Gracey

Thanks for all your advice everyone. I like how the ATV can be used with my laptop off or if I leave it in the office. If I were to get someone to install a larger hardrive into the ATV for me, would I still be able to download software updates for it or would it wipe the content? Is there a maximium size hard drive that can be fitted to a ATV? My thinking is that if I could get a 1TB HD in it I wouldn't have to worry about storage space for a very long time!

Hi everyone, I need your advice! I currently have a Sony laptop running Vista which I use for audio (itunes) as well as internet/email and general use. I like to use the internet whilst sitting on the couch watching Sky on the lounge TV (on mute) AND listening to music/internet radio from my itunes through my hifi. I currently use a 4m interconnect from the analog audio out of the laptop to a Trends TA 10.1 integrated amp connected to Roth Oli1 speakers (which isn't ideal as the interconnect trails accross the lounge floor). I want to get into Apple as I have used a Mac recently and have been blown away by the ease of use. Also, I am getting the iphone in a few weeks on Vodafone. My current thinking is to continue to use the Sony laptop but to buy a DAC and an Apple TV and connect them via optical. It is important to me to be able to use a laptop whilst sitting on the couch...I have contemplated getting a mac mini and connecting it to the TV and using a wireless keyboard from the couch, but this would be no good as when I am browsing the net I won't be able to have Sky on, like i do at present with the laptop. It would be better, would it not, to get an Apple TV since I can continue to browse the net from the Sony laptop from the couch, whilst watching Sky (on mute) on the lounge TV, and playing music from the Apple TV (which doesn't need to be connected to a TV...I can use it remotely using my Sony laptop/iphone). Also, the Apple TV has optical out whereas the Sony laptop doesn't - I would much prefer to connect to a DAC via optical than USB...I have listened to both and feel optical sounds better. Another approach I have thought of is to get an Airport Express and stream directly to a DAC/Trends/Roths using the optical out. Clearly, this is the cheapest option. However, I am concerned about sound quality/dropout and would prefer a wired connection between hardrive and DAC, hence the Apple TV. Maybe I should get an AE in the first instance and if I dont like it sell on ebay for a small loss? I welcome any suggestions you may have on this set up, particularly any recommendations for a DAC, as this will definitely improve my sound compared to using the analogue out on the laptop. If money were no object I would get a Macbook, sync the content to a Mac Mini or Apple TV and run the optical out to AVI ADM 9.1s. However, unfortunately money is an object One final thing about the Apple TV...if I have 50gb of iTunes synced to the Apple TV from my laptop, but my iphone is only 16gb, am I still able to access all the content on the Apple TV via the iPhone? Hope this makes sense. Grace

Hi, my Sony NS10L/S laptop has a 3.5mm audio out jack. Is it worth me getting something like a Behringer UCA202 (only £20 quid or so) in order to use USB to get the audio signal out of the laptop and into my Trends Audio TA10.1 amp?? Would this be better than just feeding the amp via the laptop's 3.5mm jack? Any other suggestions? I only want to spend £30 max. Thanks in advance, this is a great website, computer audio is the future (and the present)! Regards, Gracey

Hi, This is my first post so hello to all! I attended the Heathrow show last week and heard some excellent active speakers which may be of interest. http://www.aktimate.com/ They have a remote and an ipod can even dock atop one of the speakers. There is no internal DAC but for £400 I can see these being a big hit. Regards.