Topic: SliMP3 (Read 4108 times)

graham131 · « **on:** August 06, 2002, 07:05:44 am »

Hi guys.

I have come across this device which has open source firmware and server software. Just wondered whether you have seen it and if you have any plans to add it as a "device" to MJ

The company's website is www.slimdevices.com , they appear to ship worldwide which is good as i am in England.

If i could use this in conjunction with my MJ i would be over the moon.

Below is an extract of one of the reviews i read concerning it:

"Slim Devices saw THG's review of the Audiotron, and asked if we would take a look at a device of theirs, similar to the AudioTron, which they have named the "SliMP3." The SliMP3 (Slim-'pE-'thrE) is also a network audio device that can decode MP3s for playback through your stereo. Additionally, it has the ability to handle streaming Internet audio. However, the real beauty of the SliMP3 is its compact size and its open-source firmware and server software. Yes, you read that correctly -- all of the SliMP3 software is open-source, which makes it the first device of this type with an entirely open-source development community.

In addition to being completely open-source, the SliMP3 has some other nice features. It uses a vacuum fluorescent display, or VFD, which is extremely easy to read, even from as far as ten feet away. The SliMP3 make no noise at all, as there are no fans or disk drives. When compared to the AudioTron, the SliMP3 is almost 600% smaller in cubic inches! With such a small form factor, SliMP3 would be a perfect addition to a bookshelf stereo system. The server software is written in Perl, and any operating system that can run Perl (Windows 95 and greater, Linux, Mac OSX, FreeBSD, Solaris and many more) can act as the SliMP3 server.

The SliMP3 does not use Windows file sharing to access your MP3 files; instead, it uses a custom open protocol to access the MP3 files. The SliMP3, or the little box that connects to your network and stereo system, only decodes MPEG data to play through your stereo. One might think that would limit the use of the unit, but Slim Devices claims that their server software will also be able to transcode from other formats to MPEG in the foreseeable future. "

Cheers Graham

graham131 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 06, 2002, 07:09:27 am »

To add - I also found this, Slim devices appear to give FREE eval unit to s/w developers!!!!!!

Might be an idea

"To stimulate continued growth and development from the SliMP3 community, the Slim Devices folks have provided, and continue to provide, free SliMP3 players to developers who make significant software development contributions to the unit. We think this helps encourage the ongoing growth of the open-source nature of the unit. For the number of open-source developers who continue to drift from project to project, the SliMP3 may offer an opportunity for them to be compensated, even if it is a little out of the ordinary."

Graham

Gatobrit · « **Reply #2 on:** August 06, 2002, 07:48:15 am »

Interesting synchronicity - I was talking to a friend last week about this device. He has one at home and absolutely loves it.

Steve · « **Reply #3 on:** August 06, 2002, 10:27:57 am »

Thanks for the tip. I will look into this and post to this thread whatever I find out.

"Slim devices appear to give FREE eval unit to s/w developers!!!!!!"

Woohoo! Rio should take a lesson from these guys.

graham131 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 08, 2002, 02:31:33 am »

Gatobrit,

I take you are from England too? Where did your friend buy it from the UK distrib (V Expensive) or Slimdevices direct? Do you know how long delivery took if it was slim direct?

Thanks

Graham

Gatobrit · « **Reply #5 on:** August 08, 2002, 05:47:57 am »

Graham - yeah, I'm from England but I live in California. My friend bought it from the web site directly. I don't think delivery took that long, a few days, but he lives here in California.

I guess I'm not a lot of help. Sorry. :-)

xen-uno · « **Reply #6 on:** August 08, 2002, 09:34:48 am »

Here is reply from Dean of Slim Devices

Unit looks nice & great features. My main question is about file formats. I only use MP3 for compatibility w/ my SlimX (iRiver) player (direct ogg support is coming). I prefer the ogg & ape format. In your FAQ you're saying other formats are/will-be transcoded (which I'm not crazy about). By this are you saying ogg & ape will NEVER be directly supported by the hardware?

>>Right. This hardware only supports MP3, through a dedicated decoder chip.

2.) I use Media Jukebox 8 (JRiver). If they develop a plug-in (looks like they will), can MJ control what's playing on the SliMP3?

>>Absolutely, and it would be relatively easy to develop. Feel free to have them contact us for more information.

3.) I'm just wondering how controllable it is from a 3rd party/ethernet standpoint.

>>Very. The server provides a standard web interface, a programmatic HTTP interface and a command-line style interface for external control. It's all fairly well documented and open source.

Funkstar · « **Reply #7 on:** August 08, 2002, 02:04:07 pm »

I've been looking at this device for a while now (ever since they were profiles on Slashdot.org, before board production started). i think support from MJ would be 'a good thing'(TM)

graham131,

i didn't think the UK distro was to expensive (i'm in Aberdeen). especially when you will likely get whacked with the VAT when you import, plus the courier may add 5 - 10% on top for dealing with the customs paper work. I was charged £18 for the import of $60 worth of clothing from California

at work we import from the US all the time, despite the exchange rate being what it is, we considder $1 = £1 after you take deliver and customs into account. And i would say this is true from my experiences too.

MonkeyK · « **Reply #8 on:** August 09, 2002, 08:33:23 pm »

I am also very interested in support for SliMP3. One hard drive for all of my music would rock!

graham131 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 11, 2002, 03:00:50 pm »

Any comments from anyone at J River?

Cheers....

Or are you all on holiday like JIMH ?? (lucky sod)

JimH · « **Reply #10 on:** August 11, 2002, 03:11:14 pm »

Yeah, lucky, I know. In Nebraska, where I grew up, sod is the stuff you make lawns out of, or in older times, houses. They cut up the prairie into big grassy bricks and then laid them up. Some are still standing more than 100 years later.

