[Tfug] Audio client

[Bexley Hall]

Hi Harry,

> > Note there is *no* user interface!  The goal is to make the
> > audio gear in the house "become invisible" (so why design a
> > box with a display and controls that will then need to be
> > *visible* in order to be usable??).  This also greatly reduces
> > cost (I'm probably in the $25 range for "one off" quantities)
> > and size (ideally, I can build this *into* a speaker and
> > never have to see any of it!)
> >
> > My plan is to use a simple codec and (in my case) convert all
> > of the media files to that form so they can be served directly.
> > Or, write a transcoder that resides server-side and effectively
> > does the same thing.
> >
> > Note that simplifying the client also makes it easier for people
> > to hack the box -- since you can hack the server side instead of
> > having to deal with the actual target (cross development, etc.)
> >
> > And, it lets folks decide how *they* want to talk to the box
> > instead of living with someone else's (e.g., me) idea of what 
> > a user interface should entail.
> >
> > Of course, this also means people will have to make an
> > *investment* (time) in that -- instead of just buying it off
> > the shelf!  :>  (Free software, not free lunches!)
> 
> Thinking about this some more, one of the best ways to
> interface it under linux would probably to make an Alsa 
> driver for it that made it look like another (second, 
> third, fourth, etc) sound card on the linux
> box, that just happens to be connected over ethernet or
> tcp/ip

Ah, that's a good idea!  That way, the user interface is
"anything" that can already talk to a "sound card".