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Posts tagged with "airplay"

Zen Viewer Adds AirPlay Support, Can Open Files In Other Apps

Zen Viewer is a beautiful file manager for iPad with a unique interface design we reviewed a few weeks ago. The app impressed us with its original approach to file management on the tablet: Zen Viewer makes great use of the iPad’s large screen by providing a split view that allows you to easily browse files, and preview media like songs in the upper panel. From our review:

The first thing to understand about Zen Viewer is the column interface with “Library” on the left and “Files” in the other panel. Files is where all your imported documents will end up in, and you can choose to organize them at a later time in the Library. Files is your “everything bucket”, whilst the Library is meant for organization purposes and management. You can move, copy and paste files by just hitting the gear icon in the Files toolbar and selecting the items you want to move or copy in a different location (like a folder in the Library).

The app went under two updates in the past weeks, and whilst the second one is aimed at fixing bugs discovered in the previous releases, the first update introduced the possibility to stream audio and video files through AirPlay to an Apple TV or compatible AirPlay speakers; Zen Viewer can now also receive files from other apps (like iFiles or GoodReader) thanks to the addition of the “Open In” menu. Similarly, Zen Viewer can send files to other apps installed on your iPad.

You can find Zen Viewer at $2.99 in the App Store. If you’re looking for an innovative and great-looking iPad file manager, Zen Viewer is one of the new apps of 2011 to try out.

EyeTV App Update Adds AirPlay Support

In its latest update, Elgato’s EyeTV, introduces support for AirPlay - something many users have been requesting be added.  You’ll be able to stream both live TV and recordings from either the iPhone or iPad version of the app straight to any TV connected with an Apple TV.

One might ask why you would bother streaming TV (particularly live TV) via a Mac to an iPhone to only send it back to a TV. But this can be handy if you have another TV, perhaps in a bedroom and don’t want the hassle of having to install another antenna or set top box which can also cost a lot more than just an Apple TV. That way you could just set up your Mac and EyeTV to record your favourite TV shows and stream it to that bedroom TV.

Don’t forget that there are a number of hacks/workarounds that allow you to stream (using AirPlay) from your iPhone or iPad to another iOS device using AirTuner or even to a Mac using Banana TV.

[Via TUAW]

 

Justin.tv iPhone App Adds AirPlay Support

Today an update to the Justin.tv iPhone app brings AirPlay functionality to the app, letting you stream one of the thousands live-streaming Justin.tv channels straight onto your big screen television via an Apple TV.If you aren’t familiar with Justin.tv, it is a similar service to Ustream, which gives users the power to create a live video stream and broadcast themselves to the world live.

The app update also fixes a couple of bugs that were causing some users to experience the app crashing on them. Also remember that some third-party apps let you use AirPlay to stream to other devices, helpful if you don’t have an Apple TV but want to stream it somewhere else.

 

Apple To License AirPlay Video Streaming To TV Makers?

Bloomberg reports Apple may be seeking to expand the compatibility of its AirPlay technology with external devices by licensing video streaming to makers of television sets. Currently, Apple is only licensing audio streaming through AirPlay to brands like Pioneer; video streaming compatible with iOS devices embedded directly into televisions sold to consumers could dramatically increase the popularity and market share of AirPlay as a standard.

Under the plan, Apple would license its AirPlay software to consumer-electronics makers that could use it in devices for streaming movies, TV shows and other video content, said the people, who asked

An expanded AirPlay would let users stream programming wirelessly from an Apple mobile device to a TV that carries the technology. That may spur wider use of Apple’s services and devices in consumers’ living rooms.

According to the report, Apple takes $4 off every AirPlay-enabled audio device sold thanks to the licensing deals with manufacturers. Building AirPlay support into TV sets and other monitors (AirPlay is a collaboration of Apple and BridgeCo, a company that’s been talking to TV makers for years to make web-connected devices) could easily help Apple expand to living rooms without releasing new devices. Apple sells the $99 Apple TV that is the only AirPlay videor receiver for now, but the plan makes sense: build AirPlay into actual televisions so content from the iTunes Store and other Apple partners (example: Netflix) can be streamed without buying additional gear (that is, if you already have an iPhone, iPad or Mac).

In the past, Apple was also rumored to be considering a streaming technology for iOS games that would allow users to beam a game played from a mobile device directly to the television. With the iPad 2, this is possible thanks to HDMI support. AirPlay for games (video-out) with a chip embedded in new television sets would be an interesting scenario for Apple.

AirTuner Turns iPhones and iPads Into AirPlay Receivers

Speaking of AirPlay apps, here’s a $0.99 one that Apple’s isn’t featuring in its custom section, but should: AirTuner turns any iOS device into an AirPlay receiver that can display videos and photos coming from another device or iTunes.

