I'm not sure that this question pertains to the 990, but I'm here to find out.

I am planning on purchasing a Philips RC9800i (remote control) which allows streaming of audio files from one's computer through their audio system. In my quest for more information, I have come up short.

I understand that one must have a wireless network, but how exactly does the music get transmitted through the audio system? I read that a UPnP Media Adapter is necessary if the unit is not already compatible, but I can't find anymore information on this.

So my question is:
How, if at all, can I stream music from my PC through my Pronto remote through the model 990?

I have called Philips and after talking with 2 people, I received no information. They couldn't even tell me if Outlaw products were in the database for the Pronto RC9800i.

Thanks for in advance for any insight.

The remote handles the audio?... Gonna have to do some reading up on that one... I'll poke around a bit in between drawings this afternoon and see what I can figure out. If the remote is from the Pronto family, the remote codes in my sig should give you a Pronto config file for the 990.

Thanks Gonk,
I have been doing some more research and this is what I've found:

I pictured the RC9800 working in a similar fashion as the Sonos units where, if my understanding is correct, the Sonos Controller (remote) streams music from the PC to a Sonos Zone Player which hooks up to the audio system. In my mind, I was looking for something similar to the Zone Player, which would hook up to the 990.

I, however, was mistaken. It appears that the 9800 can do 2 things when it comes to transferring audio from a PC. First, it can play the music on the unit itself (there are speaker(s) on the actual remote). I'm sure the quality isn't very good, though. The other way it transfers audio is while it is in the charging dock and the dock is hardwired to the preamp/receiver.

The following excerpt is from http://www.homecontrol.philips.com/index.cfm?id=844 :
Simply by connecting an audio extension cable from the remote’s cradle to your audio system's amplifier. The RC9800i with its WiFi and UPnP technology allows you to first listen on the remote itself. When docked in the charging cradle, the audio will be outputted by connecting the audio extension cable from the cradle to the audio set.

So I was wrong in thinking the remote would stream music to some third device that would hook up to the 990 - the 9800 would have to be sitting in its charging cradle which would be hardwired to the 990.

So I guess I answered my own question. I know the audio quality wont be top notch coming from the remote's dock, but I think it will still be good for background entertainment.

If anyone is interested in buying the remote, buy.com and costco.com have them for $325 and $350, respectively. I've read a fair number of reviews and have decided that this is probably the way I will go.

Cheers.

OK, UPnP is a communication protocol. To view pictures, listen to music, or watch videos that are stored on your PC, you need a UPnP-compliant media adapter - the remote itself doesn't pass any data, but just acts as a control for the data passing from PC to media adapter. You can view pictures from your PC on the 9800i's screen if you have the right UPnP software installed on the computer, but that's about it. I don't think the 9800i is compatible with standard Pronto config files, so the files on this page may not help, but the 9800i does support learning so that you can teach it the 990's commands.

Basically, it sounds to me like 9800i users can buy a media adapter that support UPnP and make use of a nifty interface on the remote for selecting data to play or view. Devices of this type seem a bit rare - Philips' Streamium is one such device. Of course, folks who don't have the 9800i can achieve much the same thing with media players such as the Slim Devices Squeezebox or the Roku Labs Soundbridge or Photobridge.

You should take a serious look at the Slim Devices Squeezebox that gonk posted a link to. I have one hooked up to my 990 and love it. and it goes for $300.

Had never heard of this before reading it here ...

How do you have it hooked up to the network? (Wireless, Ethernet)
How do you have it hooked up the the 990? (RCA, Digital)
Do you play music only off of your PC or do you have any services?

The Squeezebox is available in wireless and wired versions, and it has both analog stereo output and a digital output (the current version of the Squeezebox has apparently got some really nice DAC's if you don't want to part with a digital input on the 990). It uses a program on your computer to organize songs into playlists that can then be accessed, and the latest versions offer pretty decent support for different file formats as well as streaming audio stations. The Roku Soundbridge is similar (wired and wireless options), but I think it just grabs stuff off of network drives. The Photobridge can even handle HD resolution video files if it has an ethernet connection (needs more reliable bandwidth than the typical wireless network can provide).

I did a quick read on the website. I was just wondering how someone had it personnelly hooked up.

I have all 700 CDs in iTunes. Am I having to re-record in the Squeezebox software or just point to current files?

Really curious about other services and how people like them.

I haven't gotten one yet, although I've considered both the Squeezebox and SoundBridge on occasion. You can actually get SlimServer (the Squeezebox software) to borrow directly from iTunes for playlists, and I think it will work with all or nearly all of the formats that iTunes rips discs to (including AAC according to the site) - so you should be able to just point SlimServer to your current files. You might want to download SlimServer and give it a whirl - you can set it up and even use a web interface to access it from another PC (the other PC basically mimics a Squeezebox).

Squeezebox seems to have become the successor to the old Audiotron as the most popular media player around - folks that have them seem to adore them.

1) I have the wireless model and run it off my home network.

2) I have it hooked to the 990 via digital coax (though you can use opital or RCA as well).

3) I can play off the music files on my computer or you can listen to well over 200 Internet radio stations without going thru the computer, it accesses an outside server via the network. In the last month you can also stream from any Pandora music stations you may have created at Pandora.com. The Pandora service is free for the first 90 days and $36/year after the free trial.

It supports a number of formats inclduing FLAC.

I really like it and the quality is excellent especially thru the 990. Very good value for $300.

These look like great devices--I read the webpages. Squeezebox even supports ALC. My question is this. If I run iTunes and have an Airport Express don't I have everything but Pandora (which is a cool feature)? What am I missing? I can serve up internet radio and my own recorded music to any wireless connection in the house. Not being argumentative--really wanting to know what I'm missing.

The advantages over the Airport Express that occur to me are a remote control (although there may be a way to do a remote now) and a display of what's currently playing.

Without meaning to sound like an Applephile, Front Row and a Remote Control now comes with Macs and it allows control over iTunes content (web and HD). You could buy the program and a remote (or program your remote) for less.

So if you are in the Windows world the Sqeezebox is a great solution -- it looks very good indeed. If you are in the Mac world you don't need it. I might buy one anyway!

I can't address any thoughts/concerns/issues regarding Mac/Apple/Airport applications. I have absolutely no experience with Mac units.

One issue might be can you access Internet radio with the computer off. With Squeezebox that is a done issue.

It is hard not to be suspicious that these units don't all use the same electronic modules but I think you have found a difference. The Mac/Airport solution doesn't need a computer to be on to be connected to the internet but it needs something with a logic and a processor to control things. That's what the Squeezebox provides which is different. It works without a PC or Mac.

Actually the Squeezebox server software is very agnostic as far as OS use goes. It is open source and written in Perl with versions readily available for Windows, Mac and Linux. I know quite a few Mac guys using the Squeezebox, although I have no idea why they selected it over the Airport Express as the AEX looks like a nice solution if you are Apple centric. I do like the fact that the Squeezebox is open source and I’m not tied to i-Tunes with it.

I have two of the SBs and am using Linux as the server with the CDs ripped to FLAC.