SoundBridge
Encyclopedia
Roku
Roku , is an American, privately held, consumer electronics company that sells home digital media products. The Company is based in Saratoga, California.- Company profile and products :...
designed to play internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
or digital audio
Digital audio
Digital audio is sound reproduction using pulse-code modulation and digital signals. Digital audio systems include analog-to-digital conversion , digital-to-analog conversion , digital storage, processing and transmission components...
streamed
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
to it across a home network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
, either WiFi
WIFI
WIFI is a radio station broadcasting a brokered format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA, the station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...
or Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
. SoundBridge devices directly browse the Radio Roku Internet Radio Guide.
The music is made available by a streaming server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
, usually a PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
running a software server. What sets the SoundBridge apart from other network media players are its high resolution vacuum fluorescent display
Vacuum fluorescent display
A vacuum fluorescent display is a display device used commonly on consumer-electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders, car radios, and microwave ovens. Invented in Japan in 1967, the displays became common on calculators and other consumer electronics devices...
and compatibility with many different media servers, namely servers using Apple Computer's
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
Digital Audio Access Protocol
Digital Audio Access Protocol
The Digital Audio Access Protocol is the proprietary protocol introduced by Apple in its iTunes software to share media across a local network....
(Only the Roku-branded editions support this, not the Pinnacle-branded ones; popular servers are iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
or mt-daapd), Windows Media Connect
Windows Media Connect
Windows Media Connect is a UPnP AV server from Microsoft for Windows XP and later Windows operating systems, to share and stream media on a Windows computer to WMC clients. The first two releases of WMC were made available as stand-alone software, and included a client as well...
, Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
, SlimServer
SlimServer
Logitech Media Server is a streaming audio server supported by Logitech , developed in particular to support their Squeezebox range of digital audio receivers....
, and UPnP
Universal Plug and Play
Universal Plug and Play is a set of networking protocols for primarily residential networks without enterprise class devices that permits networked devices, such as personal computers, printers, Internet gateways, Wi-Fi access points and mobile devices to seamlessly discover each other's presence...
(Universal Plug and Play) compatible servers like TwonkyVision. Some of these servers can be run not only on PCs, but also on NAS
Network-attached storage
Network-attached storage is file-level computer data storage connected to a computer network providing data access to heterogeneous clients. NAS not only operates as a file server, but is specialized for this task either by its hardware, software, or configuration of those elements...
devices like the Linksys NSLU2
NSLU2
The NSLU2 is a Network-attached storage device made by Linksys introduced in 2004 and discontinued in 2008. It makes USB Flash memory and hard disks accessible over a network using the SMB protocol...
, so a SoundBridge can be operated without a PC.
There are several SoundBridge models: The M1000, the M500 (an M1000 with a cheaper LCD instead of the VFD), and the discontinued M2000, which had a larger and even higher-resolution display than the M1000. The M1000s sold now are slightly different from older M1000s and can be identified by the fact that they have their connectors at the back, rather than under the end caps. The new revisions are sometimes called M1001 and are mainly an internal redesign to cut manufacturing costs. Most users won't notice any difference, which is reflected in the fact that these units are still sold as M1000s. There is also a tabletop model called the SoundBridge Radio that has built in speakers, an AM/FM radio, and an alarm clock.
Versions
SoundBridge players sold in the United States are made by Roku, and include:- M1001 SoundBridge (bitmapped VFD display - 280x16; similar to original M1000 model(see note))
- R1000 SoundBridge Radio (bitmapped VFD display - 280x32; AM/FM tuner; SD card slot; built-in speakers)
- M500 SoundBridge (character-based LCD display - 40 characters x 2 lines) (discontinued)
- M1000 SoundBridge (bitmapped VFD display - 280x16) (discontinued)
- M2000 SoundBridge (bitmapped VFD display - 512x32; larger, 17" enclosure with very large display) (discontinued)
NOTE: The M1001 uses the newer design style, unlike the older discontinued "M" series units, the M1001 does not have removable side caps or a removable Wi-Fi card (CF form factor). The M1001 has its connections in the rear of the unit, unlike the older ones that had theirs behind the removable side caps
Outside the United States, SoundBridge models are manufactured and sold by Pinnacle
Pinnacle Systems
Pinnacle Systems, Inc. is a California-based American manufacturer of digital video hardware and software for the consumer and broadcast markets. The company was founded in 1986 by Ajay Chopra, Mirek Jiricka and Randall Moore....
, under license from Roku. Although some Pinnacle models are similar or identical in hardware, Pinnacle does not have a license for the DAAP protocol, so Pinnacle models cannot connect directly to iTunes. Pinnacle and Roku promote the Firefly Media Server
Firefly Media Server
Firefly Media Server is an open-source media server for the Roku SoundBridge and iTunes. It serves media files using Roku Server Protocol and Digital Audio Access Protocol .-Features:Its features include:...
as an alternative that offers similar functionality. Pinnacle models include:
- SoundBridge (one version identical to Roku SoundBridge M1001, another known as M1001HR with the higher resolution 280x32 pixel display as used in the SoundBridge Radio)
- SoundBridge Radio (identical to Roku SoundBridge Radio)
- Soundbridge HomeMusic - M400PX (character-based LCD - 16 characters x 2 lines; no Ethernet; no digital output; SD card slot; low-cost plastic housing in place of aluminum extrusion on original models)
WPA support
Firmware version 2.7 supports WPAWi-Fi Protected Access
Wi-Fi Protected Access and Wi-Fi Protected Access II are two security protocols and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks...
, but only for the M1001, the SoundBridge Radio, and the European versions from Pinnacle, not for the older M500/1000/2000 versions. The SoundBridge is an 802.11b device, but it can be used with backward compatible 802.11g networks.
See also
- PlaysForSure
- Firefly Media ServerFirefly Media ServerFirefly Media Server is an open-source media server for the Roku SoundBridge and iTunes. It serves media files using Roku Server Protocol and Digital Audio Access Protocol .-Features:Its features include:...
- Squeezebox (network music player)
- SonosSonosSonos is a consumer electronics company based in Santa Barbara, California. It was founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane, who previously founded Software.com. The company’s main product is the Sonos Multi-Room Music System.-History:...