Expert’s Rating
iTunes ’ AirTunes characteristic lets you stream iTunes ’ audio over your net to an AirPort Express Base Station — or , latterly , to an Apple boob tube — allow you to mind to your music through any audio system connect to the distant machine . Since Apple first put in this feature film , Rogue Amoebahas been enhancing it , engaging Apple , so it would seem , in a game of one - upsmanship — if you add a feature , we ’ll add an even better one .
The biggest drawback of AirTunes has always been that it worksonlywith iTunes audio . You could n’t employ the feature to listen to audio from another program — for instance , QuickTime or a pro - audio app — or audio performing in a World Wide Web web browser . The original version of Airfoil , which I survey back in 2005 , dispatch this limitation , allow you pullulate audio recording from any single practical program directly to a exclusive AirPort Express .
In January 2006 , Apple improved AirTunes significantly by allowing you to send audio to multiple AirPort Express units at the same time . But audio was still confine to whatever was play in iTunes . Airfoil 2 , which I covered in March 2006 , was Rogue Amoeba ’s solution . It reserve you to sendanyaudio to multiple AirPort Express building block , keeping the audio in sync between them . ( edition 2 also added a number of other utile features . ) So with enough AirPort Express units , you could make full your house with any audio your Mac could play , whether that audio originated in iTunes , QuickTime Player , DVD Player , a WWW web browser , or , come Mac OS X 10.4 , a Dashboard widget or Front Row . You could even “ propagate ” audio from an external source connected to your Mac ’s audio input(s ) .
(Image courtesy Rogue Amoeba Web site.)
The recently - releasedAirfoil 3.1helps Rogue Amoeba keep up with the Joneses ( or the Jobses , if you will ) by letting you air audio recording from any germ to an Apple television . ( This feature debuted for AirTunes with the late “ Take Two ” interlingual rendition of the Apple TV computer software . ) But Airfoil 3 also adds several unique feature film of its own .
As with former version of Airfoil , post your sound recording to remote “ receivers ” is simple . You establish AirTunes , choose the audio source — a finicky course of study or widget , a specific audio input , or all your Mac ’s audio recording at once — from Airfoil ’s source - selection pop - up menu , and then select the talker push next to each gadget to which you need the audio transmitted . ( opt a remote twist disables production to your own Mac ; if you want to heed on your Mac , as well , just enable it in the list . ) you’re able to adjust the relative volume of each gimmick , and the Effects ( a.k.a . , equalizer ) feature lets you pluck the audio signal as it ’s sent . Overall , Airfoil is very effective at keeping the output gadget sync so you do n’t get the annoying “ echo ” effect of two audio signals bring with a delay . I did occasionally detect atinybit of wait — just a fraction of a second — when simultaneously playing sound recording through remote devices and the source Mac ; however , I was only able to detect it when both machine were in the same elbow room and I was listening intently . In normal hearing , I never note out - of - sync sound .
( As a side promissory note , here are a few not - so - obvious Airfoil feature I wish : Airfoil ’s Dock menu lets you quick toggle turnout to each outback gadget . If you have aGriffin RadioSharkFM tuner , choose it as the audio author brings up a Radio window that lets you choose the radio frequency . Finally , you could link Airfoil ’s turnout mass to your Mac ’s system volume , which lets you then control the former via your Mac ’s volume up and down key . )
The first major new lineament in Airfoil 3 is the ability to institutionalize any audio from your Mac toanothercomputer on your local connection — Mac or Windows PC . You do this via a small program call Airfoil Speakers . ( A copy of Airfoil Speakers for Mac is included with Airfoil , but you could also download the Mac or Windows version , for free , directly from the Rogue Amoeba Web site . ) Once you launch Airfoil Speakers on a computer , that computing machine appears in Airfoil as an end product twist ; enable it and your chosen audio play through the distant computing machine . This is a great characteristic if you ’ve already get a computer — for example , a Mac mini or a Windows Media Center PC — connected to your home entertainment system of rules .
you could control the volume of the sound send to the remote figurer using AirFoil on your Mac or Airfoil Speakers on the remote computer . The Airfoil Speakers program , which can be coif to launch mechanically at login , also get you choose the name that appear in Airfoil for that computer , and it lets you lay out a password for connecting . On the computer running Airfoil Speakers , a systemwide menu — the programme does n’t seem in the Dock — let you enter the programme ’s preferences and evidence which computer , if any , is send sound .
