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It's been some time since I made an A/V tech thread. Probably the last one in a related category was for PS3MediaServer. Figure it's about time, though this time I figure I'll make this thread a bit nicer and utilitarian. You know - actually have some content in the OP 
. Please note I have yet to personally test and use this software (I have a more elaborate use-case), but I think this nice little platform can fill a pretty large niche, if not become one of the heavyweights.
Yesterday I was catching up on the BYOB Podcast (subsection of the Home Server Show) and happened upon Episode 4 of their live show. In it they had an interesting interview with Andrew Gills the creator of this product.
. Please note I have yet to personally test and use this software (I have a more elaborate use-case), but I think this nice little platform can fill a pretty large niche, if not become one of the heavyweights.Yesterday I was catching up on the BYOB Podcast (subsection of the Home Server Show) and happened upon Episode 4 of their live show. In it they had an interesting interview with Andrew Gills the creator of this product.
While there are plenty of solutions for ripping and streaming, few have really approached plug-n-play convenience. This is particularly true in terms of ripping - where in many cases one must babysit the execution. Like others, Andrew was looking for a way to improve the process. Not finding it however, he decided to take the simplest scenarios and automate them himself. The result - VortexBox.
VortexBox is a free, open source (GPL v3), quick-install ISO that turns your unused computer into an easy-to-use music and movie server/jukebox. Once VortexBox has been loaded on an unused PC, it will automatically rip CDs to FLAC and MP3 files, ID3 tag the files , and download the cover art. If will also automatically rip DVDs to MKV (and mirror to mp4 with auto Windows Media Center XML files if you wish). This allows for playback on devices that do not possess native MKV support (PS3, etc). Obviously the rip time is increased since transcoding is required.
Vortexbox will then serve the files to network media players such as Logitech Squeezebox, Sonos, Linn, AppleTV, XBOX 360, PS3, XBMC, GoogleTV, Boxee, Roku, NMT's, etc. Basically anything that supports DNLA, Samba shares, or DAAP (iTunes). The media files can also be streamed to a Windows or Mac OSX system. Hell, the thing will even stream FLAC to AppleTV even though it doesn't normally support it.
Features
The key here is the simplicity. While like Apple the native configurability is minimal, if the formats are to your liking this looks to be a fantastic solution. You literally just pop in a disc, and when it's done it'll spit it back out. That's it.
VortexBox is a free, open source (GPL v3), quick-install ISO that turns your unused computer into an easy-to-use music and movie server/jukebox. Once VortexBox has been loaded on an unused PC, it will automatically rip CDs to FLAC and MP3 files, ID3 tag the files , and download the cover art. If will also automatically rip DVDs to MKV (and mirror to mp4 with auto Windows Media Center XML files if you wish). This allows for playback on devices that do not possess native MKV support (PS3, etc). Obviously the rip time is increased since transcoding is required.
Vortexbox will then serve the files to network media players such as Logitech Squeezebox, Sonos, Linn, AppleTV, XBOX 360, PS3, XBMC, GoogleTV, Boxee, Roku, NMT's, etc. Basically anything that supports DNLA, Samba shares, or DAAP (iTunes). The media files can also be streamed to a Windows or Mac OSX system. Hell, the thing will even stream FLAC to AppleTV even though it doesn't normally support it.
Features
- Convert an old PC to a CD/DVD ripper / jukebox / NAS in 15 minutes.
- Based on Fedora so its easy to modify.
- Automatically tags all files from online music database.
- Automatically downloads the cover art.
- Automatic sharing of file to SMB (Microsoft) file shares.
- Automatic re-indexing Squeezebox Server after every CD is ripped.
- AppleTalk for OSX or Bonjour for Windows.
- DAAP Automatically shares all MP3s for streaming to iTunes and Roku Soundbridge.
- NFS For Linux boxes and almost anything else, Solaris etc.
- DLNA support Play music and video DLNA enabled players, XBOX 360, PS3, Windows 7 etc.
- Easy installation of mplayer for AlienBBC support.
- Good support for Sonos.
- Works well as a back end server for XBMC (XBOX Media Center) running on XBOX, Windows, OSX, AppleTV, or Linux.
The key here is the simplicity. While like Apple the native configurability is minimal, if the formats are to your liking this looks to be a fantastic solution. You literally just pop in a disc, and when it's done it'll spit it back out. That's it.
While the software is free, for those that would prefer to not bother going the DIY route - as simple as it is in terms of installation and configuration - there are pre-built options available.
