Can anyone help? Just got a new Sony hifi with is Airplay enabled so I understand I can stream music to it from my PC with iTunes. But, despite actually caving in and reading the instructions as well as trawling Google, I can’t seem to find out how to do it. Configured the hifi correctly but can’t control iTunes from it – can get music to play to the hifi if I’m sat in front of the PC controlling it though.

How do I do it the other way around? Expect theres people out there who have similar setups via Sonos etc? I’m assuming its a configuration in iTunes somewhere but I’m at a loss to figure where!

Dave

Isn’t there an app on your phone to control iTunes?

AirPlay sends music from your iPhone/iPad to your amp. It will probably be networked enabled too so you can access your music library too but not iTunes through the amp

There are ‘remote’ apps for the iPad and iPhone from which you can access your iTunes and ‘push’ it to your airplay device.

Never had an AirPlay device (apart from Apple TV) so can’t comment on controlling iTunes directly from the AirPlay device. I’d have thought apple would expect you to use the remote app tho.

You can of course airplay music straight off an iPad or iPhone to your hifi

Sonos etc has access to your music not controlling itunes.

Enable home sharing on your iPhone through settings and music. When you play music from the iPhone you get another icon at the right with an arrow in a box. Click on this and it will send it to a location in the list of AirPlay enabled devices

Thats what I have craigxxl – got that part sorted. Instructions for the hifi though say I can use the stop, play, fwd, back buttons on the hifi though.

So Airplay is simply pushing music out to remote speakers, not actually controlling it? May need to shift all my music off iTunes and into a network folder then and access it that way…

AirPlay is the sending of your music over the wifi network to an airplay compatible device

The bit that controls what you play thru iTunes to your airplay device is the remote app for iOS devices (via what apple call homesharing)

So Airplay is simply pushing music out to remote speakers, not actually controlling it?

Pretty much, airplay allows you to send your music to a variety of locations; other computers, apple TV’s, airplay enabled hifi’s etc.

The ‘remote app for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad is the easiest way to control what’s being played, if you have one of those devices then download the free app and get cracking it’s really pretty good.

As for the Sony being able to control playback, can’t really comment on that as it’s going to be a specific issue relating to the model of Sony.

What model is the Sony? With that detail it’s possible that someone could help.

Or (I assume, judging by the instructions), my hifi. Doesn’t seem to be though.

What I’ve found is that an older version of iTunes had an option to “allow control from remote speakers” – the latest version doesn’t have this though.

The blurb in the manual states that if I’m getting problems with controlling playback from iTunes, make sure the unit (my hifi) is NOT selected as a remote speaker but selected as a network speaker. No idea what the difference is here…

mw – its this: http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dab-systems/cmt-g2bnip

Does suggest that Airplay can be controlled, hence my confusion!

Does suggest that Airplay can be controlled, hence my confusion!

It does indeed.

OK the obvious stuff first (no offence if you’re already done this)
Is iTunes up to date?
Is the Sony software up to date?

Have you tried starting playback from the computer and subsequently controlling from the Sony once you have sound?

What I’ve found is that an older version of iTunes had an option to “allow control from remote speakers” – the latest version doesn’t have this though.

just had a look in my iTunes (which is up to date) and it has this setting. It’s under preferences / devices.

Don’t see anything on that spec that suggests it can actually control airplay, other than the obvious fwd/back etc. You should be able to skip through songs by going next,next,next but not actually browsing the library.

Most of these systems won’t be able to actually control it like itunes, airplay is just designed to be a wireless speaker as opposed to proper library controller. You’ll need the PC/Mac with itunes running to drive it, and to control it remotely an iThingy with the right app. If you haven’t got one, there is also an android app to control itunes for under a fiver. Other option would be to install a DLNA server to stream the itunes library folder to the hifi, then the hifi should have full control.