When Apple unleashed iOS 4.2 earlier this week, we were disappointed to see that full audio and video AirPlay support wasn't offered for third-party applications. This, we're sure you'll agree, is a shame--especially with great applications like VLC, AirVideo and CineXPlayer screaming to make it off of iOS devices and on to a second generation Apple TV. Fortunately, TUAW's Erica Sadun, whose genius is as constant as the North Star, was pretty bummed about this too. While the rest of us were busy sulking as we multitasked on our freshly functional iPads and moping with our new iPhone text tones, she got to work on finding out why only Apple apps had been invited to the AirPlay party, and what could be done about it.
Sadun and a few of her like-minded colleagues have dug deep into AirPlay's inner workings and discovered two major API classes in the software's guts that closely correspond to the standards seen in Bonjour. After much coded finagling that we scarcely comprehend, Sadun was able to piece together a rudimentary proof-of-concept workaround that allowed her to route a movie file on her iPhone that wouldn't normally be recognized by iTunes.
While Sadun's wizardry isn't ready for prime time, and at this point, definitely not for the faint of heart, it does show that AirPlay could, in theory, be opened up by Apple to third-party iOS applications in the future. If not, there's little doubt that the jailbreak community will have a solution for us soon. In either event, it'll be nothing but win for consumers.
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