Wednesday, January 4, 2006
MP3 player with hard drive, remotely controlled by the Palm
I have in mind to build a media center using Linux and MythTV. But today I found a very curious: GiantDisc: Audio Jukebox. This is a computer monitor from the Palm, as if a machine disk (jukebox) concerned. It consists of the program that is installed on the Palm, and some scripts that are installed on your computer (yes, running Linux), which store all the songs. There is no need therefore to be connected a screen or keyboard or mouse, so you can build something really small, and that does not appear that a computer, or make so much noise. Everything is controlled from the Palm as if from a remote question. This is free software and free.
Example of the team that wants to control
To connect the Palm and a PC can be used RS232 (serial port) or TCP / IP over Bluetooth, IRDA (infrared), USB, WLAN (WiFi, wireless local area network), GSM (to control it from your mobile phone, etc.).
In the project page there is detailed information on everything that allows, with animated demos that show what we practically. These are the characteristics which I found most interesting:
- Find songs by the track name, album of or artist. Searches return information with all details such as year, language, gender, personal assessment, and so on. Lets change this information from the Palm. Of course, defining playlists, shuffle, control volume, etc.
- Import tracks from a CD-audio, or a CD with MP3 files.
- Client server structure: there may be several GiantDisk servers running on the same computer, controlled by a Palm or a single server controlled by several Palm (or web clients, if you are connected by network to other computers).
- The databases with information on the songs, can be synchronized between multiple servers GiantDisk
- You can save your home from each album, and will come into play when our Palm.
- The sound can be played from the speakers connected to your PC, or sent through the network by streaming (such as music from radio stations over the Internet.
- For the more hands, you can connect a PC to pantallita LCD, which displays the currently playing track, the artist, or whatever we want.
Looking for songs in our collection
Managing a playlist
It also explains how to use, instead of a Palm, a laptop or a bluetooth-enabled phone to control the computer. Taking it to extremes, has tried to make the portable server, using an MP3 player instead of a PC.
Such as using an old radio cabinet
In conclusion, commenting that the project documentation is available on the web, and it is very detailed. It is a very interesting project, which can be done with very little money (all software is free, and computer hardware may be a barebones that it costs very little money). All a geek to show off in front of the visits.
By: Mark Gonzalez Troyes in Palm Analysis
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I reviewed the page and it seems to me a very interesting proecto. Unfortunately little is mjuy Linux, so we wonder if anyone knows a similar option for Windows or DOS?
We will have to seek alternatives by MS-DOS, but for now MP3 players that do exist. There is a very complete list of programs for MS-DOS on this page.