Squeezebox MP3 Player Hacked to Play Video

Xenna writes "The Squeezebox MP3 Player has found a new application: With the Videobox software and some cabling it becomes a networked Video Player. This is the latest development to come out of the active community Slim Devices have managed to attract around their very hackable MP3 players. Only last week the SoftSqueeze software player was announced on the Slim users mailing list. The Squeezebox was reviewed on Slashdot last December."

Comments

Video player? More like "video remote"

[perbu]

This software turns the slimbox into a remote - which is not really that cool. You still need a decent video player. Paying $250+ for a remote control for your video player is, well, a bit much.

Is this useful?

[sabNetwork]

It looks like all VideoBox does is turn your $300 Squeezebox into an LCD display showing the video filename. Woohoo, great, who cares?

This isn't news until someone figures out how to make the Squeezebox stream the video.

--

Interesting but still too expensive...

[igrp]

Whilst this is interesting, especially the concept of having an easily hackable and adaptable MP3 device, at $249 for the wired and $299, respectively, for the wireless model, it's still way too expensive. And according to Froogle, the MSRP is pretty much what everyone else is charging.

At $300, one could easily build a stripped-down PC system with the same functionality (and more flexibility).

It also doesn't really look too cool either; more like like some standard CE set-top box so there's isn't really an "aesthetic incentive" to buy one of these either.

Most do

[Anonymous Coward]

"do these people think that most consumer products with rechargeable batteries allow the batteries to be replaced easily, if at all? "

I've got a digital camera that takes rechargable batteries. There is an easy-to-move switch that locks the battery hold. After you use this, it is easy.

"A few months ago I threw away a rechargeable flashlight for the same reason. So what is it about the iPod that makes it deserve such relentless attacks?"

Are you richer than Trump? Compare the price of the flashlight and the price of the iPod.

Easy.

[DAldredge]

Cordless screwdrives don't cost 300 USD. People expect more from a high dollar product sold by a company with a reputation of producing quality products.

Re:Sounds better than the iPod

[igrp]

Well, for one thing, it's an easy subject to "karmawhore" about. By now, everbody and their mother have heard about the "iPod battery problem" and many /.'ers have a tendency to be rather fond and/or supportive of Apple. So, I guess, for many trolls it just makes for good flamebait. It also allows them to follow up to their own posting with a link to some replacement battery manufacturer and therefore karmawhore some more.

On a related note though, I can understand the people complaining about it, at least to a point. I've had to have the Li-Ion battery of my PDA replaced twice (under warranty though). For most people, spending $400 on a CE item isn't exactly something trivial so they tend to expect their "invest" to just work. That's why I bought an extended warranty plan (well, the fact, that it the extended warranty was $15 extra did kinda help ;).

change Title to "blah...Hacked to CONTROL the play

[Locutus]

The title of this should be changed to read

blah...Hacked to CONTROL the play of video

This "hack" is just a way to used the remote control and display of the Squeezebox to control a PC's video playback. This is not really news worthy IMHO since the advantage of the Squeezebox is that you are not near your PC and can play your MP3's still. If you've got a PC connected to your TV, use the TV display to control the video for goodness sake. It'll be right there in front of you and far easier to see and use since there are many remote PC controllers already out.

BTW, a Sharp Zaurus can play SAMBA mounted directories over WiFi. Shoutcast could feed the audio stream and external speakers to amplify the sound...

LoB