1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
|
Want streaming music throughout your house? Well, if you're the DIY type, you can install one of the many Windows or Linux-based music servers, hook it into your wireless router and then configure some sort of wifi receiver to transfer the signal to your stereo.
It isn't impossible, but it also requires some technical chops.
Fortunately, if you don't mind paying a little money, there's a much easier way, Logictech's Squeezebox media player.
The [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox Classic] and the slightly newer [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_duet.html Squeezebox Duet] remove the tedious details of software hacking and make it easy to stream music from your PC, Mac or dedicated server to any garden variety stereo receiver.
Even better, [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_features.html SqueezeCenter], the software that powers the Squeezebox should work with any software MP3 player and it supports MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WAV and more, so you aren't format-limited like you are with iTunes.
Today we'll take a look at what the Squeezebox does and walk you through setting up your own home audio network.
== What you need ==
A Squeezebox or Duet, obviously.
A wireless router.
A PC, DAS or NAS device to store your music and run the SqueezeCenter software. Because The SqueezeCenter, which powers the Squeezebox and provides a web interface to control your Squeezebox, is just a bundled web server and collection of Perl scripts it doesn't require special hardware. Just about any reasonably powered network storage device will work and of course you can always use your PC.
SqueezeCenter software (available for Win, Mac and Linux)
== Set up ==
Once you have your new Squeezebox, just plug it in and hook it up to your stereo. The device will walk you through the necessary steps to connect to your home wifi network. If your router happens to be next to your stereo, skip the wifi and plug directly into the ethernet port for more speed.
Once the Squeezebox is on your network, use the remote to select SqueezeNetwork. This will connect you to thousands of internet radio stations, music services like Pandora (free 90 trial for Squeezebox users) Rhapsody and more. Use your Squeezebox remote to explore all the internet radio options.
I'm a big Pandora fan and spend most of time on the Squeezebox listening to my Pandora radio stations.
To use Pandora through the Squeezebox you'll need to head to the [http://www.squeezenetwork.com/user/login Squeeze Network homepage] and create a free account. When you connect your account with your Pandora.com account (you'll do this from your account page at the Squeezenetwork website) Pandora will automatically upgrade you to a 90-day-free subscription -- no credit card required. Of course if you enjoy Pandora and want to keep using it you'll need to pay the $36/year fee once your 90 days are up.
== Serving your own music ==
The internet radio and streaming features are all nice, but what about your own music collection? How do we get that into the Squeezebox?
The answer is simple, just install the SqueezeCenter software on your PC, Mac or NAS device. If you use iTunes to manage your music, SqueezeCenter can even read the same library and import all your existing playlists.
To get started head over to SqueezeCenter site and [http://www.slimdevices.com/su_downloads.html download the latest version] of the open source software. Just run the installer and then point SqueezeCenter to your music collection. If you use iTunes, don't for get to choose that option in the setup dialog.
Once SqueezeCenter is running, head back over to your Squeezebox and choose "SqueezeCenter" and you'll have access to all your music, as well as the radio options we explored earlier.
== Plugins ==
Here's where SqueezeCenter gets really fun. There are [http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/SqueezeCenter_Plugins hundreds of third party plugins available] for SqueezeCenter. Want to send your current track to last.fm? No problem, just use the last.fm plugin. Want to change the look of SqueezeCenter? Plenty of skins available. How about [http://www.mavit.org.uk/demuxtape/ streaming music from your friends' muxtape mixes]?
Because the SqueezeCenter software is open source and there's a plugin SDK, the sky's the limit when it come to plugins. If you have ideas, head over to the [http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/PluginIdeas suggestions page and add them in, who knows, maybe someone will build what you're looking for.
== Conclusion ==
The Squeezebox/SqueezeCenter may not be the cheapest option when it comes to streaming music through your house, but it's certainly one of the easiest. If you'd rather spend your time listening to music than upgrading software and fiddling with your network, then the Squeezebox is for you.
|
