From: Mike Brady <4265913+mikebrady@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:50:53 +0000 (+0000)
Subject: Update README with AirPlay 2 and metadata details [skip ci]
X-Git-Tag: 5.0-rc0~6
X-Git-Url: http://git.ipfire.org/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?a=commitdiff_plain;h=956a6869fda4ac8f8012d51c5b53f079dc31787d;p=thirdparty%2Fshairport-sync.git

Update README with AirPlay 2 and metadata details [skip ci]

Added information about AirPlay 2 capabilities and metadata support.
---

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 357a9f33..e64a7e7d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ Shairport Sync is an [AirPlay](https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/apple/1
 
 Shairport Sync can be built as an AirPlay 2 player (with [some limitations](AIRPLAY2.md#features-and-limitations)) or as "classic" Shairport Sync – a player for the older, but still supported, AirPlay (aka "AirPlay 1") protocol.
 
+When built for AirPlay 2, Shairport Sync can play stereo and multichannel (5.1 and 7.1) audio, including lossless 24-bit stereo at 48,000 frames per second.
+
 Metadata such as artist information and cover art can be requested and provided to other applications. Shairport Sync can interface with other applications through MQTT, an MPRIS-like interface and D-Bus.
 
 Shairport Sync does not support AirPlay video or photo streaming.
@@ -17,7 +19,7 @@ Shairport Sync does not support AirPlay video or photo streaming.
 * Some advanced topics and developed in [ADVANCED TOPICS](https://github.com/mikebrady/shairport-sync/tree/master/ADVANCED%20TOPICS).
 
 # Features
-* Outputs AirPlay audio to [ALSA](https://www.alsa-project.org/wiki/Main_Page), [sndio](http://www.sndio.org), [PipeWire](https://pipewire.org), [PulseAudio](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/), [Jack Audio](http://jackaudio.org), to a unix pipe or to `STDOUT`. It also has limited support for [libao](https://xiph.org/ao/).
+* Outputs AirPlay audio to [ALSA](https://www.alsa-project.org/wiki/Main_Page), [sndio](http://www.sndio.org), [PipeWire](https://pipewire.org), [PulseAudio](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/), to a unix pipe or to `STDOUT`. It also has limited support for [libao](https://xiph.org/ao/).
 * Metadata — Shairport Sync can deliver metadata supplied by the source, such as Album Name, Artist Name, Cover Art, etc. through a pipe or UDP socket to a recipient application program — see https://github.com/mikebrady/shairport-sync-metadata-reader for a sample recipient. Sources that supply metadata include iTunes and the Music app in macOS and iOS.
 * An interface to [MQTT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MQTT), a popular protocol for Inter Process Communication, Machine-to-Machine, Internet of Things and Home Automation projects. The interface provides access to metadata and artwork, and has limited remote control.
 * Digital Signal Processing facilities – please see the [DSP Wiki Page Guide](https://github.com/mikebrady/shairport-sync/wiki/Digital-Signal-Processing-with-Shairport-Sync). (Thanks to [Yann Pomarède](https://github.com/yannpom) for the code and to [Paul Wieland](https://github.com/PaulWieland) for the guide.)