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A/V Receivers with Ethernet Connection Question

I have noticed that many of the higher end A/V receivers these days offer ethernet connections to a home network that allow for access to internet radio, updates, and music files and photos on a PC. Sounds kind of cool and I am considering this for a second system in our living room especially if I can gain access to all my music files on my computer.

My question is I own an Apple imac and use itunes with my CD library saved as Apple Lossless files. When I read the small print with these receivers (I've looked at Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer Elite) they state that you can only access PC's with a Windows media player and WAV, MP3 or ACC files. Does anybody know if there are any decent A/V receivers out there that would allow access to to my itunes library with Apple Lossless files on a mac? Or am I not fully understanding the capabilities of the receivers I mentioned above? I sent an e-mail to Denon asking the same question but have yet to hear a reply.

Thanks
arch2
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,304 posts
 
DLNA may be the ticket in theory but I would not buy stuff assuming that any two advertised DLNA devices will inter-operate properly. Vendors will usually tell you which devices theirs are certified to work with.

Also I am not sure that Apple is a supporter of DLNA, which I think is run by a consortium of major companies that Apple is not part of.
arch2 OP
308 posts
 
Thanks for your input on this. I did finally get a reply from Denon:

"Unfortunately, since iTunes is not a music server, there is no streaming from iTunes to the receiver over the network. Apple makes devices that they stream to which can connect to the receiver with an audio cable."
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,304 posts
 
Yep, good old analog RCA audio cables are one good standard that has been around forever that no computer company, even Apple or Microsoft, can circumvent.
mnnc
175 posts
 
Don't quote me on it but think the newer Pioneers will...or just use an airport express with optical to mini optical cable like I do. I stream from my iMac and it sounds great. I also ran a cat6/6 from xbox to the airport and now have internet for live action which saved me from having to buy the wireless adaptor/dongle or running a 100ft cable from main router to xbox. What makes the airport express so neat is it will work with anything just about.
arch2 OP
308 posts
 
That's pretty much what I concluded, that I would just stream with an airport express especially since I have an ipod touch that I can use as a remote. I just thought it would have been kind of cool to hook straight into an A/V receiver and be done with it for the second system.
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