Future proofing the music.

[anshackles]

The fairly ancient stereo in the sitting room is declining to play CDs. We could of course replace it, but then there's an issue of cassettes. It's getting increasingly difficult to get any kind of cassette player

Comments

[anshackles]

The audio-format thing is more about what will stand the test of time. MP3 is so widespread now that support for it is liable to last for a while, I don't know much about FLAC except that technically it's superior. I think VLC plays FLAC now, doesn't it?

[anonymous]

'course, the other question is which liliputer to use... obviously, purchase cost is a relevant question... it'd probably be a good idea if it had some HDD, but I don't expect to store all the music on it. However, it'd be good to have anything which is going to be wanted often on local drive rather than networked.

About the only other thing that springs to mind is that it'd probably be better if it had a line out jack, rather than just headphone. The principal question is cost: for what it's going to be doing, out-and-out performance won't be a major issue, provided it's got enough to do streaming audio via a browser, say - it's likely that it'll replace the radio as well.

[anshackles]

bugger this computer and it's broken cookies. I wouldn't have thought such a problem could persist through a major system version upgrade and complete re-install. And it's the same firefox which is in use on the other machines, where there's no problem.

[anshackles]

Actually, I probably would stick with windoze as I'm most familiar with it. I doubt I'd run MS media center though. VLC would be the player-of choice, I reckon. That, together with a suitable directory structure that lets the music easily be found, would do. And firefox for browsing/online streaming.

[g8bur]

I can, I hope, play cassettes into the computer.

Worked for me with my portable MD player, using its line-out socket, and plugged into the line-in socket on my old Box 1 (now about to be 'reduced to produce'), so ought to work from a cassette player, I'd think. If there isn't a line-out socket on a device you're playing into the computer, a fairly simple attenuator plugged into the phones/speaker socket should work - I made one using two 8-ohm resistors (or other value to suit the output impedance of the device) to provide a dummy load for each channel, then a couple of 47k ohm resistors to a pair of phono sockets or a stereo 3.5mm jack socket.

Is there no SCART input at all on the HDDVD? An RF connection will give considerably worse quality because of the analogue modulation and demodulation. A SCART switch might be the way to go, if it's a matter of sharing a single SCART input between other devices.

[anshackles]

There are SCART but they're in use, and I don't want to complicate it unduly. VHS is already a pretty low standard so I doubt the modulation/demodualtion will hurt it much :)

The issue with the cassettes is whether the cassette player upstairs (which is already hooked into the computer) will still actually work. The CD player which is part of the stack has died sue to the rubber suspension bits in the motion having perished and borked. I can however play CDs if I want from the computer CD drive into the line input on the amp.

I've successfully captured audio from the record deck into the computer, so I don;t foresee a problem with that side of it, just the possibility that the cassette deck is dead.

[g8bur]

There are SCART but they're in use, and I don't want to complicate it unduly.

Fairenuff; 'twas just a thought.

VHS is already a pretty low standard so I doubt the modulation/demodualtion will hurt it much :)

It'll probably be noticeable, but only just, I'd say.

The issue with the cassettes is whether the cassette player upstairs .... will still actually work. The CD player which is part of the stack has died sue to the rubber suspension bits in the motion having perished and borked.

Ah, IC. If it doesn't work, and you can't find another deck, I could cast around in this neck of the woods and see if anyone's shifting one out; yesterday Geoff brought home a CD player/clock radio that someone gave him just because they'd bought a new one - the old one still works fine.

I also have an otherwise very nice Aiwa cassette deck, with three heads, Dolby C, and all the bells and whistles, which seized up some years ago, probably due to perished belts. It seems a pity to scrap it, but I doubt I'd ever get replacements for it :-(