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Hi i will soon be moving house and am now considering a wireless set up to hopefully stream music and video i currently have a Macbook pro with all my music on and some Hd video i want to be able to view the video in 2 rooms and listen to the music in more. I would like a remote i can use around the house with coverflow or similar so im guessing thats the Sonos set up? Are there any remotes that can do the job of this but also work as a universal remote for all my equipment? The only other thing is that it would be nice if i didnt have to leave my Mac on all the time so could i use my external hard drive for this. Sorry about the number of questions. Thanks Steven

I guess im looking for something that doesnt exist is the simplest answer a sonus bu150 set up to handle the music, apple tv to handle video and a buffalo terastation to back it all up on? could i get the smaller apple tv and use the terastation as the backup? or is there something else? Thanks

I think I would look at the Squeezebox Duet for your music collection, it's half the price of the Sonos and I think will cater to your needs.

I use an Apple computer myself but have never been a big fan of the other stuff they do such as Apple TV, it just seems to be average stuff marketed very well. If it was me I would buy a PS3 and install Media Link by Nullriver software on your Mac:

http://www.nullriver.com/products/medialink

Then with the money you save from the Sonos I would invest in a ReadyNas or a Thecus N200 networked raid array. This will keep your expanding collection safe from drive failure and offer plenty of space. They can also stream music/film if you set them up right!

 

I use SONUS to stream from a Buf Terrastation (1TB) NAS. If you want to rent MP3s,  Napster as well for around a tenner a month (not my cup of tea though) as I only use lossless formats and won't even consider MP3 as a listening technology other than audiobooks. Lie back on the sunlouger soaking up the rays and listen to that novel with ees closed (wel I can dream of Summer even though it's not appeared (yet).

As for video:the technolgy isn't there yet. You have to put up with stuttering pictures which in my mind ain't worth the outlay. Some clever souls like "Sonus" should put their mind to delivering stutter free wireless digital HD content.

To sleep perchance to dream!