Airfoil for Mac 4.0.2

#1 Macworld

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 06:16 AM

Post your comments for Airfoil for Mac 4.0.2 here

#2 daveerato

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 07:04 AM

So there is no great solution for streaming Hulu to Apple TV via Airplay yet?

#3 rerhart

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 08:32 AM

Another great advantage of Airfoil is that you can use it in conjunction with Hear (www.joesoft.com). Hear significantly – really significantly! – improves the Mac's audio output via audio jack or Airfoil. It is $49 and worth every cent.

#4 Clownfish

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 09:14 AM

You say "iTunes can now stream audio and video to compatible iOS devices running iOS 4.3 or later" while technically true, in this context it implies functionality that isn't there (or I've completely missed).

iTunes will let you stream content to be played back within the iOSs iPod app but it will not let you use your iOS device as a remote speaker (like it does with Apple TVs). As far as I can tell the only decent way to do this currently is with Airfoil … right?

#5 hillstones

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 10:31 AM

Combine the free AOL Radio app for Mac OS X with AirFoil and you can stream a wide variety of music channels including FM radio stations and HD Radio stations to your Apple AirPort Express and your home stereo. A great way to take advantage of some HD Radio stations without having to buy any HD Radio hardware.

Chris, you mentioned the following, "Running Airfoil Speakers on my MacBook Pro and Airfoil on my Mac Pro, I was able to listen to the Mac Pro's iTunes audio from my laptop." Why would you need AirFoil to listen to your MacPro's iTunes from your MacBook Pro? iTunes already does this with the original iTunes sharing and the improved Home Sharing feature. Am I missing something with your suggestion?

#6 Chris Breen

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 10:47 AM

hillstones, on 30 March 2011 - 10:31 AM, said:

Chris, you mentioned the following, "Running Airfoil Speakers on my MacBook Pro and Airfoil on my Mac Pro, I was able to listen to the Mac Pro's iTunes audio from my laptop." Why would you need AirFoil to listen to your MacPro's iTunes from your MacBook Pro? iTunes already does this with the original iTunes sharing and the improved Home Sharing feature. Am I missing something with your suggestion?

I was just explaining the capabilities of Airfoil Speakers, not suggesting that there was anything magical about streaming iTunes.

#7 KevinMuise

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 11:50 AM

Add Pulsar, a Rogue Amoeba streaming SiriusXM radio program to Airfoil and you have magic. A must have for any home computer media center.

#8 hillstones

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 02:16 PM

KevinMuise, on 30 March 2011 - 11:50 AM, said:

Add Pulsar, a Rogue Amoeba streaming SiriusXM radio program to Airfoil and you have magic. A must have for any home computer media center.

But that is only true if you pay the extra monthly fee on top of the regular service fee to allow SiriusXM streaming. When SiriusXM dropped the free streaming service, Pulsar no longer streams SiriusXM unless you pay extra for the streaming service.

#9 hillstones

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 02:18 PM

Chris Breen, on 30 March 2011 - 10:47 AM, said:

hillstones, on 30 March 2011 - 10:31 AM, said:

I was just explaining the capabilities of Airfoil Speakers, not suggesting that there was anything magical about streaming iTunes.

I am guessing the "magical" feature would be that the MacBook Pro would not have to run iTunes to listen to the Mac Pro's iTunes library. You would only have to run the AirFoil Speakers application on the MacBook Pro, which probably uses less memory than iTunes. Is that how that scenario works?

#10 SteveCutchen

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 03:12 PM

I really like the ability to individually set the volume to each Airfoil output.

I send to my AppleTV2 and two Airport Expresses, one outside running my patio and garage speakers, and one running speakers in my study.

I have the same music throughout, and I can easily balance the volumes from place to place.

I've also used the balance control outside, when I'm sitting way off center from my outside speakers.

#11 hillstones

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Posted 30 March 2011 - 05:43 PM

SteveCutchen, on 30 March 2011 - 03:12 PM, said:

iTunes now allows independent volume of each AirPort Express too, but of course iTunes doesn't offer the flexibility of streaming any audio source.

#12 Guest_Link33_*

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 01:15 AM

hillstones, on 30 March 2011 - 02:18 PM, said:

Chris Breen, on 30 March 2011 - 10:47 AM, said:

hillstones, on 30 March 2011 - 10:31 AM, said:

I was just explaining the capabilities of Airfoil Speakers, not suggesting that there was anything magical about streaming iTunes.

I like the magic of play counts being captured with this usage.

I have the version 3 of Airfoil. What I really love about it is the simultaneous streaming to multiple devices like @SteveCutchen mentions. It's just cool.
The only wonky problem I have is that our main computer is a multiple user computer and when a user switches away from the music playing account, the audio goes silent. I realize this is an OS issue but I wonder if there isn't a way for Airfoil to watch the state of the host account to anticipate this.

#13 kranbollin

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 11:15 AM

I use Airfoil only because it has a BALANCE control that I need my office speakers. Even so I get tired of all the clicks needed to getting it running correctly with iTunes every morning when I get to work with my MacBook Pro (at home I don't need Airfoil). Airfoil will detect that I'm on a new network (the office) and display it, while iTunes deigns only to alert me that it can't find the old network (home). More clicks are needed to select 'Computer' so it plays over Airfoil, then there is typically an error message because I didn't do something in the right order, and I have to close both iTunes and Airfoil, and open them again and hope I get it right the next time. What a pain.

#14 SocEric

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 03:05 PM

"Alas, you can't use Airfoil to stream non-iTunes video to any of these destinations."
This statement needs qualification: much to my delight, Airfoil 4 now supports EyeTV as a source, so I can watch EyeTV video on my HDTV (played directly, not through Airfoil video player), and stream the audio via Airfoil through Airport Express to my stereo system; the sound will be in perfect sync. At least for EyeTV video, no more tinny TV speakers.