Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

My goal is to get rid of Windows XP on my audio server and manage all of my digital media using Linux, most likely Ubuntu. Linux is appealing to me because I can run my server without having to purchase another version of Windows XP. There is also a certain level of “coolness” in having a Linux audio server. It seems like a good way for me to wet my feet in the Linux world. The problem is that I have not actually made the transition and I am trying to determine what is taking me so long.

Here is what I want to do in Linux:

• Stream music to my living
• Pick songs through a remote
• Play FLAC files
• No monitor or keyboard

All my songs are in Windows Media lossless format, which I would really like to kick to the curb. FLAC is becoming more and more appealing to me, especially as more hardware supports it. If I can make the switch to Linux, I am going to re-encode all of my songs to FLAC.

Currently, my audio system is a computer hooked up to a receiver that is controlled by my PocketPC running NetRemote. I can pick a song or playlist from my PocketPC and play it through my jukebox. In order to replace Windows XP with Linux, I essentially need to find an alternative to Netremote. Running Netremote under Wine does not appear to be too successful, though I need to research it more. The lack of a remote is the main hindrance is to me replacing Windows XP

The Slim Devices Squeezebox seems like it might be an option in helping me get rid of Windows except for one thing: no adequate remote control. In the Squeezebox’s favor, it has an open source server software that can play FLAC files as well. Not being able to pick a song from the remote really is a deal-breaker though.

Another alternative would be to use the Sonos Audio System to access music stored on a Linux machine. The Sonos remote looks fantastic. I must admit it seems little odd that I need to spend almost $1000 to make Linux feasible as an alternative to Windows XP and Netremote. The other thing about the Sonos system is that I would not need a Linux machine at all, rather I just would need some network area storage.

For the time being, it seems like I am stuck with Windows XP. Does anyone have any suggestion on how to get my desired functionality through Linux?