alternative to Apple Airport

[admin_exported]

Are there any devices apart from the Apple Airport that allow audio stream reception over a regular WiFi connection that is then controlled, as in, the stream is then controlled, by a software application residing on the PC/laptop?

What I'm saying is... I don't need a €300,- media streamer device for my hifi system. All I need is a simple device that will talk WiFi, that has digital outputs to my receiver/DAC, and that understands an application protocol over TCP or UDP that would be the exact equivalent of Apple AirTunes/AirPlay.

Apple jumped into the gap in the market left by the Digital Living Networking Alliance when they created the DLNA spec by creating and patenting its own protocol that it is now licensing (at least partly) to other manufactorers, but you can be sure as heaven that they won't license it to any device that would be a direct competitor of the AirPort..... which is why there are no other devices that do the same stuff that the AirPort does.

Apple did it again guys. Only because the world was too stupid to realise. I believe Apple asks a hefty sum for this license. An Onkyo support person talked about an amount of 50-70 euro that it would cost to integrate AirPlay into their receivers, per item, to the customer.

I guess I answered my own question. There is no alternative to the AirPort.

But surprise me.

((I know there are solutions that don't use regular WiFi and that require both a discrete sender and receiver device, which means your laptop will be paired with an usb sender device when it already has WiFi onboard. I don't want that. <a href="http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Audioengine-D2">Some of these</a> sender devices are pretty bulky, others have only analog outputs of low quality, and <a href="http://nadelectronics.com/products/digital-music/DAC-1-Wireless-USB-Digital-to-Analogue-Converter">most</a> of <a href="http://www.audiostream.com/content/playgo-usb">them</a> contain a high quality DAC that you might not need and that pushes the price up significantly. I don't want that. If I'm going to have something stick out of my laptop, it might as well be a simple usb to toslink cable using <a href="http://www.audiotrak.de/dr_dac_nano.html">this device</a>.))

 

[Anonymous]

Okay that didn't work. And I can't edit my post.

--

Are there any devices apart from the Apple Airport that allow audio stream reception over a regular WiFi connection that is then controlled, as in, the stream is then controlled, by a software application residing on the PC/laptop?

What I'm saying is... I don't need a €300,- media streamer device for my hifi system. All I need is a simple device that will talk WiFi, that has digital outputs to my receiver/DAC, and that understands an application protocol over TCP or UDP that would be the exact equivalent of Apple AirTunes/AirPlay.

Apple jumped into the gap in the market left by the Digital Living Networking Alliance when they created the DLNA spec by creating and patenting its own protocol that it is now licensing (at least partly) to other manufactorers, but you can be sure as heaven that they won't license it to any device that would be a direct competitor of the AirPort..... which is why there are no other devices that do the same stuff that the AirPort does.

Apple did it again guys. Only because the world was too stupid to realise. I believe Apple asks a hefty sum for this license. An Onkyo support person talked about an amount of 50-70 euro that it would cost to integrate AirPlay into their receivers, per item, to the customer.

I guess I answered my own question. There is no alternative to the AirPort.

But surprise me.

((I know there are solutions that don't use regular WiFi and that require both a discrete sender and receiver device, which means your laptop will be paired with an usb sender device when it already has WiFi onboard. I don't want that. Some of these sender devices are pretty bulky, others have only analog outputs of low quality, and most of them contain a high quality DAC that you might not need and that pushes the price up significantly. I don't want that. If I'm going to have something stick out of my laptop, it might as well be a simple usb to toslink cable using this device.))

 

[chebby]

Why do you need something - identical in function and AirPlay/iTunes capability to an AirPort Express - that isn't an AirPort Express?

Why not just buy an AirPort Express? (Or Apple TV.)

I guess I've missed something. (I'm not very clever about all this digital malarky so I just went for a simple solution that works really well for me.)

 

[Paul.]

Logitech Squeezebox (as long as you don't want the router functionality).

Edit: What Chebby said.

 

[Anonymous]

Because I don't need that device to be a router and print server as well.

Also, I don't like to buy into proprietary licensed protocols that exclude all but one company from supplying a certain functionality to the world, for the reasons that first, I will be vendor locked-in for all eternity to this supplier, and second, I'm adding to the monopoly that Apple has, thereby making the situation that I suffer from myself, worse. Basically, I'm not helping myself.

By staying clear from the monopoly products, I invest in technology (if it is available) that functions more like an open standard, that allows me to replace any part of the system with components from (possibly) other suppliers, and that gives me the freedom to decide where I go from where I am, instead of being told this by some patent hungry mongrel.

Basically I'm not buying it because I want to be free, not a slave to some corporation.

Also, Squeezeboxes require a media server to be running to obtain streams from. My house and my household is so small that it's pointless to get a dedicated server device, and I also don't want to keep my PC running 24/7 for that purpose. I dislike having my PC turned on when I'm not using it myself. Therefore, I'm just using a netbook that contains most of my important albums and that I connect to either the living room system or the bedroom radio. If there were inexpensive inconspicuous receiver devices, I would probably do this wirelessly, but it looks like I will just have to do it with cables since there is no technology that suits my purpose. The DNLA spec doesn't cater for this use case (hence Apple AirPlay) and Squeezeboxes also cannot receive 'push' music.

