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SliMP3 Successor; Radio Station in a Box
XDG writes "Slim Devices just updated their website and announced The Squeezebox, the Wi-Fi successor to the SliMP3 player. The new hardware adds digital output, support for uncompressed WAVs, and, of course built-in 802.11. And, best of all, it's still a simple front end hardware device running on upgradeable, customizable, 100%-open-source server software. Anyone that owns or ever drooled over a SliMP3 has something new for their holiday wish lists!" We also have a submission about a "digital radio station in a box" from World Vibrations.
Geez, why did I know I would see this here? I just got my SLIMP3 two weeks ago. I can't speak for the Squeezebox, but if it's anything like the SliMP3, go for it. I love the thing.
:( Oh well.
I like most everything about the device. It's easy to setup and control, sounds and looks great, and is actively supported by its developers and fans. There is an extensive FAQ and a popular support mailing list.
There are, however, a few things I would like to have seen, that the Squeezebox fixes. First, the SliMP3 is wired only. You can hook it up to a wireless bridge to make it "virtually wireless" but that's not an out-of-the-box solution. With many competitors releasing wireless solutions, SlimDevices caught on and developed their own. The SlimP3 also does not have an optical audio output. An optical connection would make the sound quality even better, however, most users would not notice a difference.
The display is a little small, and hard to read from across the room. However, most competing products display via a TV, meaning you'd have to be near a TV to select the music you want. The SLIMP3 doesn't require a TV and looks at home in your home theater system.
I thought it was definitely worth the $239 price, but now I wished I'd waited two weeks and got the Squeezebox for $299
Squeezebox actually has a painted finish - the case is polycarbonate, but it has a "soft-touch" surface. It's actually sexier in person than the slimp3.
According to the product brochure, FLAC and Ogg are both supported via on the fly software conversion, so the support is there, albeit not native to the hardware.
They are also donating 10% of net profits from squeezebox to the EFF.
Read that page - they even make a little jab at the DRM music stores. Pretty bold...
You install the software (written in perl) on your Linux, BSD, OSX, Windows whatever machine and tell it where your collection is located.
That's it.
You may control the device from either the provided remote control or via web interface (http://localhost:9000).
I have a SliMP3 (predecessor device). MP3s are served up by an open-source streaming server, to which the SliMP3 (and Squeezebox) connect. The server runs on Unix, OS X, and Windows -- pretty much any OS with a modern Perl implementation. The device can connect to multiple servers running on different boxes; the server also plays nicely with iTunes.
Other streaming MP3 clients can connect to the server, e.g. iTunes, etc.
Playlists can be built with a web server built in to the streaming server (or via the remote, but that's a little less convenient).
Spend the $299.
I've had a SLIMP3 for the past year and would not trade it for anything (cept a squeezebox). The biggest thing is portability - I can leave it in the bedroom for music, move it to the backyard for the BBQ parties, move it to the living room to play holiday tunes, and take it to the kitchen when friends come over to play cards. All you need is an Ethernet run to the room - Squeezebox removes the cords altogether.
The UI is intuitive, the web interface rocks, and it's really easy to use.
You are mistaken.
Squeezebox supports (uncompressed) PCM passthrough. WAV, AIFF, Ogg, and Flac are all supported, can all be played now without transcoding.
In fact, it is trivially simple to hook just about any codec you want into the server now.
Disclaimer: I'm the guy who wrote the squeezebox firmware.
There are truth to both sidss regarding the audio support.
Think about it this way - does your sound card support Vorbis? Does your TV support Hi-8? You have to think about things a little differently here - your files are not stored on squeezebox; they're streamed from your computer. So if the squeezebox supports raw PCM, you can decode whatever format you want and just send it.
I tried one of the slimdevices previously using their 30 day money back guarantee and found that their unit caused to much RF interference - diagonal lines on my TV.
This was indeed an issue with early SLIMP3 models. I designed SLIMP3 in my garage with almost no money - certainly not enough to afford proper RF testing and design consulting. Sometimes a garage project just gets big....
We did it right with squeezebox though. It is fully compliant with CE, FCC, and Canadian class B requirements and is very quiet. Furthermore, if you use the optical connection, you have total isolation.