Music via wi-fi

spasypaddy

prawny wrote:

Is there a way of doing this without having a PC/Laptop on? i.e is it possible to connect a hard drive to the network and stream music to my ipad/phone over home sharing or some other app?

Sorry for the slight hijack but i've got most of my music on my old pc that hardly ever gets used, I'd like to be able to do like IP does at the drop of a hat, but on the cheap.

yes. its called a NAS.

i use a buffalo linkstation live that does everything for cheap and simple. there are much more expensive and involved versions though

essex-commuter

spasypaddy wrote:

i use a buffalo linkstation live that does everything for cheap and simple. there are much more expensive and involved versions though

Can you briefly explain in numbnut language how the buffalo works and what additional equipment would be required to stream music?

prawny

essex-commuter wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

i use a buffalo linkstation live that does everything for cheap and simple. there are much more expensive and involved versions though

Can you briefly explain in numbnut language how the buffalo works and what additional equipment would be required to stream music?

Please :-) I can easily connect my phone to one of a few docking stations that we've already got in the house. I've only got a 16gb iPhone so don't keep the complete works of less than jake on there

spasypaddy

a buffalo linkstation uses an ethernet cable to plug into the wireless router, your phone/tablet/laptop/ps3/xbox can connect to the wireless router via the wifi.

the linkstation (or variant of Network Attached Storage or short name NAS) stores the media (music/video/pictures) and with certain applications on your phone/tablet you can view the data.

a ps3/xbox sees the data automatically.

a pc accesses the data like a normal hard drive once you have it linked in.

So basically you buy a NAS, connect it to your network, fill it with music from your PC, you then connect your phone/tablet to the network via Wifi and plug it into a speaker set/dock and play music from it.

I have my linkstation connected to:
laptop
ps3
xbox
touchpad (running android)

However ive never bothered to connect it to my ipod touch.

I can also access the data from my work PC if i so desire.

essex-commuter

spasypaddy wrote:

a buffalo linkstation uses an ethernet cable to plug into the wireless router, your phone/tablet/laptop/ps3/xbox can connect to the wireless router via the wifi.

the linkstation (or variant of Network Attached Storage or short name NAS) stores the media (music/video/pictures) and with certain applications on your phone/tablet you can view the data.

a ps3/xbox sees the data automatically.

a pc accesses the data like a normal hard drive once you have it linked in.

So basically you buy a NAS, connect it to your network, fill it with music from your PC, you then connect your phone/tablet to the network via Wifi and plug it into a speaker set/dock and play music from it.

I have my linkstation connected to:
laptop
ps3
xbox
touchpad (running android)

However ive never bothered to connect it to my ipod touch.

I can also access the data from my work PC if i so desire.

You speak fluent numbnut, go to the top of the class! Excellent, thank you very much.

prawny

Yes where is that kudos button.

Now, wheels or NAS. And why do when I google NAS do I keep getting pictures of a man in a vest

spasypaddy

a NAS is not an expensive item, you are looking under £100 for 1tb of data. which for what you lot seem to be planning on doing with it is much more than sufficient.

remember more than one device can connect and read the data at once.

if you want to stream video from it onto your ps3 /xbox i'd recommend asking in here first as it gets a little bit more complicated due to file types. and its better if you can to hardwire a ps3/xbox to the router for streaming/online gaming purposes

prawny

Literally all I want is something that will stream music to a netbook an ipad and 2 iphones and be somewhere I can stash pictures. I don't have an xbox because I'm not 14.

So, looking around I can't find anything under £100, what do you recommend. Do I need to buy one that says 'iTunes server' on it. Or, will anything that says NAS on it do?

spasypaddy

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005SJ1CBY/r ... B005SJ1CBY

but seeing as i have an xbox and a ps3 and you've called me 14 here ends my help

prawny

spasypaddy wrote:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005SJ1CBY/ref=asc_df_B005SJ1CBY7474657?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B005SJ1CBY

but seeing as i have an xbox and a ps3 and you've called me 14 here ends my help

*bactrack mode on*

But seeing as you've got both that makes you 28 which I'm sure is a compliment if I'm not mistaken. Have you done something different with you're hair too it looks great

spasypaddy

haha

im 25, im allowed to have consoles as im unattached! (and even if i wasnt id still have consoles)

prawny

Ha, I thought you were older for some reason, you practically are 14.

