My fiance's PC does not have WiFi but it streams iTunes over AirPlay to the Apple TV just fine. I wonder how that works since airplay only works over WiFi according to you.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple to Upgrade AirPlay to Allow Wireless Streaming Without Wi-Fi?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My fiance's PC does not have WiFi but it streams iTunes over AirPlay to the Apple TV just fine. I wonder how that works since airplay only works over WiFi according to you.
"According to you" lol...anyway.
Is the PC wired into the network via ethernet? That's your connection. BUT that's not using airplay. That's HOME SHARING. Airplay is wireless technology and specifc to wireless devices.
From the apple site.
I can't see Bluetooth, in its current form, handling that adequately (the video). I think the max speed of Bluetooth 4.0 is the same as 3.0 (about half of best-possible speed of the older 802.11g wifi). Seems like the enhancements in Bluetooth 4.0 were mostly for low power, low data-rate, applications (e.g., a watch to a smartphone).
As others have noted this is merely using the thing AirDrop uses: wifi. In the case of AirDrop, and the reason it requires later model macs, is that it can communicate peer-to-peer while not touching its usual WiFi router connection.
I think this is going to be a good thing. Sometimes I toss an Apple TV in my bag for trips, in case I want to use Airplay at a hotel. But having to join the dang network, especially with a captive portal as used by most all hotels, is a real pain. Really an unnecessary pain. Why should I have to join a network with my ATV when it and my iPhone--and iPad--all have wifi anyway?
I don't really see the intended purpose of this for automobiles. Bluetooth already handles that fairly OK, and aside from initial pairing there is not much to setup. I look at it the other way around: why don't all cars have wifi now?
Michael
Once you've got ethernet configured for an AppleTV (even the first gen) I don't think you can even see the wireless options, it just appears to shut it down.
Gary
This is a kick ass idea. But here's a question.
I bought a component cable from Best Buy to play videos from my iPod touch to our TV. Works great but yesterday I figured I'd try to play some music from the iPod through the TV speakers with the component cable and that didn't work. How would I go about getting THAT to work?
I bought a component cable from Best Buy to play videos from my iPod touch to our TV. Works great but yesterday I figured I'd try to play some music from the iPod through the TV speakers with the component cable and that didn't work. How would I go about getting THAT to work?
It seems like you're mixing up Apple market-speak, network protocols and broadcast/distribution techs.
Airplay is a specific Apple broadcast technology that doesn't necessarily have to be across WiFi. Our VSX-1021 is a certified Airplay device, doesn't have WiFi (only ethernet OOTB), and shows up as a registered Airplay receiver.
Airplay only requires access on the same network (not including Airplay via BT). There's no login, AppleID, etc.
Home Sharing, is for distributing media content from a server (or at least a sharing service), and authenticates against the server using your AppleID.
You are correct about the airplay also working over ethernet.
You are also right about home sharing, but that was the argument I was making about the guys PC. It's not using airplay it's using home sharing.
Oh yeah, sorry I didn't mean to imply that was incorrect. Yeah, if you're streaming _from_ a computer running iTunes, and on the Apple TV you're connecting to that machine's media library (and logging in using the same AppleID), that's definitely Home Sharing.
We do both to our Apple TV: Home Share media from my machine running iTunes and Airplay to it from my machine (using Mirroring sometimes) and [to the AppleTV] from various iOS devices
This is starting to sound like how SONOS devices work.
Sonos is a wireless music-sharing system as well, where devices all around your house can stream music wirelessly from a NAS or PC based collection, or access streaming radio and music services.
They work using what they call a wireless mesh network on 2.4 GHz which sounds to me like a variant of WDS. Essentially it sounds like typical 802.11 wifi with some minor tweaks so that non-Sonos devices don't see or interfere with them. They're extremely simple to set up, you simply plug in a new device and press a button combination to discover the existing Sonos network and you're done. No central router is required, each device acts as a repeater to the other devices.
Apple might be doing something similar here.
Sonos is a wireless music-sharing system as well, where devices all around your house can stream music wirelessly from a NAS or PC based collection, or access streaming radio and music services.
They work using what they call a wireless mesh network on 2.4 GHz which sounds to me like a variant of WDS. Essentially it sounds like typical 802.11 wifi with some minor tweaks so that non-Sonos devices don't see or interfere with them. They're extremely simple to set up, you simply plug in a new device and press a button combination to discover the existing Sonos network and you're done. No central router is required, each device acts as a repeater to the other devices.
