Tiggs

Just spent 3 days putting all the CDs on the PC with Itunes........now the PC is in the home office and has some nice little speakers and a sub so sounds cool................but how to get the sounds into the living room?

the wirless router is in there by the TV so can i use that?

is the best bet to use a cheap laptop to wirlessly access the main PC and play via some PC speakers with a sub in the living room?

could i plug the laptop into the main amp that runs the dvds?

i tried a thing that plugs into the router and scarts into the TV but it allows pretty rubbish access to the music files......really i want i tunes on the TV!

Markus

Sharing the Library on the PC and then having a lappy in the living room, and having that hooked up to the TV might be a way to go.

The only other thing I can think of is AirTunes

lightning101

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rich101

Yep, AirTunes would get my vote these days but . . . Slim Devices Squezebox or similar is a very good alternative.

Nice thing about the Airport Express is that it outputs optical, has USB for a printer and a Ethernet port to allow use as a bridge for XBox, although check this out if it figures in your plans. Oh yeah and depending on how it is configured it can extend the WiFi envelope !

rich

class_A

Chipped Xbox running XBMC is my method. The drawback with AirPort Express/AirTunes is a lack of remote control.

Gordo

If you've got an IPod, plug it into your stereo (we've got a couple of long decent hi-fi wires always ready to plug it into). If you haven't, get one.....

I used to mess about with wired networks and the like - takes as long to go and turn the PC on etc than to just plug the Ipod in.


Gordo

RB5-Black

xbox for me too.

it'll knock the socks off all those squezebox things

Tiggs

so if i have an xbox already (in the loft...never use it!) is that the best way? i had been thinking of getting a laptop plugged into the amp and access the music on the main PC via itunes on the lappy (wirless network between the two)

that way i get the playlist/search features of itunes............will an xbox even get close to that level of control over my music files?

class_A

XBMC can access your iTunes Playlists and Library if you turn on the "Music Sharing" feature. The alternative if you don't want to run iTunes all the time is just to share your music folder but then you don't get the playlists.

Searching doesn't really exist, you are just presented with an hierarchical list of Artist->Albums->Tracks.

Tiggs

so the xbox will play my itunes playlist that i set up on the pc in advance?

that sounds fine........wheres the best place to find out how to set it up?

and can i take audio from the xbox into my amp?

RB5-Black

Audio can just be taken from the RCA connections on the Xbox scart.

you just need someone to chip the xbox and install Xbox media centre. It may sound like a hassle but once chipped the xbox is by far the best gadget I've ever bought

Tiggs

so onced chiped it will plug in my router..access the pc and i will be able to view the itunes files and playlists and playout through the amp?

is that right? sounds perfect!

what else can it do? and who chips it? not microsoft i assume!

Tiggs

just thinking...doesnt the xbox have an optical output that i coluld plug in the amp...the DVD uses that right now but could i play DVDs on the xbox instead?

class_A

Basically, yes. Plus you get access to internet radio and any files you have stored on your PC, for example videos and photos.

Xbox doesn't have optical out by default, you need a new AV lead with the socket on it. For chips, DJ Dunk would be your man. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a PM. I got mine done a couple of years ago so haven't kept up with developments since.

Tiggs

ok...spoke with some chip sellers and it sseems it works as descibed!

couple of questions...they suggested upgrading the size of the HD in the box.....if i stream my MP3's from the PC do i need to worry about the Xbox HD size?

and will it play itune downloaded songs from Apple? i assume they are an odd format as they work on the pc but not on my mp3 player? (its not an ipod)

class_A

As you are just streaming files from the PC, the HD of the Xbox does not need to be changed. HD upgrades only come into play when you want to backup games and play them from the Xbox HD or if you want to store media on the Xbox.

Files from the iTunes Music Store (iTMS) are encrypted and will only play on Apple authorised devices. I use a program called JHymn to strip the DRM protection, leaving me with a plain AAC file which XBMC will happily play. The alternative is to burn your purchased music as an audio CD, then re-rip the tracks into the format of your choice.

Hope this helps,
Alex

Tiggs

cool...so i just let a few tunes build up in the "purchased music" list then burn to disc and burn back again?

Tiggs

just thinking......is there any benifit in streaming the MP3's? wouldnt it be faster to down load the files to a big HD on the box........if i did that could i just download the same folder again every so often to add any new songs i had added to the pc? or wold that just double them all up? ie. would i need to transfer the mp3's individually?

class_A

Faster than what? The Xbox just plays the tunes from your PC HDD, it doesn't need to copy them across before playing