I am wondering… do you have hundreds, maybe thousands, of songs on your iPhone or iPod. Do you have just as many CDs in the cupboard? Perhaps these CDs helped create the empire of music on your idevice?
But is this music only played in certain places or particular times? Is your workout rocked out to playlists you’ve skilfully mashed together while your dinner parties are forever linked to a few Elvis Presley CDs on loop? (I am talking to you Cyn)
Well your sleepless nights are over because there is a way that all the music that the Internet has to offer, as well as the music collection you have been forging, can be everywhere and enjoyed by everybody.
Apple TV
I have written about Apple’s little hobby before but in recent months it has started to emerge as a very important part of Apple’s overall strategy. It is rumoured to be the centre piece in their Homekit products but for now it is just a little black box that beams iTunes, Netflix, movies and TV Shows into your living room. And it can do music as well.
It is a fair bet that most people have a TV and that this TV is less than 5 years old. In this case it is likely to have HDMI and that, as well as the assumed internet connection, is all you need to have the Apple TV pump music into your living room.
Apple Music
Because the Apple TV is primarily used to play movies and TV, it is usually plugged into a sound system of some kind allowing it to belt out the movies soundtrack to levels worthy of a knock at the front door. This also means that it will play your music at, hopefully, more subdued levels.
If you have an Apple Music subscription then this will be an option on the screen and all you do is choose your favourite artist or station and enjoy your night.
Your Music
Of course the other option is to enjoy the music that is sitting – these days increasingly unloved – on your Mac. The Computers option will allow you to connect to your Mac and play all your music and playlists – assuming you have launched iTunes on your Mac first.
Your iPhone or iPad
By far the sexiest – and most likely to be abused by your guests – is the Airplay option. Assuming your iPad or iPhone is connected to the same network as your Apple TV, you can always use the AirPlay option to stream all the music from your iPhone or iPad to your speakers via the Apple TV. Only drawback here is dinner guests often want to use their iPhone or iPad to pump out their Elvis music – on loop.
Open Music on your iPhone or iPad and tap on the Source icon.
Then choose your Apple TV and play music in the usual way. Instead of playing from your iPhone it will come out via the speakers attached to your Apple TV.
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