VortexBox Appliance
The traditional box is available in 1TB, 2TB, and now 3TB units. One could argue the base unit is more for smaller DVD collections or maybe even music-only usage, but it's a nice package at a relatively reasonable $399. Hey ... he needs to make some money to keep development going. If you compare it to other such devices however, it's actually quite cheap. During the interview Andrew made it quite clear that he's trying to get these units out as price-friendly as possible. There really isn't much of a up-sale here. Just look at some of the competitors and that becomes clear quite quickly.
VortexBox appliance Datasheet
A 6TB and some other configurations are also available
Where to buy?
Sale of the pre-built units is handled via Small Green Computer.
VortexBox Appliance
The traditional box is available in 1TB, 2TB, and now 3TB units. One could argue the base unit is more for smaller DVD collections or maybe even music-only usage, but it's a nice package at a relatively reasonable $399. Hey ... he needs to make some money to keep development going. If you compare it to other such devices however, it's actually quite cheap. During the interview Andrew made it quite clear that he's trying to get these units out as price-friendly as possible. There really isn't much of a up-sale here. Just look at some of the competitors and that becomes clear quite quickly.
VortexBox appliance Datasheet
Code:
[list]
[*][b]CPU[/b] Intel Atom 1.66 GHz (D510, dual-core)
[*][b]RAM[/b] 1GB DDR2 RAM
[*][b]Hard Drive[/b] 1TB or 2TB low power green hard drive (*now available in 3TB)
[*][b]Optical Drive[/b] Dual Layer DVD burn drive
[*][b]Network[/b] 10/100/1000Mbps
[*][b]Onboard Audio[/b] Realtek ALC883
[*][b]Dimensions[/b] 11.8″ x 9.5″ x 2.6″
65mm (D) x 240mm (W) x 300mm (H)
[*][b]Front Ports[/b] 2 x USB 2.0
[*][b]Rear Ports [/b] 4 x USB 2.0
1 x D-sub (VGA)
1 x RJ45 (LAN)
1 x 1/4″ stereo line out
[*][b]Operating Temperature[/b] 0~40°C
[*][b]Operating Humidity[/b] 0~85% R.H.
[*][b]Power Consumption[/b] 24 Watts at full power
[*][b]Power Supply[/b] 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz (Auto switching)
[/list]A 6TB and some other configurations are also available
Where to buy?
Sale of the pre-built units is handled via Small Green Computer.
- Small Green Computer Main Site - All versions available
- Small Green Computer via Amazon - 1TB Base Model Only
- Small Green Computer via Ebay - 1TB Base Model Only
- VortBox Amazon Storehttp://astore.amazon.com/vort-20
It's Not Just a Sever, it's a Client Too!
While the appliance itself is not meant for video playback, direct audio playback is in fact supported. Not only does the VortexBox appliance have audio outputs, but one can also use USB DAC's for improved fidelity. Similarly a DIY build could use either a USB DAC or even a high-end soundcard.
This makes a small, audio-only build quite interesting. Or one could simply use it for direct music in one room, and streaming audio/video throughout one's network. Lots of options.
What's really cool about this is the fact that it's using SqueezeBox as its core. That means numerous available SqueezeBox controllers for iOS, Android, etc. can be used to directly control the playback if you wish.
Rip-Only?
Some interesting possibilities were brought up during Andrew's BYOB interview. While the platform itself is a bootable installation designed to be a standalone computer, he thought it would be possible to run in a VM if you wanted to really only use this for ripping. I'd have to look into the forums to see if that has been accomplished, but it is an interesting prospect.
Another item he brought up was that it's possible to use the command line to modify where you are sending the rips to. This would obviously be needed for the above, but also would allow one to use an old PC simply to rip and send the data to a server or NAS one already owns. Obviously that seems like a weird use for a 'dedicated' machine, but if you like the automated features of this platform and have an old machine collecting dust ... it might just make sense.
One thing I've actually been considering is whether it would be possible to do the above, but instead of dedicating a PC, why not throw it on a USB stick? I'd have to research this prospect, but it could be an interesting usage. If you already have a server or NAS, and don't want to dedicate a machine to ripping, this 'hack' could allow you to get the best of both worlds. Just boot to the USB when you want to do your ripping?
If more information presents itself for these cases, I'll update.
