Fun With Networked Music: Squeezebox Boom and iPeng Reviewed

[Danny]

I enjoyed this article very much.

Although the Squeezebox Duet was not specifically reviewed, this article swayed me against buying that. I thought I wanted a Duet; now I'm pretty sure the Boom is the closest to what I need. What I'd really like is something like the Transporter with a lower price tag. Like, much lower. I'm no audiophile either, but I enjoy music and convenience. I like the idea of using an iTouch for the controller… but, as I understand it, iPod is a gateway drug to other Apple products. So, I'm reluctant.

I chuckled when Tim said he hated installing software to review products. So true! It's not the installation that's so painful, it's cleaning up the aftermath… Well, I must be a glutton for punishment, because I went ahead and installed SqueezeCenter (not too bad) and also SoftSqueeze (more of a pain) on my spare system running Windows XP Home. I also installed an alternative to SoftSqueeze called SqueezePlay.

I tried unsuccessfully to use SqueezeCenter in the past but this time I got it (and supporting programs) working right. It's pretty neat, overall. Later, I might post a reply with tips on what (and what not) to do or try. I have to play more to be sure I know what I'm talking about.

There are many entries in the media player market. I wonder how it'll sort itself out in coming years—will products become orphaned as companies abandon them or go belly-up? Will companies left behind monetize their user base in a way that hurts users' enjoyment? I'm reluctant to invest in a Chumby, for instance, when it's unclear to me whether that device can be programmed or used without the manufacturer's assistance and permission.

 

[Danny]

SoftSqueeze software player tips

I also installed an alternative to SoftSqueeze called SqueezePlay.

SqueezePlay was better, although SoftSqueeze gives you a rough idea of what it's like to own the actual product.

If you run SoftSqueeze look for the tiny, obscure icon widget that looks somewhat like a minimize button on the top left side of the window. Clicking that brings up the preferences dialog where you can change skins. You can make SoftSqueeze look like a Boom instead of a Transporter. Both SoftSqueeze and SqueezePlay (shoot, the whole software set) suffer from a lack of documentation.

If you run SqueezePlay, the first thing you're going to need to do is raise the volume. Use the keyboard + key. For ‘normal’ keyboards you must press the shift key for + because it is a shifted character. The + on the numeric keypad didn't work for me. Awkward. You must raise the volume the first time you use SoftSqueeze as well, but at least that has a controller you can poke at with the mouse, so you're more likely to find the volume!

I had best results installing SoftSqueeze from an installer found on this page: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=105169 Clicking around in your browser showing the SqueezeCenter page, you may find an option for installing SoftSqueeze directly from your browser using a java applet. I don't recommend that method because I had inconsistent results installing when installing to different users on different machines. The standalone installer worked best, and I only had it install it once per computer, unlike the java applet which required to be installed for each user on a given machine. Your experience may vary.

The best downloads for SqueezeCenter and SqueezePlay were obtained from this page: http://downloads.slimdevices.com/nightly/?ver=7.3 I used the build called SqueezeCenter-7.3.3-25463 after uninstalling the one I installed from Logitech's main product download page, SqueezeCenter-7.3.2. There may have been no good reason me to uninstall/ reinstall, I was just having a lot of problems with SoftSqueeze.

 

[epoch1970]

To Tim...

Tim, I don't know what server you're using for SC and feed your Boom, but I recently built one based on pcengines alix for my brother. Pictures here.
Good performance, great power efficiency.

And the openvpn maintenance link I included -started from webmin- is really great for updates. I just did his SC7.3.3 update in a cinch.