Latest Apple TV 6.1 update enables AirPlay device discovery over Bluetooth

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited March 2014
According to a recent report, Apples latest Apple TV software update enables devices running iOS 7.1 to conduct AirPlay sessions via a Bluetooth connection, doing away with the need for a Bonjour setup.

Apple TV


The new functionality, reported by Derick Okihara writing for Apple IT website AFP548.com, allows Apple TVs running the latest Apple TV 6.1 software to scan for AirPlay-compatible sources over Bluetooth. Prior to the change, Apple TV relied on Bonjour to find and connect to AirPlay devices.

It appears that users must also be using the latest iOS 7.1 update to take advantage of the Bluetooth-based identification. As noted in the report, an iPad running iOS 7.1 was able to connect with an Apple TV running 6.1 when connected to the same subnet address, despite the VLAN not being having Bonjour enabled.

Okihara found that a Mac running OS X 10.9.2 could not "see" the Apple TV as a viable source, though he suspects the capability may be included in a future update.

The new functionality, which further streamlines the "no setup required" AirPlay protocol, is likely a boon for corporate and education system administrators.

The latest Apple TV software was released on Monday alongside iOS 7.1. At the time, Apple TV 6.1's headline feature was an easier method of hiding unwanted channels from the set-top streamer's user interface.
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 35
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    About time! Now bring this to OS X. Hopefully Reflector App will be able to use it.
  • Reply 2 of 35
    dugbugdugbug Posts: 283member
    Wireless carplay anyone ? ;)
  • Reply 3 of 35
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    nasserae wrote: »
    About time! Now bring this to OS X. Hopefully Reflector App will be able to use it.

    I'll install 10.9.3b2 when it arrives (probably next week), then check to see if exists.
  • Reply 4 of 35
    starbird73starbird73 Posts: 538member
    dugbug wrote: »
    Wireless carplay anyone ? ;)

    Could be a way to test it in the field, so to speak.
  • Reply 5 of 35
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    Does this mean I could AirPlay from anniphone to an ATV in a room without wifi?
  • Reply 6 of 35
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member

    I don't understand this.  Presumably it's to do with Home Sharing, as that's the only time the Apple TV scans for sources, but it clearly doesn't means Home Sharing transmission of content over Bluetooth, so what does using Bluetooth instead of Bonjour over wi-fi achieve?  

     

    Every Mac I've owned or used in the past 10 years had Bonjour set up and ready to go straight out of the box, and I believe Bonjour gets installed automatically with iTunes for Windows; so what's the advantage?

  • Reply 7 of 35
    funkfeendfunkfeend Posts: 54member
    Bonjour uses broadcast packets to announce services. This will not work across segments of a complex network unless specifically enabled by IT.
  • Reply 8 of 35
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    funkfeend wrote: »
    Bonjour uses broadcast packets to announce services. This will not work across segments of a complex network unless specifically enabled by IT.

    You lost me. What does IT have to do with a BT connection between an iDevice and Apple TV?
  • Reply 9 of 35
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,516member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    You lost me. What does IT have to do with a BT connection between an iDevice and Apple TV?

     

    I think that he was explaining why BT is a great option for discovery, because Bonjour is sometimes not available on complicated networks.  It is an answer to the previous post (Crowley's) without quoting him.

     

    Thompson

  • Reply 10 of 35
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    thompr wrote: »
    I think that he was explaining why BT is a great option for discovery, because Bonjour is sometimes not available on complicated networks.  It is an answer to the previous post (Crowley's) without quoting him.

    Thompson

    Ah, the 'this' is for Bonjour, not for the BT mentioned in the article. I hate when people don't quote! Don't they know there can be dozens of conversations in a thread?


    PS: I'm glad this has been added but I'm still waiting for the ad-hoc network connection that doesn't require going through a router. This will be a great advantage for classrooms and boardrooms.
  • Reply 11 of 35
    funkfeendfunkfeend Posts: 54member
    [@]SolipsismX[/@] I simply used "this" to refer to the subject of my previous sentence. I'd say I hate it when people don't read or think before posting, but it's really not that big a deal. :)

    The ad-hoc wifi idea should work without disconnecting from the WLAN because Apple devices have two wifi adapters now, right? I think that's how AirDrop works. Come to think of it, AirDrop uses BT to authenticate the wifi connection...
  • Reply 12 of 35
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    funkfeend wrote: »
    [@]SolipsismX[/@] I simply used "this" to refer to the subject of my previous sentence. I'd say I hate it when people don't read or think before posting, but it's really not that big a deal. :)

    1) Touche!

