VortexBox Player

[andrew]

We have spent quite a bit of time building the VortexBox music server platform. Now it's time to look at the other end of the music system, the player. We have not done much with this yet because there are may good players available from Logitech and other companies.


For VortexBox to be a full audiophile solution it needs a built in player. We are starting research on how to implement a software player that is audiophile quality. We will use existing open source software as much as possible. Please post any comments on this endeavor.

[HalfBit]

I suppose it's obvious from the posts regarding problems with the player now available on VortexBox, yet it is important to serve all music sources transparently. To my aging ears, sources like the high-bitrate streams from Radio Paradise are very valuable. If the full audiophile VortexBox Player lacks the ability to switch between local files and sources like Internet radio without reboot, as is now required, an audiophile-quality VortexBox will be of little value to me.


That said, since most of us acquired VortexBox and the VBA primarily to serve music, and because even at version 1.0 there remain bugs and unaswered issues in that platform, I would prefer a bug and issue listing and status system, accessible to users, before you research how to implement an audiophile-quality VortexBox software player.


My two cents.

[yeswork]

Hi,


In my opinion, Andrew has done a great job with Vortexbox. I have found the platform stable and his pricing on pre-configured hardware is a good value.


I have always been interested in "local" playback; its too bad that squeezeslave/7.4x is so problematic. Even so, I currently run an external USB DAC (Creative Xmod) and find I get sound that is much less noisy than when I use an internal/motherboard-based soundcard.


It would be great to have a robust alternative to squeezeslave that supports higher/other bitrates – Vortexslave???. Vortexslave should support native flac and rates other than 44K (which I beleive is the current fixed limitation of squeezeslave). Vortexbox should support USB based Codecs that handle 24bits e.g. high end DACs and DACs with digital (toslink/spdif) outputs. Headless is OK


FYI – Creative Wireless Xmod systems – usb input, pseudo 24bit digital wireless transmitter and receiver remote controlled pairs are selling for approx $44 on Amazon. While only outputting in the analog domain, I have a unit that essentially allows me to create a squeezeboxreceiver with Web and IR control for much less cost than a Logitech product. (the only downside is squeezeslave flakiness).


Andrew, I hope you can create Vortexslave! (or at least we can all get squeezeslave to work reliably). I'll try to help if I can.

[Patricia P]

Its my first post, so like so many others, let me say Andrew I love Vortexbox so much - its made ripping so automated and effective. Windows software is so buggy and expensive, you have created the means of making streamed music a practical proposition for people who arent (yet) able to make music a full time hobby. I have found that the weak link in the network is squeezecenter because tagging is eccentric and if I change libraries, squeezecenter really makes me work hard to get it all started again. We store our music on two computers, one of them vortexbox as we manage our libraries that way.


I read the discussion on computeraudiophile how a musicplayer MPD can be installed on server, pc client and ipod touch. Is it able to manage the squeezebox classic?


The Creative Xmod is interesting; like the squeezebox it can stream music wirelessly and convert to analog - I have also seen the pop pulse PC-link which has highend specifications and outputs, and also offers wifi for music streaming. It costs between £56 and £80 in UK. This handles the higher bandwidth that is promised by the SB Touch. It doesnt have a dac, which is fine for me as I have a Cambridge Audio dacmagic which would pair well with it.


I will try the MPD from vista PC: usb into CA dacmagic and see how it compares with squeezecenter.


I'm not too interested in ripping DVDs as they arent played often enough to get damaged, and the point of streaming media (for me) is to be able to discover tons of music you didnt know you had. I know how many dvds I own and if I didnt I dont want to buy enough storage to rip them all!

[ottovonkopp]

For me it's important that the player can emulate a Squeezebox just like Squeezeslave do.

[whashecall]

just wanted to thank andrew for an excellent server system.


been following vortexbox since 0.1. pretty much a linux newbie and struggle once in awhile with the command line. i use squeezeslave most of the time as my server is connected via soundcard directly to my sound system. i would certainly welcome a new player for the vortexbox as this is the buggiest part of the system.

[Sernyl]

(just installed the 2TB box)
would cPlay be of some interest ?
http://cplay.sourceforge.net/
"To nobody, except those who will take pleasure here" (Franz Schubert, 1797-1828)

[andrew]

Sernyl said: (just installed the 2TB box) >would cPlay be of some interest ? http://cplay.sourceforge.net/ > "To nobody, except those who will take pleasure here" (Franz Schubert, 1797-1828)
This is a very interesting project. It runs on Widnows but they have some good info on using a PC as a music player.

[pufnstuf]

ottovonkopp said:For me it's important that the player can emulate a Squeezebox just like Squeezeslave do.


I agree completely with ottovonkopp. The VortexBox player must appear just like a Squeezebox to the Squeeze Box Server and be controllable in the same ways too. eg: Logitech Controller, iPhone, web interface etc




This will keep consistency with the hardware players.

[sonorejr]

To pufnstuf:


When you launch Squeeze Box Server and your playing music via a Vortexbox unit you actually use Squeeze Box Server just like you would if you were controlling a standard Logitech device. So in fact no need to worry as everthing is being kept consistent. Unless you think that being able to play back 24/192 content is not keeping things consistant