Squeezebox Touch

[blessingx]

I was originally on the Squeezebox platform, and then moved to a iPhone controller/Airport Express approach. With the Squeezebox Touch I was planning on moving back, but with iPad introduction and the below news, it's looking less likely. For those waiting...

Logitech Squeezebox Touch delayed, again -- Engadget

[Eric5676]

I was originally on the Squeezebox platform, and then moved to a iPhone controller/Airport Express approach. With the Squeezebox Touch I was planning on moving back, but with iPad introduction and the below news, it's looking less likely. For those waiting...

Logitech Squeezebox Touch delayed, again -- Engadget

I know back in September a couple of outlets got to play with an early version of one of these and it sounded nifty but it also sounded like it had some issues. This whole delay pattern just doesn't bode well for the product IMO.

If the Touch is out of the game...should I just consider a Duet? All I'd like is something that will play all files, including high rez, I can plug an ethernet cable in the back and it integrates with my sound system. Anything after that is bonus.

[blessingx]

That's the problem. There isn't much if this segment and price range that will play high rez, including the Duet. You pretty much have to wait for the Touch or move up in price considerably.

[voodoochile]

That would be interesting to integrate into a car as a standalone.

[Salt Peanuts]

That would be interesting to integrate into a car as a standalone.

That would be awesome - would make it much easier than using iPod in the car, at least for me.

[Eric5676]

It might be an ideal car app.

[voodoochile]

No charger or batteries to deal with would make it so simple. You could also use a remote reader for the SD card slot or flash drive.

[penger]

Squeezebox Touch ships at long last -- Engadget

Looks like it's finally shipping.

[CarlSeibert]

I'm pretty suspicious of this. I just had to RMA one of my Squeezeboxes. There was some question of whether or not Logitech would replace it under warranty, since it was technically out of warranty and actually out of the grace period. If something breaks and is out of warranty, they give a credit towards the purchase of a new unit. I asked about the Touch (which is, or would be, the direct replacement for the SB3) and they said they didn't expect it to actually ship until the fall. If they got production stock in hand six months early, that's great news. But how often does that really happen?

[Grahame]

One was released into the wild inadvertently by a retailer last year, so the hardware has been manufactured. They were just waiting for the software to be ready "when its done".

The 7.5 server software is now available for download (and works with the existing devices, I can confirm )

Official announcement here Squeezebox : Community : Forums - Announcements in Forum : General Discussion

Server release notes Release Notes - SqueezeboxWiki

Touch UI (Squeezeplay) notes SqueezePlay 7.5.0 Release Notes - SqueezeboxWiki

+ product videos

e.g.

Waiting for the "Go Signal" to propagate through the retail channels ..

[CarlSeibert]

That looks pretty official. The support people told me the hardware had been rejected and they were waiting for new hardware, which wouldn't be in hand until the third quarter. Maybe their left hand wasn't talking to their right.

"Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong" - Dire Straits

I downloaded the new server.It looks like it will be another nightmare to make it run on Mandriva 2007, if indeed it is possible at all. Arrrgh!

[micaela]

I also had to RMA one of my squeezeboxes & was given a 50% discount on another product. I called today to order the touch since I had seen here yesterday that it was finally released. The rep told me today that it has not been released yet & was not scheduled until July. He said they were hoping for an earlier release date but as of now it is still offically set for July.

[Eric5676]

I also had to RMA one of my squeezeboxes & was given a 50% discount on another product. I called today to order the touch since I had seen here yesterday that it was finally released. The rep told me today that it has not been released yet & was not scheduled until July. He said they were hoping for an earlier release date but as of now it is still offically set for July.

Really doesn't look good for this product at all IMO.

[jinp6301]

eh? people already received theirs

[Grahame]

Mine arrived Friday.

[Eric5676]

eh? people already received theirs

Mine arrived Friday.

^^ This is what I get for being out of the loop as of late. I'll be VERY eager to see what you guys think of it.

[Eric5676]

EDIT: I see that you already got into all this. Damn. I wish I could edit previous post.

[luvdunhill]

Damn. I wish I could edit previous post.

then we couldn't laugh at you

Edited April 20, 2010 by luvdunhill
for irony: because I could and he couldn't

[Eric5676]

then we couldn't laugh at you

Guess it's worth something to someone at that rate.

[blessingx]

Can anyone confirm ALAC is natively supported and does not require transcoding (so can be handled by the SBTouch itself fed from a USB drive)?

This concerns the sale order I just placed and probably should have thought about first.

[Grahame]

Good News Ric! The answer is yes.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3380[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]3381[/ATTACH]

I had to use dBpoweramp to convert FLAC to ALAC.