Apple might be doing something similar here.
This isn't BT based, it's "WiFi" based, the whole slightly confusing talk of not needing a WiFi network [we're assuming] means a non-infrastucture based network (i.e., no router, etc.) and not doesn't mean BT.
This will also carry video, have a much better range, probably have faster negotiation, etc.
BT devices don't even use the Airplay protocol, Apple just lists them in the same place in the app UI (using a like style) so that selecting an output device is easier (at least that's my understanding). Like right now I'm listening to a podcast using Downcast (highly recommended
) and in the Airplay list I've got AppleTV and Disco R58, the former being a "real" Airplay device the R58 is a Supertooth Disco BT speaker, works with any BT device, but it's listed just like an Airplay device.
We do both to our Apple TV: Home Share media from my machine running iTunes and Airplay to it from my machine (using Mirroring sometimes) and [to the AppleTV] from various iOS devices
Sounds like my house. I'm about to go buy the 1080p ATV and move the 720p to the other lower res flatscreen. Hope my "too old to upgrade to mountain lion
" mac mini "server" can take the extra resolution.The TV doesn't have one of those audio cables as an input on the front. Just component. And I can't get behind the TV because it's a giant rear projection with a huge media rack next to it.
Sounds like my house. I'm about to go buy the 1080p ATV and move the 720p to the other lower res flatscreen. Hope my "too old to upgrade to mountain lion
That's funny, we're about to do the exact same thing! Actually the bedroom TV is a new[er] Sony LED 1080P, but for the occasional AppleTV use the 720P version will be fine (we've already got native Netflix and Amazon, this is really just for Home Sharing and maybe playing Swordigo mirrored while sitting in bed
)I setup a Plex server and tried to stream to the same TV, no luck. Media containers show up but none of the video does (like it's not recognizing the format), tried a few different formats no luck. The PS3 sees the media and streams it pretty well, probably just the primitive client in the TV.
While you probably are right, there is no reason why Airplay could not work via a direct connection when technically possible and why the router when not (your Ethernet-connected ATV), though possibly this is just what is coming now (ie, it does not exist yet).
If it's not working, my guess would be that the TV is detecting no video signal on the component input, and thus is muting the audio channel.
Which by the description seems different that just bluetooth connection.
How long is this Sept 12th presention going to be?
between ios features, ipad mini, airport, 13"inch retina, and finally iPhone how long will I have to wait to pre-order
its going to be iphone and new unannounced ios 6 features. they may announce something like the 13" retina in quick passing but we wont see ipad mini sept 12th thats almost guaranteed to be a sep event in oct.
Well if you cannot get to the dedicated audio-in connection on the TV there is a work-around you can use to get the music to play.
If you use the Photos app on the iPod touch to play a slideshow, including music, it will get the component video to the TV. Ergo, you will get sound. If the music stops at the last photo go into Settings for the Photo app and set the slide-show to repeat.
You can even create a special photo album for it... with as few or as many photos you like. Can even be a single totally black photo. But why not make something nice?
Michael
Well if you cannot get to the dedicated audio-in connection on the TV there is a work-around you can use to get the music to play.
If you use the Photos app on the iPod touch to play a slideshow, including music, it will get the component video to the TV. Ergo, you will get sound. If the music stops at the last photo go into Settings for the Photo app and set the slide-show to repeat.
You can even create a special photo album for it... with as few or as many photos you like. Can even be a single totally black photo. But why not make something nice?
Michael
That's a good idea. Thanks!
Using WiFi direct would be great - it's a pain to use an iPhone+AppleTV+projector for presentations when there is no established WiFi network to connect to.
I also hope Apple makes AirPlay available to licensees for video as well as audio - I would love to see projectors start to have AirPlay built in.
I also hope Apple makes AirPlay available to licensees for video as well as audio - I would love to see projectors start to have AirPlay built in.
I'd like to see small, rechargeable Airplay A/V receiver that uses this new spec, so it could be plugged into the input on a TV or projector, and you could drive the display from a Mac wirelessly. Maybe make it with a male HDMI port and include a small dongle that converts that connector to an HDMI female, maybe even a dual port with HDMI and DVI.
I don't think app,e will enter that market. I'm not sure where you live but with Rogers cable, you can get a Rogers one number, One number for your home, cell and VoIP on a pc.