Most recent edit on 2009-05-20 01:54:37 by HarryBo
Additions:
Aside from using the SqueezeBox (and it's remote) to control your sounds, there is nothing to stop you using another computer to do so. You can quite easily add a wireless bridge to the car setup to give you WiFi access to SqueezeCenter's web interface. The web interface is very well suited to the more complex tasks SqueezeCenter can perform (creating playlists, for instance).
Deletions:
Aside from using the SqueezeBox (and it's remote) to control your sounds, there is nothing to stop you using another computer to do so. You can quite easily add a wireless bridge to the car setup to give you WiFi access to SqueezeCenter's web interface. The web interface is very well suited to the more complex tasks SqueezeCentercan perform (creating playlists, for instance).
Edited on 2008-07-01 02:32:13 by HarryBo
Additions:
Aside from using the SqueezeBox (and it's remote) to control your sounds, there is nothing to stop you using another computer to do so. You can quite easily add a wireless bridge to the car setup to give you WiFi access to SqueezeCenter's web interface. The web interface is very well suited to the more complex tasks SqueezeCentercan perform (creating playlists, for instance).
Adding such a wireless bridge would enable you to access it via a laptop, a PDA and even some mobile phones (Nokia N-series, for instance). SqueezeCenter also includes a "Handheld" skin for the web interface - this is optimised for the small screens common to devices like PDAs.
Deletions:
Aside from using the SqueezeBox (and it's remote) to control your sounds, there is nothing to stop you using another computer to do so. You can quite easily add a wireless bridge to the car setup to give you WiFi access to SlimServer's web interface. The web interface is very well suited to the more complex tasks SlimServer can perform (creating playlists, for instance).
Adding such a wireless bridge would enable you to access it via a laptop, a PDA and even some mobile phones (Nokia N-series, for instance). SlimServer also includes a "Handheld" skin for the web interface - this is optimised for the small screens common to devices like PDAs.
Edited on 2007-01-19 09:46:45 by HarryBo
Additions:
One big (and annoying) issue that is often encountered when using a car PC with a car audio system is that the PC and the audio have different ground levels. This tends to mean you get a lot of noise down the RCA leads, which ruins the whole thing. One classic way to get around this problem is to use a source with a digital optical output and to use a digital processor like the Alpine PXA-H700 or the Orion DEQ30. These items can take the digital signal, process it (equalisers, crossovers, level control etc) and then convert it to analogue audio and output it via RCAs to the amplifiers. This completely eliminates the noise issue. It's also handy to note that the SqueezeBox includes an optical digital output.
Many current car PC systems are designed to completely replace the head unit. We stand somewhere in the middle here. If you want to be able to play CDs and listen to the radio, a head unit is basically an essential! They are designed to be easy to use with your eyes on the road, they include a radio (with RDS), they're well-optimised for reading CDs (and/or MP3 discs) and they include a lot of useful features that are hard to replicate with a PC. If you're quite content to use SlimCar for all of your music, a head unit is not required.
It just so happens that Woosey's planned car audio system is based around an Alpine PXA-H700. This is a very versatile and inexpensive digital signal processor, and it also includes three digital optical inputs. By using a headunit with a SqueezeBox and SlimCar, this will enable him to listen to the radio, play audio CDs, play MP3 CDs and play a variety of formats (ie: MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG) with SlimCar.
Aside from using the SqueezeBox (and it's remote) to control your sounds, there is nothing to stop you using another computer to do so. You can quite easily add a wireless bridge to the car setup to give you WiFi access to SlimServer's web interface. The web interface is very well suited to the more complex tasks SlimServer can perform (creating playlists, for instance).
Deletions:
One big (and annoying) issue that is often encountered when using a car PC with a car audio system is that the PC and the audio have different ground levels. This tends to mean you get a lot of noise down the RCA leads, which ruins the whole thing. One classic way to get around this problem is to use a source with a digital optical output and to use a digital processor like the Alpine PXA-H700 or the Orion DEQ30. These items can take the digital signal, process it (equalisers, crossovers, level control etc) and then convert it to analogue audio and output it via RCAs to the amplifiers. This completely eliminates the noise issue. It's also handy to note that the SqueezeBox v2 and v3 include optical digital outputs.
