Re: PC Driven MP3 Players

["Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I would like to know more about your setup. I have much to learn about
> PC/home audio-video interfaces, and all things related, so please
> excuse my ignorance if some of the questions have obvious answers.
> Do you have a PC dedicated to your home audio/video system?

Yes.  It's a waste of time trying to use the PC for anything else.  At least
not for anything else that would require using the screen.  Best to leave it
as the only thing running.  I've got mine plodding away on a 1gHz Celeron
box, running XP with 256mb of RAM and it barely gets above 30% CPU
consumption when playing all three zones.

> With a dedicated PC, could one not connect via the R232 and avoid the
> MP3 usb interfaces?

Uh, 232 is serial, how you gonna get SOUND out of a serial connection?
There's a serial connection from the PC to the CAV66.  This is how the CAV66
Uno keypads control the PC running MC11.  Each USB sound interface supplies
*audio* to the CAV66.  I happen to use three zones.  The other three are
Tivo, DVD and CD Changer (which hardly /ever/ gets used).

> As for system control, how do the Russound keypads work with MC11?  I
> must have a system that my wife is comfortable with, and she needs
> simple controls from the keypads.

If you've got a playlist selected in MC11 then the Uno keypads can play
tracks from it.  Step forward/backward/stop/pause/play, etc.  You see the
track info on the keypad screen.  Basically works pretty much as you'd
expect.  The only issue is selecting a playlist on the PC first.  Thus I
keep three zones set up, each with a different 'theme' to make it easier.
There's no way to work your way around the 'entire' library of tracks from
the keypad.  But then again you can't do that on the SMS3 either (you use
the TV interface to work it visually, just like you'd use MC11 on the PC).