Hey, these sub forums are great, and this PC as music server is even better!! I'd like to chime in on this.
Some already know that I use a dedicated music media server to store my CD's and photos. All my CD's are stored in FLAC for for lossless encoding. I have made some changes to my music server lately as I continue to explore ways to make it more user freindly and less dependant on keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Here is where I'm at: I started off with Meedio as a user interface. Very cool and customizable. This is just like a Tivo interface - big easy to navigate buttons that are easy to see on a regular TV screen, but.....software is still a bit flackey and customer support is non-existant. Currently I am using XLobby and I love it. Totally free front end geard toward the Home Theater PC user. Looks and operates just like Windows Media Center, has many plug-ins, and pretty stable. This front end can handle most any music format - including FLAC files, and it's remote controllable. It also includes a PVR, Net radio, photo viewer, DVD ripper/storage, etc. I love this program - IT'S FREE!!!!
My server recieved several upgrades too to make it easier to use and to reach the ultimate goal of complete independance from the "computer" factor - I want my server to be operated just like any CD/DVD player - with just a remote control and nothing else. I'm really close. I'll post updates on my website later this week. So far so good.
Jimmy