TBF it's only cuz they kids take up so much of my time that I haven't got anything newer than a Wii (which is the wifes anyway)

Cheers for the heads up, going to try and salvage my wheel tonight stick some cymbals on ebay and treat myself to one of them thingummies.

sketchley

spasypaddy wrote:

sketchley i have a linkstation live, what good would putting twonky on it do?

Twonky is just a bit better than built in dnla server. Custom menus for starters....

EKE_38BPM

spasypaddy wrote:

haha

im 25, im allowed to have consoles as im unattached! (and even if i wasnt id still have consoles)

Thats what I used to say.

paulintheforest

I'm a Sonos fan. I've had it for years now.

I've got a NAS server with all my lossless music on it. 5 Sonos zones round the house and music wherever I want it whenever I want. Also the Android controller is great, especially as the latest software update turns the Sonos net into a wifi network the phones can use meaning no signal drop out in the house.

The play:5 is my newest bit of kit and I really like it as it can switch rooms, the other zones aren't portable as they either have separate speakers or plug into the amp in the lounge. It's not cheap but I think it is good quality. The first bits of kit I got were on software version 1.2 back in about 2005, but they are all still supported in the software upgrades, the latest being v3.6 I think.

I like it as I can use any software I like - EAC for ripping both MP3 and lossless, then just leave the NAS running 24/7 as web, mail and file server. (Synology Nas's are quite good too - your own cloud server and all sorts of other features to bring out your inner geek)

Initialised

I have a Pure Avanti Flow, clunky interface but does the job.

Underscore

Just to add another set of hardware/software to the list, I rip using RubyRipper (which picked up from EAC when development stopped due to that cease-and-desist) which (for MP3s) can be configured to automatically, and without further loss, normalise the volume of everything it rips.

For serving, I used a NAS for many years but, when the on-board power supplies started to fail last year, I built a server based around a dual-core Atom mini-ITX board. Cost a bit more than a NAS - ~£130 plus a 2.5" drive that I had kicking around - but it's a fully fledged PC that still only draws 18W at full chat. I'm running Debian Linux with MediaTomb as my UPNP/DLNA server. I then use 2player on my Android phone to act as a remote for my media player when in the house and as a media player as well when in the garage on the turbo with some powered speakers.

_

spasypaddy

Sketchley wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

sketchley i have a linkstation live, what good would putting twonky on it do?

Twonky is just a bit better than built in dnla server. Custom menus for starters....

ah seeing as i am only using it as a NAS and barely touching it other than to transfer data onto it i'll leave it well alone. when it dies as it eventually will or i run out of space im going to get a synology with a few terrabits of data storage and then start playing with sickbeard and other stuff. no need at the moment.

EKE_38BPM wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

haha

im 25, im allowed to have consoles as im unattached! (and even if i wasnt id still have consoles)

Thats what I used to say.

i rarely play my consoles now to be honest, xbox doesnt have an hdmi cable and my ps3 is more of a media server in my bedroom. When i lived alone i used to play ps3 every night, now i just chill in the lounge watching tv with my housemate. i play ps3 maybe once a week twice at most

meanredspider

paulintheforest wrote:

. The first bits of kit I got were on software version 1.2 back in about 2005, but they are all still supported in the software upgrades, the latest being v3.6 I think.

That's good to know - I think it's a fabulous system (even Mrs MRS figured it out (almost) immediately) - my only concern was would I be left with a very expensive but useless speaker in the Play:5 as and when it became obsolete. The sound is brilliant: warm and full, but it's the interface I love especially surfing Spotify for tunes and queueing them up all on my iPad. I can see me keeping an eye out for a bargain Play:3 as a second zone for around the house & in the garage. They'd do well to have a rechargeable portable unit though it might cost them sales.

optimisticbiker

Just my 2p worth...

I use a Lacie Network Space 2 as my Twonky server to stream both music and HD to the Sony Bravia TV, bluray player,Wii and son's gaming console(s). Its fast enough to handle two HD streams at once or one HD and several music streams.

Wifi in my house is fine for web browsing but useless for streaming and I cant get to the garage that way, too much engineering brick in the way, so I use Solwise Homeplug 200AV kit which gives me a pretty impressive 70-80Mbps over the power lines everywhere and works flawlessly, even across different ring mains.

PBo

Pmd you Essex commuter.....

nicklouse

Squeezebox touch for the main set up. Squeeze box clasic with some active speakers for another room Squeezebox radio for the kitchen. iPad and iPhone with iPeng on them for control and also playback.

all can give gapless playback.

tunes everywhere.