Apple TV v UPnP

I've had the same idea I'm buying one anyway this weekend (for videos) and going to compare it to airport express and to Macbook (optical out).

That is one of hundreds of average options.

I don't think it handles hi res audio for what that is worth to you.

The Uniti and Qute both have their own methods of getting audio from your NAS and/or PC/Mac. WHy not simply use those?

In the case of the Naim DAC, i think you could do better for the same cost.

-Patrick

patrick - what better way of streaming to an nDAC do you think there is for the same cost?

I'm interested to see if the optical out on the new ATV is any better than the original ATV. I've got a Mk 1 ATV and it isn't as good as a CD5X into the nDAC.

Tog, I think the new ATV is stunning value as a basic streamer.
I use both UPNP and a mk1 Apple TV with my Uniti.
Connected via optical, the ATV sounds great to me. On 320kbs tracks I hear no difference. For (the novelty of) Hi-res I use UPNP.

I think it is a quality vs convenience thing. UPNP will have the best ultimate quality, however ATV sounds good enough and has the best possible remote options (TV, iPad, iPhone etc).

Nap-ster, I would imagine the new version will sound better, due in part to newer hardware, but mostly the removal of the hard disk and the physical and line noise associated with it. Mine is on route right now and I'm looking forward to testing it soon.
Will report back.

John

I think we need some hard facts as to if the new ATV handles hires. It might well do. Who knows?

quote:

patrick - what better way of streaming to an nDAC do you think there is for the same cost?

I should have clarified.... maybe there isn't anything at that price point for streaming.

For me, Streaming=Getting Files to the DAC.

If you are talking about wirelessly streaming only 16/44 in codecs iTunes can playback, it might indeed be your cheapest option.

-Patrick

According to the specs, there is no native support for FLAC.

patrick: OK, so what better way than the new ATV is there of getting files to the DAC? For £99? Doesn't have to be wireless.

quote:

I think it is a quality vs convenience thing. UPNP will have the best ultimate quality,

Why? I don't think UPnP has much to do with quality, it is just one of many ways of playing stuff that is stored elsewhere on a network. The Qute may be better than ATV, but in my view that would be despite UPnP rather than because of it. The ATV is rather cheaper than the Uniti.

I received my new ATV yesterday. I hooked it into my nDAC, and wow! Sounds subtly better than the AirPort Express I was using before, which already sounded great.

I also have a couple of Uniti units in the house, and I appreciate UPnP, but I use AirTunes (now called AirPlay) and LOVE IT! Apple isn't all things to all people, but I'm drinking the Kool-Aid and find it hard to use other interfaces.

The new AppleTV is iOS-based with Apple A4 processor and intended to stream stuff from the net. It is not like the old AppleTV. I dont think UPnP will be supported (as I understand it UPnP is mainly a Microsoft/Intel thing).

Apple is changing from a media-centre type model to a distributed one. The new AppleTV has some MediaCentre features but the real deal is the AirPlay protocol - you are supposed to sit around the campfire each with iPads (pods, phones, macbooks) and when you find something interesting you hit the airplay icon and share it over the AppleTV and whatever it is connected to.

So you can use the iPad and NPR app to find an interesting radio program and then play it over the music system.

As a streamer it is a bit limited. There is also the new Roku XDS in this price range. I think both are very interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by likesmusic:
patrick: OK, so what better way than the new ATV is there of getting files to the DAC? For £99? Doesn't have to be wireless.

Juli@, Transit, any number of soundcards that support 24/96 and above.

On the basis its running ios4 then would should expect it in pretty short order to become a home games machine as well, which would be bloody marvellous.

Had not though about ATV but this thread has got me interested. So if I have it right it will stream music from my iMac/Hdrive (confess to full set of Apple toys), do the radio and so forth. Plug it into a XS or supernait via dac. Everyone can use the interface - so household will be happy (and no issues playing nice with Macs!). So does the job with a better interface than the Qute I was contemplating - what will the music sound like?

ATV is just an alternative to UPnP which to be fair to Naim works surprisingly well on their machines. The weak link will be in the optical connection rather than in the method of streaming. Will it be as good as attaching my MBP...I need to find out.

I love the sound of my Uniti, the internal DAC is certainly better than my previous Cyrus X.

However, the control point is the issue for me as I tend to listen to music as I do other things. Control points for UPnP are mostly poor and IMO n-stream is only just bearable at the moment. ATV gives me codec freedom, Remote 2 and let's me use iTunes.

Tog

Ballan - does the sync light come on on your DAC when you drive it from the ATV?

I use a 500GB ATV, it plays directly from it's internal HDD. I have a 450GB playlist in iTunes which holds about 1200 albums. It's connected to my HDR/SCM50ASL combo via TOS/TOS optical and plays upto 24/176 hi-res files from it's internal HDD.

quote:

Originally posted by spacey:
I use a 500GB ATV, it plays directly from it's internal HDD. I have a 450GB playlist in iTunes which holds about 1200 albums. It's connected to my HDR/SCM50ASL combo via TOS/TOS optical and plays upto 24/176 hi-res files from it's internal HDD.

In theory the ATV should be able to stream hi res files.


Tog

IMHO, and if the new ATV can stream hi-res, for £99 its a bargain.

I think the lack of hires in the original is down to software.

I have not investigated but you can hack it with Linux which may offer more options, this does not apply to the new one which is based on iOS4

Even if it can't stream hi-res, for £99 it is still a bargain. iTunes (free) gives you integrated ripping, streaming, re-tagging, searching, downloading and all sorts of web goodies, you get a great user interface which runs on a variety of platforms, remote control on iPhone, iTouch or iPad, and if the optical output is good enough to allow the NDAC to sync (which hopefully someone will confirm) then why shouldn't the sound quality be acceptable, since the DAC will reclock the data?

For 99 quid its a no brainer. Its based in iphone software and if apple know one thing its revenue streams.

So games which you control with your iphone.

Fer shure.

But the new AppleTV require a computer + itunes play anything you have on disk. So it would make more sense to use UPnP on that Mac to serve Unitis or NDX (to avoid SPDIF).

A MacMini + Evo (or similar) still makes more sense as a low cost streamer for the DAC.

quote:

Originally posted by jlarsson:

A MacMini + Evo (or similar) still makes more sense as a low cost streamer for the DAC.

Why? The EVO is several times more expensive than the AppleTV, not to mention the MacMini, needs wires between both and gets you involved in a messy multi-vendor mish-mash of ripping and control software. Not sure that you need a computer for ATV either - as I understand it, it should be able to share stuff on a NAS. If it can get the sync light on on the DAC, and that is an important "if" which is easily determined, then it is a superb option for many people - even more so if your TV is between your speakers. Probably takes less than 20 minutes to get working as well, and the whole family should be able to use it easily. Nothing stopping you having several, since they're so cheap.