Apple Ariport Express

[mikecel79]

Anyone see the new Apple Airport Express? It allows you to stream music over a wireless network to a stereo or set or powered speakers. I know there have been devices like this before but this thing is tiny!! And it has analog and optical outputs!

Here's a link.

 

[bluewall21]

looks good, at least.

 

[HomerSapien]

Also has regular ethernet and print serving features for only $129. Looks great but i dont have a stereo...lol Just an ipod and computer speakers. Maybe one day.

 

[Wahsapa]

ya this thing looks awsome, not to mention giving a few hints at the wifi ipod around the corner. usb, spdif optical out, 1/4 minijacks! all over a wifi network in such a small box, im wondering how powerful it might be tho. i hope i can print, listen to music and use the wan at the same time on the airport express

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: HomerSapien
Also has regular ethernet and print serving features for only $129. Looks great but i dont have a stereo...lol Just an ipod and computer speakers. Maybe one day.

Actually, it will even work with computer speakers as long as they're self-powered.

What I find cool about is that you have multiple Airport Express units, hooked up to different speakers, and they are all independent. You can control from iTunes which set of speakers to play from. See here: http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/airtunes.html

The other part that's cool is the fact that it's got that optical output, and the transmitted data is losslessly compressed. Thus, if you have losslessly compressed files in iTunes, you'll get full rez audio with no analogue conversion step at your stereo system, if you plug it in via optical.

 

[mikecel79]

The only downside of this whole thing is that I would have to be in front of my computer in order to change songs since it's streamed from iTunes on the PC. I also wonder if it's possible to stream to more than one Airport Express at a time.

Now I need to get a PocketPC with WiFi and use the RDP client to connect to my machine so that I can change songs

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: mikecel79
The only downside of this whole thing is that I would have to be in front of my computer in order to change songs since it's streamed from iTunes on the PC. I also wonder if it's possible to stream to more than one Airport Express at a time.

Now I need to get a PocketPC with WiFi and use the RDP client to connect to my machine so that I can change songs

Something I noticed a lot of people say on the SlashDot article on this, is that this problem is subtly solved in the "core" Apple market; all those laptop users will have their laptop in front of them to change the song. Of course, this brings up the question of having the device when a laptop can also output sound, but the difference in sound quality basically explains that.

 

[Eug]

I suspect a WiFi remote is in the works. Even if it's $150-200, people will buy it.

 

[Entity]

Can this work as a repeater for a normal 802.11b network? I'd like to use one as a bridge and also a MP3 component to our stereo at home.

Rob

 

[Wahsapa]

yes, im pretty sure it does repeat the wifi signal

 

[mikecel79]

Originally posted by: Wahsapa
yes, im pretty sure it does repeat the wifi signal

No it can't. From Apple's website

"AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express can extend the range only of an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express wireless network. "

It will only work with Airport Extreme and Express base stations. It does not work with Apple Airport base stations which are 802.11b.

 

[addragyn]

Actually...

Basically it's as simple as all range extenders are based off a general spec that is then tweaked by the manfs. simply because they do not have to certify WDS. So they guarantee compatibility with their stuff and it *may* work with other brands.

In other news the G5 got liquid cooling a a 25% speed bump today.

Why Apple's Airport Express May Unofficially Extend Non-Airport Networks


filed under wireless


Even though Apple is claiming on their website that the new Airport Express can only act as a network range extender (signal repeater) with other Airport devices (look at the bottom of this page), WiFi Networking News's Glenn Fleishman explains why the Airport Express may just work with some non-Apple devices after all:


Wireless Distribution System (WDS) is a part of the 802.11 spec all the way back to IEEE 802.11b-1999. However, it was never made part of the Wi-Fi certification standard.


In WDS, each Wi-Fi gateway acts essentially like a port on an Ethernet switch. They broadcast information to each other about what adapters are available on their particular segments. If a packet arrives that requires a hop, it's repackaged and delivered to the right "port" or wireless gateways.


That is, if client A is attached to Base Station Z and client B is attached to Base Station Y, both Y and Z known about the clients on themselves and others. Packets flow from to A to Z, which repackages the packets using a WDS header, sends them to Y, which unwraps them and presents to them B as if they originated from themselves, more or less.


Because WDS isn't certified with Wi-Fi, no manufacturer wants to promise that their idiosyncratic version will work with anyone else's. However, because most of the 802.11g gear out there remains Broadcom based, the WDS implementation should be pretty similar.


Buffalo and Apple's equipment often works together, for instance. Linksys has chosen to use WDS as an either/or: either its WRT54G (for example) is a bridge or it's an access point. Apple and Buffalo allow either/and/or: you can make a base station a bridge (for Ethernet connected devices), a gateway, or a bridge and gateway.
http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/why-apples-airport-express-may-unofficially-extend-nonairport-networks-015834.php[/Q

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: addragyn
In other news the G5 got liquid cooling a a 25% speed bump today.

It's a heatpipe, not liquid cooling.

 

[Eug]

Yeah it sounds like a heatpipe in some ways, but the description doesn't sound like a standard heatpipe.

The dual 2.5GHz Power Mac G5 features an innovative liquid cooling system that?s more efficient than a traditional heat sink. This system provides a continuous flow of thermally conductive fluid that transfers heat from the processors as they work harder. The heated fluid then flows through a radiant grille, where air passing over cooling fins returns the fluid to its original temperature.

BTW, I have a thread on the new Power Mac G5 dual 2.5 here.