airplay

Denon AVR-1912 review: Editors' Choice AV receiver

The Denon AVR-1912 is the most complete midrange AV receiver we've seen in 2011 so far.

It's one of the only two receivers in its class (the other being the Pioneer VSX-1021-K) with built-in support for Apple's AirPlay, a feature that lets you use any iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad as a wireless music source. While the Pioneer has a nicer interface, the Denon outdoes it with slightly better sound quality, a sixth HDMI input, a two-year warranty, and onboard support for Pandora, Rhapsody, and Napster.

The Denon AVR-1912 is our go-to pick if someone asks, "… Read more

Apple AirPlay: 10 things you need to know

At some point you've probably heard about AirPlay, a wireless streaming feature found on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or any Mac or Windows PC running iTunes. While some features had been available for years under the AirTunes moniker, Apple rolled out the AirPlay name and an expanded feature list in the fall of 2010. With the arrival of iOS 4.3, AirPlay has been further enhanced, and--perhaps most significantly--third-party consumer electronics manufacturers are adding it to their products.

Apple sums up the technology like this on its regularly updated "Using AirPlay" page, which has some troubleshooting tips.

With AirPlay, you can wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to Apple TV (2nd generation) and stream music to AirPlay speakers or receivers, including AirPort Express. You can also wirelessly stream videos and music from your computer to Apple TV (2nd generation) and stream music to AirPlay speakers or receivers, including AirPort Express.

That pretty much tells you what it's all about, but here's a closer look at what you need to know about AirPlay and some tips for getting the most out of it.

Only a limited number of products are currently AirPlay-compatible: Right now, only a handful of products offer AirPlay compatibility (see slideshow, below) and they tend to be fairly expensive. The exception is the Apple TV, which only costs $99, and Apple's AirPort Express (also $99 list). The majority of early AirPlay products are speaker systems, plus a few AV receivers that offer built-in AirPlay support.

B&W Zeppelin Air with Apple AirPlay (review)

B&W, which is now branding itself by its longer, more formal name, Bowers & Wilkins, is known for its high-end speakers. However, a few years back the company dipped into the more mainstream consumer market with its first iPod speaker system, the $600 Zeppelin, followed by the smaller and more affordable Zeppelin Mini.

Now the company is back with a new version of the Zeppelin called the Zeppelin Air that shares many design traits with the original Zep but offers better sound and one very important new feature: support for Apple's AirPlay. That feature allows you to … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1433: George Hotz and the Girls Gone Wild defense (Podcast)

Sony PS3 jailbreaker George Hotz scampers down to South America to avoid having to turn over his possessions to Sony -- but claimed he's just there on spring break. Um. Ok, dude. Also, Apple's grand plans to take over the Internet completely, the new Color app that either is or isn't the most amazing startup that ever existed, and record labels' attempts to sue Limewire for $75 trillion. Not a typo. Neither is the Duke Nukem delay. --Molly

The five biggest digital audio duds of 2009

Yesterday, I compiled my list of the five most welcome products for digital audio that came out in 2009. Today, I'm following it up with my list of the year's five biggest digital audio duds.

Zookz. The breathless pitch got me interested: a mysterious online service was getting ready to compete against subscription-based download service eMusic. But where eMusic limits users to a set number of downloads, this mystery service would offer unlimited music and movie downloads. How could this be? Wouldn't users just download all the material they wanted then cancel their subscriptions? How could content … Read more

Jango screens junk, but it's still pay-for-play

Jango CEO Dan Kaufman posted a long response to my post criticizing Jango Artist Airplay as a pay-for-play scheme that artists should avoid. (He also e-mailed me with contact info, so I'm fairly sure it's him, although the usual caveats apply.) It's a thoughtful comment, and Dan comes across as a serious businessperson, not a fly-by-night scam artist.

To summarize, Jango is trying to maintain a quality experience for listeners by making sure they're not inundated with Airplay artists they're not going to like. Rather than playing Airplay artists based strictly on how much money … Read more

Sony iPod dock allows for multi-room listening

Sony on Thursday announced the S-Airplay AIR-SA20PK, a multi-room wireless audio system for listening to iPod (including iPhone, Touch, Nano, Mini, and all versions of Classic).

Once you have your iPod connected to the system's main docking station, you can listen to audio from your iPod up to 164 feet away. This is accomplished through S-Air's wireless speakers that plug into power outlets.

According to Sony, the S-Air technology delivers audio wirelessly to the two included speakers without interfering with other household devices. However, the company did not make it clear how exactly it would achieve this. The … Read more