Multiple SB2 setup

Paul_Bui · « **on:** 28 Sep 2005, 12:15 am »

Vinnie et al,

What are the requirements to have more than one SB2 play different programs in the same house at the same time? I hope I don't have to have two different HDs.

Papajin · « **Reply #1 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 12:23 am »

I haven't fiddled with it at all, but probably you just need to run 2 different servers. You may need to change the port on the 2nd instance to avoid conflicts and make sure the SB2 itself points to the correct port depending which server you want it talking to. Other than that they should be able to share the same hard drives without a problem. I know the server software also has a service running in the background, but I don't know offhand if you'd need to reconfigure that in any way to handle the 2 servers.

Please note that is all an educated guess, so I could be wrong on any or all points made in the above post.

sleepysurf · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 12:24 am »

No problem. Slimserver can handle multiple simultaneous audio streams, or alternatively synchronize the streams for whole house audio. I presume the LIMIT depends only on your network bandwidth.

Paul_Bui · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 01:30 am »

Quote from: sleepysurf

No problem. Slimserver can handle multiple simultaneous audio streams, or alternatively synchronize the streams for whole house audio. I presume the LIMIT depends only on your network bandwidth.

Thanks guys for the responses. Sounds wonderful, but how can I do it? There's a SYNCHRONIZE item in the settings, perhap I should try it.

sleepysurf · « **Reply #4 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 01:54 am »

I use both a Squeezebox2 (Family Room) and Softsqueeze (Office) running simultaneously via Slimserver. I plan to add another Squeezebox2 in my Master Bedroom as well. Slimserver can manage all three, accessing FLAC files from my Buffalo Linkstation network attached storage.

Paul_Bui · « **Reply #5 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 02:35 am »

Following is an excerpt from Slim Server Help:

"Yes, you can have any number of Squeezeboxes on your LAN, using a single instance of the SlimServer software. Thanks to the efficient design of our software and streaming protocol, even a low-end PC can service more than a dozen Squeezeboxes. Each player operates completely independently of the others, so you can have different music playing in your garage, kitchen, bed room, living room... wherever! In addition, if you have multiple Squeezeboxes, you can synchronize them so that they play back the same audio in every room of your house."

Exploring, exploring...

Papajin · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 09:32 am »

ya know what, yeah I'm an idiot. You can choose which SB2 your'e looking at from a dropdown above the playlist using the default skin when there's more than one... Duh!

Paul_Bui · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 11:43 am »

No you are not. We all are learning this feature-rich and good sounding device, and your suggestions are very helpful.

I've learned how to make two SB2s completely independent from each other yet still running off a single Slim Server instance, by NOT synchronizing them from the server running on PC.

Thank you both for offering your thoughts. It helped.

Papajin · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 05:20 pm »

I am I am! What I originally said would probably work, and I could maybe see it being done that way if you wanted to have a play list for a single SB2 up for each window without having to swap between 2 devices in a dropdown listbox. But primarily I called myself an idiot for not remembering that I actually did play with 2 SB2's briefly... 1 the hardware version and 1 the software version. As it turns out, the server software does handle multiple devices just fine, and fairly easily. As I recall, when I loaded up the software player, the server and the player immediately recognized each other, and I was able to switch between the two playlists quite easily. The only configuration you _might_ want to do, is to name your SB2's so you can more easily identify them.

jonwb · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 06:00 pm »

Quote from: Papajin

I am I am!

OK, you are!!!

Actually the only thing you're "guilty" of is starting this thread in the wrong circle. It really probably ought to have gone in "The Square Circle" (goofy name, I know). That's the spot for questions/discussions on computer based audio stuff.

Seriously, I find that if I'm curious about something (even if you know it'll be obvious for some), chances are pretty good that someone else is wondering the same thing or would benefit from reading the explaination.

Have fun w/ your SB2!

Papajin · « **Reply #10 on:** 28 Sep 2005, 09:05 pm »

Ah except I didn't start this thread so that's actually the one thing I'm NOT guilty of.