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Linux Based MP3 Stereo
An anonymous reader noted a story running at LinuxDevices about a vaporous device called Hi-Muse.
It's got its problems (not being available, ugly design) but it's got a lot of potential (a 15 gig hard drive in such a small form factor, built in FM tuner, ethernet port). Personally I'd rather see a standard stereo component sized box, a UI that operates through your television and normal remote, and 30+ gigs, but this one is looking like a great start.
Why have an internal hard disk at all? It requires you to distrute the music to the edge. You don't have a backup and what you end up doing is paying for a very expensive hard disk.
/audio or /my music
What you want is the Audiotron.
For the same price, you could put several of them around your house and connect them to the linux computer you already have, which could be the central music server.
Basically, you plug it into your network through it's ethernet port and turn it on. It scans all SAMBA shares for mp3 music in
and lets you select from the IR remote. The output is a SPDIF jack, RCA stereo jacks and a headphone jack. The list price is $299 (cheaper other places).
The only other thing I found was the dell digital audio reciever, but it's totally tied to windows and I think it requires real player installation. It's inexpensive though - $199.
Another interesting one is the harman kardon/zapstation. It can do the same thing, but with video as well. However, if you look deeper into the specs, it's another pile of crap: they try to control everything about the device. You can't load DVD's onto the hard disk, and it incorporates most of the other controlware tactics.
Running Linux?
Fully open platform?
I think you want the Nokia Media Terminal - which btw, isn't vapourware and is fully supported by one of the largest companies there is ...
it's in my head
Oh great, someone has a walkman / clockradio that more powerful than my PC at home. Geeks have the coolest shit.
Murphy's Law of Copiers
I love the smell of Karma in the morning
I think many geeks, myself included, have been looking for quality MP3 players for our home audio shrin^H^H^H^H^Hsytems for quite some time. All the big audio producers have been so far unwilling to produce such a thing because of the current IP-rights clusterfuck going on between RIAA and the computer industry. While the technology is available and in demand, you can be sure as hell that Sony sure won't produce an MP3 stereo compononent.
This new development is letting the genie out of the bottle, so to speak, even if it is vapour. It lets the people who would otherwise hold off on such a product in favor of handhelds and portables realize that they're about to lose out on a new market. Who's going to be next to make a MP3 component? Diamond? The folks who brought you TIVO?
Sony may never come out with an MP3 component for your stereo system, but you can sure as hell bet that once a demand is evident, it will be met one way or the other.
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Maybe not the optimum solution for Uncle Pete in the retirement home, but this *is* 'news for nerds' isn't it? Now if only I wasn't so *nix-impaired, I might be able to keep it from rebooting every week or so :)
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.