Confirmed conversion using foobar 2000 ALAC Decoder.

Copied files onto am 8MB SDHC card that already had bunch of flac albums.

Inserted SDHC card into slot in touch.

Touch sensed card, started up local Squeezebox server,

from Settings->advanced->squeezebox server watched

Discovering Files ... Complete

Scan New Files ... Complete

Artwork Scan: ... Complete

The tagged ALAC files showed up the the right places (by artist / album / year / new music )

And played ! ( through a pico slim / JH-13 in this case)

Internet Radio - (Radio Paradise / SomaFM / TSF Jazz Paris) isn't too bad, either.

Enjoy your bargains 30% off'ers

Note: it will work as another network player, for an existing Squeezebox server, and can be used as a touch based controller for them as well!

[blessingx]

Thanks Grahame for the experiment. Really appreciate it.

Two other questions, if you don't mind - you have any problems with 24 bit files (seems conflicting reports) and as there are a ton of other issues mentioned on both the Logitech and Slim Devices forums, any words of advice or even comparison to those with SB2/3 experience (and occasional difficulty there)? Are these just newbie Logitech users, was 7.5.0 really that bad, are the developers running for the hills, is this all overblown, etc.? Have to admit it appears a different community since I last visited (back when I had 3 SB3s and contemplating a Transporter) and that makes me a tad nervous.

[CarlSeibert]

Grahame, are you using a computer or a NAS device for your server? I'm thinking of doing a NAS-as-server, (Mandriva and SqueezeboxServer are not a match made in heaven) but I'm worried that the low processor resources on the NAS might not be enough to get the job done.

[deepak]

Anyone using a BlacX connected directly to the Touch via USB?

[Grahame]

Thanks Grahame for the experiment. Really appreciate it.

Two other questions, if you don't mind - you have any problems with 24 bit files (seems conflicting reports) and as there are a ton of other issues mentioned on both the Logitech and Slim Devices forums, any words of advice or even comparison to those with SB2/3 experience (and occasional difficulty there)? Are these just newbie Logitech users, was 7.5.0 really that bad, are the developers running for the hills, is this all overblown, etc.? Have to admit it appears a different community since I last visited (back when I had 3 SB3s and contemplating a Transporter) and that makes me a tad nervous.

24 Bit files ...

I tested the Touch last night with

24/44.1 24/88.2 and 24/96 FLAC files without issue on the embedded server

ALAC versions of the same files scanned OK, but played with no sound

This seems confirmed by the Wiki Article Squeezebox Touch as a Home Music Server - SqueezeboxWiki

esp. Squeezebox Touch as a Home Music Server - SqueezeboxWiki

Note sure the restriction is a hardware issue (as in - will never work)

or a software issue ( not deemed high enough priority )

given that people have asked for 24/192 (!) flac , and been told that its technically possible - although it would require a custom software image

24/192 - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

esp Squeezebox : Community : Forums - View Single Post - 24/192

My advice would be, that given that if you are using a directly attached storage device with the Touch,

dedicate that device to the touch, and transcode files to FLAC when you put them on the storage device, problem solved!

I haven't had any issues I can recall with 7.5.0 / 7.5.1 But I already had a good system prior to upgrading.

The community feels different, since the departures of the founders, and logitech seems less open than SD. Fewer dev resources, yet upgrades to software and firmware have appeared along with bug fixes.

It does what I need to, and I run my own server so not too worried, but the world has changed, depends on what your use case / requirements are.

Grahame, are you using a computer or a NAS device for your server? I'm thinking of doing a NAS-as-server, (Mandriva and SqueezeboxServer are not a match made in heaven) but I'm worried that the low processor resources on the NAS might not be enough to get the job done.

Carl. Touch as server, uses the Touch. I'm using a computer as a SB server.

General opinion seems to be that while NAS's are a nice idea in theory, they tend to be compute underpowered, leading to a poor user experience, and often require custom software builds and thus lag the main software development.

Decent, powerful enough machines are cheap enough these days - refurbs, cast -offs etc. If you can out them out of the way - that solves the noise issue. Wake on Lan solves the energy/ cost issue. People have pointed out whats the ROI / break even point in buying a new "energy efficient" vs re-purposing an existing machine - plenty of discussions on this on the forums.

You could use vortexbox os the os/image,

or just buy an appliance from them. vortexbox.org

(But don't forget your backups )

Anyone using a BlacX connected directly to the Touch via USB?

Don't see why not, as it appears a powered USB Device. I may try it tonight ...

The SHDC card is a nice feature, as if you have ~1% capacity spare (see wiki) you could use the same card full of Flacs in your Touch, or HiFiMAN HM-801 (edwood : ) )