Airport express - what exactly?

[tommyb]

want to move my windows PC to my spare room. All itunes is stored on this.

Have my home cinema in lounge - want to connect to this.

PC uses netgear wireless router to connect to tinternet.

want to stream itunes between the two.

What exactly do i need santa to buy me for christmas?

 

[John Duncan]

An airport express and either a headphone-to-2xRCA audio lead (plugged into a spare stereo input on the Sony) or a mini-toslink-to-toslink optical cable, to take advantage of the receiver's DAC. Job done.

 

[John Duncan]

Though Gerrard could chip in here with a recommendation for something like his Media Centre Extender, which would also give you browsing your music on your telly - he has a thread a while ago, though it could depend on the format you're music is in - if it's apple lossless, an Apple TV is your best bet if you want to use its (gorgeous) Cover Flow brosing hooked up to the telly. Both a fair bit more expesnive, but you might think it's better value, and it depends on how good you've been (Santa knows, you know).

 

[Anonymous]

I bought the Apple TV in July and i think it's one of the purchases i've made! anything you play thru itunes then you can play thru the Apple TV. and the cover flow is stunning!ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Hello

I would buy a pair of Netgear Powerline adapters and disable the wireless.

Then down by the TV I would put a Squeezebox Duet.

Wayne

 

[John Duncan]

waynefarnworth:I would buy a pair of Netgear Powerline adapters and disable the wireless.

Sorry, but I'd absolutely not do that - ethernet over the mains is total hifi anathema. Wireless or wired is the way to go IMO.

The question of whether to go Squeezebox or AE or Apple TV is another matter......

 

[Gerrardasnails]

JohnDuncan:Though Gerrard could chip in here with a recommendation for something like his Media Centre Extender, which would also give you browsing your music on your telly - he has a thread a while ago, though it could depend on the format you're music is in - if it's apple lossless, an Apple TV is your best bet if you want to use its (gorgeous) Cover Flow brosing hooked up to the telly. Both a fair bit more expesnive, but you might think it's better value, and it depends on how good you've been (Santa knows, you know).

Linksys DMA2100 media extender. Connect to your 875 using hdmi and coaxial and you can get live tv, music, photos and videos straight to your screen and amp. You could copy your songs to your media center on your pc and then you are ready to go. Each song or other added will be added to your extender. They cost £150 from pc world, or very compact and easy to use.

 

[tommyb]

The issue with not using the Express or Apple tv is that other devices such as the SQ Duet and the likes can't stream the DRM music in my library - is that correct?

Therefore, wouldn't be able to access my whole library.

 

[John Duncan]

Yes that's correct - don't think the SB can handle *any* DRM music (happy to be corrected), but nothing will play specifically iTunes DRMd music apart from Apple products AFAIK. You can work around it by burning a CD and reimporting, but that's a faff if you have a lot of it.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

JohnDuncan:waynefarnworth:I would buy a pair of Netgear Powerline adapters and disable the wireless.

Sorry, but I'd absolutely not do that - ethernet over the mains is total hifi anathema. Wireless or wired is the way to go IMO.

The question of whether to go Squeezebox or AE or Apple TV is another matter......

Absolutely. Homeplug puts so much rubbish onto your mains supply, it kills the sound. For true sound quality, wired is the way to go, but wireless isn't that far behind...

 

[John Duncan]

Provided you use this of course.

 

[PJ1200]

Based on my experience I wouldn't purchase an AX. About as much use as chocolate teapot.
I would have rather taken £65 and burned it!
I'm bitter though, don't listen to me!
If you get ANY Apple product and it works straight away - then congratulations, you have a seamless, elegant product.
If however, you're one of the unlucky ones (and there are quite a few of us) that have trouble, of any sort. Prepare to want to commit murder. And if you think Apple 'support' will help - HA - think again!
John is however very knowledgable and should be able to help you fix any potential isssues
;ª)

 

[fatboyslimfast]

JohnDuncan:Provided you use this of course.

Good god. $500 for a piece of CAT5e worth £3.

And get this "The AK-DL1 employs high level tin-bearing alloy shielding not typically available in commercial cabling, to eliminate data loss caused by noise".

I'm sorry...? What do they think the twists in the Cat5e cables are for then? If you can get 1Gbps of error corrected data across a £3 lead, then... actually, I'm sure I don't need to go on.

Funny spot though JD!!!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

PJ1200:Based on my experience I wouldn't purchase an AX. About as much use as chocolate teapot.
I would have rather taken £65 and burned it!
I'm bitter though, don't listen to me!
If you get ANY Apple product and it works straight away - then congratulations, you have a seamless, elegant product.
If however, you're one of the unlucky ones (and there are quite a few of us) that have trouble, of any sort. Prepare to want to commit murder. And if you think Apple 'support' will help - HA - think again!
John is however very knowledgable and should be able to help you fix any potential isssues
;ª)

I've bought an AX, and it works lovely (on iTunes 8 JD). But feel free to ask if you get problems - there are a few "gotchas", like only using WPA wireless encryption and not WEP (even though it says it supports it...), and if using iT8, make sure the host PC is on a wired part of the network...

