Smart Home Blog

As you may know to listen music with SlimDevices streamer Squeezebox you should have a SlimServer running on your PC (Linux, Mac or Windows). It’s possible to control specified streamer via its remote control. But there is a way to control whole system using Nokia770 and optimized SlimServer web interface. Just install and run version 6.5 and point Nokia770 web browser to

http://your.server.ip.address:9000/Nokia770/

Bingo! Now you can control any SlimDevices playes (Sqeezebox or Transporter), choose room, artist, track etc. Moreover, you can listen music on your Nokia770 (you just need to configure its audio player).

It seems that Nokia770 (and its next generation N800) is going to be very popular device for using as intelligent remote control. As example, have a look:

• The Media Center with the Nokia 770 as the Controller
• MoodSeer
• Nokia770 as Plutohome Orbiter

British company Pinnacle Audio presented its an ultra-high-fidelity, hard-drive-based music server – Athenaeum. It may store about 9,000 CDs with lossless compression. So, you’ll enjoy a rich, rounded sound.
The main unit uses embedded Linux and features four hot-swappable hard drive bays, with modules available from 160GB to 750GB. The Athenaeum has web based user interface which developed with AJAX. So, it’s possible to control the server from any PC with modern web browser. The system comes with Nokia770 as control panel (resently I already blogged about two projects which also use Nokia770 as remote control: moodSeer and Linux Media Center). However, the Athenaeum can be integrated with proprietary whole-house audio control systems from Crestron or AMX (the additional software modules are needed for that). Moreover, direct serial port commands allow an easy integration into any control system.
Additional touted features include:

Ability to import existing digital music collections, gleaning meta-data from ID3 tags and filenames
Windows filesharing

• Compatible with iPods and other portable music players
• Automatic CD ripping when CDs are inserted
• 24-bit, 96kHz DAC
• 22Hz-22kHz,-0.4,-0.4dB claimed frequency response
• 104dB (A-weighted) (D/A)100.4dB (A-weighted) (A/D) claimed dynamic range
• 0.002 percent claimed THD (total harmonic distortion)
• Control system (Crestron, AMX) library modules provided
• Serial port and API allow control system integration
• 430 x 450 x 135mm

It seems that the Pinnacle Audio Athenaeum music server is available not there are not any words about its price.

[via LinuxDevices]

Magic Home Entertainment announced its multi-room music system – moodSeer. The system includes three components: moodCenter, moodSpot and moodBeamer handhold controller. The last one is nothing else than Nokia770 with custom image (I’m thinking about the same solution for Plutohome Orbiter).
The server keeps all your music. Plus you can connect it to the Internet to get Internet radio, podcasts and more. The moodSpot can be connected to powered speakers or the stereo you already have in the room. It will even connect to many boom boxes. You can connect from 6 to 36 moodSpots in your home, for music wherever you want it.
After import your music to the moodServer it stores all tracks and categorizes them according to mood. So, you choose your mood using moodBeamer handheld controller and listen music according to the mood. It’s cool and so easy.
The system also offers a support of mobile MP3 players and follow-me mode (when you listen music on one room and then decide to move to another room the music will be also transferred to the second room).
The price of moodSeer is $4100 for 1Tb moodServer and $1500 for each moodSpot (probably Nokia770 is free :)).
Recently I already blog about Linux-based DIY similar system. Generally, it’s similar to moodSeer except that the Linux-system is fully open and customizable. And also it costs much less.
If you’d like to listen mood music but don’t want to pay so much you might be interested in Squeezebox-based system which may communicates with your PC, Internet radio and file storage and build “smart” playlist according to a ‘genome map’ of music using Pandora service.

Here is a cool example of building a multi-room music system DIY. The system is includes a file server where all music are stored, fanless Mini-ITX appliances which are used as clients and remote control (Nokia770).
The client is based on VIA ML6000EA Mini-ITX motherboard, which is absolutely noiseless and includes six-channel onboard audio, onboard LAN, support for 1GB of memory and a PCI slot. Instead of HDD it features 256MB Flash drive that plugs directly in to a 40-pin IDE slot. All those parts plus 256 MB RAM are placed into Casetronic C158 case.
Additionally, Embedded Gentoo Linux was built for each client. It includes Music Player Dæmon (MPD) to play music from the file server, lightTPD (a PHP-enabled Web server) and phpMp (a PHP application that controls MPD). This gives any computer on the network with a Web browser the power to control the client. As a controller is chosen an Internet Tablet Nokia 770. Using Opera, which comes installed, it can point the browser to each of the appliances and control them over my wireless network.
As result the author got a multi-room music system with noiseless clients (about $400 each) and cool remote (Nokia770, about $350). Which is not bad isn’t?

Once I already wrote about a new Sony Internet Tablet Mylo (short for “My Life Online”). It seems that Sony turned his face to Linux. The first was Vaio UX Micro PC with Linux version. The second is Mylo which is also based on Linux (Trolltech’s Qtopia Platform). In my mind it’s good for quality and price when there’s a choice on the market.

Sony release Mylo this September. After that Nokia will have a competitor. So, let’s see how it’ll be.
[via LinuxDevices]