erland wrote: > I'm fairly sure the Squeezebox Radio/Touch devices are a lot more > popular than you seem to think they are. > > However, we are hearing what people say and will take it under > consideration, but we can't promise anything at the moment.
After first seeing this thread, I did a quick inventory of the SB devices I have, but then thought not to post. But maybe that was the wrong decision. Not that a single voice makes a difference except maybe it'll encourage others (or you ickStream guys can discourage it, if you think it is not appropriate here). I have 9 players, all of which were in use at one point (multiple residences): 1xSB1, 3xSB2, 2xBoom, 1xSB3, 1xDuet, 1xTouch. I was using the SB1 until about 2 weeks ago, when I swapped it with the Touch (again, due to the discussion in this thread). The Duet Controller and the Touch are my least favorite devices of the bunch, because they operate differently (thanks to their displays). The Controller screen is just too small: it is much easier to use iPeng (which I typically use on an iPad mini, sometimes on an iPod Touch or even an iPhone). The Touch is okay as a desktop player, but across a room the older hardware is easier to read (IMHO, of course). Even at the desk, I prefer the IR remote for direct access to functions (I haven't looked at reconfiguring the Now Playing screen much). I use Triode's Spotify plugin. I prefer it over the Spotify app (as in iPad/iPhone/iPod app) just because I can send the music to a set of speakers with it (i.e. playback on an SB device). AirPlay is more difficult to work with, although with an Apple TV you can get close: you are just missing the convenient display that doesn't require picking up the table to look at iPeng. (Also, I really don't want to turn on a large screen just for music information display.) My Denon receiver also has AirPlay, but using it almost always hangs the receiver after the first disconnect (when it doesn't hang, it insists that it is in use by "another device"), so it is best avoided. I also use Pandora. I initially used it on my computer (with PandaBar), but I'm happier with it on a Squeezebox. When something grabs my attention, it is never at the beginning of the song (when the notification would be on my screen), but with a Squeezebox I can read the artist and song info any time during the song (without reaching for another device, either). I've recently looked at alternatives to Pandora (just in case it stops working on the LMS; otherwise I love the selections their algorithms come up with). The Smart Mix plugin based on the Echo Nest has proven rather nice, especially since it is mixing both my own and Spotify's library. The advanced interface is busy, but resulting playlists have been quite good. I also run mserv (+ icecast) to produce a ratings-based (multi-user) stream, which can be listened to on Squeezeboxes as well as other players. This could be implemented as an endless playlist on LMS, as well, if LMS had ratings for multiple users. Using ickStream on a Touch should work for the following requirements: - information display readily available - mix music from my own library and streaming services Don't know if ickStream would support the following: - playback of a private stream (although LMS can do this by itself) - scrobbling to Last.fm (currently all my sources scrobble when used via LMS) Being able to use ickStream in only one location (on only one of my players) would place hard considerations on its cost. (In comparison, Spotify and Pandora work everywhere for me.) As for other hardware, only the Turtle Beach AudioTron comes close to Squeezebox for convenience on a regular stereo system. I only first bought SB hardware when the AT was killed. Of the non-display devices the Apple TV works best for me, but I only really use it for video. And unfortunately it still doesn't support apps. The Roku 2XS is slow and the SB app cannot compete with iPeng. (However, the Plex app is nice.) I don't think the WDTV talks to LMS. The D-Link BoxeeBox is also dead (and probably didn't have LMS support, either; at least I didn't have it installed). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ kimmos's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=39137 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98467 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
