4. A Better Solution?

Around this same time, I got the chance to review a Roku Labs SoundBridge Network Music Player.

Roku Labs SoundBridge Network Music

This device was cool in that it was designed to talk directly to network media servers and pass music on to a stereo - no computer required. A bright, vacuum-fluorescent display was provided for a user interface, and an IR remote for control. The Roku worked well and was a no-brainer to set up. I plugged it into my network, it acquired an IP address via DHCP, and automatically discovered both the iTunes server on my NSLU2, and another one I had been testing on my Kuro Box.

I had the device on my network for only a month or so before it had to go back to the manufacturer, but I enjoyed it during that time. It's hard to say whether I would have eventually drifted back toward my ibook/iTunes/Airport Express combo for day-to-day use, because as slick as it was, the Roku had some downsides. Once again, it had its own remote that needed to be located when I wanted to play music. It couldn't handle encrypted music purchased from the iTunes store, and the way I was using it, only a single user interface line was displayed for music selection. Thinking back on it, my gut feeling is that after the "wow" factor wore off, I'd have been back to using my laptop.

The figure below is a block diagram of how my music system stands today. I mostly use the NSLU2 mt-daapd server, but I sometimes bring up the Kuro version for testing.

Block Diagram of my current Music setup