ripped it off.
I guess I have my (docked) iPhone 4S set to never sleep because I have used this feature with Airfoil and never ran into a problem. For a while, you could also get an app called AirMusic that did the same thing. Unfortunately, it has been pulled, as well. The interesting thing is that this already works with these apps, so it would take no effort at all for Apple to add it to the OS.
In the meantime, you would need an Airplay receiver (Airport Express, some Airplay speaker with a headphone out, receiver with Airplay, etc..) connected to headphones or a DAC.
My dad has a Roku with the headphone in the remote and he says it eats through batteries at a blistering pace. I am not sure Apple would add this feature to the standard remote unless they can figure out a docking solution to recharge the remote when it isn't being used.
It does eat thru batteries relatively quickly but a good set of rechargeable batteries solves that problem. This feature actually drove me to the Roku and away from my appletvs. Now the appletvs are only used for AirPlay.
Huh!
Two AA doesn't seem terrible. I get it now, that would be useful.
Though considering we can use iOS devices as a remote, I'd think you'd be able to do it through an iPhone or iPad first.
Which would be cool.
Two AA doesn't seem terrible. I get it now, that would be useful.
Though considering we can use iOS devices as a remote, I'd think you'd be able to do it through an iPhone or iPad first.
Which would be cool.
I guess I'm a little confused. Where is the ATV getting it's media from? If it's a shared iTunes library, couldn't the iOS device just use HomeSharing (the same feature the ATV is using) to play the media through the headphone port? No need to use the ATV at all! If you're trying to watch a video, can't you send the video to the ATV but keep the audio on the iOS device? I think you can do it that way with a Mac.
Okay...
What do you mean "no need to use the ATV at all"?
We want to watch video on our TVs connected to AppleTVs, but have the option of listening to it wirelessly without buying anything extra.
So, essentially, we're looking for the remote or iOS device to function as an audio receiver.
Now, if I was using Airplay to stream content from my iOS device to the AppleTV, this would work.
But not if my content is on a computer, even on the same network. You'd likely have video/audio sync issues.
What do you mean "no need to use the ATV at all"?
We want to watch video on our TVs connected to AppleTVs, but have the option of listening to it wirelessly without buying anything extra.
So, essentially, we're looking for the remote or iOS device to function as an audio receiver.
Now, if I was using Airplay to stream content from my iOS device to the AppleTV, this would work.
But not if my content is on a computer, even on the same network. You'd likely have video/audio sync issues.
You can get a small, battery-powered bluetooth receiver to connect to any headphones you like. This would approximately replicate your experience on the Roku. These are about $30 on Amazon. I bought one from Avantree which works quite well. It is small and light.
Unfortunately, although the AppleTV has bluetooth, Apple for some reason doesn't allow us to use it for audio. So you'll also need a toslink-to-bluetooth adapter. These convert the optical audio out from the AppleTV to bluetooth transmission, which is then received by your bluetooth receiver connected to your headphones.
I realize none of this is tidy, but I mention it because it solves your problem and can even be used right now with your existing AppleTV, and no need to wait for a future AppleTV that may or may not solve your problem (most likely not).
Do you have links or names to these products (toslink bluetooth and bluetooth receiver transmitter) on Amazon or elsewhere?
I do not want to endorse specific products because I don't have or need this setup. However, here are some examples:
http://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Wireless-Bluetooth-Receiver-Transmitter/dp/B0085HOM4K
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/271804518805?lpid=82&chn=ps
I wonder if the Sabrent Wifi Audio Receiver (Supports DLNA and AirPlay) for Home Stereo, Portable Speakers (WF-RADU) would solve the issue? It has an analog audio out and appears to work with Airplay.