AppleTV as Music Server?

[rockrabbit]

Curious to know something about Apple TV....

 

 

Is it better to leave it on all the time or came I as I currently do, plug it into a switched outlet on my line conditioner and power the unit off and on as the need arises?

 

many thanks!

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hey Drew - I wouldn't power the AppleTV off like that. I hold down the Play button on the remote fro about 10 seconds to put my AppleTV to sleep. Works perfect.

 

[machinehead]

Off subject, but what wood veneer is on your speakers, simply stunning.

 

Jeff

 

[rockrabbit]

Moi? if so.. they are Real Wood Veneers in Mahogany!

 

 

 

[machinehead]

Hi Drew, lost you, not sure what moi means.

 

Mahogany, some of the best I have seen.

 

Jeff

 

[shenzi]

Sort of ironic French joke thing.

 

BTW, Good thread - the Apple TV info from Ashley and others is particularly valuable as I've yet to make the leap into computer audio. (I've been a Mac user for 21 years and am still trying to work out what the Apple TV is for.)

 

[Ashley James]

Shenzi

 

I was the same, I kept reading about and wondering why I might want one and then there were some discounted in the Refurb store on Apple's site, so I bought bought one. I love it and I've had Andy at Marlcroft Computers put a bigger HD in it now.

 

The most telling thing about the ATV is people who visit's reaction to it. Many are considering getting rid of their separates if they haven't already, they often come with wives and kids, both of whom immediately love it because it's so easy to use, enables instant purchase of music and or rental of TV Programs and Movies as well as showing all your photos and making your music much easier to find. IMO its the best hi fi front end you can buy, but you wouldn't know that till you have one.

 

Many people, me included, dislike the idea of having a TV on to play music, but even that's a benefit because while music is playing it scrolls all your photos across the screen in a mosaic that both my wife and I enjoy, because we see photographs we haven't seen for years! Alternatively the TV can stay off and we can use the Touch to control it or stream from one of the other computers.

 

I'm 62 and IMO hi fi has never been as much fun!

 

Ash

 

[david1997]

I have to agree with much of what has been said. As an audio streamer and presenter the AppleTV really does do so many things well. As Ash points out, you can either have your TV on whilst using Front Row or maybe have a slide show of some of your favourite photos - I've downloaded some great images which I sometimes use as a montage when listening to some of my 'quieter' albums, or just us my Touch with the Remote app. (Best free app.?).

 

I've not had my ATV long and, like so many people, bought it S/H. There are a lot of 'nearly new' units out there bought by Joe Public as a video streamer then realising that it falls short on video (take a bow Popcorn Hour, HDX 1000, eGreat and others) so at around £120 it is, IMO, a bit of a bargain.

 

[Ashley James]

I got a real blasting from a potential customer the other day because I'd praised ATV as a video streamer, he kept telling me what a great product and how much better is a Popcorn Hour. I investigated and found that whilst it does 1080, it only streams via an ethernet cable and it's a PC product that is a little flakey but clever for those with the skills to use it. It also requires the video to be imported to a PC if I understand it correctly, which isn't legal, even if everyone is doing it.

 

I stream video at up to 720 (the max resolution of my 32" Panasonic TV) by wi fi from any of my computers to my Apple TV and it works perfectly. I also rent movies and buy the odd TV program from Apple, so I think it probably is the most versatile streaming device at the moment and it's definitely legal. A PS3 does all this too, but isn't nice to look at and not quite so nice to use.

 

Just my two penneth.

 

Ash

 

[Ashley James]

I've just updated my Apple TV and I see that it now gives and option for 1080 output if I had the suitable TV. Presumably it can now stream at 1080.

 

Ashley

 

[machinehead]

Awesome! thanks for the heads up, I will try to updated mine tonight! That was certainly a big hurdle for the ATV.

 

Is it 1080P or i?

 

Jeff

 

[shenzi]

Thanks to Ashley and David for the low-down on the Apple TV.

 

Most of my listening on the conventional system is Radio 3 via a Naim tuner - how do you all cope with radio in the brave new world of computer audio?

 

[Ashley James]

Shenzi

 

There are 100 online Classical Music stations in the USA and number of European ones that provide better sound and program content than the BBC and most talk far less if at all. There are, I believe, 10,000 online now, so that together with the news that Radio 3's audience has, yet again, dropped below acceptable levels should be enough to tempt you to experiment.

 

I have a friend who often digitally records some of the BBC live concerts, but I find them difficult to listen to because of the audio quality. And don't believe it when people tell you that the radio streams from the terrestrial digital TV receivers is better better, we've compared them through the same DAC and they are identical.

 

It's well worth experimenting and an M-Audio 2496 fitted in an old Tower PC will give you better sound quality than your present tuner.

 

Hi fi has never been more exciting IMO.

 

Ash

 

[Labarum]

The output from my Virgin Media Box - 128Kb/s at MP2 routed through my Beresford DAC is at least as good as my Quad 77 FM Tuner. The 128Kb/s internet streams (mostly MP3) are just as good. BBC radio presently streams at a much lower quality, which is annoying; but I have the Virgin Box - a Freeview, Freesat or Sky box with a digital output would be a good deal.

 

The analogue output from the Virgin Media Box straight into Quad amplification is surprisingly good, but the better DAC provided by Stanley Beresford has more clarity and musicality.

