AirPlay

Hi-fi has a dated, almost "Mad Men" ring to it, but it predates Don Draper's 1960s time frame. Sound-quality advances in hi-fis first grabbed the public's imagination 10 years earlier, in the 1950s.

A hi-fi system could be configured in a variety of ways, but the basic setup had a turntable, amplifier, and a pair of speakers. That sort of rig, with a CD player, still works for today's audiophiles, but they're probably 1 percent of all music listeners. For the other 99 percent, their "hi-fi" is in the car, or maybe … Read more

This is an update of a deal I wrote about last year.

Yesterday I wrote about a great new app called Songza, which streams music based on your mood or activity. To really make the most of that and similar apps, you need a nice, powerful stereo to which you can beam those tunes.

Something like this: For a limited time, Newegg via CNET Marketplace has the Pioneer X-SMC3-S Music Tap AirPlay Music System for $179.99 shipped when you apply coupon code CNETXSMC3. It sells elsewhere for $199 and up.

The X-SMC3-S is a home stereo system for folks … Read more

iOS gamers are starting to feel the love after an announcement today at Apple's WWDC press conference. Game Center will be coming to Mountain Lion when it launches this July. If a title is available on both platforms (iOS and OS X), two friends will be able to play each other -- but that's not it. Game Center on Mountain Lion will also allow for Mac-to-Mac support in addition to support with AirPlay. … Read more

If you're buying an AV receiver these days, one of the main decisions you'll need to make is whether or not you care about built-in AirPlay. It's an easier call if you don't have any iOS devices, but if you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you'll definitely want to think about how you'll be using Apple's wireless music-streaming platform with your AV receiver.

It comes down to this: is built-in AirPlay a must-have feature on an AV receiver or should you just add AirPlay functionality through a $100 Apple TV? It's a tougher question than it seems on the surface, as each method has its advantages.… Read more

You know the old saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For example, yesterday I received a PR pitch from Jabra, which is offering a $15 Amazon MP3 credit when you buy the Jabra Clipper Bluetooth stereo headset -- in your choice of four colors -- for $59.99.

Here's the funny part: there's a fifth color, black, that sells for $39.99 -- right there on the same Amazon product page. I'm no math whiz, but that plus $15 works out to less than $59.99.

This got me to thinking … Read more

Denon is always last to announce its new AV receivers each year, but the company just rolled out its new 2012 line.

Denon's AVR-1912 was a hit last year with built-in AirPlay support, and now AirPlay is available on all but the entry-level $250 Denon AVR-1513. There aren't many surprises otherwise, although Denon's back panels are looking more minimalist than ever before. Here's how Denon's 2012 line of AV receivers breaks down:… Read more

If you own an iPhone or iPad and an Apple TV, odds are you have taken advantage of AirPlay. But what about those apps that don't support AirPlay? You may think you are stuck watching the video on your iOS device, instead of your TV. Well, before you get too discouraged, there's another method you can try, and you may be surprised at the results.

Unfortunately this isn't an across-the-board solution for getting video to your TV. Apps such as the ABC Player to HBO Go will only stream audio, or in some cases block AirPlay altogether. … Read more

This is an update of a deal I wrote about late last year.

I've always coveted those Sonos wireless speaker systems, but my personal cheapskate rules prohibit me from spending that kind of money. Even after all these years, they're crazy-expensive.

Next best thing: a standalone wireless speaker system. And here's one I've had my eye on for a while: the Pioneer X-SMC3-S Music Tap AirPlay Music System, which Woot has for $179.99 (plus $5 for shipping). Today only, of course.

This has a list price of $399, and the best price I've seen … Read more

Onkyo and Pioneer have already spilled the details on their 2012 midrange AV receivers, and now Yamaha has released two new models to its RX-V line.

The RX-V573 ($550) and RX-V473 ($450) are available immediately, and both feature built-in AirPlay, 4K video pass-through, 3D support, and four HDMI inputs. AirPlay is a new feature for Yamaha's receivers, as it was a noticeable omission from last year's models, while competing Pioneer and Denon models offered it. The RX-V573 and RX-V473 are both also DLNA-compliant.

The new models will continue to use Yamaha's color graphical user interface, and Yamaha's AV Controller app has been updated for both iOS and Android devices, including tablets. The major difference between the models is that RX-V573 is a 7.1 channel receiver, while the RX-V473 has 5.1 channels.

Yamaha also announced that it will be releasing more models in the RX-V line later this month. Here's a breakdown of the key features of models announced today:

… Read more