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Frustrated Music Buff


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Looking for good advice

As you most likely know, Control4 has problems with music libraries over 100GB in space, and in reality is it start to have problems around 80GB, especially with cover artwork. This being said, I have a collection on MP3’s of about 500GB and it still needs to grow. Before I installed my current control4 system I used iTunes on a Mac and I must say, it worked a hell of a lot better in every sense of the word, speed, searching, displaying, etc.

Does anybody now a method I would use to setup/sink iTunes with the Control4 system and still maintain the mobility throughout the house offered by Control4. I would like to be able to use the iTunes interface/program within Control4, Maybe the AirPort Extreme Base Station (http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MB763 … NDUxNzI1OQ) or the Time Capsule - 1 TB (http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MB765 … NDIyMDQzMQ)

The only thing is the mobility and cpatability issue, is there a way around this.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me

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Rip all your music in .mp3 format, at 320k (optional, for "music buff", but it's the max bit rate supported at this time by c4). Store all music on a NAS. Tell itunes that folder holds your library.

Pro: Keep consistent user interface. Cheap, as in free.

Cons: No playlist integration or playback of copyrighted music. You hate the interface.

Use an AppleTV, standalone or with the mp3 storage described above

Pro: You love the interface

Cons: Cost. Lost consistent user interface. IR control only.

Otherwise, you can use an iPod dock. Probably the easiest thing to do, and it will play your videos and stream the music if connected to a controller or an input on a multi-channel amp.

However, as you may have already noticed, that other than IR control of the appletv or by using an ipod dock, there's no other way to "integrate" itunes.

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Please refer to the posting in the "Push the Envelope" section of forum as I accidentaly posted in two spots.

I will keep checking the other section for responses.

Thanks to everybody and have a great summer

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MX6000 from URC runs with itunes, uses the same playlist in itunes .... we throw one of these now and then in a c4 system if the customer has a large itunes library and needs his itunes playlist and the tunes are not in mp3 format

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If C4 linked into itunes properly, you wouldn't need to add a MX6000 (this a competitive platform!)....you'd just stay with C4 gear.

This is the very reason why they need to have a more user friendly itunes/sonos integrated solution. To stop customers considering an opposition IR universal remote/Home cinema control solution like Universal Remote Controls. I don't understand why C4 hasn't plugged the gaps here :/.........

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it is more an issue with apple - they are a pretty closed system, and every time they do an update - something not good often happens (same as quicktime updates for the last 10+ years) ..

there are not many systems that CAN integrate with itunes (i.e. full playlists shared) , crestron can (third party) (big $$$) , apple tv, nuvo sort-of (but not complete), mx6000 -- even XBMC is not fully integrated , nor any media extenders or pioneer media or panasonic or sony for that mater ...

compounding the mater is the itunes default formats --- even sharing a ipod between different pc's is a pain as you are aware of (if not hacked)

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and we do not sell the mx6000 or nuvo or sonos as competitive products to control4, in fact some of these go into the same project or really it depends on the application ... we sell a heck of a lot of control4 (platinum level in a city of 17,500) and the other products plus contrl4 offer the best product for the customer depending on their needs

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Brian...

I'm really curious how you best mix in C4 with Sonos. This is exactly what I've been trying to do now for over 18 months. I totally agree a mixture of platforms is the way to go, but how do you bring them all together? How do you seamlessly make them work say on the one touchscreen...? Aren't you left with multiple different interfaces?

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i would not call it seamless -- requires multiple touch screens or play off your mac or pc .... nuvo has a product that can control a pc, enables 6 streams of audio and somewhat integrates with itunes ... could be made to work with c4, but a lot of products will soon or fairly soon have better integration ..

even running a ipod on a controlled dock can be a pain sometimes and we all know running anything on a windows pc (specially a vista POS) is not always reliable

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