The SliMP3 device looks very interesting and we're considering doing something. That's all I can say right now.

yonkiman · « **Reply #11 on:** August 11, 2002, 04:51:40 pm »

Wow, I was just telling a friend of mine that this concept (I was thinking fully wireless) has a HUGE potential market - but I didn't know anyone had come this close already. Imagine if your boombox and bedroom bookshelf systems had 802.11b streaming audio with a decent interface. Imagine an iPOD-type device with no hard disk, just 802.11b, for use around the house, puttering in the garage/garden, exercising, etc. Now imagine how it should only cost about $100 a year or two from now.

This is going to revolutionize home audio, not just for us techno-savvy people, but the millions of users who aren't.

Whoever does this right is going to be very successful! Sony's got home auido systems that rip to a hard drive when you play a CD - if they are smart enough to combine that with inexpensive "remote access" devices, that (combined with their name) could be huge...

-Fred

sekim · « **Reply #12 on:** August 11, 2002, 05:52:11 pm »

>>> Sony's got home auido systems that rip to a hard drive when you play a CD <<<

This is funny in a way. Sony has the problem of not knowing what one hand is doing from the other. They are also one of the companies trying to produce copy protected discs'. Ya know, the ones defeated with a magic marker.

As far as the SliMP3 goes, this is really neat. Turtle Beach kind of beat 'em to the punch though. Auditron is very similar. But, more expensive.

graham131 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 12, 2002, 01:01:12 am »

Thanks Jim look forward to it! PS "Lucky sod" is just a UK phrase for you "lucky person" - no offense meant if you thought i was calling you a piece of grass!

Machine Head - From reading audiotron's reviews and comapring SliMP3's they also seem to have to upper hands with No of tracks as well as cost. Audiotron appear to be limited to 30,000 - dont quite know why.

However I am on the verge of ordering one of these SliMP3's so will let you know!!!!!!!!!

Graham

MonkeyK · « **Reply #14 on:** September 08, 2002, 08:11:41 pm »

I ordered one, and it is amazing! Navigation of my music is suprisingly effective, using arrows on the remote to navigate the tree like directory structure.

Are you guys at JRiver looking into this for Media Jukebox?

-Mike

JimH · « **Reply #15 on:** September 09, 2002, 05:50:52 am »

We ordered one to take a look at. It's been about 10 days and they haven't been very good about telling us when it would ship.

MonkeyK · « **Reply #16 on:** September 25, 2002, 03:53:55 am »

JimH,
Did you ever get the unit you ordered? What is you impression of the SliMP3? Does the server software look like something that could be implemented in Media Jukebox?

Thanks,
Mike

JimH · « **Reply #17 on:** September 25, 2002, 05:13:46 am »

We got it. Looks very good. We're taking a look at doing something.

The shipping / customer service wasn't very good. It took about 2 1/2 weeks to get and I only heard from them once after I e-mailed them to ask where it was.

yosISme · « **Reply #18 on:** September 25, 2002, 06:00:43 am »

Ok - this is cool, but I spent $40 on a soundcard with optical outputs and cables and I have basically the same thing. Granted I don't have a remote control, but I didn't spend $250 either.

Am I missing something? ?

MonkeyK · « **Reply #19 on:** September 25, 2002, 07:00:05 am »

I do not believe that you have the same thing.

The SliMP3 is a client device. This means that it will access the music independantly of anything you are doing on your machine. For example, You could be busy gaming on your machine while your significant other is in the living room and wants to listen to some music.

The SliMP3 is also connected as part of a ethernet network. This makes it much easier to connect to the sterio when the sterio in question is far away from the computer storing the music.

-Mike

TimB · « **Reply #20 on:** September 25, 2002, 07:19:49 am »

This is very cool!

It just needs some 802.x support and I'd buy it.

-=Tim=-

yosISme · « **Reply #21 on:** September 25, 2002, 10:31:25 am »

Well, until its wireless, you have to run something - either cat5 or fiber or whatever, so I don't see the ethernet support as a huge advantage.

As far as accessing it independently, I guess that is a big advantage if you only have one PC.

$250 just seems a little high, but I guess that's 'cause I'm perfectly happy with my fiber out to my receiver, which is hooked in to multi-room speakers.

It may not be hi-tech, so I guess it's mid-tech...

michel · « **Reply #22 on:** September 25, 2002, 11:12:47 am »

Quote

Here is reply from Dean of Slim Devices

>>Right. This hardware only supports MP3, through a dedicated decoder chip.

That (no ogg support) will prevent me to buy one.

MonkeyK · « **Reply #23 on:** September 26, 2002, 10:53:32 am »

You are right, the device is like attaching a small computer near your sterio and then routing the audio out to the reciever. However, the SliMP3 looks a lot better than a PC when near the sterio, uses less power, and is quieter than most PCs. On the other hand, someone could play solitaire or minesweeper on the PC attached to the sterio.
Ethernet is a huge advantage to me because I have wired my house for ethernet.

I built my home system with the SliMP3 in mind. My workstation doubles as a file server with 2 80GB drives in Raid 1. Three devices access the music on that Raid, my workstation, my wife's machine, and the SliMP3. Never so much as a hiccup in playback.

-Mike

graham131 · « **Reply #24 on:** September 27, 2002, 12:34:42 am »

Hi Guys.

I have my SLiMP£ now. It works!!!!!! WOW, its great.

I also have it working via wireless 802

I am using 2 Linksys WAP's 1 of these in bridging mode. Brilliant!!!!!!!

Any news JIM on the MJ Plugin?

Also any news on the Ipod plugin?

Cheers

Graham

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Author Topic: SliMP3 (Read 4108 times)

Steve

MonkeyK

sekim

MonkeyK