Xlobby server client specs etc help! Slimp3 compatibility?

[Yoshcoe]

Hi there , just wondering if anyone can help me out a bit here - I've been a slimp3 fan for a long while but then someone showed me xlobby which looked really good so I'm trying to suss it out - I got a pretty high spec machine with loads of storage for a server and a touch screen which has the following spec
• 440BX chipset based embedded ATX motherboard
• Celeron 433 CPU
• 256 Megabytes SDRAM
• 20 Gigabyte 3.5" IDE hard disk
• 12" 800 x 600 LCD Display with Touch Overlay
• Stereo sound on motherboard
• External PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors
• Three external DB9 serial connectors
• Two external DB25 parallel connectors
• External RJ45 10/100 ethernet connector
• External HD15 VGA connector
• Internal 34 pin floppy disk connector
• Internal 40 pin PRI / SEC IDE connectors for additional hard or CDROM drives
• Internal 4 pin .1" USB connector
• One PCI slot and one shared PCI / ISA slot
• 56K PCI Modem card
Anyway I'm at work overseas and can't play with my toys for a month or so but I got opportunity to get another one or two of these but I need to know if they'll be adequate for a client machine? Anyone using these kiosk type touchscreen units - are they okay? I'm running nearly a 100000 mp3 at the mo slimp3 does it pretty well but touch screen tech wilth xlobby looked really good!!
Anyone know if there is anyway to hook up slimp3 players to the xlobby server structure - sort of touchscreens downstairs ;slimp3 bedrooms etc??

Any feedback would be great..

Thanks guys (and gals)
Yosh

[rhinoman]

That will be fine as a client, the xlobby client is just like a big remote pad, it doesn't actaully bring the sound to the client, is that what you mean?

I take it these touchscreens are tablet like device, just add wifi and you've got a great controller for xlobby.....got any more?

[samgreco]

I'd love to see the ability to use hardware clients like Rio Recievers or the Slimp3s with XLobby. Sounds like a great candidate for the new Plugin Architecture

Wish I could code

[Yoshcoe]

Have i got the wrong end of the stick here ? I kind of assumed that server client structure meant that xlobby server would allow the same display request setup on several clients and then if you put a good soundcard in each touchscreen unit you could access different music in each room.. Leastways thats what i hope it does!!!
I got the touchscreen from a guy in uk but he got them off ebay in the states...
cheers Yosh

[samgreco]

Have i got the wrong end of the stick here ? I kind of assumed that server client structure meant that xlobby server would allow the same display request setup on several clients and then if you put a good soundcard in each touchscreen unit you could access different music in each room

Yosh,

Yes. You've got the wrong end Each touchscreen unit could be used to control the "server". The way the zoned playback works is that the server has multiple sound cards (or a multiple output soundcard) with the outputs going to different zones in the house. So all of the audio originates in one PC.

Sam

[Yoshcoe]

Hi sam,
Thanks for setting me straight I guess that I just assumed that the architecture woukd be similar to the slimserver where the music is streamed in digital format across ethernet to each unit which has a buffer and souncard etc in each unit... with a display and remote control.
If you got a bit of time to answer my questions i'd really appreciate it!
This all gets to be new territory for me now.. one thing that worries me is how does the signal quality cope with long (40 or 50 meter) cable runs? do you go to a digital signal or what.. Any recommendations on soundcards ? What about stray electrical noise inside your pc box etc

Have a good one
Yosh

[rhinoman]

I haven't tried Xlobby on anything as slow as you originally mentioned but it worked fine on a gigapro embedded chip motherboard which is about a 700mhz.

Soundcard wise it all depends on the quality your trying to acheive, soundblaster style at the bottom, maudio revo as the cheapest for ASIO support, RME fortop quality. If you want multiple output support for more than one zone there is the maudio delta 410, 4 pairs of analogue and a digital out, or the RME can have duaghter boards added for extra sets of analogue or digital out.

I'm using a RME in my HTPC and 2 delta 410's in the main file-server, both machines run there own instance of xlobby (server) and clients connect to it for remote control.

[samgreco]

Yosh,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you. It's been a crazy week. Just bought a new house.

one thing that worries me is how does the signal quality cope with long (40 or 50 meter) cable runs?

Typically a multi-zone system like this would be setup with all of the amplification in the same general area as the sources. Then you would run speaker wire to the different zones/rooms. Speaker wire will not cause noise issues.

I intend to use multi-channel amps to provide power for the different zones.

The Delta 410s that rhinoman is using are great, but they have just been discontinued, so you'd have to find them in existing stock somewhere. I have seen prices from $99 (sold out) to $125 on clearance.

As for other cards, for multiple outs I would suggest that you look at cards designed for pro recording applications. The Delta and RME cards mentioned here are some. Others are Lynx, Soundscape, MOTU, Echo, and more.

Hope this helps.

rhinoman - How have you setup the client server stuff with 2 servers? I am looking to do exactly this, but I'd really like the clients to look seamless to the users (wife and guests). So to have to exit the client and then restart a different client seems counter-intuitive.

Thanks,
Sam

[rhinoman]

The main server which resides in a stack in the garage with most of the amps is controlled by a directly connected touchscreen. Some rooms have pc's which run the client or use remote desktop and we have a PPC for where theres not. More PPC's or touchscreens will likely follow.

The lounge has a pj and a small tft for when the pk's not on. The rest of the HTPC is controlled via a pronto, usbuirt and girder, I'd like to have xlobby running this way too but its a bit beyond my time allowance at the moment. A gyro mouse works for now.

It would be nice to have the PC clients start with control for that zone preselected but I need to learn more about the skinning process yet.

You could perhaps use a remote desktop connection to take control of your other server form a button on the other servers skin??

[samgreco]

As soon as I get moved into the new house and have more time (LOL), I'll start the process of experimentation. Of course, that won't be until June

But by then Steven should be up to Alpha 50 or so

Steven - If there were a way to control a specific server per page, we'd be in business. You can tell me I'm nuts if you like

[Yoshcoe]

Hey Sam ,
Thanks for your time mate, I'm still getting my head round the central audio source issues rather than the slimp3 ethernet that I already have in place but will now migrate to the bedrooms.. Keep hoping that one day someone will make a plugin to allow slim players to link to the xlobby database - reduce my server count a little .. Still you always need backups - I definitely don't want to try and recreate my MP3 collection!
Good luck with the house..
Yosh

[samgreco]

Thanks for your time mate

No Problem.

Keep hoping that one day someone will make a plugin to allow slim players to link to the xlobby database

I have 4 Rio Digital recievers that I wish I could use with XLobby. I have a freeware client and a freeware server that works quite well with them. Even plays them all in synch, but in the end I'd like the PDA or Tablet control of XLobby. So I'll probably sell them.

[CouchPotatoe]

.. one thing that worries me is how does the signal quality cope with long (40 or 50 meter) cable runs? do you go to a digital signal or what..
Yosh

One of the ways of maintaining quality of line level distributed audio and video is to use CAT5 distribution. Some units are available here in the UK that are excellent & low cost. See http://www.kat5.tv At some point you may be even able to switch these using a matrix switcher

K