Inexpensive wireless music streaming

March 6, 2013 1:46 PM

I want to be able to stream whatever my computer is playing to another room in the house. In addition, I would like to occasionally stream videos to our old, but oversized, TV in another room. I started shopping and looking at media streaming bridges and wireless speakers and frankly it seems there are a bunch of options and I don't know where to start. It probably needs to go 40 or 50 feet away. I don't think bluetooth would work and the only things I own with an ethernet port are my computer and the wireless router. Can someone point me towards a good reliable sytem?
posted by psycho-alchemy to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

An Xbox 360 plus Tversity works pretty well for streaming most stuff.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:49 PM on March 6, 2013

I have an Apple TV and love it. They're $99 and they let me stream anything from my laptop to my TV (which is hooked up to my stereo system). Highly recommended. I have a macbook but I think it works with itunes on a PC as well.
posted by kdern at 2:07 PM on March 6, 2013

You can do this easily with an Airport Express or Apple TV and an application like Airfoil. The nice thing about Airfoil is that it includes a video playback application that automatically adjusts for any lag between video playing on your computer and the audio stream playing across the room wirelessly.
posted by bcwinters at 2:09 PM on March 6, 2013 [2 favorites]

I use an AudioDock speaker, which works very nicely, employing Airport Express and iTunes (if memory serves). But this is just for music, which I take to be part of "whatever my computer is playing."
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 2:29 PM on March 6, 2013

I can stream saved content - even HD content - from my HTPC to my laptop in the other room over wifi pretty easily and I could hook that to a set of speakers or a TV if I wanted. Do all devices have to be playing the same thing at the same time?

Also, is there a reason why you need to do this wirelessly? Bulk cable and supplies can be had cheaply too.
posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 6:15 PM on March 6, 2013

Response by poster: When I say other things, I mean live performances on youtube, grooveshark, soundcloud and my itunes library.

Also various other online video sources.

Ideally it would be a machine with an audio port, video port and my computer would treat it as a speaker and a monitor.

Needs to be wireless because, I may want to move it from time to time depending where in the house I am.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 9:19 PM on March 6, 2013

Seconding Airport Express and Airfoil by Rogue Amoeba.
posted by professor plum with a rope at 11:55 PM on March 6, 2013

Yeah, Airfoil on the computer, a wifi network and Airplay devices (including airplay enabled a/v receivers) or anything that can run Airfoil Speakers (old iPhones, notebooks, etc). Works great, you can use AudioHijack (jacktools) to grab the audio of any running program. Works transparently, sync is good.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:48 PM on March 7, 2013