Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Airfoil Headphones
The Apple TV doesn't support Bluetooth headphones, which is annoying. Fortunately,
with Airfoil and Airfoil Speakers, there is a way to listen to your Apple TV via your
phone, tablet, or Mac. Unfortunately, there is a bit of latency, so if you watch a movie,
the actors' lips may not match up with the audio.
On your computer, open Airfoil Speakers. Then, on your Apple TV, open Settings
> AirPlay, and under Speakers, select the computer running Airfoil Speakers. Now
either:
•
Open Airfoil Speakers on your phone or tablet. Then, back on your com-
puter, open Airfoil. From the menu at the top, choose Airfoil Speakers and
select your phone or tablet as the output. Now sound streams from your
Apple TV to Airfoil Speakers on your computer, to Airfoil on your computer,
then out to Airfoil Speakers on your phone or tablet. Connect your head-
phones to the phone or tablet, and you're good to go.
•
Or, if you have wireless Bluetooth headphones for your Mac, you can skip
outputting the sound from the Mac to another device. This reduces latency
somewhat.
It's a lot of work for something that isn't perfect (Unfortunately, due to Apple's restric-
tions, Airfoil Speakers can't be a direct AirPlay receiver), but it's a good trick if you
need wireless headphones for your Apple TV in a pinch.
AirPlay Apps for Audio
I've shown you all the great audio features of the Apple TV, but with AirPlay and an iOS
device, the possibilities are endless. Here are some of my favorites:
•
iHeartRadio
:
iHeartRadio is a free app from Clear Channel, which has a near-
monopolyoverradiointheUnitedStates.Butforonce,thatmonopolycomesin
handy, as you can listen to just about any radio station broadcasting from the
United States with one app.
•
Instacast
:IfApple'spodcastsolutionisn'tcuttingitforyou,it'shardtogowrong
withthe$3.99Instacast,whichworksflawlesslywiththeAppleTVoverAirPlay.
Instacast has a clean, modern interface, automatic storage management, and an
optional Mac client that flawlessly syncs with its little sibling.
• Music:Yes,IamreferringtothefreeMusicappthatcomespreinstalledonevery
iPhone,iPad,andiPodtouch.IfinditmucheasiertopullupsongsonmyiPhone
