Squeezebox Bites the Dust

[Labarum]

To be discontinued. It may take two years or more to die, or the open source community might take its features into generic hardware.

Sad but inevitable. Logitech had no idea what to do with the product.

Lots of chatter here:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showt...ke-to-ensure-continued-function-of-SB-players

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showt...s-dead-what-would-your-next-system-be-And-why

 

[gargal]

I'd just decided an SB touch was the right thing for me to buy!

Would it be sensible to find an alternative, if features are likely to stop working in the future? I was hoping for something which would last a decade. Ta.

edit: Or could anyone suggest a good alternative which included streaming of video (i-player, etc)?

 

[Labarum]

Look at the two threads I linked.

Too early to say, but mysqueezebox.com should run another two years or Logitech could face legal problems. Squeezebox has great support from the open source community - they may yet find a way of keeping Squeezeboxes running much longer.

Alternatives? Apple Airport Express (audio only) or Apple TV, but you are fairly tied to the Apple eco system.

But look at

http://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/

 

[gargal]

Ta Labarum. I had a look at those threads, but as a lot of them seemed to be real SB fans I wasn't sure if they were biased towards positivity about it.

Ta for mentioning Airfoil. That would give me an excuse to get an i-pod touch.

I've never done any streaming previously, and am still on CDs, so am still learning what is what..

 

[Labarum]

If you are happy to use iTunes you don't need Airfoil.

Here is well balanced advice

http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

 

[gargal]

Thanks for the link. I'll check through that before moving forward.

 

[RobHolt]

There have been rumours about the end of SB for years but it's sad to see them finally pull the plug.
I wouldn't worry though since thousands have been sold, the current version server software is lean and stable, and there is sure to be a good supply of SBs on the used market for many years to come.

If I were currently committed to the SB system I'd likely just sit tight for a while and wait until the likes of Apple develop future kit that effectively upgrades all current solutions from a usability POV. It will happen as they are committed big time and have the resources and customer base to make it happen.

 

[zygote23]

Trouble there Rob is that whilst I have three SB boxes in the house I'll never have an apple product!

Hopefully someone with a different view will either pick up SB or develop something similar.

 

[Labarum]

If I were currently committed to the SB system I'd likely just sit tight for a while

That's my plan.

I have at least two years and probably a lot longer - eons in the world of hardware and software development.

The big boys (all of them) will continue to try to lock down systems in order to sell content and increase their cash flow, but open (source) solutions will win in the end.

That part of the Squeezebox system that is in the public domain (most of it) will likely be edited to run on open generic hardware. Raspberry Pi, for example, will do the work of a Squeezebox receiver very well.

Logitech's decision could be good news in the long run.

 

[RobHolt]

Trouble there Rob is that whilst I have three SB boxes in the house I'll never have an apple product!

Hopefully someone with a different view will either pick up SB or develop something similar.

Only using Apple for example. I'm sure there will be plenty of alternatives.

 

[Labarum]

You never know, Google might take some decent advice and turn that stupid black ball Nexus Streamer into something useful.