Sponsored By
Efika 5200B Project
networked stereoin category Applications & Software
proposed by expose on 18th February 2006 (accepted on 20th March 2006)
Project Summary
Server and clients need to be on the same LAN.The server (can be a client at the same time, too) is storing all your music data plus mounts NFS shares of the clients so their free disk space is never wasted.
Each client is connected to a flat panel plus some input device as well as speakers of course.
Each client can select media on the server, which will then be streamed to all clients.
So, in the end, when you wake up, you will be able to turn on your favourite song when you are still in bed, and it will be playing in your bath room while shaving as well as in the kitchen for breakfast.
As long as you have at least 3 nodes.
It would also be possible to add amplifiers right into the case of the clients, so you do not need external ones everywhere anymore.
When this works I will also try a P2P solution for the streaming, so load is taken away from the server and possible bottlenecks in the network infrastructure are avoided. This should also help to work around a certain delay between far away rooms somewhat - you should not be able to notice it when you walk from one to the other room.
(What I will not try)
In even more advanced versions you could imagine your music shutting of automatically when the server detects that your home theatre computer just started playing a movie, upon incoming calls on the ISDN line, which might (relatively often in Germany via \"DoorLines\") include that someone rang the bell at your front door. Or use you bluetooth and java enabled mobile phone as a remote control, as well as a PDA you might have.
Maybe it is also possible to create a UPnP compatible media server for the yet available media players on the basis of an EFIKA board?
Or connect your USB based iPod to it?
Possibilities are endless.
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I would also do general Gentoo and application development, add to the Documentation and provide remote access to the machine for other developers. Local access by arrangement. QA checking, as far as the hardware has free resources. Might be showing it at certain community events, publish articles etc.
Project Blog Entries
I will, as far as the FPGA will allow, accelerate playback of MP3, OGG and FLAC, as well as certain computation intensive routines.
Also I will add to existing community projects like the Kernel Accelerator Device (KAD) and others.
A graphics card will be needed (onboard or via the PCI-slot) for the display which is planned.