That's a pretty Apple-centric list.
Don't the Airplay devices also support UPnP?
It is an Apple-centric list, but that's because I don't want to have to work to set up and maintain devices any more.
Except for Media Center integration, Apple devices cause a
lot fewer problems for me.
I don't have the time to spend on projects like researching and buying all the parts for a Raspberry Pi build, waiting for everything to arrive, putting it all together, spending hours setting up all the software - to end up with a setup that only does 90% of what I expected it to, and then requires maintenance a few months down the line when things start acting weird.
Instead of $150 on a project like that I can spend $30 on a used AirPort Express v2 or $190 on an Apple TV which works, and holds it value if I ever want to sell it.
Having the Apple TV remote turn on all the AV equipment to the correct inputs with a single button via HDMI-CEC, and then being able to search across multiple streaming platforms in a unified interface with a single voice command makes everything
so much easier for family. It has replaced all other devices for them.
I would love to be able to access my Media Center library on it; but it's probably the biggest "ask" in the list, and the lowest priority when there are alternatives like migrating to a Plex-compatible library structure - despite my reluctance to do so.
As for tablets - is anyone other than Apple even making high-end tablets now?
Google largely seems to have abandoned Android development for tablets, while Apple strengthened their commitment to the platform with the move from general iOS to iPadOS last year.
But all I'm asking for is support of the new aspect ratio introduced in 2018, not a new app.
And AirPlay 2 support just seems to be the way the tide is turning these days:
You buy an LG, Sony, Samsung, Vizio TV and it has AirPlay 2 support.
Bought a new Bose or Sonos smart speaker? AirPlay 2 support.
Buy a new Samsung, LG, Sonos etc. sound bar: AirPlay 2 support.
Buy a new Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, Onkyo etc. AVR and it has AirPlay 2 support.
Most of these also include Alexa integration now as well - though I'd prefer to use that for control, not direct playback. I believe Amazon has quite a lot of restrictions for audio playback.
But if I AirPlay a track to one of the smart speakers, I can say "Alexa, next" or "Alexa, volume 50" to control its playback. That's the kind of integration I'd like to see via Zones in MC.
Some of those devices listed - most likely the AVRs - might also support other networked protocols such as UPnP/DLNA, but it's usually their own proprietary network protocol instead. The one point of convergence across most new devices now seems to be AirPlay 2.
I think the only device I have which does support DLNA still is a Sony TV from 2010 that I plan on replacing soon.
AirPlay is seamless and works great for multi-room playback now with v2.
The big advantage it has over anything else is that it runs on WiFi, but you can connect sources directly to it as easily as a Bluetooth speaker.