I have a Squeezebox Boom in my bedroom, I'm not sure if I'm gonna keep it, because I would prefer to also have a CD player there, but a mini hifi system is too big so I'm thinking to just get the Audiotrak Dr. DAC nano for the bedroom (in any case).

I could run the Squeezebox server software on my netbook and keep it running 24/7, then get a Duet (and pay another €€€) , have my house loaded with devices that's too much for the space I have, and then stream everything by controlling those devices.... but I might just as well operate my netbook.

Only thing is that in my living room I would prefer not to have the netbook wired, it's not so nice because I'll just be having a long cable running to it across the floor, but I guess it will turn out alright. I'm just trying to make sure I'm going to be making the right choices regarding that.

 

[Paul.]

http://www.knowyourmobile.com/features/1536216/best_airplay_apps_for_android.html

http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/windows/

 

[AnotherJoe]

I'm not entirely sure what u require. Are you saying that your hifi/amp or whatever doesnt support DLNA ?

 

[Anonymous]

My receiver is of a generation just a tad too old to have the network streaming functionality.

In any case, there are apps to control those new receivers, but I doubt there are pc applications.

And I'm not going to tell the receiver to tell my netbook to send the receiver data, when I could be sending that data myself in the first place... :doh:. Servers telling clients to tell the server to send them data.... it gets really silly this.

I do not enjoy making a fool out of myself 😛.

I already knew about the third party airplay apps and plugins. I investigated this before I formed my opinion. Of course Apple will license or allow third party player apps and plugins - there is even a plugin for Winamp! This will only increase the stronghold they have over the market (over this segment of the market). But they will never allow anyone to manufacture a device that decreases their stronghold. Apple is a monopolist of the worst kind. It wants to control the entire market, as much as it can, and will use any tactic and strategy to achieve that. Microsoft was never that bad, for instance there is Microsoft Office for the Mac and always has been (as far as I know). While Apple was small MS could have completely put them out of business so to speak in the office world by patenting and then refusing to license the format for Microsoft Word. But MS didn't want that because it was not their philosophy. It is Apple's. Now I'm not a Microsoft fanboy, but I clearly see what Apple is doing and I don't want any part of that.

It's nothing personal, for instance I have an Apple keyboard because it's better for my hands, but that's not something that increases their monopoly position or directs the world into a direction I don't want it to go. I also bought an old iBook when I wanted to familiarize myself with the software environment. I have nothing against Apple, just their business strategies and the effects they have on the world of technology.

I'm sure there have been attempts or desires by other technology companies to create an equivalent for AirPlay, but I'm also pretty sure Apple has prevented that from happening by showing some nasty legal teeth.

That you never heard about. Cause Apple has such a shiny polished image.

 

[Paul.]

No one is going to die if you buy an apple product... Buy it second hand, then you are not contributing to 'the machine'.

 

[Paul.]

That you never heard about. Cause Apple has such a shiny polished image.

oh don't worry, if Apple do something wrong Anotherjoe delights in telling us 😛

 

[BenLaw]

That you never heard about. Cause Apple has such a shiny polished image.

oh don't worry, if Apple do something wrong Anotherjoe delights in telling us 😛

 

[BenLaw]

No one is going to die if you buy an apple product... Buy it second hand, then you are not contributing to 'the machine'.

A good solution.... Tho wouldn't that be a bit like pirating Apple products? 😛

 

[Paul.]

One day, when rapid prototyping kit gets better, you probably could torrent hardwear 🙂

 

[BenLaw]

Those 3D 'printer' thingies? They're 8)

Tho what you describe basically sounds like the Star Trek transporter 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

Hey Xennex. This might be the solution:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZiYieGmQEo

Netgear Powerline Music Extender

 

[professorhat]

Basically I'm not buying it because I want to be free, not a slave to some corporation.

I was going to recommend something perfect for you, but my master says you must buy an Airport Express or he will kill a puppy. And a kitten.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your precise and relevant post. Based on your explanation I understand that there is in fact no direct alternative to the Airport. However, I dont want an Airport as it only has a cheapo audio output. And you don't want it for understandable tech-political reasons. Without the Airport, the only solution is a combination of a DAC and a Wifi transmission system such as the one from AudioEngineering to which you where linking (oddly, the more integrated things become, the more clutter you are going to need...). But the idea of attach antennas to your PC is of course not very attractive. And I don't want my costly DAC to be integrated with fast-changing technlogy such as WIFI. Therefore, what I am going to do is to buy a high quality DAC (http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/vSeries/v-dacii/) and using it to connect my laptop to my stereao by USB (cable) when I want to listen to music. The laptop I control with a remote app on my smartphone (this works: http://remoteless.no/). Later on, when an actual alternative to the airport becomes available (which it will - at least here in the EU - as Apple's practice breaches competition law. The EU Commission will be on their backs very soon) I will be able to plug that into the DAC and: mission completed.Final note: avoid any Bluetooth-based solution. Bluetooth compresses everything

 

[eric1979]

It might be too late. But a Raspberry Pi is what you need.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs

 

[Johnnyroyale]

Ive just transferred all my cd collection to a lacie 2tb la cinema nas i stream the music through my existing system via my ipod touch/pure 20i dock using the withU app from the itunes store. This is a great set up esp as i was initially looking to purchase the sonos the app costs a mere £1.99! Sound quality is great imo esp as i saved all my cds at 320 kbps also displays artwork and playback functions similar to itunes player. Definitely recommend this .