AirPlay streaming to come with today's Apple TV 4.1 update
In addition to iOS 4.2 for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, Apple on Monday also released an update for its Apple TV set top box today, bringing AirPlay support for wireless streaming.
Though Apple made no mention of the Apple TV update when announcing the forthcoming launch of iOS 4.2, the software arrived at the same time, around 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern on Monday. The Apple TV software update can be initiated through the device's settings menu, and is done directly over a wireless or wired Internet connection.
In addition to AirPlay, which will allow streaming of video and audio from iOS devices to the Apple TV, the 4.1 update also brings VoiceOver functionality. The new feature can be turned on through the accessibility menu of the Apple TV.
VoiceOver reads menus and metadata, including episode descriptions for TV shows. In the settings, users can also set the speed of voice playback.
The Apple TV 4.1 software update automatically enables AirPlay without password protection. If users choose, they can turn AirPlay off entirely through the settings menu, or can add a password to limit access.
AirPlay is built in to iOS 4.2 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It allows users to stream video or audio content directly to the Apple TV over a Wi-Fi network. Users can also directly stream music to an AirPort Express.
Though Apple made no mention of the Apple TV update when announcing the forthcoming launch of iOS 4.2, the software arrived at the same time, around 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern on Monday. The Apple TV software update can be initiated through the device's settings menu, and is done directly over a wireless or wired Internet connection.
In addition to AirPlay, which will allow streaming of video and audio from iOS devices to the Apple TV, the 4.1 update also brings VoiceOver functionality. The new feature can be turned on through the accessibility menu of the Apple TV.
VoiceOver reads menus and metadata, including episode descriptions for TV shows. In the settings, users can also set the speed of voice playback.
The Apple TV 4.1 software update automatically enables AirPlay without password protection. If users choose, they can turn AirPlay off entirely through the settings menu, or can add a password to limit access.
AirPlay is built in to iOS 4.2 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It allows users to stream video or audio content directly to the Apple TV over a Wi-Fi network. Users can also directly stream music to an AirPort Express.
Comments
I hope this fixes video streaming since I'm running the GM1 on my iPad and have yet to be able to stream the video portion, only the audio so far.
Yeah, I checked 30 min ago & no update yet.
The Apple site has a good video of AirPlay and all the other 4.2 features.
http://www.apple.com/ios/
Any love for us Apple TV 1G owners ?
If Apple TV 1 had Airplay, I'd buy one now, as they're still sparsely available at HK Apple resellers, at a super low price.
How about the ability to control volume through the remote or at least through Apple TV menus?
The volume control is on the TV.
The volume control is on the TV.
Excuse me? My volume control is not on my TV, it's on my receiver. Not very Apple of them, to require users to use two separate remotes, when they could easily allow the AppleTV to control its own volume output.
I thought that 2nd gen ATV's were on 4.1 already?
Wil be interesting to see how the update is done. You could do audio AirPlay through the beta 4.2.x developer betas from what the rumor mills have said.
You'll can alter a sound level through your iPhone, or iPad presumably, no? For the main TV audio level, use the TV remote?
Excuse me? My volume control is not on my TV, it's on my receiver. Not very Apple of them, to require users to use two separate remotes, when they could easily allow the AppleTV to control its own volume output.
Likewise. Who listens to audio through the TV speakers these days? Unless you're going from every video device you have into the TV then out again to the receiver. Unfortunately, that's not easy to do with my setup.
Can you stream Pandora or other apps with AirPlay?
Short answer, yes. I do not use Pandora however my favorite internet radio app, Radio Paradise is airplay enabled and works great.
Excuse me? My volume control is not on my TV, it's on my receiver. Not very Apple of them, to require users to use two separate remotes, when they could easily allow the AppleTV to control its own volume output.
How do you change the volume when you are watching regular TV? That is how you do it. Or with your Airplay iDevice or iPhone remote app.
I thought that 2nd gen ATV's were on 4.1 already?
Yeah, that is what I thought. http://ios.e-lite.org/ shows that Apple TV firmware 4.1 has been out since 09/27/2010 17:35:01. I would expect that they would be releasing 4.2 and that nobody realized it was already 4.1 so assumed it would be 4.1.
How do you change the volume when you are watching regular TV? That is how you do it. Or with your Airplay iDevice or iPhone remote app.
When I'm watching regular TV, I'm choosing programming using the remote that comes with my regular TV (actually -- with my tuner, since I use a separate tuner and HD display). One remote to control both programming and volume.
If I'm using the Apple TV, I'll be choosing programming using the Apple TV remote, or my iPod Touch, or my future iPad 2. Would be nice if I could also change the volume, also using one remote for both programming and volume.
Any word on Plex? I love their Plex Media Server for my collection of DVD & BluRay rips. The server application rips my MKV file into an IOS friendly h.264 stream then streams it wonderfully to a Plex iPad app, the BluRays even stay as high-def as the iPad can handle...If the Plex IOS app did AirPlay, I could finally get my Plex Media Server Library on the big screen without using the Mini, which is just too pokey to keep up with the 1080p stream (the Plex Media Server doesn't re-rip the original movie files when streaming to another computer)
Welcome to the future!
http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/...r-apple-tv-2g/
Still in its infancy, but it does...sort-of... work.
When I'm watching regular TV, I'm choosing programming using the remote that comes with my regular TV. One remote to control both programming and volume.
If I'm using the Apple TV, I'll be choosing programming using the Apple TV remote, or my iPod Touch, or my future iPad 2. Would be nice if I could also change the volume, also using one remote for both programming and volume.
You are likely going to need the programming remote to get to the HDMI input to launch aTV anyway so it should be handy already. aTV remote is very minimalistic and is only used when the aTV menu is displayed which is counterintuitive for volume control since you would need to navigate visually completely overriding your chosen video content. If you like a million buttons on your remote you can always choose a Google TV.
You are likely going to need the programming remote to get to the HDMI input to launch aTV anyway so it should be handy already.
Nope. The display is auto-sensing and auto on/off. I'll use the remote for the switcher to turn on/off the TV signal to my display. The display doesn't have a remote, actually.