Streaming audio

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NozSpark

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I'm hopeing someone can help me out here.....

My brother wants to have soem streaming audio kit instaled in his, rather large, house.

He currently has a home office with several computers (don't know if he has a spare one) and will shortly have a new wireless router.. the old (bust) router gets a good signal to everywhere that's required

Wired streaming is out of the question as we can no longer access under the floors and chasing is an absolute no no (as is surface trunking).... so he wants wireless!!

Does anyone know what kit will be required and any idea of cost!

He might also want to stream video in the future!?!?!?

 
I have a denon s-52 dab system , that you can network , and it also has wireless network, not sure if it will do what you want it to do but it's a start. This that was about 600

Bose also do good stuff like that but you will be into the thousands, failing all of the you will have to use what the pro,s use for media industry, I.e radio mic set up and av trasmitter and reciver .

On a cheaper option , the iPod have a radio transmitter that you can tune any fm radio into, for about 40 ,... It alldepends on what you want it to do and how much you got!

Hope that's a start for you

 
Sonos. You can use the zp90's that require an amp and speakers, the zp120's that just require speakers and have built in amps and the z5? that is a speaker/zone player all built in.

One needs to connect to a wired network to access the music stored on a shared disk (I am in the process of putting mine on my airdisk on my airport extreme but will work well if the new router can share a disk thats plugged in without a computer needing to be on).

They are controlled though a special handset or even now a free app for an iphone/ipod touch. They are not cheap but work well (zp90 ~280, zp120 ~380, zp5? ~400, controller ~200-300, or bundle of a zp90,zp120 and cr200 controller ~800).

Richer sounds sell them along with most proper hifi dealers. Check out sonos.com.

Ian.

 
What do you want to achieve exactly? I stream music and movies wirelessly across the network here from a machine with some shared folders. Just plug a laptop into a TV or hi-fi\amp and away you go, no additional costs involved, unless you want to set up a server which just needs to be a basic spec PC.

 
I guess that he wants is a media server connected wirelessly to a reciever/amp/speakers in a couple of different rooms... I also guess that he wants a digital display/track selector at each of those locations...

He might also want streaming video to his TV(s)??

I know it's a bit vague at the moment, but he probably doesn't know what he want's / is able to get himself!

 
All comes down to budget really. Cost nothing extra in our house as I had the PC for running Myth anyway, and all the PC's and laptops are here anyway. All it cost was a couple of leads (although I probably acquired them from somewhere) and I can control everything from anywhere.

If I was throwing money at it and wanted something independent of the PC's I'd stick a PC in the corner with all the media on it and go for a Sonos set up. Western Digital do some streaming media client devices which are pretty good. Upgrade the firmware before doing anythign with these though. ;)

 
No its audio only. It can stream audio from source too so you can connect it to a tv to listen to it on other sonos zoneplayers.

 
Sonos. You can use the zp90's that require an amp and speakers, the zp120's that just require speakers and have built in amps and the z5? that is a speaker/zone player all built in.One needs to connect to a wired network to access the music stored on a shared disk (I am in the process of putting mine on my airdisk on my airport extreme but will work well if the new router can share a disk thats plugged in without a computer needing to be on).

They are controlled though a special handset or even now a free app for an iphone/ipod touch. They are not cheap but work well (zp90 ~280, zp120 ~380, zp5? ~400, controller ~200-300, or bundle of a zp90,zp120 and cr200 controller ~800).

Richer sounds sell them along with most proper hifi dealers. Check out sonos.com.

Ian.
I'd agree with Ian, putting a 4 zone system with Sonos in the new year, even though the house was wired to use a Nuvo solution, Sonos s/w gives the customer exactly what they want

 
All comes down to budget really. Cost nothing extra in our house as I had the PC for running Myth anyway, and all the PC's and laptops are here anyway. All it cost was a couple of leads (although I probably acquired them from somewhere) and I can control everything from anywhere.If I was throwing money at it and wanted something independent of the PC's I'd stick a PC in the corner with all the media on it and go for a Sonos set up. Western Digital do some streaming media client devices which are pretty good. Upgrade the firmware before doing anythign with these though. ;)
A mate of mine just bought this Asus O!play, had more flexibility than WD's device http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductID=1038385&source=froogle

 
If I was throwing money at it and wanted something independent of the PC's I'd stick a PC in the corner with all the media on it and go for a Sonos set up. Western Digital do some streaming media client devices which are pretty good. Upgrade the firmware before doing anythign with these though. ;)
There is a problem with these at the moment, and it is recommended not to do the firmware upgrade.

 
There is a problem with these at the moment, and it is recommended not to do the firmware upgrade.
Probably best to look into that a bit more as the firmware version on some of them as they left the factory was\is not so good either.

 
Audio only:-

1. Squeeze box, with Squeeze Server for music and radio access, use Softsqueeze on any pc to become a streamer. You can set all squeeze box's plus pc's play in sync as well, there are apps for Iphone and Ipod Touch to control the players over wifi.

2. Apple Airport Express plus Airfoil by Rogue Amoeba, again pc's can stream and sync. There is also Iphone and Ipod Touch control available.

3. As mentioned Sonos, personally I think its a bit pricey for what it does compared to the others.

Audio and Visual:-

I don't know of any units that can sync streams and do AV, but if I was to buy a streamer that does AV it would be one of the Popcorn Hour u units such as the A110, CNET always rave about them.

or this http://crave.cnet.co.uk/homecinema/0,39029447,49302706,00.htm

 
Cheers,,will send him the squeezebox link..
I would forget about the Duet which is the squeezebox and remote bundle, I'd just buy a Ipod Touch and get one of the free apps, I run an app of my HTC Touch and it controls all my squeeze stuff a treat. Look on youtube there are loads of geek video's on this stuff.

Usually Richer sounds are the cheapest for the squeezebox unit http://www.richersounds.com/search/squeezebox

 
Much cheaper than the sonos!
It is but sonos does not need a pc running but squeezebox does, I've not tried but I think its possible to run squeezeserver on a NAS drive

 
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