AirPlay - is Naim missing a trick?

I also like to on-the-fly stream a song directly to my stereo using AirPlay, is very userfriendly and the wife and friends likes it alot, BUT, that is not the main use of it, not for me atleast.

With a AirPlay compatibel Pre/Streamer/DAC i can play the entire iTunes library downstairs in the livingroom with great quality, it works just as any media server and streamer, its just that Apple use their own stuff which in my point of view is head and shoulders before upnp-media-servers and random buggy streamer software from various brands..(you know what i mean)

Even the little bugger called Airport Express can archive bit-perfect transfer of data and then perform  a pretty low-jitter output to a external DAC, what could Naim do with all their expertise regarding the hardware? I guess they would make it awsome And it would be a insta-buy for me..

iTunes works pretty good, even thou i use Windows on my workstation, the Major overhaul of iTunes due late November will for sure be interesting, i also hope to get a updated Remote App.

ps. Peter, no-one knows why Naim haven't release such a device, if they just communicated more and better with the community there would be much less speculating in the matter, i do not wish to discuss this further, no point really.

This entire discussion revolves around one very simple fact.  Apple/iTunes does not support UPNP, and third party options mostly suck. 

The ONLY people who want AirPlay are Mac users.  Sorry people but this is not Naim's fault, nor should it be their responsibility to remedy the problem.

Dont worry, J River Media Center will be available for MacOS within the year at worst.  Then you will be able to do whatever you want with any media you want.

Can Airplay allow you to stream different content to different "zones"?  Can it let you stream off your LAN/WLAN so you can watch movies and listen to music while on the road?  Does it handle 24-192 streaming?  Can I share pics and documents/data with Airplay?

Streaming is more than sending one music stream to one device.

AirPlay is absolutely a gimmick, as stated above. It is not a powerful, mature technology with an eye on the future.  It just one of many things Apple has in place to encourage you to BUY MEDIA FROM THEM!!!! Don't forget, Apple is the world's largest retailer of media without ever selling a SINGLE physical book, CD, or DVD.  This is all they really care about.

-patrick

> The ONLY people who want AirPlay are Mac users.

And iPad, iPhone, iPod users, not to mention my Apple TV. 

New version of iTunes looks promising 

When JRiver is available on OS X will you upgrade from your PC to a Mac? 

Just wondered. 

I'll give it a go when it comes out. 

Im only interested in the music bits though ... sharing documents, pictures and so on is of no interest as I can't write and don't have a camera except for the one in my iPad. 

I have 2 iPhones and 2 iPads and ZERO desire for Airplay.  Are you wanting it so you can send compressed crap along to your Naim player?  Why?  Wouldn't you always have the same music available on your home server?

If someone comes over and wants to play something from their phone cant you just hook it up via USB?

Would I buy a Mac when J River releases the Mac version?  Probably not.  If my ASRock mini PC died, would I buy a MacMini to replace it?  Most likely not.  I just dont dig on the MacOS and would like every computer I have to run all of the software I use. J River would be the only one that can.

I guess I like to do more on my computer than iTunes and Web surfing/email.  And I am not a video editor that needs After Effects and ProTools and whatnot.

I do LOVE Apple's hardware, and I think the iOS deserves a Nobel Prize, but the MacOS is simply not for me.  I appreciate the "walled garden" approach in the mobile devices, but cannot stand it for "personal computing".

I really like keeping media/drives in another room (Office), then streaming out to my silent HTPC in the listening room.  Sharing all of my pics and video/movies/tv shows from there to the HDTV is MONEY$$$.  This way I can leave the office PC on 24/7 and stream everything everywhere, whether I am home or not, and turn the SSD HTPC on as needed.  It boots in 20 seconds with the SSD and no local drives attached.  The best part is that I can stream different music to as many zones as I like and play a movie at the same time.  The GF can watch Downton Abbey while I stream music to the backyard BBQ (Apple airport made to look like a UPNP client), AND a SB Touch in the basement.  Mutliple streams of different material to many places at once.  LOVE IT!

The HTPC has an i5 with Intel HD3000 integrated graphics and can playback 1080 Bluray without blinking an eye.  No special video cards needed etc...  And it was $600 with 120GB Intel SSD.  It has IR receiver so my Harmony One remote can control it all.

I am VERY pleased with my setup and have helped many friends do the same.  None of this can we do with a Mac.  I have tried.

PCStokton,

thank you for having put my thoughts about Apple into words.I currently have two iDevices, an iPad and an iPod. Both will be replaced with Windows or Android based hardware in the near future.

I simply have no further use for gadgets that won't let me access and share MY files on MY network to MY other devices and computers.

Hands up anyone who does like Apple iTunes? boooo...hissss.

