[kadded]

Hi all,

Not sure if XBMC is actully built for that, yet here goes. I'm looking for:

• An external HD on which I can easily (think plug in and do stuff) add/remove mp3 files
  
• A system that functions as a central hub, where updating firmware or minimal maintenance is required
  
• A system that is ideally a simple 'box', once configered one should only remove/add mp3's and one is ready to go... no need for a screen once configured
  
• System has to be mobile, as in it will be installed in various places where often there is no internet connection
  
• Each user is able to individually select songs from a predefined folder. Select here means that one can click 'next', 'previous', 'stop' and 'play'. Volume control is required as well.
  
• a dedicated control for each user should work without batteries
  
• should be easily scalable: when required it should be as easy to provide 4 listening controls as it would be to provide 30
  
• prefer hardware solution (instead of installing software and configure it) for that will be a lot easier to maintain (as in 'broken, let's go to the shop and get it fixed'). Commercial packages are welcome.
  
• ideally should work for a couple of years (so soft is tricky for an update might break stuff)
  

I know of Sonos and their dedicated control, Logitech and their Squeezebox range and a couple of others. But building that for 30 listening posts becomes horribly expensive. So my question is:

• Can XBMC do this?
  
• Are there commercial firms delivering that kind of functionallity out-of-the-box?
  

[jhsrennie]

This isn't really my area, but since no-one else has answered ...

Can you give a bit more background. For example are you planning something like a hotel where each room can play videos and music from a central store?

JR

[kadded]

No not a hotel. In fact, it will be a mobile display, setup on various locations. The goal is to allow people listening to the files we offer, more as an artistic expression than anything else. There is no commercial benefit or paid element in the setup.
The goal is to set it up anywhere in whatever room as long as we have electricity. This is open rooms and what not.

But after some thought, we might want to look into a simple setup:
- HD
- NAS
- Some http server
- WIFI router
- Allow people to connect (smartphone, tablet, laptop...) to an open network via the WIFI router and stream the MP3's through a trimmed down HTML/JS webpage. Limitation of the setup is roughly 30 people, but works fairly well.

[jhsrennie]

It sounds as if XBMC would be overkill for your purposes.

JR