Itunes over ethernet?

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Level 2

174 points

Itunes over ethernet?

I have a Mac Pro in my upstairs office and it is connected to the home network by an Ethernet hardwire. The router is a Netgear model.

I also have a Windows laptop connected to the network in the family room via WiFi.

Is there a way for me to use the Laptop to control the iTunes library on the Mac Pro and have the audio play through my home theater in the family room? The Home Theater has access to the hardwire Ethernet and I would prefer a solution that uses the hardwire NOT WiFi....

Thanks,
Pete D.

dp 500 G4, Mac OS X (10.3.x), multiple internal / external HDD, 2 DVD burners, 2GB RAM

Posted on Feb 2, 2010 1:57 PM

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Answer 1

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Feb 2, 2010 3:03 PM in response to Peter Durso

Is there a way for me to use the Laptop to control the iTunes library on the Mac Pro
...
would prefer a solution that uses the hardwire NOT WiFi....

Since your laptop is on wifi and not hardwired, that would be impossible

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Answer 2

Peter Durso Author

Level 2

174 points

Feb 3, 2010 3:58 AM in response to Chris CA

I am only asking to "see" the itunes library on the Mac Pro and to be able to select playlists from that laptop. I am no looking to "play" music fromma library on the laptop.

Since the Mac Pro is hardwired and I am looking to hardwire "whatever" at the home theater location why can't I use the laptop to just "kick off" iTunes?

If this is truly impossible then how do I get iTunes music from the Mac Pro to the a/v receiver in the family room over ethernet?

Thanks,
Pete D.

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Answer 3

Feb 3, 2010 4:08 AM in response to Peter Durso

pjd813 wrote:
... why can't I use the laptop to just "kick off" iTunes?

have you considered using home sharing ?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3819

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Answer 4

Peter Durso Author

Level 2

174 points

Feb 3, 2010 3:05 PM in response to EcoFreak-O

OK.. Home share looks cool... now, how do I accomplish the physical connection of my home theater to my ethernet network?

Pete D.

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Answer 5

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Feb 3, 2010 3:09 PM in response to Peter Durso

how do I accomplish the physical connection of my home theater to my ethernet network?

You don't.
The files will be on the Mac Pro and that will be connected to your Home Theater, however you have it connected now.
Home Sharing will only work from computer to computer.

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Answer 6

Peter Durso Author

Level 2

174 points

Feb 3, 2010 5:29 PM in response to Chris CA

OK... I'm obviously not explaining myself well..

The Mac Pro in my upstairs office has the iTunes Library and a hardwire connection to Ethernet

The home theater set up is downstairs in my family room. It is close to an Ethernet connection.

How do I play the music from the Mac Pro thru my Home Theater using the Ethernet connection?

Thanks,
Pete D.

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Answer 7

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Feb 3, 2010 5:50 PM in response to Peter Durso

Simply having some wires between the two is not enough.

In order to transmit Audio over Ethernet (AoE), you will need a router which understands AoE on each end to encode/decode the signals correctly.
Be a lot easier and less expensive to get an AirPort Express.

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Answer 8

Peter Durso Author

Level 2

174 points

Feb 4, 2010 5:06 AM in response to Chris CA

Now we are getting somewhere.

The airport express HAS an Ethernet port on it.

I do not want to send the audio over WiFi (if I can help it).

Would I be able to use the Ethernet port on the airport express to stream the audio from my Mac Pro upstairs to the Home Theater downstairs over Ethernet?

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Answer 9

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Feb 4, 2010 8:27 AM in response to Peter Durso

The Mac Pro and the Airport do not do Audio over Ethernet.
As above you would need a switch/router on each end that does do Audio over Ethernet.

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Answer 10

Peter Durso Author

Level 2

174 points

Feb 4, 2010 2:14 PM in response to Chris CA

Is that so? No audio over ethernet? Why are there ethernet ports on both the aiport and the aiport express? It would seem to me that audio over WiFi would be fraught with delays, glitches and burps in streaming media between far reaching parts of the house... plus I think the distance needs to be less than 50 feet or so for WiFi.... what are you supposed to do when you have a bigger house or you have an up and downstairs? What are these special routers and switches you refer to?

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Answer 11

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Feb 4, 2010 3:53 PM in response to Peter Durso

Why are there ethernet ports on both the aiport and the aiport express

So you can plug ethernet devices into them.
In order to do audio over ethernet, you have to convert the audio to packetized data which would then have to be converted back to audio at the far end and fed to an amp.
You would get a customized system installed to play audio/video over CAT5 ethernet.
Or use wifi which should work anywhere in the house unless you have a lot of wiring in the walls, shielding the signals.

You don't simply play regular analog audio thru an ethernet wire though it would be possible. If so, it would not be used for ethernet connection.

Keep in mind that a CAT5 cable in the wall is not ethernet. Ethernet is a communications protocol that typically uses CAT5 cabling between devices (routers and switches).

A bit about AoE-> Audio over Ethernett

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Answer 12

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Feb 4, 2010 9:42 PM in response to Peter Durso

See this -> Squeezebox Duet
It works wired (etehernet) or wireless (wifi). But it uses it's own controller, not your laptop.

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Answer 13

Peter Durso Author

Level 2

174 points

Feb 12, 2010 6:49 AM in response to Chris CA

OK

I have been in touch with Apple support and with Netgear support - they both claim that sending itunes music over ethernet from the Mac Pro to an Airport Express located at the Home Theater is do-able.

My in-laws are visiting this weekend so it might be a week before I can really play with this and try out their solutions - I will report back....

Pete D.

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Answer 14

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Feb 24, 2010 10:00 PM in response to Peter Durso

Yeah, that seems it will work.
See this -> Configuring AirPort Express on a wired-only Ethernet network
You need to turn on *AirTunes over Etherenet* with the AirPort setup utility.

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Answer 15

Peter Durso Author

Level 2

174 points

Feb 25, 2010 4:50 AM in response to Chris CA

Hi...

That link isn't working for me..

Thanks
Pete D.

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