 

[John Duncan]

PJ1200:John is however very knowledgable and should be able to help you fix any potential isssues

John who?

fatboyslimfast:make sure the host PC is on a wired part of the network...

Ah.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

If you have an N network it might be ok but I've had no problems (unlike lots with iT8) and the only differentiator that I can see is that my host is wired into my router, not on wireless.

 

[PJ1200]

John - You Mr Duncan!
The host PC has to be wired!?!? Why? The AX is designed to transmit wirelessly!? Why should the PC I use be physically plugged into the net? Defeats the purpose of the thing!?
Also why should I have to use WPA? The product says it supports WEP. It's attached to my wireless router using this WEP with no problem. Why, then, should it only be able to play music (wirelessly) for a minute before having a gap/drop??
These appear bugs in the hardware/software. They should have been tested before the product (AX or iTunes) was released. Not relying on the user to bring them up!
Sorry hijacking the thread!

 

[ianandyr]

fatboyslimfast:JohnDuncan:waynefarnworth:I would buy a pair of Netgear Powerline adapters and disable the wireless.Sorry, but I'd absolutely not do that - ethernet over the mains is total hifi anathema. Wireless or wired is the way to go IMO.The question of whether to go Squeezebox or AE or Apple TV is another matter......Absolutely. Homeplug puts so much rubbish onto your mains supply, it kills the sound. For true sound quality, wired is the way to go, but wireless isn't that far behind...

I'd be very grateful if someone could explain to me why this is so ? As we're talking about a signal that's in the digital domain passing across a multi-layered networking protocol with numerous error-correction steps including discarding and re-transmitting all damaged packets I simply don't see how there can be any difference between wired, wireless or ethernet through the mains.ÿ

 

[PJ1200]

Sorry - hijacking the thread. Fatboyslimfast, feel free to add to my 'problem' thread in the Computer Based music forum.
Here: http://whathifi.com/forums/t/156179.aspx

 

[John Duncan]

ianandyr:
fatboyslimfast:JohnDuncan:waynefarnworth:I would buy a pair of Netgear Powerline adapters and disable the wireless.Sorry, but I'd absolutely not do that - ethernet over the mains is total hifi anathema. Wireless or wired is the way to go IMO.The question of whether to go Squeezebox or AE or Apple TV is another matter......Absolutely. Homeplug puts so much rubbish onto your mains supply, it kills the sound. For true sound quality, wired is the way to go, but wireless isn't that far behind...

I'd be very grateful if someone could explain to me why this is so ? As we're talking about a signal that's in the digital domain passing across a multi-layered networking protocol with numerous error-correction steps including discarding and re-transmitting all damaged packets I simply don't see how there can be any difference between wired, wireless or ethernet through the mains.

yeah I disagree on the wired/wireless debate, just because of the way it works (though it's slower, generalising), but the issue with ethernet over mains is that it affects the *other* audio components in the chain (like the amplifier, for example), thus degrading the signal.

And before anybody tells me it doesn't - yes it does.

 

[John Duncan]

PJ1200:The host PC has to be wired!?!? Why? The AX is designed to transmit wirelessly!? Why should the PC I use be physically plugged into the net? Defeats the purpose of the thing!?

Yeah, not sure I agree with this, though wireless is undoubtedly more flakey than wired, in my experience.

PJ1200:Also why should I have to use WPA?

Because WEP is sh-t, frankly. I could sit outside your house and hack your network in 30 seconds. The fact that AX has an issue with WEP (putting $ signs in front of the password and all that malarkey etc) is a bug, sure, though i think it was fixed in later firmware.

PJ1200:These appear bugs in the hardware/software. They should have been tested before the product (AX or iTunes) was released. Not relying on the user to bring them up!

That's computers for you (tell me about it). I do take comfort in Cyrus' travails though

 

[ianandyr]

JohnDuncan:And before anybody tells me it doesn't - yes it does.

How?

Genuinely interested in this as I am very close to buying a couple of homeplugs to connect a Sonos which sits in a wireless dead spot.ÿ

 

[ianandyr]

JohnDuncan:And before anybody tells me it doesn't - yes it does.

How?

Genuinely interested in this as I am very close to buying a couple of homeplugs to connect a Sonos which sits in a wireless dead spot.ÿ

 

[John Duncan]

I can't explain the science (without starting a fight on here), but it was obvious when I tried it with a borrowed pair of Homeplugs (I think that's what they were called).

 

[PJ1200]

PJ1200:Also why should I have to use WPA?

JohnDuncan:Because WEP is sh-t, frankly. I could sit outside your house and hack your network in 30 seconds. The fact that AX has an issue with WEP (putting $ signs in front of the password and all that malarkey etc) is a bug, sure, though i think it was fixed in later firmware.

Yeah, I don't have to put $ sign in front of the WEP key. I see your point regarding the security,and it's a valid one. However to be fair the security of WEP encryption has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Apple say it is WEP enabled, the fact that it is, because my computer connects to the AX with no problem and (more importantly) the problem in hand, which is I can't stream music (the purpose of the ruddy thing) for more than a minute without it having a hissy fit!