[Updated 4PM] — Digital Techniques used embedded Linux, off-the-shelf mini-ITX parts, and high-end PCI soundcards to build a line of audiophile home network music servers. The Blackbird servers have 80-300GB hard drives, lots of networking options, and a web interface supporting small browsers such as those found on wireless PDAs.

The Blackbird is based on a passively cooled mini-ITX system

The Blackbird is a digital music repository and player designed to play back music files through directly attached home stereo components, while being controlled by computers, laptops, or PDAs connected over wired or wireless networks. Supported file formats include MP3, MP3PRO, Ogg, WAV, and FLAC. The Blackbird can also play music streams, and comes preloaded with several Internet radio stations.

The Blackbird has a web-based interface that supports playlists, song grouping by genre, artist, and title, as well as several innovative features like random playing within a specific genre, artist, or playlist. Click below for select screenshots of the Blackbird's user interface running on a wireless PDA:

• Main menu
• Playlist
• Shuffle and Loop
• Internet Radio
• Genre listings

Additional screenshots can be found here.

According to creator Richard Mueller, the Blackbird's PHP/Javascript interface was designed to support a wide variety of browsers, including those found on small-screen devices such as PDAs. “One of our goals was compatibility with any browser that's out there,” Mueller said.

Mueller adds that he expects the Linux-powered Nokia 770 (pictured at right) to work as “the ideal remote control” for the Blackbird. The Nokia is expected to ship to US markets in Q3 of this year. Meanwhile, PocketPC-based PDAs work, although Mueller says, “We had to tweak the Javascript heavily to work with PocketPC.”

Music files can be copied to the Blackbird through interfaces that include http (Java upload applet), ftp, SMB/CIFS (Windows networking using Samba), and scp. Music can also be added by attaching a USB harddrive. Experienced Linux users can also play music over a network by setting up an NFS or SMB client share, Mueller notes.

Experienced Linux users may also enjoy knowing the Blackbird offers a full Linux console, accessible via telnet, ssh, or through direct connection of a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. The commandline environment includes a script that can be used to update the device's operating system over the network.

What's under the hood?

The Blackbird is based on an unspecified Via mini-ITX board with a passively cooled Eden processor and 256MB of RAM. Fans are present in the case, but not connected to power, according to Mueller, who adds that a lot of work went into qualifying full-size hard disk drives that can operate in a small, fanless enclosure without overheating. Mueller declined to specify his hard drive source, but noted that an emerging market for living room computers and media servers has not gone unnoticed by hard drive vendors.

The Blackbird offers a choice of PCI sound cards, including Creative Labs's venerable SoundBlaster Live! or M-Audio's high-end Audiophile 2496. Mueller claims that he can hear the difference between the cards, with the M-Audio card especially impressive when used with headphones. Both cards support digital audio out, and may be usable with aftermarket home theater products supporting 5.1 and 7.1 speaker arrangements, but the Blackbird was primarily designed for the “90 percent of users who just want stereo,” Mueller says.

Software side

The Blackbird's Linux operating system is based on the 9.1 version of Slackware. It uses a variety of open source software packages, including Alsa drivers and utilities. The operating system boots from its own hard drive partition, which is large enough to support user additions for those inclined, Mueller says.

Mueller says the Blackbird is not based on open source network music player projects such as mpd, slimp3, DigitalDJ, or others. Instead, Digital Techniques wrote its own music player software, using alsa utilities, C, PHP, and ascii and binary database files, Mueller says.

Mueller sees growing market potential for multimedia servers based on Linux, and says that after a careful refinement process, the Blackbird has reached a stable and mature state. “We're into our fifth software release, and now I feel really good about things, so we're going to try to open up more distribution. It's like the old joke: the first 90 percent is the easiest, the second 90 percent is harder, and the third 90 percent turns it into a really great product.”

Availability

Blackbird models available direct from Digital Techniques include:

• SoundBlaster Live!
  • 080S — 80GB hard drive, priced at $500
  • 160S — 160GB hard drive, priced at $600

• M-Audio Audiophile 2496
  • 160A — 160GB hard drive, priced at $800
  • 300A — 300GB hard drive, priced at $900

Digital Techniques also sells a $50 wireless USB adapter for the Blackbird players.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.