Need some hints
#1
Question 
Having just been made aware of XBMC, I am looking into whether it can be used to create the setup I need.

I have a TV in my living room and have been recommended to buy the Asrock ION 330 for streaming contents to the TV. This sounds great and seems like straight forward to do Smile

In the next room, at a place where a loooong cable is required, I want to use the Asrock box to stream audio to my normal stereo amplifier. This is the part where SONOS looks great, but I think its way to expensive.

Question: What do I need to stream my audio wireless to the amplifier in the other room and how can it be integrated with XBMC?

I am thinking of using an iSomething or similar to control the setup.

- This question might have been posted before, but I still haven't figured the nerdier tags I should search for yet.
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#2
What software do you have your music in Itunes?

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#3
I wouldn't use wireless at all for audio or video.

do you not have an option to hard wire some cabling?

-=Jason=-
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#4
Chau Wrote:Question: What do I need to stream my audio wireless to the amplifier in the other room and how can it be integrated with XBMC?

So let me get this straight: You want the XBMC box in one room with the TV, but you also want it to do double duty and basically be a dedicated audio streaming box in another room?

That might be the definition of trying to do too much with too little. I personally would just put another box (like a first gen AppleTV or something) in the other room because any wireless transmitter you get will nearly cost what it costs, and there will be no easy way to switch the audio between the TV and the stereo in XBMC.

But if you want to try, maybe something like these are needed?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009U...VP83HVR4VA

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#5
When you say iSomething, I assume this means you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, if this is the case then I'll assume you already have a Mac/PC with iTunes where your music is housed. Therefore an Apple Airport Express hooked up to your amp & speakers would be perfect for streaming audio.

Just download the remote.app and you can control the playback from your iSomething. This will also allow you to choose if the sound comes out of your Mac/PC speakers or your Amp connected speakers or both. Want audio in another room? Just add another Airport Express and some small powered speakers and you're good to go.

Great WAF with this setup (if that applies), also guests can help choose music with their iSomethings if you enable Home Sharing in iTunes and allow them to join your wireless network (sorry almost forgot, you will need a wireless network in your house so that all of the iDevices can communicate). I think Home Sharing used to be called Party Mode or something, I'm actually still in the process of configuring mine for this usage.

Hope that helps your second problem, I'll let the other guys make the XBMC Hardware suggestions.
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#6
cray- Wrote:Therefore an Apple Airport Express hooked up to your amp & speakers would be perfect for streaming audio.

Best advice I have seen on the forum...

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#7
I agree. Airport Express @ $150 is a good option.


For your scenario, an asrock 330 or any other ION system is ideal for your TV.
Ideally you would cable this system to your router. Install XBMC and configure xbmc to get both Music and Movies from your PC (via SMB shares)


For your other room with audio, Get yourself an Airport Express. Use iTunes on your computer, and get it to play the music on any of the following
Computer Only
Computer and on Airport Express
Airport Express only.

If you share out the content on your PC correctly, you can have iTunes do its thing, and also connect XBMC to the same content.


The only thing you cant do is to get them all to play in sync.

You can also be a real nerd and use your iPhone to control your iTunes setup, and possibly XBMC (I know there is an Android one)

Hope this helps you pick the right tool for the job.
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#8
Star 
Hey Guys!

Thanks a lot for all your great answers. They all have made me rethink this again and again Smile

Quote:That might be the definition of trying to do too much with too little.
- I was afraid you might say something like that :o

Getting a secondary using XBMC box definitely requires a WIFI mobile controller due to the lack of display near the stereo in the other room.

The ASRock ION 330 only has one sound device, which ofcourse limits playback of either TV or music Sad

Quote:When you say iSomething, I assume this means you have an iPhone or iPod Touch
- I thought of getting an old iPod touch capable of using WIFI and the XBMC remote app. But I might get an Android phone and use the Android app instead.

Quote:What software do you have your music in Itunes?
- No iTunes, I prefer to use players like Winamp or similar. I have my music on a portable USB disk.

Quote:I wouldn't use wireless at all for audio or video.
- Isn't WIFI fast and stable enough for streaming just audio?

Quote:For your scenario, an asrock 330 or any other ION system is ideal for your TV.
Ideally you would cable this system to your router. Install XBMC and configure xbmc to get both Music and Movies from your PC (via SMB shares)
- I don't want the setup to require my PC to be turned on.

Basically I'm a bit disappointed, not by you guys, but of the lack of equipment suitable for my ideas Wink
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#9
Do you have a tv in the room you want to stream music to? I have an old xbox that I had soft modded and put a larger hard drive in also. It was easy to do. I run xbmc on it and it works great for this same situation. I have music and movies for that room that I can't get ethernet to. Don't know if that would be an option you would consider. You might not have to add a bigger hard drive for just music. Depends on how much music you have. I think the original hard drive is about 8 gigs in those. Also you may be able to use your usb drive hooked to one of the controller ports somehow so xbmc recognizes it. You can buy those old xboxes pretty cheap sometimes. I actually have 3 that I still use for sd stuff at home and work. But I use an HTPC for the living room. Anyways just throwing an idea out there.
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