High End User Interface for PC Audio

Maybe I had too much champagne last night, but I am a litte fuzzy on how the sqeezebox works.

Can someone please explain the basics?
Can it be used with iTunes?

The Squeezebox is a thin client. It interacts with a server program running on another network machine. Simplistically, the SB3 is a remote control front end that displays stuff as told by the server program, manages commands (like add this song to the current playlist), and is set up to receive music files and output those files through a coax digital port or analog L/R jacks. Its a non-functioning lump without a program running on another machine to support it, but... One server program can support multiple SB3s, and the "program" supporting them runs in the background.

So, I've got the server program (slimserver) running in the background on my XP machine in my study. The SB3 in my bedroom wakes up, sees that program, and starts interacting with it.

Theoretically it can interface with iTunes in the sense that you can tell the server program to look for an iTunes library file to manage the library. That means changes in the iTunes library are recognized by the slimserver program. I say theoretically because I'm spending my morning trying to make that work. There seem to be some issues with finding files over a network... Aie.

The best source is SlimDevices.com.

Basically, you run a software called SlimServer on a computer or some NAS device. You can tell it where your music files are. Then, over a wired or wireless network, you can play these music files on the Squeezebox which offers analog and digital output.

No, you can't really use iTunes. SlimServer does scan iTunes playlists and incorporate the information in its own directory. A similar product, Soundbridge, can use iTunes in place of SlimServer.

Nothing theoretical about interfacing the SB with an iTunes Library, in fact this specific capability is built right in to the SLIM software.... (though I will be the firs to admit that writing the path is baffling)

Lot of power in that since you can use on library for both - so for instance you can support a USB device off iTunes in one room, several SBs, access your music remotely over the internet and feed your iPod.

I find combining Slimserver and iTunes a headache. I have dual libraries--AAC files for portable iPod and ALAC for home use. The only way of keeping the AAC files out of slimserver and clogging that up (esp. since you can't tell an AAC from an ALAC until it plays) is to restrict the AAC files to a separate directory and *not* use the iTunes library file or to check all the ALAC files in iTunes and get slimserver to only use iTunes checked files. But since you check and uncheck things in iTunes all the time, it means you have to disable the slimserver from updating. Brain damaged either way.

Right now I've separated my AAC files and ALAC files into separate directories, but there are issues there too--I use EAC/iTunes to rip to ALAC, but when I convert to AAC, I've got to copy those files from one directory to another. Total PITA. I thought about resetting the "use this directory" setting in iTunes before doing the AAC conversion, but that seems to take forever, and it scares me because I have no idea what it is doing.

I'm also rethinking my support of the iTunes UI. I really wish the indexing was better and categories could be collapsed--how about a "view by album"? Or "view by album art"? How about a "now playing" queue that can be added to by double clicking on a song, rather than having that cut-off the current song and start the new one?

In some ways, this still has a long way to go...