“The Apple TV can now receive audio from iTunes, as an AirTunes device, just like an AirPort Express… Apple TV’s will now appear in iTunes output menu… It works just like a standard AirPort Express units,” Paul reports for Rogue Amoeba.
“However, this AirTunes functionality is one-way -the Apple TV can not send audio to AirPort Express units. It functions only as a receiver, not a transmitter, at least currently,” Paul reports.
“When receiving audio from iTunes as an AirTunes device, the Apple TV [displays information right on your TV screen], including song, artist and album name, as well album artwork where available,” Paul reports.
“The Apple Remote remotely controls the copy of iTunes that’s sending to the Apple TV, as reported here. When the Apple TV is receiving and in AirTunes mode, the Apple Remote allows you to pause and skip tracks,” Paul reports.
The iTunes Preference “Allow iTunes control from remote speakers” is located “in the Advanced section -> General tab, and it appears to be off by default. Prior to now, this preference only applied to Keyspan’s hardware, and was always a bit odd. Anyhow, turn it on and the remote will control iTunes, through the Apple TV,” Paul reports.
“Right now Airfoil 3, our tool for sending audio to hardware all around your house, also sees the Apple TV as an output. It displays it as an AirPort Express unit for now, and you can even send audio to it,” Paul reports. “However, it does not properly handle this audio, because the receiving method differs from that of a standard AirPort Express. The specifics of network encryption used by the Airport Express appear to differ on the Apple TV. Thus, at this time, Airfoil 3 is not able to work as desired with the Apple TV.”
“We’re currently working to get the Apple TV and Airfoil talking to one another fully, and we’ve already got the Apple TV experimentally receiving audio from development builds of Airfoil,” Paul reports.
More in the full article, including screenshots, here.
What if I’m an AirHead and can’t carry a Tune?
I must say, this is awesome! Just keeps getting better!
Wow.. that sounds like an airburst to me.
We will alas be in the Promised Land when AppleTV can transmit its sound, independently, to multiple remote AirTunes/Airport Express points in the home. Then, you can forget stringing speaker wire from hell to breakfast throughout your living room and home, and just plug the speakers in wherever.
AirHead® is only available on pay per view.
wonk wonk wonk
Definitely a step in the right direction. Ideally, the AppleTV would transmit audio to Airport Expresses, but this is great news none the less.
I’ve always thought the Airport Express was always under appreciated.
Not only wireless Air Tunes, but it was also Apple’s first wireless printing solution.
And a portable wireless access point, long before wi-fi became so ubiquitous.
WTF! And how does this differ from just streaming music wirelessly from you computer and controlling everything on the Apple TV television? I don’t get it! And WHY can’t it output through the optical cable to my receiver, so I can play on my stereo instead of my damn TV with tinny speakers? I was hoping for a replacement to Airport Express which continues to drag down the network to 802.11g snail pace. I truly don’t get how the airtunes functionality does anything since music can already be streamed to your TV or stereo wirelessly with Apple TV. Someone enlighten me please?
@iMaki,
I’m with you. I don’t get it. I thought AppleTV take one did this.
What’s different?
Word: “both”, as in “I don’t want buy BOTH solutions if I only need one.”
Forget the music, I am looking forward to it wirelessly delivering the popcorn. Take 3.
Can an Apple TV record regular TV programs? If it can I’ll buy one.
So does this mean that I could now use an Apple TV to stream radio via iTunes, which I could not previously?
this is very good news and will sell an apple tv to this house.
Preclviosly, you could play itunes tracks on apple tv but it was limited to that tv only – controlled by apple tv. Nice feature but not what airtunes did. Now, apple tv can be just one of many nodes playing music from iTunes. This is important if you like playing music throughout your house with a small collection of airport expresses like I do.
Also, airfoil is a great invention because it sees all the airtunes nodes but isn’t limited to airtunes. So you can stream an Internet radio station – not on iTunes – and play it throughout your home.
