AirPlay for everyone?
At its press conference a few weeks ago, Apple updated its AirTunes platform with a host of new features and a brand new name - AirPlay. While the company would probably prefer you pushed media to and from its own devices, it also allowed any manufacturer to make a compatible device, as long as it licences the technology.
However, it appears that the nuts and bolts behind AirPlay aren't all that radical and that companies may be able to update existing devices with support for the protocol via new firmware. This means that a huge number of potentially compatible components may already be on the market.
The only manufacturer known to be preparing an update so far is Denon, whose high-end AVR-4311CI receiver - which is already DLNA compatible - will become AirPlay-enabled in the next few months. In theory, there is little stopping other companies from following suit.
It's suspected that the expansion of the previously closed Apple-ecosystem is in part due to the company's collaboration with BridgeCo. Its JukeBlox technology is widely used to enable devices to stream media using multiple different protocols - including DLNA - and AirPlay is now a part of that platform.
The takeaway message here is that numerous media-streaming devices could be just a firmware update away from AirPlay compatibility. As a result, the ability to push media from an iPhone or iPad directly to an HDTV or stereo-receiver without needing to replace your network with Apple components could be a real possibility.