Entirely hardware-accelerated and based on the same interface design Apple uses for AirPlay, AirTuner is universal for iPhones and iPads and in my tests worked perfectly with the Youtube and Photos apps, iTunes, Safari and other third-party applications thanks to the improved AirPlay support in iOS 4.3. For what it’s worth, the app’s icon is also nice on your homescreen.

With the iPad 2 featuring two cameras, it makes more sense now to be able to instantly stream photos and videos from one iOS device to another. Imagine checking out some photos on your iPad 2, and also have the possibility to beam them to your friend’s iPad. AirTuner is a $0.99 download here.

Apple Showcasing “Great AirPlay Apps” In The App Store

With the release of iOS 4.3, Apple enabled third-party developers to implement the AirPlay streaming technology in their apps, a feature that was previously exclusive to Apple’s own software on iOS 4.2. On the new iOS 4.3, not only does Safari allow you to stream video content from the browser to an Apple TV, developers also got the possibility to use the AirPlay APIs (after several requests) in their applications. Apps like Air Video or StreamToMe greatly benefit from the addition of AirPlay without any manual hacking.

To celebrate the new feature for all developers, Apple has put up a section on the App Store to showcase the first apps that make great use of AirPlay. “AirPlay-Enabled Apps” collects 11 different apps that have been updated to support wireless streaming, The list includes the VEVO Player, Air Video, ESPN Magazine, and Discovery Channel HD. All these apps let you beam video from your iOS device to the Apple TV in your local network.

You can find the section here, and we hope Apple will soon update it to feature more great apps for the iPhone and iPad. The problem? If you have a Verizon iPhone you might be out of luck.

What’s New In iOS 4.3 for Apple TV→

What’s New In iOS 4.3 for Apple TV

iLounge has posted its usual rundown of what’s new in the latest Apple TV software update, and this time it looks rather huge. One problem, though: why does Apple keep naming ATV software releases inconsistently with the rest of iOS devices? Internally the Apple TV displays “4.3”, but Apple calls it “4.2 software update”. This is beyond my understanding.

Anyway, the new sports applications baked into the ATV look great, especially the MLB.TV one with all those fancy graphics, interactive menus and HD video. I’m not baseball or basketball expert (but I like an NBA game every once in a while), but these apps seem really well done.

MLB.tv is available in all countries where iTunes Movie Rentals are offered, specifically the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the U.K. and Japan.

NBA League Pass on the Apple TV is available only in the United States. Although the NBA offers an International League Pass on its web site, this is different from the U.S. League Pass and cannot be used on the Apple TV—a U.S. League Pass account is required to login.

Together with the NBA and MLB.TV apps, a new redesigned keyboard with a “recent” option for quick input, new slideshows themes, time zone and HDMI output settings and the much-talked AirPlay support also made it into this update.

iOS 4.3 for Apple TV is a solid update. Check out the full roundup at iLounge.

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Your Verizon iPhone Won’t Send iMovies To Your Apple TV Just Yet

The Verizon iPhone might lessen dropped calls, but it’s getting the short end of the stick thanks to the lack of Apple’s latest iOS 4.3 update. Heads up: a note in the iMovie support documents indicate that the Verizon iPhone isn’t compatible with the Apple TV just yet, as sending a movie from iMovie to the Apple TV requires the iOS 4.3 update for your iPhone, as well as the Apple TV Software 4.2. AirPlay has recently been vastly expanded in the iOS 4.3 update, adding support from Photos to other supporting apps, and you’ll need to hold on a little longer if the movie buff in you can’t wait to share home movies on the big screen.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3686

Apple Releases iMovie for iPad

As announced in a press releases earlier today, Apple has just released the new iMovie for iPad. It is available now in the App Store at $4.99 here. iMovie is a universal app for iPhone 4 and iPad 2, a free update for existing customers.

iMovie for iPad takes where the Mac and iPhone versions left off to bring a powerful yet easy to use movie editing experience to the iPad, deeply based on multitouch technology. Users of iMovie for iPad can easily import their photos shot on the iPad 2, or iPhone or iPod touch (or any other camera) through the Camera Connection Kit; movies recorded at 720p through the iPad 2’s back camera can be accessed from a Library popup menu to start editing right away. With a split-screen interface you can visualize the movie you’re editing in the top section, and manage or trim video and photo segments in the lower part of the iPad’s screen. You can pinch to zoom to additional parts of a video, use the precision editor to adjust videos with accuracy.

You can import songs from your iPod library to use for background audio, or use the built-in effects in iMovie. You can share videos on the web through Facebook, Youtube and a variety of other services, beam your creations to the Apple TV via AirPlay, or simply export to iTunes.

Go get the new iMovie 1.2 here. Read more