Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Stream Music and Movies across Your Home
Before AirPlay and other streaming technologies came about, you really only had two options for
streaming music across your home. (Movies didn't figure in at all.) The first option was to buy a ridicu-
lously expensive wireless system that required using a compatible base unit to send the audio and a set
of receivers dotted around your house. The second option was to run audio cables from a TV or hi-fi
system between rooms and manually connect them to speakers. Both options were time-consuming,
restrictive, and definitely not future-proof.
Although you might be able to add new speakers using both methods, people using a wireless
home entertainment solution needed to buy the same brand of speaker to match their system, nor-
mally at a premium price. People with a wired solution had to add more unsightly cables and again
buy more speakers to add to their setup. Both options also offer limited control, normally only allow-
ing audio from one source — a TV, stereo, or radio, for example. They're the sort of systems built into
expensive houses in the 1980s and 1990s, more often than not fixed into walls and fittings, slowly be-
coming obsolete with no option to upgrade without a hefty electronic and maintenance bill.
The AirPlay Alternative
But now there's AirPlay, doing away with almost all these issues while adding amazing flexibility,
control, and a range of prices to suit your budget. The additional ability to stream video should make
the decision to use AirPlay a no-brainer.
How you set up your AirPlay network can range from the basics, such as using just an iOS device
and an Apple TV to fantasy-level installations with an AirPlay speaker in every room connecting to
your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
All you really need to get started, however, is a wireless network, an iOS device, and an AirPlay-
compatible receiver, so you're looking at around a tenth of the outlay compared to a dedicated system.
From an initial simple setup you are, of course, free to add more speakers and other AirPlay devices as
you want rather than be forced to choose from a limited range of expensive additions offered by just
the manufacturer of your existing kit.
It took a little while to catch on, but there are now hundreds of AirPlay-compatible speakers on the
market with prices to suit all budgets. Some of them are wired speakers that require wall-outlet power,
others are powered by batteries. And there are models that include a dock for your iPhone, iPod
Touch, or iPad, which only increases their usefulness. A handful of stereo manufacturers have even
built AirPlay technology into their hi-fi systems so, as well as enjoying TV, games, and Blu-ray through
your home entertainment system, you can also stream music from your iOS devices or computers for
the ultimate connected experience.
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