Maybe I'm a pariah for thinking that Naim should at least have AirPlay capability for the Uniti range of all-in-one-boxers. Since they do have Apple certified input capability for portables, AirPlay network streaming would seem a reasonable expectation for the customer, the Uniti stuff has already gone down the path of being a "lifestyle" product so without AirPlay it is sort of a half baked or three-quarter baked apple pie. Linn have their range of softwares as well for streaming and media serving which is also where Naim may be losing out to. In terms of the music that they (Apple) sell I still buy iTunes downloads as it is handy to get parts of an album or even a total album when it is less convenient or more expensive to find the same CD. This is fine of course for anyone not wanting the utmost detail and resolution and just wanting the music for a good ol' boogie around the room, the musicality is still there in compressed files and in fact Naim gear is the best for making low-res portable players & iTunes sound better than most audiophiles would reckon on. I went from Windows based computing to Apple last year and haven't looked back. Long live Apple and iTunes - rock on lads (and lasses).

I am not sure I put your thoughts to words.  I have NO intention of ditching iOS devices.  I absolutely cherish them.

Why wont your iOS devices let you "access and share MY files on MY network to MY other devices and computers".  There are many, many ways to achieve this.

-Patrick

I get it for grabbing a single song or two.  But Amazon and others, for the entire album, is pretty convenient and most likely less than iTunes.

Or (better option), support your local/independent music store and buy the disc.  Yes, this might be less convenient but it is much more "sustainable".

In both cases you are getting the actual physical CD you can play, or rip to lossless, and enjoy full resolution rather than crap 256 MP3s.

I cant see buying an entire album from iTunes when they dont even give you FULL 16/44 resolution and it isn't meaningfully less expensive.

-Patrick

True, the are most certainly ways to achive this. The most obvious is iCloud, which do not wish to use. I expect to have a file manager, which an IPad just doesn't have.

Any old Andriod device will let me browse through all files on my complete network.

I wasn't even thinking about iCloud.  I only use that for iPhone and iPad backups.

Exactly what are you trying to do?  You want to "browse" through your files?  Do you want to do anything with them or just look?

I personally use J River for all media and can browse it all with the SPECTACULAR JRemote app.

I use Splashtop app when I need to use my home or work computer for something remotely.  But that is rare.  If I am home I simply walk to the computer.

-Patrick

Patrick,

for pure media use the iDevices are fine (apart from highres music). What I am referring to is very simple and straightforward file management. Say I receive an email with an attachment which I would like to store on my PC or NAS, then this is where it ends. It's just not possible. Or better, it is not obvious to me, how to do it.

Why does EVERYONE think that AirPlay is only good for streaming wireless from some iDevice?!

You can relay iTunes directly into DAC with AirPort express, aka woundermachine

Ofcourse there are some drawbacks, no hi-res for one, but for most who listen to good solid rock, metal, allternative there is no other option than std 16bit...

You can relay iTunes directly into DAC with AirPort express, aka woundermachine

Gosh if it does that to you, you may want to get it looked at by the service dept.  

Hopefully there will be more selection one day in the market for high-res rock/punk/metal, with old-school punk this is needed

Aha...  gotcha.  I guess I never run into this.  I really only use email for business, almost all other correspondence is typically done through text message.  If I do a personal email it is VERY rare that there are attachments involved that require saving.

So while I do use my iOS devices for email, ALL of my emails also go to my work PC and any attachments are saved there if needed.

High Res with iOS devices works fine on my end vis-a-vis using the device as a control point.  I dont ever stream anything from my iOS devices.  I dont even have any music on my devices.  I stream everything from my own cloud (J River).

I guess one thing I might like to be able to do is "transfer" a picture Ive taken on my iPhone to my PC.  When I want to do that I email it to myself.  Clumsy yes, but rarely used. 

But your points make me understand a little bit more about why anyone would use an Android, or other device, rather than an iOS.

In the end though, I am sure there are many apps that allow you to transfer from iOS to a PC.  I just don't really need it so haven't ever looked for one.

-Patrick

In my experience Airplay is a mixed blessing - very convenient, good for streaming Spotify for researching potential CD purchases, but an inordinate pain in the nether regions for much of the rest of the time.

I've been using a Denon 720 into a DAC as a streaming solution, works well, but the way Airplay is implemented on the Denon has been driving me to distraction - an Airplay stream anywhere on the network will override anything playing on the Denon, instantly, and without any option to switch it off in the Denon configuration as far as I can see.

Something on my home network is sending Airplay packets, lots of them, sometimes I can't even use the remote control on the Denon because it keeps switching into Airplay mode.  My network might be slightly more complicated than many  homes - I have an ESXi server and multiple virtual machines.  I have a preference for Apple toys because they generally do what I need, elegantly & reliably, but also use Windows and Linux boxes.  I ain't no Apple fanboy….

So, back to the Airplay/Denon scenario - it drove me to distraction, I couldn't use the streamer.  I could have been clever & tracked down the source of the Airplay polling.  But as the Denon is a temporary solution, I elected to assign static IP addresses to the streamer & the virtual machine running the UPNP server out of the main network range, not elegant but effective in a sledgehammer sort of a way.

Picking up my UnitiQute today

What is the current state of the art, best-possible AirPlay audio-only solution into the Naim DAC?  AirPort Express, B&O, Denon, Pioneer, other?  I use the AE, for convenience, when a guest wants to throw music at my system, which works well enough for that purpose, and the usual compressed fare implied.

Is audio what Forum Folk care about most with respect to AirPlay?  (Not sure if Apple has licensed AppleTV video capabilities to others yet; I think not.)

Nick