rockbox network support (via usb)?

[fixed]

something that'd make rockbox a million times more useful to me is network support via usb.

let me elaborate: i've got a iaudio x5l, it docks via usb, and presents itself to the host system as a usb storage device.

is it possible to change this behaviour so the usb connection acts as a network connection, and is able to mount a remote smb filesystem to play mp3's (if not now, consider this a feature request)?

this would make my player sitting on my desk so much more useful than it is now - i can let it read mp3's from my server with hundreds of gigs of mp3's on it!

ideas/opinions?

[edit: deleted 'sync' idea, irrelevant at this stage]

[Febs]

You could write an autorun script that will automatically copy the contents of a folder on your network onto your player when it is plugged it via USB.  That file would reside on your device but it would still be run from the host computer.

Or, you could check out a program like Media Monkey, which can be configured to sync a device automatically.

[fixed]

ignore my suggestion about sync'ing then - i know there's other ways to do it (i use rsync currently).

this isn't why i want such a feature.  i'd just love a way to be able to use my iaudio as a network mp3 player pointed at the huge stack of music i've got network-available!

[saratoga]

If you've already got a PC on, why not just play the files on the PC?

[Llorean]

Seriously, you can buy a *very* cheap networkable PC for far less than an MP3 player, hook it up to your network, and use it as your sound system. That's what I've done (well, I've retired an old PC, and I use it as a sound system + it has access to my networked storage of rips of all the DVDs I own so I don't have to get up and swap them in the drive. Yes, I'm lazy.)

A desktop, properly configured as a media center, can be done both more cheaply and more effectively than that assuming you've already got the storage and you just need something to manage/use it.

[bluebrother]

i'd just love a way to be able to use my iaudio as a network mp3 player pointed at the huge stack of music i've got network-available!

This won't ever be possible.
USB is handled via hardware, as you can find on the DataSheets wiki page by a controller by Cypress. This controller is the USB-to-ATA bridge. As this is a hardware controller it can't be reprogrammed, thus you won't ever be able to make your player a network device.

The only option you have left is to buy a cheap PC that does the network stuff and simply mounts the player as UMS device. Btw, there are even routers out there that can do so with the use of 3rd party firmware.

[Bagder]

This won't ever be possible.
USB is handled via hardware, as you can find on the DataSheets wiki page by a controller by Cypress. This controller is the USB-to-ATA bridge.

No no no. This guy has an X5. It has a USBOTG chip with no data sheets nor docs available, and sure it might indeed be possible to write weirdo USB network drivers for it. At least I don't think we can rule that out for sure until we know heaps more about it.

[bk]

However the X5 has a USB 1.1 host controller, which may not provide enough bandwidth to implement network music streaming.

[Bagder]

AFAIK, USB 1.1 does some 12mbit/sec (at least in theory) and I think most people with 12mbit internet connections still consider streaming possible...

[bluebrother]

No no no. This guy has an X5. It has a USBOTG chip with no data sheets nor docs available, and sure it might indeed be possible to write weirdo USB network drivers for it. At least I don't think we can rule that out for sure until we know heaps more about it.

But USBOTG works as USB host -- and when he wants to connect to the PC the USB host is the PC. As USB is host centric and each USB bus has exactly one host controller I can't think of any way how this should work.
Except for the fact that the USBOTG chip could be programmed as a usb device (which I doubt a bit). Or possibly by using one of those usb-to-usb-via-network cables. But for a direct connection from USBOTG to PC?
Anyway, it seems _really_ unrealistic to me.

[saratoga]

FWIW, you could probably write a driver that runs on the PC, listens to the USB port, and feeds songs over the bus.  It'd be a PITA though, and pretty silly IMO when you could just use the PC.

 

Seriously, you can buy a *very* cheap networkable PC for far less than an MP3 player, hook it up to your network, and use it as your sound system.

Hell you can get an xbox for ~100 USD used, and that has 100mbit ethernet, a hard disk, and supports most or all of the rockbox audio formats anyway.

[JdGordon]

you can get usb network cards, which should work fine if/when we get usb-otg working and the needed drivers coded :p