If you have an unused PC lying around, you might be wondering how to make the most use of it. Well, how about a standalone music server with Vortexbox? This open-source app lets you rip any CD or DVD into audio files which are then loaded into your hard drive and serve as you music server.
The beauty of Vortexbox is that it does the manual task automatically such as ripping CDs, downloading cover art, ID3 tag files, and more. This tool also hosts the files to the rest of your network of PCs and media players. Although playing files in Windows, Mac, or Linux is a given Vortexbox can also power your media players like Logitech Squeezebox, Boxee and Roku Sandbridge. It also works with your X-Box, Playstation 3, and Apple TV.
Since Vortexbox is based in Fedora, installing it is as easy as following the on-screen instructions. It is recommended to use Vortexbox with a dedicated CPU, although you can also try dual-booting if you know how. Once the box is configured for the network, it will begin to work by processing every file that you load automatically. The music library is organized by the standard categorizations like artists, genre, album, and song, where you can also create your central playlist.
Vortexbox is useful for anyone who want to setup a powerful media server that works for all devices. This is definitely a great addition if you have a stale PC lying around.
Features:
- Based on Fedora
- Standalone ISO to server your music to other devices
- Automatically rips music fromCDs and DVDs
- Automatically downloads covert art and ID3 tags
- Works with Xbox 360, PS3, and Apple TV
- Serves files through SMB or Bonjour
Check out Vortexbox @ www.vortexbox.org