Slashdot Mirror
Embedded Linux In Onkyo's Home Music Server
IrateSurf writes "ExtremeTech has a story about a new use of embedded Linux from Onkyo, which runs a home music server. Their NAS-2.3 has a CD-player as well as an 80GB hard drive for storing music and streaming it to other players on the an Ethernet network. Also check out the web site for the NAS-2.3."
If only they would make it record radio, too ...
...rip CDs to MP3s? It seems like that would be a pretty good feature to have in a portable CD/mp3 player.
Repeal the DMCA!
mod this flamebait if you must but I gotta ask, what does it really matter what OS it's running?
It could run TRS-DOS for all I care as long as it gets the job done efficiently.
Legal mp3's don't have to come off a $20 CD.
Check acidplanet.com mp3.com mp3.com.au spinwarp.com etc etc etc
Buckets,
pompomtom
"There's an exception to every rule. Except for some rules"
They must be rich if they can afford to have 80gigs worth of legal copies of their music...
Actually I just checked hard drive prices:
Cheapest available 40GB drive: $93.30
Cheapest available 40GB drive: $120.51
(Note that these prices are converted from DKK)
Since this is a $400 product, I wouldn't halve the storage space just to save 30 bucks.
Stanley Feinbaum, professional journalist and master debater!
You've come to the wrong place...
Any sufficiently advanced libertarian utopia is indistinguishable from government.
It mentions that files must be in mp3 or pcm format. Now alot of my music is actually in ogg. First, if it's embeded linux, will there be a means by which we can install other codecs? (say ssh or such.) Second, will there be a supplied means to upgrade the hard drive? (I know you might not need 80gigs for your legal collection but my illegal collections already over that. by far.)
I do security
Price, simple as that. They're trying to keep the price as low as possible, and adding wireless supporty would likely as $50 to $100 to the price, for functionality not everyone would use.
The consumer base (not more geek minded users) hasn't really started to adopt wireless in a major way, while they're getting into devices like this.
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see ethernet as one of the input sources. I have that 1400 legal MP3s ripped from my CDs--I'm not sure I want to go thru that again.
Sorry for the subject line, but that's what I think whenever I see one of these embedded Linux stories--"For all I care it's powered by gerbils running in exercise wheels." Am I happy to see Linux get a little positive press? Sure, but let's not read more into this than it deserves. The rest of the world won't know this thing has "Linux Inside", nor will they care. The Linux crowd should be focused on the real battleground, the desktop, and derailing MS's monopoly.
I know a guy from college who worked at a *LIBRARY*. He was about 22 years old and had well over a thousand CDs.
I have well over 500 cds myself. I *WOULD* have more if they didn't cost so much. Back in the day when they used to cost $10 I made a trip to the store every week to purchase CDs.
Now a days, I make almost 8 times what I used to make. Maybe I'm getting cheaper in my old age (probably true), maybe new music sucks (it does but there is still a lot of stuff I like), but I can't justify $20+ for a CD I don't even know if I'll like. Were that not the case, I know I would have more. Most of my friends are the same. Between us we've got 1000's of CDs lying around our homes and apartments.
It's not impossible, in fact, in my experience it's quite likely.
Classical music CDs are often very cheap. $5 if you go for bargins. Some of these are even double albums, and almost always filled. Don't forgot people that work in the music industry, who get several free cds in the mail daily.
Onkyo is smart for using Linux. Nearly all the Pacific Rim (Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, ect.) manufacturers are testing it or are ready to deploy because they don't need to pay out royalties per unit, can share innovations with each other, and can share data with each other's units over 100Mb Ethernet or 802.11x or whatever. The most important thing to remember is they don't need to spend huge amounts on R&D. Linux will become the Linga Franca of consumer electronics, unless Microsoft buys one of the big players and twists everyone's arm to go along. Maybe not even then, as the long term gains are too big. And most Japanese electronics manufacturers are thinking very long term.
And yes these babies are BIG! And HEAVY! At 110 RMS per CH. Thats 660 Watts out, all discrete. No output IC's. Not to mentions pre amp and video switching. Schwweett.
Inputs:
Audio and AV Inputs - 3/6
HDTV-Ready Component Video Input/Output - 2/1
Front-Panel Video Input (with S-Video) - Yes
S-Video Compatible Jacks Input/Output - 6/3
Digital Inputs:
5 Optical (1 Front Panel), 3 Coaxial
Digital Output - 2 Optical Amp In
RS-232 Control Port
IR In/Out - 1/1
I may be bad with names, but I'll never forget your IP address
Spread the cost out, man... ask 'Who can afford a few grand a year?!'
Young people. 15 to 25, no mortgage or significant debt, a job, and lots of exposure via friends to help thin out the good music from the bad before buying...
I bought music from when I was 15 to about 28 yrs old, and didn't buy much compared to most of my music-fanatic friends. Since then, I've tapered off to a few cd's a year, plus a few more as gifts. I've got well over 100 tapes, 150 in vinyl, 250 cd's, and one 8-track (Abbey Road, don't ask why). And I repeat, I wasn't SERIOUSLY into music like several friends I had...
So, 1000 seems quite plausible. What's more, a lot of those I got via cheap sources: rummage & yard sales, used bins, friends, etc. Nowadays, I pick up a cd when I hear a good concert or live band in a bar. Since the night's bar tab has usually cost me a lot more than the $10-15 for the CD, I consider it a tip to a good band and a chance to reminisce later.
Round down to 15k (that's being charitable compared to your $20 per album), give me 1/5 the needed collection, and spread it over the last 30 years, and it seems laughably cheap... $100 a YEAR on average. Rich?! Shee-it, I spent more last weekend on sushi! Throw in the wife's similarly-sized music collection, not force me to waste a wall in my li'l house (not to mention portability like ipods and archos units have) and give me access to stuff that's only available on out-of-print vinyl and I'd probably start collecting old, good music like a fiend.