My take on this is that the Squeezebox idea is getting squeezed in the middle.
Expensive high-end audio-only streaming is now catered for by media servers / players that can store music on a local hard disk and / or stream it from a networked drive. In the UK we have the likes of the Naim Uniti, NDX and UnitiQute and the Linn "DS" range (Majik, Akurate and Klimax). US and far eastern specialist audio manufacturers are also producing similar equipment. The Transporter could not hope to compete against that kind of opposition without lots of development so that, presumably, was its demise. At the other end of the spectrum are Wi-Fi radios and multi-media servers/players that can stream audio and video through the TV or a simple home audio system. These can be bought for as little as £200 ($300) making it difficult for devices such as the audio-only SB Touch to compete. So what is the SqueezeBox selling point? It has to be down to its synchronisation and multi-room capability. It shares that with Sonos who, arguably(!) have a slightly more reliable and user friendly, but limited and expensive, solution. Sonos has gone all out to support the online services such as Napster and Spotify. SqueezeBox are a bit behind them but there is still a little time to catch up. Offering Spotify in Europe is an absolute must. I know there is a plugin, but it really needs manufacturer support "out of the box". I also think MySqueezebox needs to bundle a free quota of storage space for a basic music collection, say 5GB, with the option to purchase more if the user wants it. If the MySB setup offers such a full suite of functions, then SqueezeBox Server can be left to those with larger music collections in lossless formats or who want more complicated plugin support. It will no longer be necessary for the "masses" to have a server, but it will still be an option for us music freaks and computer geeks ;) -- TheLastMan Matt *SqueezeBoxes:* SB Duet (Controller + two receivers) *Server:* Synology Diskstation 107+ NAS (with firmware 2.3-1157) running Squeezebox Server 7.5.0 on Synology Package Manager *Network:* Netgear DG834GT ADSL modem/router, 2 x Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 as access points *Livingroom:* Receiver into Naim 42/110 amp, B&W CM2 speakers *Kitchen:* Receiver into Denon DM37 mini-system, B&W 686 speakers *Study:* Linn LP12, Naim 72/Hi-cap/Headline. LPs ripped usingBehringer UCA202 USB into Windows XP PC ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TheLastMan's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16021 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=82366
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