Xbox 360 Vs Logitech squeeze?

[admin_exported]

Am bemused why no one talks about using the xbox 360 as a media player. Unless I'm missing something, It has a great interface and it outputs optical?

It is also cheaper than the logitech, so why is it not spoken about?

 

[Pete Shields]

I use it all the time, with Tversity running on my PC. The family use it all of the item too. Wife loves to be ahead of the game with Desperate Housewives (think they are 10 episodes ahead in the states).

Quality can be 720p with ac3 (or digital 5.1) sound. I get a stutter for a few seconds every 15 minutes during Bluray rips, but other than that, it's great stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

......because it's too noisy in operation to be useable as an audio source?

 

[Craig M.]

iirc, it also upsamples audio to 48khz, which you wouldn't want if you were using it as a music server.

 

[nads]

seems to be a case of apples and pears.

one is a silent audio player and one is a noisy multi media player/games station.

 

[Anonymous]

i have sound proof av rack, so xbox sound isn't heard. Assuming you are just playing music - whats the difference in sound quality? I'm assuming none as they are both optical out?

 

[Anonymous]

The idea of not having to turn on the tv to choose the music is also appealing (using the squeezebox)

The power consumption of the xbox/tv combined just to listen to music would be right up there as well...

...and of course the jet-engine noise

 

[Anonymous]

I use the 360 for movies and games. Best leaving the rest to the professionals.

 

[Craig M.]

woollyjoe:i have sound proof av rack, so xbox sound isn't heard. Assuming you are just playing music - whats the difference in sound quality? I'm assuming none as they are both optical out?

they both have optical out, but the 360 resamples your music from 44.1 khz to 48 khz. so the squeezey is going to give more accurate results through the optical. just what impact the resampling would have on sq i couldn't say.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Craig, are you sure about up sampling on xbox?

Can i also ask about your set up please - wuold a Mac mini give me streaming and digital out capabilities (is this just USB), and would I benefit from a dedicated 2 channels DAC over the DAC in an Arcam AVR 600?

 

[Craig M.]

re: the 360 - yes, when i had a dacmagic i tried my 360 into it and the 48khz led came on.

i have my mini hooked up by optical to dac, or you could use usb, firewire or bluetooth(depending on dac inputs) or wifi via airport express (i think).

no idea how far up the 2 channel dac ladder you'd have to climb to better the arcam dac.

 

[Anonymous]

does your mac mini have an optical out - thought that was just the Apple TV? Am keen to get mini if it does have optical.

 

[professorhat]

Yup, Mac Mini has a mini Toslink optical out (it's the same as the standard 3.5mm analogue out), so you just need an optical cable with a mini Toslink end (or an adapter for a regular optical cable like this).