For now I'll leave this TBD. This post is long enough, so I'll update later. If you check out the BYOB interview he mentions the possibility of BD support as well as B&M, higher-end (machined aluminum, fanless) units as a possibility. None of it is remotely concrete at this point however.
TBD
Download vortexbox-1.9.iso
(md5sum: 52959a10c614525b563b66ef3e5b4ac8)
VortexBox 1.9 May 04 2011
- Logitech SqueezeBox Server 7.5.4 pre installed and configured
- Hardware support for new motherboards and chipsets
- Improved DVD ripping
- New DAAP (iTunes) server with AppleTV and cover art support
- New DVD autoripping can rip select tracks
- DVD mirroring to mp4 with auto Windows Media Center XML files
- Logitech SqueezeBox Server 7.5.3 pre installed and configured
- Many other fixes and updates
- Autorip DVD movies
- Autoripper can auto detect DVDs or CDs and rip accordingly
- Updates to CD autoripper
- Logitech SqueezeBox Server 7.5.2 pre installed and configured
- Based on Fedora 14
- Hardware support for new motherboards and chipsets
- Support for 4K physical sector drives
- Support for USB2 (192/24) USB DACs used with VortexBox Player
- Logitech SqueezeBox Server 7.5.1 pre installed and configured
- New DAAP (iTunes) server that works with iTunes 10
- GUI DAAP (iTunes) server manager
- Service manager to start and stop VortexBox services from the web GUI
- Greatly improved DLNA compatibility works with PS3 and Windows 7 media player
- Bliss for tagging hard to tag music
- VortexBox player fixes
- Logitech SqueezeBox Server 7.5.0 pre installed and configured
- Subsonic music interface for remote playing
- Edit your tags and cover art using the Subsonic web GUI
- Latest version of TwonkeyMedia Server
- Many bug fixes including USB backup manager
- File sharing fix for OSX 10.6.3
- Auto re-index after rip for Sonos players
- Logitech SqueezeBox Server 7.4.2 pre installed and configured
- Package manager for installing new software from the GUI
- Better support for mp3s (thanks Ron)
- Many bug fixes
- VortexBox Player as the default software player
- Cover are added to all mp3 files for easy use in iTunes and XBMC
- Option to have mp3 or AAC mirror updated after ripping
- FLAC to Apple Lossless (m4a) mirroring through the web GUI
- MusicBrainz and CDDB used for automatic ID3 tagging
- Tool tips for each section in the GUI
- Logitech SqueezeBox Server 7.4.1 pre installed and configured
- Software upgrades through the web GUI
- FLAC to mp3 mirroring through the web GUI
- Backup to USB drive through the web GUI
- Built in Simplify Media server with web GUI configuration
- Better auto cover art. Using both Amazon and Google images
- real time AJAX CD ripper status
- time zone configuration from web GUI
- Logitech SqueezeCenter 7.3.3 pre installed and configured
- Based in Fedora 11 for maximum hardware compatibility
- added network configuration section to GUI
- Added system status to GUI
- Show up in network browser faster
- added Azureus web based bittorrent client
- added custom install option
- better support for running local music players on your VortexBox
- wma (Windows Media player) lossless support
- better aac (iTunes) support
- easier to install mplayer
- new squeezeplayer client. Play music from the sound card on your VortexBox.
- script to mirror your FLAC collection as Mp3
- Better error correcting for hard to RIP cds
- VortexBox now shows up in network neighborhood
- added script to configure VortexBox as Workgroup master browser
- Logitech SqueezeCenter 7.3.2 pre installed and configured
- DLNA ushare pre installed to support DLNA players, xbox 360, etc
- cover art for XBMC now automatically generated
- easy installation of mplayer for AlianBBC support
- Logitech SqueezeCenter 7.3.1 pre installed and configured
- Based in Fedora 10 for maximum hardware compatibility
- Support for new automatic Sharing formats
- AppleTalk for OSX or bonjour for Windows
- DAAP Automatically shares all MP3s for streaming to iTunes and Roku Soundbridge
- NFS For Linux Boxes and almost anything else, Solaris etc.
- Logitech SqueezeCenter 7.2 pre installed and configured
- Based in Fedora 9 for maximum hardware compatibility
- Automatic ripping of CDs to FLAC and MP3
- Auto cover art download and tagging
- Automatic reindexing SqueezeCenter after every CD is ripped
- Automatic sharing of file to SMB (Microsoft) file shares
- Reads DHCP IP address to sound card using TTS for headless operation.