The second major raw feature is Airfoil Video Player , a built - in media player that lets you bring a TV on your Mac while sending the video ’s audio runway to outback machine . Although you ’ve always been able to play your video in iTunes , QuickTime Player , or another programme while station the audio recording via Airfoil , audio and video would be out of sync — the television plays immediately on your Mac , whereas the audio recording has to be processed and station over the web before being played through the outback machine . ( A kludgy workaround was to habituate the de - sync feature article ofVLC Media Playerto delay video playback somewhat . ) Airfoil Video Player works together with Airfoil to keep the audio and video tracks synchronize .
To use Airfoil Video Player , you select it from Airfoil ’s source - selection pop - up carte du jour . When Airfoil Video Player launches — it ’s really a disjoined broadcast that appears severally in the sorrel — you just sweep up your video into its playback window . Airfoil Video Player can run any QuickTime - supported video format , including data formatting — such as Flash and Windows Media — added via QuickTime plugins such asPerianor Flip4Mac’sPlug - in Components for QuickTime . ( The current version of the Video Player includes special reinforcement for DVD playback ; according to Rogue Amoeba , this feature article is still in ontogenesis . )
Although not a fill-in for a dedicated medium musician , Airfoil Video Player includes full - screen playback , standard playback controls , a progress / scrubbing bar , and a time showing . you’re able to also prefer your audio turnout equipment(s ) from within the program — you do n’t have to switch back to Airfoil . In my testing , Airfoil and Video Player worked perfectly at synchronise video with outback sound .
One panorama of Airfoil Video Player that ’s potentially perplexing is that you must have an output gimmick enable in the Airfoil windowpane for the Video Player window to appear . If you do n’t , nothing happens when you pick out Airfoil Video Player from the source pop - up menu . Also , keep in mind that because Airfoil delay video recording playback slightly to keep it in sync with transmitted audio frequency , video scouring and scanning is n’t as smooth as it would be in iTunes , DVD Player , or QuickTime .
(Image courtesy Rogue Amoeba Web site.)
Airfoil 3 also has a few minor features that are utilitarian . For example , you could limit Airfoil to mechanically impart to particular devices when launched . The Edit : Advanced Source options command gives you a act of utilitarian options for handling audio streams . And when transmitting to an Apple TV , your TV displays a new screen ( see below ) showing a computer and the names of the host information processing system and program make the audio recording being sent . The cool thing here is that the virtual calculator ’s screen is actually a screenshot of the germ calculator ’s Desktop ! And if the figurer in question is a laptop computer or iMac , the figurer image will be the actual computer framework ( a Cinema Display is used for “ brainless ” Macs ) . alas , the onscreen show does n’t show information about what ’s being play ; for deterrent example , it does n’t show the racecourse name if you ’re post audio from iTunes .
( persona courtesy Rogue Amoeba Web site . )
Airfoil 3 still has a couple minor limitations mention in my reviews of the former versions . And for the smoothest operation , you ’ll need to install two additional constituent : Rogue Amoeba ’s Instant Hijack component and the third - party Soundflower Extra . ( You ’ll be ask , the first metre you use Airfoil , if you desire to install these . ) Soundflower Extra is needed if you require Airfoil to be able to transmit System Audio ( all your Mac ’s audio at once ) . The Instant Hijack constituent is n’t required , but if you put in it , Airfoil will always be capable to stream any program ’s audio straightaway . If you select not to instal the Instant Hijack ingredient , you ’ll ask to ensure that before launching the target app , you take it from Airfoil ’s source crop up - up menu ; otherwise Airfoil will need to relaunch the objective programme before carry . But this is mostly an issue of convenience .
Airfoil has long been one of my favorite Mac OS cristal add - ons , and version 3 ’s Modern features make it that much more compelling . To reword my previous review , by let loose AirTunes from iTunes and letting you stream any sound to multiple locations — emplacement that now let in Apple television and other computers — aerofoil is a simple and effective option for stupefy audio around your dwelling . It ’s also perhaps the least - expensive way to create a multi - room audio recording organisation — especially if you already own several Macs and AirPort Express Base Stations .
control surface 3.1 require Mac OS X 10.4 or later on . A Windows version of Airfoil is also available .
