Apple Airport Express

[Mr Compo]

Can I use Airport Express to stream music from a Nas drive without my computer being turned on? I'm considering this as an alternative route to Logitech Squeezebox Touch.

At what quality can the Airport stream? I'll be suing an Iphone for control in either case.

 

[professorhat]

Nope, you need something to "present" the music from the NAS to the Airport Express device - normally this would be iTunes on a computer which is connected up to use the music on the NAS in its library. So the computer would need to be running to allow this.

To play music direct from the NAS without a computer, you need something like the Sonos products.

 

[Anonymous]

An iPod Touch and iPhone can stream direct to the Airport Express too, Dot.tunes may allow it to stream from a different data source than the iPod.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

LaCie NAS and others can run iTunes server. You don't need a computer on at all.

 

[Fuzzy Bear]

For Iphone/Ipod touch there is an app called Media Link Player, there is a free and paid version. It brings songs to your Iphone then you use airplay feature. I use free version, works a treat.

I don't know what NAS you have but some have supporting apps as well. I use Western Digital NAS which only has photos. But other companies do.

 

[professorhat]

LaCie NAS and others can run iTunes server. You don't need a computer on at all.

My understanding of iTunes Server is it allows the music on the NAS to be picked up via the Shared list in a full iTunes client, but it won't actually present music to the Airport Express. So even with this, you'd still need a computer running iTunes to stream this music to the Airport Express. This may have changed in a new update, but have had a quick look around Google and can't find anything to indicate that this has changed.