Re: PC Driven MP3 Players

["Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>  Russound also offers a media server, their SMS3, but it is quite
> expensive at almost $2K.
> Can one achieve similar results with the CAV6.6 / J.Rivers setup?

Just about.  The SMS3 can display it's interface on a TV and you can do
quite a number of things from there.  That and some of the keypad functions
are more capable.  The CAV66 plug-in for MC11 doesn't do quite as much as
the SMS3 but it's more than enough to most situations.  I don't have the
SMS3, and have only used it in a quick demo situation, so it's not like I
'know for sure'.

But I've been VERY pleased with the MC11 setup.  I've got three streams
coming from the PC into the CAV66.  I use three Creative MP3 usb interfaces.
Each has it's line-out signal going into an input on the CAV66.  MC11 sees
each of these as a "zone".  You can use the PC to switch between zones and
manage playlists on each of them.  I have only one complaint about MC11, and
it's one they've LONG ignored.  There's no "single click" way to switch
between zones.  You have to use a pull-down menu, or a right-click, to
change zones.  This makes it a bit tedious to use a touchscreen on the PC to
jump between zones.  Other than this, and J.River's long ignoring of this
feature request, I'm pleased with MC11.  No other media manager I've seen
(and I've tried ALL OF THEM) comes anywhere near as close to MC11 for total
functionality.

> We have multiple CAT5e and RG6 wiring throughout the house, so that
> should not be an issuer.

Yeah, wiring shouldn't make much difference in this case.

-Bill Kearney