For those times when you really do not want to download quicktime, windows media or real audio player, (or can't, due to the PC settings) this device plugs into a free USB port, and allows you to access internet, and play streaming audio, without having to install the software on the host computer. (I know the category is slightly off, but couldnt find a better one)-- senatorjam, Mar 25 2003 Tabletop streaming Audio 1 http://www.twice.co...s&articleid=CA40588The first one I found [JackandJohn, Oct 05 2004] But how would they show all of the annoying advertisements? Please, everyone stop encoding in RealAudio. It is evil.-- Worldgineer, Mar 25 2003 I didn't know it was still around.
"Hareware"... um...-- waugsqueke, Mar 25 2003 That's a term for rapidly reproducing software I think.-- bristolz, Mar 25 2003 Sadly, since WIndows Media Player is updated about once every 3 months you would still need to download the new decoders onto your hardware device. I imagine there is nothing to stop you streaming the packets of audio data via IP over the USB to an attached device; aside from RA and WMA being proprietory standards that'll cost you lots of money.
(What have people got against Real Audio? I find it more reliable than Windows Media, which keeps dropping frames on my system. Real Audio also seems better at adjusting its bit rate on the fly.)-- pottedstu, Mar 26 2003 For authoring nothing beats Quicktime (or, really, even comes close) but the WM9 codec is the best thing I have ever seen for distribution. It is an awesome codec.
I've had lots of playback problems with Quicktime streaming, even from Apple's own site. Also, their installation for Windows seems much less reliable than it used to. And another oddity: on my dual-monitor machine Quicktime won't play on my right monitor but does just fine on my left. On the right it will display but I can only jog, a frame at a time, "play" won't engage. Weird, eh?-- bristolz, Mar 26 2003 i concur with worldgineer. the problem is not having to install software onto the host, the real problem is the lousy programming, interface and audio codec of realaudio.
quicktime is efficent, high quality, and very very simple. no bizarre playback apps that take up the whole screen and have a million "features"...-- urbanmatador, Mar 26 2003 No both monitors are running off of one graphics card, an nvidia quadro 900, and both are dvi at 24/32 bit depth. Probably a driver issue or something. Of course I am mixing a video gripe into this audio discussion. Sorry.-- bristolz, Mar 26 2003 guys, we went off topic a bit... What I am proposing is a hardware device that prevents me having to install software on each machine I use in order to do my job. This is even more annoying in corporate environment where changes to the pc's configuration require administrator level access.-- senatorjam, Mar 26 2003 ther actually are devices like this.. plugs into the wall and the ethernet network...
Oh, look.. I found a bunch by just looking up "Tabletop streaming audio"-- JackandJohn, Mar 26 2003 Right. Turtle Beach/Voyetra's Audiotron is one such device. Hardware based MP3/WinMedia player. Don't know if it does Real or not. It can serve as a gateway between the ethernet network and the traditional stereo. Will go out and search the Web or your local network for media files and allows you to build a play list from either the front panel or a computer (or even a PDA/iPaq) as the Audiotron has a small Web server in it that hosts various control and playlist building pages.
If you put a Linksys 802.11b bridge on it, it can even be a WiFi HiFi.
Don't think it supports a USB connection, though. Ethernet only.-- bristolz, Mar 26 2003 lol@WiFi HiFi :)-- JackandJohn, Mar 26 2003 // no bizarre playback apps that take up the whole screen and have a million "features"... //
On the other hand, though, the latest Quicktime version seems to have taken to adding an entirely useless Quicktime icon to my system tray; and offers no mechanism for removing the damn thing. msconfig here we come...-- JKew, Mar 29 2003 random, halfbakery