Cambridge Audio’s Minx Xi music streamer packs built-in amp and 24-bit DAC (video)

Posted on 19/09/2013 by Jon Fingas

There are plenty of gadgets that will stream music across the home, but few of them would satisfy the stereotypical audiophile. Cambridge Audio's just-shipped Minx Xi system may appease those fussier listeners. The WiFi sound hub includes its own 24-bit / 96KHz Wolfson DAC, a Class AB amplifier and even a toroidal power supply to minimize interference at higher volumes. It can also decode compression-free formats like AIFF, Apple Lossless and FLAC. There's no want for input sources, either. The Minx Xi takes local music from both Cambridge's mobile apps as well as devices with Bluetooth, optical output, UPnP and USB support; by itself, the hub streams services like BBC iPlayer, Pandora and Rhapsody. The Minx Xi isn't cheap at $899, but it's also one of the few networked audio devices that could be a true complement to high-end speakers.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking

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Source: Cambridge Audio

VLC 2.1 for iOS adds audio-only playback, streaming over FTP and UPnP

Posted on 07/09/2013 by Jon Fingas

VLC returned to iOS with big upgrades like AirPlay and Dropbox integration, but it left out a few of the very valuable features we've seen in other media players. The app's new 2.1 update addresses several of those omissions in one fell swoop. VLC can now play audio-only files, and it will stream content from both UPnP devices and FTP servers. Even a few of the smaller additions could be quite useful for some viewers -- there's a video deinterlacing option, for example, as well as support for subtitles in non-Western languages. We're sure that VLC 2.1 won't please everyone, but iOS media lovers who held off on downloading 2.0 will want to give the update a closer look.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: App Store

XBMC team starts work on version 13 ‘Gotham’, breaks down new UPnP, Android updates

Posted on 15/03/2013 by Richard Lawler

Just because XBMC 12 Frodo has been officially released we wouldn't expect the team behind the media PC software to take too long of a break. In fact, in a blog post it's announced plans to return to a monthly development cycle, as well as a code name for version 13 of the software: Gotham. While we wait for the next official release to arrive, the February build features improvements to UPnP with a "Play Using..." push server feature that should be familiar if you've used Play To on Windows for example. also new are Android fixes that let it rotate in any direction, and control the device's native audio. there are other changes as well, which can be reviewed beyond the source link, along with test versions for your preferred platform.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: XBMC Blog

Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999

Posted on 05/10/2012 by Jon Fingas

Parrot has taken some time trotting out the Zikmu Solo speaker since we first saw it at CES, but those enamored with very vertical audio can rest easy now that the unit has a North American release schedule. Both Canada and the US can buy the Philippe Starck-crafted speaker in November, when it will cost $999 for Americans in its black and white guises (sorry, no red for now). While that's a lot to pay for a 100W speaker, Parrot is counting on the unique acoustic design, a conventional iOS dock and a mix of Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi to tempt people away from the land of horizontal sound. It's undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to make a speaker dock the focus of a room -- and that's part of the point, isn't it?

Continue reading Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Synology launches DiskStation DS413j NAS server for your own private cloud

Posted on 06/09/2012 by Jamie Rigg

If you like your data local, but crave remote access, you've now got options like Synology's new DiskStation DS413j -- a network-attached storage (NAS) server for your own private cloud. The feature-packed box has four drive bays for a total of 16TB storage, and you can mix and match HDDs of different sizes without losing the comfort of RAID. Along with what you'd expect from NAS, its media server will stream content to your console or TV via DLNA or UPnP and push tunes to your stereo, with iOS and Android apps for couch DJing. The server will sync your files across computers if you wish, and give you access to all that data on the move via the internet or mobile apps. And, if you need more files, you can download directly using your favorite protocols -- it'll even automate them if you trust RSS feeds to make recommendations. All this can be yours for around $380, depending on the retailer, but don't forget to budget for drives to fill those empty bays.

Gallery: Synology DiskStation DS413j