Check this out:
http://www.thepowleys.com/lanpipe/
Is that cool, or what?
Endless possibilities for modification... Hopefully he will release the source code and / or sell the boards.
http://www.thepowleys.com/lanpipe/
Is that cool, or what?
Endless possibilities for modification... Hopefully he will release the source code and / or sell the boards.
Granted, populating the boards yourself would be a bit of work. Buying a populated board would be an option though, if he ends up selling them.
A design with a uP might have been slightly more complicated, with some extra glue logic. And maybe the FPGA cpu is more efficient, due to it being created for a specific task? I don't know.
In any case, I think the idea is interesting. It could be be redesigned with a standard uP, and a much better DAC section. The idea of a very simple piece of hardware, that does no complex decoding (some lossless compression would be nice, though), is appealing. There are several devices around (ie, the Audiotron, the SliMP3) that do mp3 decoding, reading the files over the network. But these are not capable of playing high-quality uncompressed music, as this device does.
A design with a uP might have been slightly more complicated, with some extra glue logic. And maybe the FPGA cpu is more efficient, due to it being created for a specific task? I don't know.
In any case, I think the idea is interesting. It could be be redesigned with a standard uP, and a much better DAC section. The idea of a very simple piece of hardware, that does no complex decoding (some lossless compression would be nice, though), is appealing. There are several devices around (ie, the Audiotron, the SliMP3) that do mp3 decoding, reading the files over the network. But these are not capable of playing high-quality uncompressed music, as this device does.
Turtle Beach Audiotron
The Turtle Beach Audiotron DOES play uncompressed WAV files, see the TB Audiotron message board under Formats.
http://pub90.ezboard.com/bturtlebeach
Although, most people seem to use it with MP3s, and managing WAV tags can be a pain.
The product does have a decent following, with a lot of 3rd party software being written for it. It is a good way to integrate digital music stored on a PC, or some type of offline storage with a stereo, assuming you already have ethernet in your home or at least know how to hook up a crossover cable to your PC. There is no real limit on distance, and CAT5 cable is cheap, comparatively speaking. The main advantage of using an AT or any of the similar products over feeding digital audio from a PC is that you can control the selections and playback from the AT front panel, or using a remote, just like any other component. Essentially turns your PC into an MP3, VMA, or WAV server with the Audiotron serving as the decoder.
http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/products/audiotron/producthome.asp
Lots of room for mods and improvements, too (the chassis is half empty), and used Atrons are plentiful on ebay.
The Turtle Beach Audiotron DOES play uncompressed WAV files, see the TB Audiotron message board under Formats.
http://pub90.ezboard.com/bturtlebeach
Although, most people seem to use it with MP3s, and managing WAV tags can be a pain.
The product does have a decent following, with a lot of 3rd party software being written for it. It is a good way to integrate digital music stored on a PC, or some type of offline storage with a stereo, assuming you already have ethernet in your home or at least know how to hook up a crossover cable to your PC. There is no real limit on distance, and CAT5 cable is cheap, comparatively speaking. The main advantage of using an AT or any of the similar products over feeding digital audio from a PC is that you can control the selections and playback from the AT front panel, or using a remote, just like any other component. Essentially turns your PC into an MP3, VMA, or WAV server with the Audiotron serving as the decoder.
http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/products/audiotron/producthome.asp
Lots of room for mods and improvements, too (the chassis is half empty), and used Atrons are plentiful on ebay.
Networked players
karma,
I assume you mean you can integrate a second PC into your stereo directly, and use winamp or any other MP3 player.
Not everyone wants to do that, partly because of fan and disk drive noise, ethetics, noise radiated from the PC, maintenance, space for the monitor etc. Personally I spend enough time in from of a PC already, and I do not particularly want to make one part of my stereo.
Since most people have not networked their PC with their audio equipment, it is still a fairly small market for networked digital receivers and players. I think it appeals mainly to people who already listen to music stored on their PC in some format, and are not too put off by home networks. Aside from that, it is pretty much bleeding edge technology which takes some time getting used to whichever networked player you get.
PM
karma,
I assume you mean you can integrate a second PC into your stereo directly, and use winamp or any other MP3 player.
Not everyone wants to do that, partly because of fan and disk drive noise, ethetics, noise radiated from the PC, maintenance, space for the monitor etc. Personally I spend enough time in from of a PC already, and I do not particularly want to make one part of my stereo.
Since most people have not networked their PC with their audio equipment, it is still a fairly small market for networked digital receivers and players. I think it appeals mainly to people who already listen to music stored on their PC in some format, and are not too put off by home networks. Aside from that, it is pretty much bleeding edge technology which takes some time getting used to whichever networked player you get.
PM
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