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The OFFICAL Apple TV thread

I have purchase an Apple TV recently and have looked around the net to find quite a few others have and are trying to integrate this into a decent stereo setup. The purpose of this thread is not to debate the merits of Apple TV but to help users (myself included) find ways of improving sound from their streaming device. I would like to start the discussion myself by asking a few questions:

Has anybody found any third party software which can play iTunes files (WAV, IAFF,) to an Airport express?

If so what do you use?

2. What Toslink do you use on your Apple TV? What is the length?

3. Have you considered or used an after market power cable? If so what were the results?
lush
nieuwen
60 posts
 
Well actually the Apple TV Generation 2 does not have an internal DAC, since the only way to output audio is via a optical out. An optical out must be fed to a DAC if you wish to make music. :-)
The first generation Apple TV could output both in optical or analogue.
rbc
18 posts
 
Just some thought.

I have an ATV2 and in the process of ordering a DAC. I'm streaming music from ATV2 through Airport Extreme from Macbook Pro and have two thoughts.
1) Does wifi signal affect sound quality? (for example 802.11a/b/g/n)
2) I'm thinking of replacing the airport extreme with the time capsule which has a built-in hard drive. Can I save my entire itune music to the time capsule so that it is more direct streaming than from the Macbook Pro?
aberyclark
1,355 posts
 
I just purchased an ATV2 and hooked it up to my system. I fed the audio (TOSlink) to my 8 year old Pioneer Elite A/V receiver and the streaming sound of Apple Lossless files is as good as playing the CD's through my Elite 45A universal player (analog out).
lush OP
262 posts
 
One feature I really like on iTunes is Genius. It basically allows you to start with playing one song and when you turn the feature on iTunes picks other songs that go well along with it. It's elaborate 'random' feature but it seems to always work well with what ever tune I start with.

I can't believe how many good tunes I have on CD that just never seemed to get played.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
My favorite feature on my ATV (aside from playing my music) is YouTube. There's so many great music perfromances on there. Sound and pic quality varies greatly, but that's not what it's all about. I'll take a poor quality BB King playing the Thrill Is Gone on the Kenny Rogers Show in the 70's any day of the week. Same goes for Cliff Burton (deceased Metallica bassist) playing For Whom The Bell Tolls.
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