Get Multi-Room Audio Control on the Cheap with Airfoil + AirPort Express
By Alexander Grundner |
May 12th, 2006
(0) Comments
As many of the Apple users already know, Airfoil is an indispensable tool for streaming audio to multiple zones via Apple’s AirPort Express wireless adapter on a Mac. Now, the guys at Rogue Amoeba have ported their software to Windows to work not only with iTunes, but with Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and WinAMP. In fact, the developers claim that it works with “just about anything.”
The $25.00 Airfoil application is in 1.0.0 Public Beta as of this writing, but it has most of the key features provided in the OS X version. Features include the ability to activate pre-configured named zones with a single click, adjust volume levels for each zone, switch to local audio settings, and support for Plantronics’ Volume Logic iTunes plug-in (definitely worth a look, as well).
Overall, going the Airfoil + AirPort Express route seems like a winner over similar offerings costing hundreds more. And the fact that you can pick up the an AirPort Express at the local electronics store makes it easy to expand your audio system while providing added wireless coverage. eHomeUpgrade Contributor, Andrew Mclaughlin, adds: “This product is making the Airport Express exponentially more valuable. As a side note, Rouge Amoeba has been a long time developer of Apple products and has long scorned Windows users as a Mac zealot. Porting this application, while subtle, is showing a broader acceptance of the Windows platform / co-existence with Mac OS and hardware. I think this is great for both Microsoft and Apple. Now that Mac owners are dual booting, Mac software (and quality standards) by Mac developers may start to show up on Windows.”
Filed in: Software