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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 8:52:02 GMT
Post by Greg on Dec 28, 2014 8:52:02 GMT
Should be getting my Slice soon.
Play the video.
/posts/971480
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 9:42:01 GMT
Post by Stratmangler on Dec 28, 2014 9:42:01 GMT
Very nice! Western Digital have been doing something similar for a number of years ...
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 10:38:41 GMT
Post by MartinT on Dec 28, 2014 10:38:41 GMT
That looks great for anyone who doesn't want to build their own. A very nice bit of packaging, too.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 11:08:52 GMT
Post by Stratmangler on Dec 28, 2014 11:08:52 GMT
The LED on The Slice would do my head in! Do they have an option to turn the bloody thing off when the player is being used?
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 11:17:26 GMT
Post by Greg on Dec 28, 2014 11:17:26 GMT
I understand the light display can be switched off.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 11:31:47 GMT
Post by Stratmangler on Dec 28, 2014 11:31:47 GMT
It's good that the developers recognised that the LED would turn a lot of potential purchasers off! The WD box has the logo illuminated when it's used, which isn't that distracting at all.
I bought the WD unit a few years ago, and to be honest I rarely use it. It's a nice idea in theory, but I have largely reverted to playing DVD discs as and when I want to watch a movie. It's much more of a faff to rip DVD material to HDD than it is a CD (for Squeezebox use), and the DVD content eats space like it's going out of fashion. Don't even consider ripping Bluray, as they're enormous unless you start compressing the video content, which is somewhat self defeating seeing as the raison d'etre for Bluray is the superb visual rendering.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 11:48:53 GMT
Post by Greg on Dec 28, 2014 11:48:53 GMT
I intend to use mine principly as a music server. Mine will have a 2TB hard drive.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 11:57:35 GMT
Post by MartinT on Dec 28, 2014 11:57:35 GMT
I see no point in ripping films at all. I buy the occasional Blu-ray of ones I want to keep, and pull from Sky Movies others to watch. Local storage of films is pretty pointless.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 11:58:39 GMT
Post by ChrisB on Dec 28, 2014 11:58:39 GMT
It looks like good value.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 12:19:35 GMT
Post by Stratmangler on Dec 28, 2014 12:19:35 GMT
I see that the player can be accessed using a Smartphone app, which is good. Can it be accessed and controlled by a web browser?
If you don't have a Smartphone and it can't be accessed and controlled over network via a web browser then you're forced to connect it to a screen, which to be blunt is rubbish!
I access the Squeezeboxes at home via a web browser 95% of the time. The other 5% are made up of using a Smartphone app, or just touching the built in screen, the Smartphone app making up the bulk of that 5%. My son has just bought himself a Hudl, and one of the first things he installed on it was the Logitech remote app.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 12:40:07 GMT
Post by Tim on Dec 28, 2014 12:40:07 GMT
Local storage of films is pretty pointless. Unless of course you happen to be into films, watch them more than once and want to keep your own library - local storage might be pointless for the casual user, not so for others. And ripping DVD's using JRiver is simplicity itself, a one click operation. My SMART TV acts as a DNLA media player and plays any movie stored on the local network, all with a few clicks on the TV remote. Not so pointless for those who choose not to pay empires run by crooks like Murdoch and don't have a TV licence. I have the same level of disdain for SKY as I have for Apple . . . not one cent As for the OP, looks pretty good Greg especially for those who either don't have the knowledge or time to build their own. Good value too.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 13:30:07 GMT
Post by MartinT on Dec 28, 2014 13:30:07 GMT
Unless of course you happen to be into films, watch them more than once and want to keep your own library Then buy the Blu-ray! I too love films and there are a few I want to keep, but I value my time too much to be bothered ripping them. I like my films in HD, too, so how am I going to rip them without first having the Blu-ray?
