How to buy Speakers for AirPlay
There are lots of AirPlay speakers, costing
up to a thousand pounds and more, and, as you would expect, there’s a wide
variation in both audio quality and features. Before you choose which one to
buy, it’s worth thinking about what you want from an AirPlay speaker.
Will it stay in one room or will you move
it around and perhaps take it into the garden? If it’s the latter, opt for one
such as Libratone’s Zipp or Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLit 12, both of which have
rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
If you want to make a visual as well as
aural statement, B&W’s Zeppelin Air, Libratone’s Live, and B&O’s
BeoPlay A9 fit the bill, although you may need a second mortgage to buy the
latter.
Most AirPlay speakers do one thing very
well, but if you want one that’s more flexible, have a look at Onkyo’s ABX
N-300 which has a 30-pin dock connector, line in, and internet radio features.
AirPlay Direct is another feature to look
out for. Added by Apple last year, it allows you to connect an iOS device or
Mac to an AirPlay speaker on a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi network, meaning you don’t
need a Wi-Fi base station; useful if you’re away from home. Manufacturer use
different names for this feature, Libratone, for example, calls it Play Direct.
Finally, consider where you’ll place the
speaker. Some, such as Audyssey’s Audio Dock Air, benefit from being on a
corner, where they can bounce audio waves off the walls creating a wider sound
stage. Others, like Klipsch’s Gallery G-17 Air and Bose’s Sound Dock Air, are
best positioned centrally, as their drivers push audio out the front and from
either side of the device. As a general rule, the bigger the speaker, the
further away from it you’ll need to sit in order to find the ‘sweet spot’.
Streaming from iOS
Use your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad
to stream content via AirPlay
There are two ways to stream media content
from an iOS device using AirPlay. The first is by using an app that supports
AirPlay natively, such as iOS’s Music app, Tuneln Radio, or SoundCloud. Each of
these apps has an AirPlay icon next to the play/pause controls. Tap it and
you’ll see a list of the devices on your network to which you can stream
instantly.
Use
your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to stream content via AirPlay
Other apps, such as TED and TV Catchup,
allow you to stream video from an iOS device to Apple TV. This can also be
useful, particularly if you find yourself in a hotel room (create your own
in-room Wi-Fi network using a travel router such as the Kanex mySpot if you
need to) with a limited range of channels on the TV.
Mirror, mirror
The other method for streaming from an iOS
device to AirPlay is to tell the whole system to send everything it can
wirelessly to speakers or other AirPlay targets. On an iPad, to send audio to
an AirPlay speaker, double tap the Home button below the screen and swipe the
multitasking bar once form left to right. You’ll see volume and brightness
controls and an AirPlay button. Tap this and select the AirPlay speaker you
want. From an iPhone, double-tap Home button, but this time swipe from left to
right twice to reveal a volume control and AirPlay button.
By mirroring to Apple TV you can play
photo slideshow, movies, presentations and iOS games on your television
Streaming to an audio device is good, but
the feature really comes into its own with Apple TV. By mirroring to Apple TV
you can play photo slideshows, movies presentations, and even iOS games on your
television. To set it up, go to Settings, then AirPlay in your Apple TV’s menu.
Switch AirPlay on and set a passcode if you want one – such as if the Apple TV is
in a school or office. Double-tap the Home button on your device, and swipe the
multitasking bar once or twice, depending on whether you’re using an iPhone or
iPad. Select the Apple TV from the AirPlay menu and toggle the Mirroring switch
to on. Whatever you do on your iOS device will be displayed on your TV screen.
If you’d rather stream to your Mac from an
iOS device, AirServer (airserverapp.com) and Reflector (reflectorapp.com) will
allow that.
Video mirroring: Watch video on Apple TV
Not all apps allow you to mirror video to
Apple TV. You can watch content from the iOS version of BBC iPlayer over
AirPlay, for example, by switching on mirroring. Likewise, ITV Player, but if
you try to do this with Channel 4’s 4oD, you’ll see a message on your TV screen
telling you that it doesn’t support output to a TV.
You
can watch content from the iOS version of BBC iPlayer over AirPlay
TV Catch-up has an AirPlay menu in the app,
next to the play controls. Tap it and choose your Apple TV to stream live
Freeview TV to your Apple TV. You can also, of course, mirror Apple’s iMovie
app to watch your completed movies on the big screen. Air Video allows you to
stream videos stored on your Mac, in several different formats, to your iOS
device, and you can mirror it to Apple TV. If you have EyeTV on your Mac you
can view recorded programs of an iOS device, and if you have EyeTV hardware
connected to your Mac, you can watch live TV too. You can also mirror to Apple
TV and watch it on your TV.
If your favorite video app doesn’t support
AirPlay you might be able to connect your iOS device directly using Apple’s
Digital AV adapter ($52.5 or $58.5 for the Lighting version).
Split-screen gaming
Beam games to the big screen for a
fully interactive experience
One of the best features of AirPlay is the
ability to mirror games. Depending on how it has been configured, some games
allow you to use the iOS device as a controller while displaying the action on
eth big screen. Others, like Real Racing 2 HD provide extra information on your
iOS device’s screen. In Real Racing 2 HD’s case, there’s a map of the circuit
and a timer that remain on-screen during the race.
Game on
Real Racing HD 2 and Sky Gamblers: Air
Supremacy has a split-screen mode, which allows you to play against a friend,
using separate iOS devices as controllers. However, an issue that can frustrate
gamers is network latency.
With
some games, you can play on the big screen while keeping an eye on other detail
on your iPad
At a time when the likes of Nintendo and
Sony are adding ‘second screen’ features to their next-gen consoles, Apple is
already there and it’s easy to see why many tip iOS to take a significant share
of the console gaming market over the next few years.
