To stream or not to stream

Audio files are stored on a hard disk. You have two options to access them:

• a hard disk player (PC/ Mac)
• a streaming audio player

 

To play your own music using a streaming audio player:

• you must have a home network.
  Streaming audio uses internet technology to connect to a source.
  You need a router.
  You can choose between a wired or wireless connection
  
• you need a server connected to your home network.
  This can be a NAS or a PC.
• the server must run media server software.
• the media player and the server must use the same protocol.
  Often this is UPnP, an industry standard supported by many companies. But there are brands having their own proprietary protocols like Slimdevices or Apple.

After configuring everything correctly, the media player can access your collection over the home network.
A bit more complex compared with a PC.

 

If you want to give it a try and you have a PC running Vista or XP and a media player you can enable the media sharing and connect a media player.

If you have 2 PCs, enable media sharing and they can both play the content on the other (Vista, XP can only act as a server)

 

There are more differences.

• Response
  A PC is in general more crisp. A media player must browse a server somewhere in the network. The server needs to have sufficient capacity.
• Interface
  Players like Windows Media Player or iTunes can be used in full screen mode, offers drag/drop functionality, search boxes, everything you can expect from a well developed GUI.
  Media players in general have a small screen and buttons or scroll wheels to control them.
• Noise
  You don’t want to have noise in your listening area.
  Desktops are often noisy, laptops are in general more quiet.
  There are PCs build to make hardly any noise but they are in general more expensive.
  Streaming audio players in general don't have moving parts so are quiet by design.
  The server can be placed anywhere, out of sight and out of hearing, so noise is not an issue.

• Power consumption
  Well designed NAS and a media players use less power than a PC.
  A lightweight NAS might consume 15 Watt, a Squeezebox probably 5 Watt, a laptop probably 60 Watt

Music server

What is sold as “music server” is in general a dedicated computer.
Most of them are not servers properly as you can control them directly.
But a lot of them can be used as a server as well.
They have the look and feel of traditional audio equipment. In fact some companies stress that it is NOT a computer. They probably think they fence people of by calling it what is, a computer. More can be found here