Network MP3 and then Multi-room Distribution

["rb_ziggy" <richard.boreham@xxxxxxx>]

Would welcome some input regarding my dilemma...

When we build our house 2 years ago we built in cabling for multi-
room audio distribution. This was based around speaker cable from=20
node 0 to about 5 rooms and double runs of screened cat5 (STP)=20
adjacent to the light switches in these rooms.  (We also have cat5e=20
to all rooms at the plug socket locations in addition to this.) The=20
intention had been to go with something like Living Control's MRS=20
system plus a cd changer radio etc all based in node zero.=20

However the world moves on and I now have all the cds 'MP3ed' on the=20
PC.  I could of course go with the original intention and replace the=20
cd changer with a (for example) Imerge soundserver as the main source=20
for a LivingControl system.  However, I don't really feel like=20
spending another =A32k for a source which I already, in effect, have.=20
(Especially as most have limited capacity compared with a PC based=20
server.)=20=20

I'm quite attracted to the idea of using an Barix exstreamer as the=20
PC interface - that would fit in quite nicely in node 0. However,=20
this seems to leave me with a "how do I control the pieces
problem"=20
as the exstreamer needs a (I believe) a web interface while the=20
typical  multisource/multiroom amps tend to have their own keypad=20
controls.=20

What I really need is a multisource/multiroom amp with web (and=20
really ideally, IR from Pronto) interfaces.  I could then go for a=20
web-tablet approach, either hardwired at the light position or (more-
likely) on a wireless basis to intregrate the source & amplification=20
control.  This would be much better anyway as it would then be easy=20
to couple this to the remainder of the HA stuff (including Comfort,=20
CWI, ACE and lots of X10 lighting).  (I was actually always a bit=20
dubious about having a totally separate audio control system.)

So... is there any current distribution amp product or source/amp=20
combo that would do this (which is not priced in the stratosphere)?=20=20
Or... is there a homebrew multiroom/multisource approach which could=20
achieve the same (remembering that amplification and line inputs=20
needs to be in node 0 with contol in rooms being cat5 (ideally IP)=20
based?  This seems to rule out individual room Slimps (or similar) as=20
I don't think I can get the line level back to node 0 for=20
amplification and distribution to the speakers.=20=20=20=20

As to my technical capabilities of making homebrew work... Quite=20
happy with configuring the Pronto and Comfort via Comfigurator and=20
can even tweek CWI a bit but not a proper programmer type anymore!

Have I missed the blindingly obvious here?

Thanks in advance.

Richard