[ratso]

so what do we call them anyways? the first thing we have to do is come up with some uniform name for them. 6moons suggests we call them "file players". i think squeezebox says streaming music players. some people say "music servers"? the question i have is why aren't there more of them? there is the logitech line and the sonos, but that's really about it as far as simple, affordable, wireless streaming, music only players. why? i've been waiting for the touch to be released so that i can get hi-rez, why don't i have 20 of these to pick from? i heard that they are on the way, what do you guys think?

[MaxCast]

good question.  I think Yamaha has something but I did not follow up on it with the recent SB sale for $153.

[lcrim]

The transport method you are discussing then is using ethernet to get the music from hard drive storage to a DAC player combo. 
There are Linux based devices that can load a player called Music Player Daemon, that can transport and send the files to a DAC.  Some of these devices are called the Networked Media Tanks. 
There are other Operating Systems that have a smaller resource footprint than MS Windows that can accurately playback digital based music files.  Much slower/cheaper processors are then suitable for use.   
The problem w/ these other paths is the necessity for much greater background in computers than the mainstream user.   

[ratso]

thanx for the reply larry, but if i'm reading the wiki for that correctly that is not what i am asking about. i have seen many software solutions, but i am looking more for simple one box devices. again, something to compete with the squeezebox/sonos lines. although i'm sure the MPD is a great solution, i don't really see something like that ever breaking out of the enthusiast market and being something Joe Average would use as you also mentioned in your thread. i guess i'm just wondering about the future of all this. although i see a lot of software driven solutions, some overly complicated HT devices built around movie streaming and a few rediculously high end players, i don't really see a breakthrough into mainstream acceptance yet. i really thought (and kinda still think) that these devices could replace the cd/dvd player if implemented AND MARKETED properly? i wonder if some of it is pushback from the big music labels who don't want to give up the physical cd's and dvd's?

[chadh]

Do these fit the bill?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YK1FFI/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002MCZJ3C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1WZ8Z2A9H1T86C97MYGJ

http://www.buy.com/prod/netgear-eva2000-digital-entertainer-live/q/loc/101/212323671.html

http://www.buy.com/prod/seagate-freeagent-theater-hd-1080p-media-player/q/loc/111/211967188.html

These seem to be called "network media players".

Chad

[mcgsxr]

I have seen other media streaming devices as chadh points out, but few (and likely with good reason given the broad publicO focused on audio, and fewer still as well received by us audio geeks than the Logitech units.