iPod Airtunes Question

[icecold0913]

I'd like to have a house-wide airtunes setup controllable from my iPhone (after 2.0) but I'm a little confused about how it works.

Specifically, I'd like to know if you can stream music from one iTunes computer to another and have the same music play on both computers. In other words, use one of the computers as an Airport Express?

Ideally, I'd like to have my music stream from one iTunes library to my speakers hooked up to an Apple TV, a different set of speakers hooked up to second computer, and yet a different set of speakers hooked up to a third computer- all streaming from one iTunes library (which is also playing the music on its own speakers).

I understand that Airport Express streams music, but what's the point of buying a few when I already have two laptops and an Airport Extreme in my house?

If this isn't possible with iTunes only, are there any third-party software that accomplish this?

Thanks!

 

[JML42691]

I am not entirely sure, but I am almost certain that you cannot have the streamed music play on the both computers, and although I am less certain about how correct I am on this one, I do not think that you will be able to have it play over TV regardless of how you are doing it. It sounds like you will be able to have the music play on one computer being controlled by the iPhone/iPod touch, which could have speakers hooked up to it, but if you want it to play over detached speakers not hooked up to a computer, then you might want to invest in an Airport Express, at the very least it will at least boost your signal strength.

I know that my post may sound confusing, I hope that you are able to make some sense out of it, but it is currently 12:15 AM here, and I am on my last ounce of energy.

 

[icecold0913]

Ok. Well, I know that Apple TV Take 2 definitely works with Airtunes like an Airport Express, I just wish iTunes-enabled computers did too. I could have some serious parties without buying more than one Airport Express just by plugging in some laptops into some speakers throughout the house.

Buying more than one Express just to stream music seems a little ridiculous.

 

[sandman42]

You definitely can stream to an TV same as you can to an Express (as the OP pointed out, this was enabled with Take 2). You cannot stream to another computer. On a given computer, iTunes can output to a) the computer's speakers, b) one or more Airport Expresses, c) an TV (possibly even more than one, not sure about that).