AirPort Express with AirTunes

[davecuse]

? I assume your just talking about the technology, your not saying you can't paly any music in your iTunes library to these remote speakers via AExpBS?

Correct, as he stated, you will be able to play anything that you can via iTunes. Any supported format in the Library, Remote Computers and Streaming Internet Radio. You can only control Airport Extreme, but maybe that will change.

Another application I think would be cool... if you could hook up an IR transmitter out from the USB port. That way you could program your computer/salling clicker/new Apple tablet or Remote Device to control your entire AV setup. It would be the greatest all in one remote ever built.

 

[rdowns]

? I assume your just talking about the technology, your not saying you can't paly any music in your iTunes library to these remote speakers via AExpBS?

Did you read the article I posted? It was from MacWorld.

Here's the ENTIRE relevant portion:

For those wondering if AirPort Express supports MP3, AAC, or any other specific file formats, the answer is no. AirPort Express supports Apple's Lossless Compression technology -- and everything that your iTunes streams across the network to Airport Express is compressed using that technology.


iTunes does the heavy lifting. When iTunes plays back standard audio content (AAC, MP3, audiobooks, music streams), it decompresses those file formats and creates what's essentially a raw, uncompressed audio stream. That stream is compressed on the fly using Apple's Lossless Compression, encrypted, and sent to the AirPort Express. AirPort Express decrypts the stream, decodes it, and outputs it in either analog format (if you plug in a standard analog mini jack) or as a digital PCM stream (if you plug in a mini-sized optical cable, which you can get from most major cable suppliers or straight from Apple for $39).


If iTunes is playing back a digital multichannel file format like AC3 (Dolby Digital) or DTS, those bitstreams are wrapped in Apple's compression and encryption, and then decoded at the other end. In those cases, AirPort Express would end up streaming the raw AC3 or DTS stream via an optical cable to your home theater receiver for decoding.

 

[BJNY]

Apple's "Must Have" Strategy

Apple surprised us starting with the iPod, then the iSight, then the Mini iPod, and now the AirPort Express. The relative low cost of these items make them a "Must Have" for many. I like how Apple has evolved, and I feel confident that they'll continue to innovate.

 

[iChan]

so how does it connect to just speakers? do i need a powermate?

this is a powermate...

how would you use that to "connect to just speakers"?

 

[iChan]

The Xbox doesn't have a wireless card built in, so how is it supposed to work with Airport Express?

you connect an ethernet cable from the xbox to the Airport Express, and voila, your xbox is on teh network.

 

[iChan]

1 hour's worth of music per disc - great for listening to the same hour 17 times 😛

Respect, though 🙂

extra discs could come in handy...

and isn't there new tech that allows you to store 45 hours of music on ONE DISC?

 

[davecuse]

you connect an ethernet cable from the xbox to the Airport Express, and voila, your xbox is on teh network.

Incorrect, the Airport Express is not a wireless bridge, it is a wireless extender/basestation. A wireless bridge that is compatible with an XBox or PS2 can be purchased from Linksys.

 

[aswitcher]

Did you read the article I posted? It was from MacWorld.

No I read and felt I understood it BUT I was a little confused by the "no" to AAC. As I read on I understood what you were saying about the encryption tunneling, but then I couldn't understand straight off why that no wasn't qualified...that's why I asked. I know it would be absolute madness for Apple to put out AExp without supporting AAC (and AirTunes) but I was just a little confused by the "no" coming after AAC. Dont worry, I get it now...just being a bit thick 😱

 

[crees!]

DVD Player next?

i want to know why apple didn't this airtunes features with ANY sound coming from your mac, not just focusing on iTunes.

It would be great watching DVD's on my 23" cinema display and having the sounds coming from my speaker set up.

I don't know if this has already been mentioned or not but I wouldn't be surprised if the next version of DVD Player had AirTunes integrated in it as well.

 

[aswitcher]

Another "dumb" question.

Will AExp and AirTunes be fine for handling 320bps AAC and Apple Loseless music files? 54000bps seems way fine, even if at 50 feet its down to 1% of that but I wonder at the encryption overheads at both ends on 320bps and if the music is not compressed (or Apple loseless)...

Thoughts?

 

[iChan]

Incorrect, the Airport Express is not a wireless bridge, it is a wireless extender/basestation. A wireless bridge that is compatible with an XBox or PS2 can be purchased from Linksys.

i see where you are coming from... and i am starting to think understand the concept.

but to say that the Aiport Express is not a wireless bridge simply sounds incorrect as apple says that it is right on the product page!!!

 

[bertagert]

Ok, after thinking about it a little I came up with what, hopefully, will be something Apple will do with this little doohicky.

(Sorry if someone has said this before but I didn't read all 350+ posts)

Take one of those new wifi cards that is the size of a flash card (some company released a card like this a few weeks ago but I forget who). Now, put that little baby into a ipod. Bam! Now we can hook the airport express into the stereo and use the ipod to play and change the music. No more having to have the ipod mounted near the stereo and having to go over to it to change/look up songs/playlists/on-the-go.

