Section 91. Turn Your iPod into a Boom Box with Remote Control


91. Turn Your iPod into a Boom Box with Remote Control

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

46 Find and Play Music on the iPod


SEE ALSO

89 Use Your iPod as an Alarm Clock

90 Listen to Your iPod in the Car


As you've seen, an iPod can serve as the musical engine behind photo slideshows on a TV, as an alarm clock with music, as an endless supply of songs for your carby this stage, it's hard not to see the iPod as a sort of "musical core " that can be plugged into just about anything to give it new sonic life. Perhaps the ultimate expression of that is in how you can construct an excellent bookshelf stereo system or "boom box"complete with infrared or RF remote controlout of off-the-shelf components designed around a Dock-like receptacle into which you simply plug the iPod. Free of the tedium of CDs or the random chance of radio, you get all the control of your iPod's info tag navigation and your iTunes' playlists , coupled with high-quality sound from good speakers and the convenience of remote control. Most of these speaker systems even charge your iPod while it plays. What more could you want?

91. Turn Your iPod into a Boom Box with Remote Control


1.
Get a Set of Docking Speakers

Several companies make speaker systems designed to receive an iPod or iPod mini and reproduce its music with rich, deep sound. These include the portable JBL On Tour ($99.95) or Altec Lansing inMotion iM3 ($179), the round and stylish JBL On Stage ($159), and the imposing Bose SoundDock ($299). These speaker systems are all available and on display at most Apple Stores, if you want to see and hear them in action and choose the best one for your needs.

2.
Get an Infrared or RF Remote Control

An infrared (IR) or radio-frequency (RF) remote control consists of two parts : a receiver that plugs into the top of the iPod and conveys your controls to the iPod's navigation system, and a remote control that sends signals to the receiver. Two popular products that match this description are the Griffin AirClick RF ($39.95) and the Ten naviPro ex ($49.95). The naviPro has more control buttons , whereas the Griffin AirClick has the convenience of RF signaling (which doesn't require direct line-of-sight to the receiver as an infrared device does).

3.
Dock the iPod in the Speaker System and Connect the IR or RF Receiver

When you have your equipment together, plug the iPod into the speakers' Dock-like slot so that the Dock connector fits over the tongue in the slot. Then attach the remote receiver to the top of the iPod so that both prongs fit properly into the two jacks in the top of the iPod.

4.
Play Music Through the Speakers

Using the remote, navigate the iPod's menus and select music to play. You can still use the iPod's click wheel and buttons to perform operations not available on the remote, but the remote gives you the convenience of skipping songs, pausing, or changing the volume while you relax across the room.



iPod + iTunes for Windows and Mac in a Snap
iPod + iTunes for Windows and Mac in a Snap (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0672328992
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 152
Authors: Brian Tiemann

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