Use an SLIMP3 server software to stream MP3 files

May 23, '03 09:41:00AM

Contributed by: Anonymous

The marvelous SLIMP3 device is a hardware and software solution to stream music from your computer out through your stereo. However, just using the SLIMP3 music serving software, which is open source and free, you can send multiple MP3 music streams to any computer that can play MP3's from a stream. It has advantages over iTunes music sharing: (1) cross platform, (2) multiple user-controlled music streams.

First, get the SLIMP3 server software. Install the software and then use the SLIMP3 preferences pane to start the server. It should auto-detect the music files in your iTunes library. If your computer is at IP address 192.168.0.101, then the SLIMP3 music server can be controlled from your web browser by pointing the browser at 192.168.0.101:9000.

Go to iTunes and under the "Advanced" menu, and then select "Open Stream" and enter:

http://192.168.0.101:9000/stream.mp3
Go back to your web browser and select a song from the playlist on the left hand side of the web page. On the upper right hand corner there should be a popup list of SLIMP3 clients, and the IP address of your machine should be listed, since you have iTunes running as a client. Click the play button and the music will play through iTunes.

This same process will work for two different Macs, and this music streaming system is cross-platform. It will work with any web browser and any MP3 player (WinAmp) that can open an MP3 stream. You can also have multiple streams that go to different remote clients.

[robg adds: As with any streaming tool, it's up to you to insure that what you're streaming is legal. Personally, I've been using iTunes streaming to play my home collection at work, but I may give SLIMP3 a shot to see how it compares.]

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