There already is a processor inside the Squeezebox - a 250 MHz Ubicom IP3000:
http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.cgi?HardwareComparison http://www.ubicom.com/processors/ip3000/ip3000_family.html (according to the Ubicom page, a 250 MHz clock would make it an IP3023). These devices are getting faster and cheaper. The Squeezebox1 used the Ubicom IP2022 if we match the Wiki's data with Ubicom's. I'm not up to snuff on processor architecture. I believe these are RISC processors. It's interesting to note that there are still *current* "PC-like" x86 processors clocked at the same speed - for example, the AMD Geode. There are three other possibilities for Squeezebox "brains". Note that the SLIMP3 used a microcontroller (which has embedded RAM/ROM, essentially, a computer-on-a-chip). These are advancing rapidly. And the PocketPC market makes use of Intel XScale processors. Finally, the audio DSP market is booming. Dual cores have appeared and speeds are pushing 300 MHz. Browny wrote: > Interesting one this. > > Personally I think one of the great things about the Squeezebox is that > it is essentially a dumb device. For me the obvious benefit of this is > the sound quality. > > I can't help thinking that adding a processor is going to introduce a > lot of noise inside the case (try listening to the soundcards in PCs - > its not pleasant). I'm sure Slim would manage to engineer a way around > this, but that would imply more complexity and higher cost too. > > -- ___________________________________ Mark Lanctot ___________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Find your next car at http://autos.yahoo.ca _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