    2) Yet another example of how ambiguous and vague pronouns can hinder communication.
  • Reply 13 of 35
    sirozhasirozha Posts: 801member
    Bonjour is a multicast based protocol. Multicast doesn't propagate across Layer 3 boundaries without special configuration in routers. In your house, every device is on the same subnet, so there no benefit to not using Bonjour for the discovery of Airplay compatible devices. In corporate networks, there may be a layer 3 boundary between an Apple TV's network and the iOS device. So, the Airplay device discovery based on the physical proximity rather than on multicast is beneficial. What I don't understand is the requirement that the two devices must be on the same subnet. Once the two devices have discovered each other, the media streaming should be a unicast and easily traverse Layer 3 boundaries.

    Something got lost in translation somewhere.
  • Reply 14 of 35
    mpantonempantone Posts: 1,939member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    1) Touche!



    2) Yet another example of how ambiguous and vague pronouns can hinder communication.

    funkfeend used correct English, he really doesn't need to apologize.

     

    "My dad ate a chocolate bar. He likes candy." The pronoun "he" refers to "my dad."

     

    While one must use context, the pronoun's relationship to the previous sentence's subject would be the logical choice, especially because both sentences are in the same paragraph.

     

    This is like second grade English, people. This isn't about "ambiguous and vague pronouns," this is about basic reading comprehension.

  • Reply 15 of 35
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    mpantone wrote: »
    funkfeend used correct English, he really doesn't need to apologize.

    "My dad ate a chocolate bar. He likes candy." The pronoun "he" refers to "my dad."

    While one must use context, the pronoun's relationship to the previous sentence's subject would be the logical choice, especially because both sentences are in the same paragraph.

    This is like second grade English, people. This isn't about "ambiguous and vague pronouns," this is about basic reading comprehension.

    I neither implied nor expected him to apologize. I thought my reply clearly expressed that but if it didn't then you must then admit that terms seemingly clearly stated by the writer can be ambiguous or vague to the reader. You should consider that this chat forum isn't the same as the picture books you read in your second grade class insofar as there is a primary article and many discussions being had within the same thread.
  • Reply 16 of 35
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Sure, whatever.

    Good luck.

    Of course, I'm talking to mpantone, right?

    :D
  • Reply 17 of 35
    funkfeendfunkfeend Posts: 54member
    It's really not that big a deal. I must have read about a zillion of Solip's posts over the years and he contributes greatly to the quality of these forums.
    sirozha wrote: »
    What I don't understand is the requirement that the two devices must be on the same subnet. Once the two devices have discovered each other, the media streaming should be a unicast and easily traverse Layer 3 boundaries.

    Something got lost in translation somewhere.

    Yeah, I've found that tech journalists can't be trusted with details like these. While it is possible that the subnet did not allow for multicast, he probably meant the two devices were not on the same subnet/VLAN.
  • Reply 18 of 35
    appletvfanappletvfan Posts: 2member

    It is time already. I personally have been enjoying the use of Airplay with an app called Celluloid. It made my search for content so much easier when using Apple Tv

  • Reply 19 of 35
    sirozhasirozha Posts: 801member
    Why Apple doesn't enable Airplaying audio to iOS devices is beyond me. I need to be able to use an iOS device to receive audio from an Apple TV so that we can watch a show after my child goes to sleep without a risk of waking him up. I had to jailbreak my iPad in order to install Airfloat from Cydia. It works like a charm even when the iPad screen goes black and the iPad locks. I have a headphone splitter made by Belkin that I plug into the iPad, and both my wife and I can watch Apple TV at night with each having our own headphones playing audio from the Apple TV. This is such a basic functionality that I don't understand why Apple disallows this. Additionally, it would be great if Apple allowed Bluetooth audio streaming from Apple TV. That way, we could just use Bluetooth headphones for this purpose. Either feature would make the Apple TV infinitely more valuable and ahead of its competition and would require almost no effort on Apple's part.
  • Reply 20 of 35
    starbird73starbird73 Posts: 538member
    crowley wrote: »
    I don't understand this.  Presumably it's to do with Home Sharing, as that's the only time the Apple TV scans for sources, but it clearly doesn't means Home Sharing transmission of content over Bluetooth, so what does using Bluetooth instead of Bonjour over wi-fi achieve?  

    Every Mac I've owned or used in the past 10 years had Bonjour set up and ready to go straight out of the box, and I believe Bonjour gets installed automatically with iTunes for Windows; so what's the advantage?

    A little late, but isn't the Bluetooth part just the handshake?
Sign In or Register to comment.