Guys (Crocodile and Auto especially)
Thanks for the replies. I'm getting more and more interested in the squeezebox touch as it sounds like it will do what I want it to do. Given that I only heard about it as a result of starting this thread a few days ago I've still got a few questions. Apologies if these are a little stupid/obvious or have been asked before. I've read the squeezebox threads and so I'm only asking the questions that I haven't been able to find answers to.
OK, imagine this is my set up. Some kind of hard drive sat on my hi-fi stand with squeezebox software on it, plugged into a squeezebox touch, plugged into my Harman Kardon integrated hifi amp (either directly or via a DAC), plugged into my speakers. My wireless router on the shelf next to it (not sure what I do with this - that's one of the questions!) My PC out of sight and turned off in another room. Me sat on the sofa with a squeezebox remote control and a beer. Right, questions...
1) Lots of posts/discussions say plug your squeezebox into your home network either with ethernet cable or wirelessly. I can do this but why do I need to. (It's not a problem it's just that the penny hasn't dropped with me yet - maybe it will as I write these questions, lol!)
2) How do I get my CD's onto the hard drive. I'm guessing that this is where my PC comes into play. So is it the case that for initial set up I sit at my PC with my new hard drive plugged into it and rip my CD's, and then when it's done I unplug that hard drive from my PC and plug it into the squeezebox? Do I need to do this everytime I get a new CD or can they be sent across my wireless network?
3) I've got lots of music (13,000 songs) currently on my PC in itunes. (I know I've got to do some of them again to do them in better quality but ignore that point for now). Can I transfer those to the new hard drive which I'll buy to go with my squeezebox as a bulk operation? In other words, does the squeezebox software like the itunes software? Or do I have to start from scratch?
4) I've read that the squeezebox software finds album art/ track info etc. (I understand that this is only as good as the database as I use this facility on itunes). But on itunes I can edit this information, rename tracks if they are wrong, replace the artwork etc. Can I do this with squeezebox? (It really annoys and frustrates me if this kind of stuff is wrong, lol!) If so, how do I do it given that the new hard drive is going to be stand alone from my PC? Is it the case that I "see" the interface on my PC over the wireless intranet and edit it from there?
5) Slightly off topic but Auto (I think) mentioned that there are better products than itunes to rip info from CD's. I'm curious about this as it's never entered my head to use anything else. Why are other products better?
6) What can/can't I do with the squeezebox remote? I've looked at the pictures on the website and they show a remote control with album cover art lit up on it. Can you scroll through albums, songs, artists, playlists etc without getting up off the sofa (not that I'm lazy of course).
I'm sure I have more questions but any help on these would be gratefully received.
Cheers
David