I really hope this is what Apple is up to. It would solve all my problems. I'm not interested in playing my music through my home sound system with itunes. Let me put my ipod in my pocket or on a table somewhere so I can control my music that way.

This would also be a very good way to hook into the car stereo so no wires are visible/in the way.

 

[Finiksa]

what are you talking about? no proximity sensor??? that is one of main features!!! do you even know what a proximity sensor is?? it is exactly what you said... so you are contradicting yourself.

It doesn't detect proximity, it can't tell how far away you are just whether or not there is an active Bluetooth connection.

also, salling clicker is not designed for use "around the house", it is designed to be used in a single room...

If it was designed for use in a single room iTunes would pause when walk out the office door and not keep playing when I'm standing in the kitchen, like it does now. It doesn't detect proximity (distance) just presence.

i know you state that YOU can go anywhere... but for most normal sized houses, salling clicker is out of the question.

I don't live in a mansion like you do 🙂 (apparently) Where I live a quarter acre block is normal, Salling Clicker's presence detection doesn't kick in until I'm near the property line.

 

[yinyang]

still no sign of this in the australian apple store 🙁

all over the front page - they're probably bickering as to how much to 'rip us off'...

US129 = AUD185. so my guess is AUD249...? looks like i'll be buying from ebay!

 

[davecuse]

Another "dumb" question.

Will AExp and AirTunes be fine for handling 320bps AAC and Apple Loseless music files? 54000bps seems way fine, even if at 50 feet its down to 1% of that but I wonder at the encryption overheads at both ends on 320bps and if the music is not compressed (or Apple loseless)...

Thoughts?

In the big article it states that the Airport Extreme will recompress and stream any source using AAC Lossless. It probably has some intelligence built in to base the quality of compression based on the throughput you are getting, ie the weaker the wireless signal the worse the sound.

 

[mariner77]

Airport Express -> iPod w/ 802.11g coming

Steve wouldn't release Airport Express if it doesn't work the next generation iPod. Folks, this is going to get exciting, imagine...wireless iPod.

 

[aswitcher]

still no sign of this in the australian apple store 🙁

all over the front page - they're probably bickering as to how much to 'rip us off'...

US129 = AUD185. so my guess is AUD249...? looks like i'll be buying from ebay!

I agree. The debate will be over $199 versus $249 AUD. $199 is fair but $249 for a hot hot consumer item might just be too tempting.

$199 AUD will allow them to move them fast, but $249 will see people looking hard at alternatives that have 4 port routers, inbuild ADSL modems etc


I wonder WHEN Australia will get them...I hope this is not another iPod Mini fiasco.

 

[Powerbook G5]

i see where you are coming from... and i am starting to think understand the concept.

but to say that the Aiport Express is not a wireless bridge simply sounds incorrect as apple says that it is right on the product page!!!

You cannot connect the XBox into the Airport Express because there are no ethernet LAN ports on it to do so. There is just a WAN port where you connect your internet connection to and then it transmits the signal wirelessly from there.

 

[Steven1621]

This looks awesome.. Also points to the iTunes update that will support iTMS Europe.

But I'm afraid at the 129 price point it's gonna cannibalize base station sales :X

perhaps we shall see an APE update soon......

 

[abc123]

my guess is no g5s this week anymore

 

[Finiksa]

1 hour's worth of music per disc - great for listening to the same hour 17 times 😛

Respect, though 🙂

Actually I get a max of 4hrs per disc, but mines a couple of years old. Like iChan mentioned newer ones can do much longer.

all valid points... the battery life is dream. can't you get minidisc players now that play like 55 hours on a single triple-A battery?

Dang! I didn't know about 55hrs for newer models, I've been considering an iPod but if MiniDisc can do 55hrs I might just get a new model MD.

 

[iChan]

It doesn't detect proximity, it can't tell how far away you are just whether or not there is an active Bluetooth connection.


If it was designed for use in a single room iTunes would pause when walk out the office door and not keep playing when I'm standing in the kitchen, like it does now. It doesn't detect proximity (distance) just presence.


I don't live in a mansion like you do 🙂 (apparently) Where I live a quarter acre block is normal, Salling Clicker's presence detection doesn't kick in until I'm near the property line.

ah now, in fairness, this is getting silly. That IS what proximity is, it senses your presence, proximity is "the property of being close together" (dictionary.com).

the product literature itself states that it has a proximity sensor... what mor edo you want?

 

[iChan]

You cannot connect the XBox into the Airport Express because there are no ethernet LAN ports on it to do so. There is just a WAN port where you connect your internet connection to and then it transmits the signal wirelessly from there.

i get it now, my mistake. sorry for the confusion!

 

[ebik]

iTunes 4.6

Anybody out there have iTunes 4.6 yet? Steve said it would come out today, and not this week, so where on earth is it? It's 6:40 here in the west and I still don't see it in my software update or on Apple's website.

 

[iChan]

found one

Actually I get a max of 4hrs per disc, but mines a couple of years old. Like iChan mentioned newer ones can do much longer.


Dang! I didn't know about 55hrs for newer models, I've been considering an iPod but if MiniDisc can do 55hrs I might just get a new model MD.

yeah, here's one... loads over at sonystyle.com

the price is pretty sweet