Can I get music from my wife's old Powerbook to my SuperNait?

Logic dictates you purchase an ipod touch, designed specifically with itunes in mind and works perfectly. And its touch screen.

You are certain it does not have digital out? My macbook g4 certainly did. Its inside the headphone socket so not obviously obvious.

If by chance it did have obviously straight into the SN no problem. If not then you will be looking at a USB r firewire one, the firewire will be very expensive and I would not recommend it if its your fist forray into such things.

Hi Gary,

I have an iPod Touch but it doesn't really do what I want. It could get closer with a digital dock but still would be very user unfriendly (in a dock).

A touch screen next to my listening position that is easy to navigate through, by myself and my wife, with access to a fair amount of lossless music is what I'm aiming for - like the Sooloos.

As far as I can tell, only the 17 inch Powerbook G4 has digital out in the way you mention.

I currently use a wireless Sqeezebox, which provides reasonable fidelity through my SuperNait, but it's a pig to use and set up. I find just about every other music player/system far better.

It's the ease of use of a touch screen that I'm really keen to get going though - if it's possible.

I will purchase a higher quality DAC when I have some spare cash.

Thanks for responding,
Huw

You'll be waiting a while because a decent touch screen which is what you are looking for is big money, especially in this application. Long and short is it will be a laptop type affair which will have to remain plugged in to power all the time. Will be ugly.

Its why soolos is so expensive.

Another option if the TV is in the same room is XBMC running through the powerbook?

Sonos. Dig out to SN. Has a free controller app for the Iphone/touch that is an excellent and sorted interface. Good, cheap, functional. Needs either a wired ethernet connection to your laptop or network, direct to the player or same to an inexpensive source local bridge that will stream wireless to the player. No router is required.

He is saying he does not like the ipod touch.

I think there is milage in XBMC or some other on screen controller, my wife can use it any way

"Will a touchscreen work with the older (or any) OS X operating system?" This may indicate other wise. I took his posts to mean he didn't like his current interfacing options with it.

In this case it would save him the money of buying another dedicated touch controller as the app seems just a functional and sorted. He could also still put the laptop on his lap to control music listening with a cat5 connection to the sonos/SN if that would be more to his liking. He doesn't need a router with this setup or could use one with the bridge connected there and no hardwire to the laptop. Fit's his needs one way or another except for Hi-def or perhaps true hi-end in the future but is no wrose than any other streaming setup below $2K.

You mentioned you had a squeezebox. Have you tried the iPENG app for your touch? I've been playing with it today - it is really superb and turns the iTouch into a squeezebox controller/remote control that's far better than anything Logitech have done themselves. It's only £5.99 and works immediately it's downloaded (utterly miraculously) so you've not much to lose giving it a go.

I use ipeng to control my Squeezebox at the moment and it's not too bad.

What I'm really trying to do is work out a way of getting a Sooloos type front end that does not cost the best part of £7k.

My hope was that I could get a touch screen monitor (maybe more available come Windows 7) for a few hundred pounds, a box containing a HD and a way to rip CDs to it (the Mac laptop) and then connect the output to the SuperNait (later the Naim DAC).

HP provide a touch screen with built in laptop for about £1.3k and it seems to work ok with iTunes - in that you can choose and play your music using your fingers and not a mouse or keyboard. It also appears to have digital out. My guess is that it would do what I want but not be quite as user friendly as a Sooloos.

I thought it might be possible to do something similar for less than £500, as I already have the MAC/PC element and only need a screen and a hook up method.

Regards,
Huw

The trouble you have with that is that you are going to have trailing wires everywhere unless you happen to sit next to the hifi?

Another option but now its getting expensive is a computer at the hifi end. Then your touch screen computer would VNC into it or use a web interface to control music. This way no trailing wires.

Downside, expensive.

Seriosuly I am not aware of a terrific amount of touch screens that are a couple of hundred.

I've not actual experience of it except seeing it instore, but there is the Asus EEETop - a 10" touch screen all in one PC for a few hundred. This could be used to control a separate device via VNC, or could be connected (via USB) to your hifi using iTunes / Media Monkey / Foobar 2k / J River Media Centre. Add a NAS via Ethernet for large storage space.

Eloise

PS announced but not available (AFAIK) is an EEE PC with touch screen whcih may offer you other options.

I am prepared to bet the cost of that device that it will not look as good as the ipod touch screen though.

The guy wants to head for the soolos looks he is going to have to stump up some serious money and that is nothing from Esus who have no idea about the user experience what so ever. So I presume their touch screens will be as bad as their touch pads.

Does your Powerbook have WiFi wireless? You could then use an Airport Express which has an optical digital out that you can put straight into your SN. Only works with iTunes , but that's what you said you would use.

The Powerbook can then be used as "remote control" in that it can be wherever you want it to be to control the music. You could even use the iPod touch.

The Airport Express is not expensive. Even if you had to buy an external WiFi card it wouldn't be expensive.

The New Airport Express Slogan.
"Tune in, drop out"

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:
The New Airport Express Slogan.
"Tune in, drop out"

Ahh, it's not that bad. I had relatively few issues with mine. My microwave oven gave it some grief, though. I was just trying to suggest a low-cost option.

Hi,

Yes, it does have wireless. However it doesn't really get me what I want. It looks as if the touch screen option is not realistic at this moment in time.

I think it likely that I will go the Naim DAC route with a digital hook up from my ipod touch or ipod 120mb.

I'll wait for the market to mature a bit on the touch screen idea - hopefully with Windows 7 being a little more touch screen friendly it will take off.

Cheers
Huw