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 15:44:50 GMT
Post by Tim on Dec 28, 2014 15:44:50 GMT
I think you are missing my point Martin and I don't buy Blu-ray anymore, normal format is fine for my needs and as for the time it takes to rip a film, hmmm, no time at all. I reckon folk here spend more of their 'valuable time' looking at forum's than I spend ripping films! Which one is more a waste of time? All very subjective. There is also the storage space issue if you have a lot, I don't as you know do racks and racks of anything. I can't think of anything more ugly in a living space to be honest than shelves full of DVDs and CDs. If I can get all my media on hard drives, access them all instantly, then job's a good un' for me. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one as your needs differ to mine
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 17:02:20 GMT
Post by MartinT on Dec 28, 2014 17:02:20 GMT
Fair enough! It's only good debate, after all
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 18:36:20 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2014 18:36:20 GMT
There is also the storage space issue if you have a lot, I don't as you know do racks and racks of anything. I can't think of anything more ugly in a living space to be honest than shelves full of DVDs and CDs. If I can get all my media on hard drives, access them all instantly, then job's a good un' for me. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one as your needs differ to mine I'm a ripper too. My favourite films are all on disk for instant access. Saves time looking in racks for the DVD. Martin and I have already discussed local versus cloud storage. I'm with you. I want my stuff right here where I know I can access it. So there you go. We agree about this. Shame you are so wrong about Apple
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 19:14:18 GMT
Post by MartinT on Dec 28, 2014 19:14:18 GMT
I don't think anyone's 'wrong' about Apple, Gordon. In the area of domestic use, they're fine if that's what you like. In the area of corporate networks, they're not.
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Slice
Dec 28, 2014 20:35:25 GMT
Post by Greg on Dec 28, 2014 20:35:25 GMT
When it came on Kickstarter, a friend recommended it to me and another friend also made a pledge. We worked out that the total cost of parts (small purchase) well exceeded the pledge being asked at the time, so if it came to fruition it would be a no brainer. Thankfully the total amount pledged far exceeded their initial target so that is a healthy start. I do however suspect that once floated openly on the market, the selling price will be higher. I've wanted to get a piece of kit like this for a while, but not being a computer nerd, I found much available out there to be challenging and difficult to understand. The Slice seems to me to be very user friendly even for computer dullards like me and I understand for those with more knowledge, it is programmable. As said previously, I am at present only interested in an easy to use and convenient music server. I might later look at using it for films or even photo storage but for me at present that is very much a secondary consideration. As an intergrated music server, easy to use, it fits my bill. I've read far too much about problems with other systems including the now obsolete Squeezebox which many of my mates use and still requires an outside storage system. I am a DIYer and have built my own turntables,valve amps and speakers, but I don't understand digital. A product like the Slice seems to fit perfectly for me and accommodates my inadequacies. This little box of tricks seems to me to be just right at a nice price. I'm looking forward to it arriving. Click on the below link and scroll down to the second vid for more information on operation. www.raspi.today/introducing-slice-a-raspberry-pi-powered-media-centre-made-by-ninjas/Thereafter, to find out more, do a Google on Slice Media Player as it throws up several links, some very positive and some otherwise, but all things worth considering and for me, the positives seriously outweigh any negatives.
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Slice
Dec 30, 2014 18:32:29 GMT
Post by liffy99 on Dec 30, 2014 18:32:29 GMT
Looks really cool (am I still allowed to say cool ?). But many questions;
1) what spec is the DAC and will it handle 24/192 ? 2) does it have digital outputs ? 3) can it be controlled with a tablet (don't want to have to hook up a screen) ? 4) will it be available with an SSD drive - is the ordinary hard disk noisy ? 5) how do I rip CDs to FLAC on my Mac in order to then copy over to the Slice ? 6) how does it sound ?
Currently run a FLAC based library into a Squeezebox Touch (with TT3 and EDO mods) and a Vortexbox as ripper / server. Would be nice to have an attractive, single box wired into the stereo rig.
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Slice
Dec 31, 2014 18:53:27 GMT
Post by Greg on Dec 31, 2014 18:53:27 GMT
If you study the two videos I have previously linked to and do the Google search, you should find all the answers you need.
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Slice
Dec 31, 2014 18:57:46 GMT
Post by pre65 on Dec 31, 2014 18:57:46 GMT
I see you have had lots of chatter about the Slice Greg.
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