Streaming box
A streaming box (also called streaming media adapter ) is an audiovisual entertainment electronics device that is connected to the home stereo , television or other output device and networks this with a personal computer or router ; u. a. Most of these boxes stream audio or video data from a server PC to the television .
Overview
In addition to software clients for streaming media, there is now also some streaming hardware that works independently of a PC; older products of this type from the end of the 90s, for example, WebTV boxes and streaming clients of Navio and Audible - handhelds . Linux-based embedded devices and PDAs can also be made streaming-capable with the Open Palmtop Integrated Environment ( OPIE ) since mid-2003.
Philips presented the first radio set with mains connection in January 2001 with the Internet radio system FW-i1000 ; If the device is connected to the internet via a broadband connection , an individual program of your choice can be put together from over a thousand internet radio stations worldwide ; The iM Networks portal (formerly Sonicbox ) is responsible for program information . The successor model MC-i200 from 2002 did not pursue this comparatively open concept, but only supported the seven preconfigured online music services MP3.com , AOL Music , Andante , MusicMatch , Radio Free Virgin , iM Networks and Launch .
With the help of the Xbox Linux project , the Xbox can be converted into a relatively inexpensive streaming client. The WiFi2HiFi app is a client solution for the Apple iPod touch and the Apple iPhone .
Multimedia streaming in the living room
Since around 2003, streaming-capable stereo systems have also been increasingly establishing themselves for the living room, the so-called AV streaming boxes, sometimes in combination with WLAN technology. Examples of such streaming boxes are the Wireless DJ from Logitech , the ShowCenter from Pinnacle Systems , MediaMVP from Hauppauge Computer Works , and the MS 300 audio server from Pontis ; these systems receive streamed data via a PC network, decode them and offer the appropriate interfaces for connection to home electronics. The simple devices are pure clients and can neither play CDs nor record music or videos themselves.
Pinnacle Systems ShowCenter brings video files from the PC to the television in the living room via a 10 Mbit Ethernet (wired) and audio files in MP3, WAV and WMA formats to the stereo system via streaming; a WLAN adapter can be retrofitted via a PC card slot; In any case, server software must be running on the PC to manage the multimedia files. Hauppauge's MediaMVP follows a similar concept . Pontis Audio-Server MS 300 only supports the streaming of audio data and only uses the TV at home to display navigation menus for control purposes.
With products like its Hi -Fi Network Media Receiver (e.g. STR-LV700R ), Sony is trying to achieve a particularly close interlinking of conventional entertainment electronics with PC technology; A home server (e.g. Vaio PCV-RZ504 ) supplies the associated end devices with music, photos or videos via radio or cable. Comparable functionalities can also be constructed more cheaply by yourself - provided you have appropriate PC knowledge and sufficient time; Various PC magazines have published corresponding building instructions with suitable software (c't, PC Professionell, etc.).
One example of offers that are more oriented towards PC technology is Devolo's MicroLink product family. The MicroLink dLAN Ethernet / USB adapter is connected to the PC, and its signals are received by the MicroLink dLAN Audio adapter via the power supply at a different location within the network (up to the meter). The end devices only need a power connection and receive, for example, streamed audio. In contrast to a normal WLAN access point , however, they offer direct interfaces such as cinch or jack plugs to other audio end devices such as active speakers , subwoofer systems or stereo systems.
Comparable streaming clients decoupled from the PC are also offered by Apple ( AirPort Express , a WLAN base station according to the 802.11g standard with analog and digital audio output) or Creative ( SoundBlaster Wireless Music ).
Intel tries to bundle the scattered initiatives of the various manufacturers in the digital home initiative; in Intel terminology, the end devices are called digital media adapters (DMA).
In addition to streaming via WLAN, there are also some solutions that transfer data via Bluetooth ; The Advanced Audio Profile ( A2DP ) was specified in 2003 for such hi-fi transmissions . The first market-ready products were presented in mid-2004 by the companies Air2U , Aiptek and Sonorix .