Clear as mud? Bottom line- apple tv now has a slew of very useful options.
I meant to say above that airfoil opens up airtunes beyond iTunes. Apple designs airtunes to only work with iTunes.
sorry for the triple post but I’ve always wondered why apple doesn’t make airtunes speakers. Just a set of speakers you can add to you network…perfect for adding speakers to a bathroom or somewhere else that doesn’t necessarily require an expensive audio system.
Does anybody know if their is a hack for using the apple tv 2.0 software instead of front row on a mac?
Wow! Because of these new features my Apple TV (which I love) is even snappier!!!
@iMaki, Kamaro
Airtunes functionality means it plays with OTHER airtunes devices controlled from one copy of iTunes… so
a) you can sync content to it and act as a normal AppleTV – content syncing and the 5 streaming computers.
b) Act in concert with other AirTunes devices – AKA other AirPort Expresses.
you are right – having both – with just a Single AppleTV int he house is kinda pointless – espcially with the streaming computers also allowed.
BUT – in house with one or mow Airport Expresses – like mine (my house s stone, so I have 7 – all hooked up to [usually crappy] speakers in each room) it acts like one of the Airport expresses – meaning I can stram content out to ALL of them at once – which I do – weather it is xmas music for the holidays, music while cleaning the house, or having a party.
so now, I don’t have to have an Airport express AND an AppleTV on my TV system – and I don’t have to choose content for the TV room and OTHER content that is streamed elsewhere in the house.
Because it also allows me to move through the tracks – I don’t have to go all the way back to my room to switch music that is playing over airtunes from my iMac – just use the remote for the AppleTV to advance it.
if Apple let the AppleTV stream music to other AirTunes clients – then this would all be moot. But Because Apple treats the AppleTV as an iPod in their rights management setup – meaning the content on it is like the content trapped in your iPod – it is merely another part of your computer setup – and not able to do an “iTunes” task like taking control of AirTunes devices streaming to all of them Concurrently.
Giving AppleTV this feature is for someone with more than one (or multiple) AirTunes Devices already in use – and letting it play nice in that environment – and even add a bit of new functionality for the whole setup.
It is moot for someone who only has An AppleTV in their household.
Reality Check: “@iMaki: Is that true? It won’t play the streaming audio through the optical out? If so, that’s f*cking useless. I don’t want to listen to music through my TV speakers.”
===============================
RC, iMaki is incorrect. AppleTV most definitely plays streaming audio through the optical out to a receiver. In fact, I’m listening to some music right now through my optical audio out to my Yamaha receiver. iMaki doesn’t know what he is talking about.
It would be most helpful if Apple posted examples of configurations for typical uses, including computers, AppleTV and the various AirPort products.
As it is, I feel overwhelmed by the technology choices that extend iTunes throughout the home.
MDN Word: “years”, as in I feel years behind everyone else!
> Reality Check
And so the final jigsaw piece falls into place.
You’re Dutch Dutch.
For those people concerned about the 24 hour rental period on the AppleTV, I confirmed that Apple does provide some sort of grace period that others have confirmed on computer downloads.
I don’t know the exact specifications, but I do know that according to my AppleTV, “Ratatouille” was set to expire in 11 minutes. I started up the movie and it let me watch it uninterrupted past the expiration time. I even paused the movie and it gave me the choice to either “continue watching” or “delete the movie now”.
So at least in some cases, AppleTV does in fact let you watch a movie beyond the 24 hour rental period.
@ Convert to apple
“Does anybody know if their is a hack for using the apple tv 2.0 software instead of front row on a mac?”
I was wondering the same thing so I did a bit of looking around.
Not sure if this will work as I haven’t tried yet… promising tho.
http://www.jonandnic.com/topics/digital-toys/turning-a-mac-mini-into-an-appletv
Too bad… as I preferred HDDVD due to some of its technical advantages (multiple streams, data not on surface of disk, and such).
/blasphemy
OH well. At least there’s no more ambiguity!