 

A Squeezbox can serve as a HiFi Internet Radio Tuner. It will latch onto the wireless router in your house and capture the high quality radio streams straight off the internet without a PC in the way. You can use it's internal DAC, which, I am told, is quite good, or send it's output to your preferred DAC. Squeezebox Classics can be had from Amazon for £135, though they are out of stock at the moment.

 

[shenzi]

Hi Ashley and Brian

 

Thanks for the advice. That's exactly the information I was looking for. I will experiment with my Powerbook and keep my eyes open for a suitable DAC. (What's a TowerPC?)

 

[Ashley James]

Shenzi

 

A tower PC is the big ugly old horror with a roaring fan used by people who argue against the use of computers for hi fi on lesser forums. Here's a link to an aesthetic masterpiece http://cpc.farnell.com/SB03610/computer-products/product.us0?sku=acer-92-4ze7z-ufp

 

I'd buy an Edirol UA25 to use with your Powerbook. It's very hard to better and cheap as well as being more versatile than a hi fi product.

 

Best of luck

 

Ash

 

[shenzi]

..as in towering inferno. Thanks for the tip about the Edirol. What a nice forum this is.

 

Colin

 

[Dr. Exotica]

This has been an interesting thread; certainly have learned a lot.

 

Here are my requirements for a music server:

1. It will be directly hooked up to my hi-fi (bunch of classic Naim gear).

2. It is at the other end of the house from the TV

3. The CDs have been ripped to Apple Lossless

4. I will need ~500 GB of storage for the server

 

Prior to finding this site and reading this forum, I was planning on the following:

1. Buying a used Mac Mini on eBay, also getting an external HD

2. Configuring it with SlimServer

3. Buying a Squeezebox Duet

4. Buying a decent external DAC

 

After reading this thread, it seems like the following may work:

1. Buying a MacTV (can it work with an external HD?)

2. Run iTunes

3. Buy an iPod Touch for use as a controller

4. Buy a decent external DAC

 

Is this a sensible solution? The main issues I have questions with are running an external HD with the MTV (couldn't find the answer at apple.com), and whether an iPod touch will work well as a controller.

 

Thanks for any insight.

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Dr. Exotica - I think the AppleTV route is better than the Squeezebox route because Apple's interface is much better.

 

Apple TV and an external hard drive will likely take a hack to get it to work. But, if you connect the external hard drive to your Mac Mini you can just stream the content to the Apple TV and not worry about connecting anything to the Apple TV. I have a five Terabyte library linked to an Apple TV! Plus this lets your iPod Touch work as a remote much better. The Apple TV needs an infrared remove to get the complete on screen experience. It will work with an iPod Touch but probably not like you want it to.

 

 

Think of the setup like this.

 

The Apple TV can store data and play it directly from its own hard drive.

 

and

 

The Apple TV can link to another iTunes library (on your Mac Mini) and pull the content through itself wirelessly.

 

and

 

The Apple TV can be used as an external output from your Mac Mini. You can push the music to the Apple TV from you Mini all from the iPod Touch remote.

 

 

 

Let me know if I've caused more confusion :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dr. Exotica]

Thanks for the useful information Chris.

 

I may not have been clear enough in my requirements - I already have a PC running iTunes loaded with lots of Apple Lossless audio. I am looking to buy another box that can be used as a music server with my hi-fi. Previously, I was considering the Mac Mini in conjunction with a Squeezebox and an external DAC. However, after reading the postings in this forum, I am looking into the Apple TV in conjunction with an iPod Touch and a DAC. I'd rather not have to buy both a Mini and a TV however.

 

The problem with the Apple TV is of course the limited storage. The USB hack looks interesting, however, I do not own a Mini (nor do I know anyone that does, though I could ask around more). On the Apple site, they are pushing the Time Capsule (500GB or 1TB of storage). This is perfect for my current needs. Apple seems to indicate (sigh) that it can work with the TV. What is unclear is whether it can function as an external drive, or merely as a backup appliance. I fear the latter.

 

On a tangential topic, can the Apple TV be used effectively if it is not hooked up to a TV/monitor - can the iPod Touch serve as an effective controller for dedicated audio applications?

 

Perhaps a third alternative would be to use a headless Mac Mini in conjunction with an iPod Touch (running Remote). This would solve the disk space limitation problem of the Apple TV. However, I am unsure whether or not the Touch can be used in this role.

 

Jeez - I really sound obtuse ...

 

[rockrabbit]

 

I have a five Terabyte library linked to an Apple TV! Plus this lets your iPod Touch work as a remote much better.

 

 

Chris, I need you to draw this out, take a picture, post a detailed setup guide or something! Makes, models, the whole 9 yards!

 

thanks!

 

 

 

[Dr. Exotica]

Asking similar questions on the Naim forum, I got several confirmations that you can use a Mini in conjunction with a Touch running Remote in order to control iTunes. This is good. My question then becomes - how nice is the UI on the Touch in this environment? Do we get the album flipping capability, or even the ability to display album art? Or, is it more like the iTunes textual/spreadsheet style UI?

 

Thanks again for any insight.

 

[darrenwm]

 

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Fabulous Darren! You just saved me 30 minute I don't have!!!

 

That calls for an extra headphone. I'lll add it to your user profile!

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Drew - i might be able to draw something up. What exactly are you looking for? Maybe I'm a little dense this afternoon :-|