What are the best options for Wi-Fi Home Digital Media Streamer?

Question

I want to play the music from my computer on my entertainment center using my existing wifi network. Preferably the solution will interact with itunes since I don't want to use a different/propietary software to organize my music on the computer.

Answer 1

I have been in the market for this myself. The Roku SoundBridge M2000 will do this for you, and it has received some great reviews. From CNET:



The good: Compatible with DRM WMA files purchased from online music stores; supports Rhapsody; works with Windows Media Connect and iTunes servers; includes 802.11b wireless card; front-panel text display; optical and coaxial digital audio outputs; works with Windows and Mac.



The bad: Can't stream secure AAC files purchased from iTunes store; no headphone jack; cramped side-mounted jacks; basic remote control.



The bottom line: Cutting-edge features and striking looks put Roku's SoundBridge at the forefront of the digital audio receiver category.

Answer 2

Slim Devices is a good company to look at. They provide a hardware box that hooks into your entertainment system and provides a very high quality audio output. The server backend is a simple app that you install on your PC - it will automatically catalog your media and make it available to the hardware front end. You can then control the player from the supplied remote control or from a web interface on a computer.



Their system also provides some other great features:



If you have multiple players, you can sync them up exactly, so the same sound will be heard from all the devices around your house (or you can have them all playing different songs, all from the same server).



The same server that drives the hardware box allows you to connect any streaming audio client (winamp, media player, etc) to it - so when you can't be on the computer that houses your music, you can still stream it remotely and choose exactly what you want to listen to via the web interface.



Best of all, see the Perks page on backyard for a discount!

Answer 3

Julian - I use the Buffalo LinkTheater for this interaction and love it. The device can play iTunes content, Yahoo! Music Engine files (via Windows Media Connect), mpg, wmv, h.264 and a host of other compressions.

Answer 4

The Apple Airport Express works well for me. See:

http://www.apple.com/airport



You just plug it in to a power jack and then connect it to your stereo inputs. It can steam music from iTunes over your wireless network to the speakers on your stereo.



If you happen to have a Series2 TiVo with a network adapter, you can use Audio Faucet to control the iTunes program on your PC from your TV (via the TiVo). Otherwise, you need to control it from iTunes directly. See:

http://www.digitaldroplet.net/download.html