[rahimlee54]

I was wondering what the best program/programs to convert CDs to FLAC, I read something a last year sometime about using exact audio copy, but would like some more direction.  I couldnt find a thread that already had the info, if there is one please direct me there thanks.  I Just want to put the files on my home computer and stream to the Xbox or PS3.

Thanks
Rahimlee54

[Bigfish]

I use EAC and really like it a lot.  Very easy to use and you can download/try a copy before you have to purchase.  You can download it here:  http://www.snapfiles.com/get/exactaudio.html 

Ken

[Rashiki]

EAC is completely free. No purchase required. You can make a donation to the author if you like, but it is completely free for non-commercial use.

http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

[HumanMedia]

And if you use Mac OS as opposed to Windows, the equivalent software is "Max" (also free):

http://sbooth.org/Max/

[Bob in St. Louis]

I was wondering what the best program/programs to convert CDs to FLAC, .....snip.....I Just want to put the files on my home computer and stream to the Xbox or PS3.

I've never tried to stream FLAC to my 360 or the PS3. Will that work?

Bob

[steve k]

I was wondering what the best program/programs to convert CDs to FLAC, I read something a last year sometime about using exact audio copy, but would like some more direction.  I couldnt find a thread that already had the info, if there is one please direct me there thanks.  I Just want to put the files on my home computer and stream to the Xbox or PS3.

Another good free CD ripper is dBpoweramp. I think its easier to setup and use than EAC. http://www.dbpoweramp.com/

[Rashiki]

Another good free CD ripper is dBpoweramp.

Only the most basic version of dBpoweramp is free. If you want more features you have to pay $24 or $36. The basic version does support ripping CDs, but it isn't clear if the free version will output flac files.

 

[Rashiki]

I've never tried to stream FLAC to my 360 or the PS3. Will that work?

I've streamed MP3 files to my PS3, but I'm not sure if FLAC will work. The PS3 supports DLNA, so your DLNA server could support FLAC by transcoding to MP3.

In my opinion, streaming music to the PS3 is kind of clunky. It works, but it's not as nice as something like the SqueezeBox.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Now that I've put a little more thought into the subject......I lied.  I have tried:

- My PS3 can 'see' the music server and all of the FLAC files to the extent it recognizes the tagging info (artist, album track title etc...), but none of them will play. I can't recall what error message it gave me as to why it wouldn't play.

- A couple years ago all my music was in WAV. The XBox 360 wouldn't play it. Now, it's all in FLAC. It's been quite some time since I've messed with it, but I do recall it not recognizing the music folders existence at all.

Now to be fair, I do have a SqueezeBox, so I didn't spend much time troubleshooting why neither player would stream the tunes. So I'm not saying it isn't possible..... just that I couldn't get it to work after spending an entire five minutes trying.

Bob

[Rashiki]

I just checked on Sony's website. The PS3 doesn't support FLAC.

The PLAYSTATION 3 supports the following music and audio file formats:

    * AAC
    * MP3
    * MP4
    * ATRAC3™
      ATRAC must be enabled for playback, see how to enable ATRAC for details.
      Memory Stick PRO Duo cards will not play or record ATRAC3 files.
    * WAV \ WMA
      WMA must be enabled for playback, see how to enable WMA for details.

      Note: If the music files are copy protected, they may not play on the PLAYSTATION 3 system.


The above info was taken from this horribly long URL:
http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/playstation.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=351&p_created=1193170899&p_sid=1rs9V7qj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=368&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD00LDQmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1DRkY*&p_li=&p_topview=1

[rahimlee54]

Could I do it with TV versity or the like?  What extention device would I need in order to be able to stream to my main speaker rig?  I can listen on headphones at the CPU but the real setup is way better.

Thanks
Rahimlee54

[Bob in St. Louis]

What extention device would I need in order to be able to stream to my main speaker rig? 

SqueezeBox. 

[Rashiki]

Could I do it with TV versity or the like?

TVersity, TwonkyMedia or one of the many other DLNA servers might work to serve content from a PC to a PS3. This article is a bit old, but most of the info is still valid:
http://www.rbgrn.net/blog/2007/08/how-to-choose-dlna-media-server-software-in-windows-mac-os-x-or-linux.html

What extention device would I need in order to be able to stream to my main speaker rig?  I can listen on headphones at the CPU but the real setup is way better.

Something like a SqueezeBox would work well, but there are a variety of ways to get sound from a PC to an audio system. The simplest would be a really long audio cable. If your PC is within a few feet of your audio system, a USB DAC might be a good alternative. If you're happy using iTunes, the Airport Express might fit your needs.

[Bob in St. Louis]

>HERE'S< a new thread you might be interested in regarding streaming FLAC tunes.

Bob

[nomadicbry]

Apparently using TVersity to stream to the XBox will allow flac to be played on your hifi/tv
I use TVersity but haven't tried to listen to flac yet... I'm just about to rip all my CDs to flac so will see how it works tonoght with a few sample tracks

Just tried it at home with flac files and yep they work fine