Many current car PC systems are designed to completely replace the head unit. Now, we may be in a minority here, but it's our belief that a decent head unit is still an invaluable piece of equipment. They are designed to be easy to use with your eyes on the road, they include a radio (with RDS), they're well-optimised for reading CDs (and/or MP3 discs) and they include a lot of useful features that are hard to replicate with a PC.
For this reason, we decided that SlimCar would be designed as an addon to a headunit, not a replacement for one. It is still possible to use SlimCar as a standalone source (the SqueezeBox includes a very useful volume control), but we think it is better suited to a secondary role. For starters, you still need a head unit if you want to play CDs!
It just so happens that Woosey's planned car audio system is based around an Alpine PXA-H700. This is a very versatile and inexpensive digital signal processor, and it also includes two digital optical inputs. His chosen head unit is a CDA-7998R, which is an MP3/CD player with optical output. Combined with a SqueezeBox and SlimCar, this will enable him to listen to the radio, play audio CDs, play MP3 CDs and play a variety of formats (ie: MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG) with SlimCar.
Aside from using the SqueezeBox (and it's remote) to control your sounds, there is nothing to stop you using another computer to do so. You can quite easily add a wireless bridge to the car setup to give you WiFi access to SlimServer's web interface. The web interface is very well suited to the more complex tasks SlimServer can perform (creating playlists, for instance).
Edited on 2006-09-04 16:21:27 by HarryBo
No differences.
Edited on 2006-09-04 15:29:36 by HarryBo
Additions:
Control
Aside from using the SqueezeBox (and it's remote) to control your sounds, there is nothing to stop you using another computer to do so. You can quite easily add a wireless bridge to the car setup to give you WiFi access to SlimServer's web interface. The web interface is very well suited to the more complex tasks SlimServer can perform (creating playlists, for instance).
Adding such a wireless bridge would enable you to access it via a laptop, a PDA and even some mobile phones (Nokia N-series, for instance). SlimServer also includes a "Handheld" skin for the web interface - this is optimised for the small screens common to devices like PDAs.
Alternatively, you could just use a laptop and a crossover cable (wired ethernet). This has the advantage of being cheap and more secure (no wireless hardware required).
Oldest known version of this page was edited on 2006-09-04 15:24:23 by HarryBo []
Page view:
Car Integration
In the process of developing
SlimCar, we've put quite a lot of thought into how best to link it up with a car audio system. At the absolute minimum, you will have to install a car PC (to run
SlimCar) and some kind of frontend (almost certainly a
SqueezeBox).
Problem: Ground Levels
One big (and annoying) issue that is often encountered when using a car PC with a car audio system is that the PC and the audio have different ground levels. This tends to mean you get a lot of noise down the RCA leads, which ruins the whole thing. One classic way to get around this problem is to use a source with a digital optical output and to use a digital processor like the Alpine PXA-H700 or the Orion DEQ30. These items can take the digital signal, process it (equalisers, crossovers, level control etc) and then convert it to analogue audio and output it via RCAs to the amplifiers. This completely eliminates the noise issue. It's also handy to note that the
SqueezeBox v2 and v3 include optical digital outputs.
Do I need a Head Unit?
Many current car PC systems are designed to completely replace the head unit. Now, we may be in a minority here, but it's our belief that a decent head unit is still an invaluable piece of equipment. They are designed to be easy to use with your eyes on the road, they include a radio (with RDS), they're well-optimised for reading CDs (and/or MP3 discs) and they include a lot of useful features that are hard to replicate with a PC.
For this reason, we decided that
SlimCar would be designed as an addon to a headunit, not a replacement for one. It is still possible to use
SlimCar as a standalone source (the
SqueezeBox includes a very useful volume control), but we think it is better suited to a secondary role. For starters, you still need a head unit if you want to play CDs!
It just so happens that Woosey's planned car audio system is based around an Alpine PXA-H700. This is a very versatile and inexpensive digital signal processor, and it also includes two digital optical inputs. His chosen head unit is a CDA-7998R, which is an MP3/CD player with optical output. Combined with a
SqueezeBox and
SlimCar, this will enable him to listen to the radio, play audio CDs, play MP3 CDs and play a variety of formats (ie: MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG) with
SlimCar.
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