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Linux Powers Wireless Mesh Music System
An anonymous reader writes "A startup has created a unique Linux-based home music distribution system based on secure peer-to-peer wireless mesh networking technology. The system can route the same or different songs, sourced from any connected computer, to as many as 30 audio output devices simultaneously. Sonos is showcasing its technology this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas."
Does this build itself on the fact that..
1) More and more homes are getting wireless networks
2) Many of these meshes actually overlap?
I foresee a new internet of the future! One that runs on top of our existing home networking kits! The One True Internets!
Online backup with Mozy, sounds like Ozzie, but more!
According to the website pdatoday.com, Sonos Digital Music System was on Popular Science Magazine's '2004 Best of What's New'. This news tidbit was posted November 10, 2004. So, while this is still a relatively new item, it must have been available for review at least for a few months.
Karma: Chevy Kavalierma.
In order for this to work for me, I would need the ability to have multiple remotes on the system and be able to limit each remote to a specific room and/or set of rooms. This way, parents can control their rooms, and kids can control their's. Also, what would be nice is if two remotes are in the same room, one of them would take control and the other couldn't (for example if a kid and parent are in the same room, the parent would take control). Any idea if this is possible with Sonos?
If you like what I've said here, and want to read more, go to http://www.krillrblog.com
The Sonos System includes a handheld "Controller" system, based on a Hitachi SoC (system-on-chip) with an SH-4 processor core.
Isn't that the Dreamcast CPU?
Look at the handheld "Controller" !
r oller.jpg
http://www.linuxdevices.com/files/misc/sonos_cont
There IS an iPod click-wheel on it. Doesn't Apple have a patent on that piece of design ?...
It's good that they tested it at a casino, beause that's one of the only business large enough to support such a device.
Actually, assuming you could get some kind of special deal for buying in bulk, this would make an excellent modern jukebox replacement in a hip, upscale restaurant. Diners choose the songs they want to hear and pay some sort of fee for the privelege, equivalent to what the cost might be for a jukebox. Let's say they get charged 25c a song, and you have at least 2 songs playing at any point between 12 pm and midnight. In a year, you've taken in around $2500. That more than covers the cost of a controller, 4 zone players, and 4 sets of decent min-computer speakers that you'd hook up to the device.
Now all you'd have to worry about was somehow keeping the controller safe from drinks and spaghetti sauce...
Karma: Chevy Kavalierma.
to have so many rooms that you have to worry about something like this =) Personally I just use my 3 room setup with my multichannel reciever and a wifi CE device for programming. It's a bit geeky but more standard audio geek with a streaming net radio twist than something like this which is very technogeek.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
The Sonos Controller and ZonePlayers are powered by a Linux implementation that Sonos developed in-house. The implementation is based on a 2.4 kernel, with backporting of threading and other features from 2.6, according to MacFarlane. "We have a great team of ex-Microsoft people who are real comfortable with kernel-level work," MacFarlane says, adding that some of Sonos's Microsoft expats worked on the FrontPage team. The team is working on a 2.6 kernel implementation, but felt the new kernel was not yet stable enough for the initial production release, MacFarlane adds.
It's a joke, right? Please, tell me it's a joke...
That scrollwheel with the button in the center sure looks like the iPod one... I wonder how apple feel about this.
http://www.frenchgeek.com/
Veering well off topic...
But how well do you like your SlimDevice squeezebox? I'm looking for something that looks nice (a wifely requirement) to hook up to the stereo to play mp3's from a file-share. If the squeezebox had a really nice remote like the Sono's, I'd jump at it, but for now, I'm holding off.
But how well do you like your SlimDevice squeezebox?
I actually have one of the earliest Slimp3's (precursor to the Squeezebox). It doesn't even have an enclosure.
I love it. I give the developers a lot of flak because I think they put too much emphasis on new features and not enough on core stability and performance. But the fact is, there is NOTHING that comes close. I don't see how a proprietary product ever could.
I suggest you setup the server software and experiment with Softsqueeze. It is a purely software implementation of the product, firmware and all.
For the remote, you could use one of the really nice graphical universal remotes. A friend does that with his entire hifi/TV setup (but no slimp3) to simplify the madness. He has a mode for himself and a simpler UI just for his wife. It is a very nice way to end the multi-remote problem. I wouldn't be surprised if others have already done that. You might check the mailing lists.
I just set my folks up with a Linux based music server and a Squeezebox. My Mom was pretty put off initially and gave me a long list of reasons why they wouldn't use it. But she was hooked once she tried it.
I ran my original Slimp3 on wifi via WET11/WAP11 combo for a year and it was flawless. However, a friend had terrible problems under XP with a WAP11 and native squeezebox wireless support. I put a lot of time into debugging but we finally said ENOUGH and hardwired his setup. The true source of the problem is not clear. But I subsequently recommend hardwired and not wireless.