Roku SoundBridge 2.5

Roku has released its free Roku SoundBridge 2.5 software upgrade and its open-source Firefly Media Server. The software update increases the number of Internet Radio stations that can be played, and also provides an easy, one-step process to find the address of almost any Internet Radio station and create a preset for that station. Available for all existing and new SoundBridge customers, the update is compatible with all four models of SoundBridge, SoundBridge Radio, and Pinnacle SoundBridge. Version 2.5 brings Microsoft WMA internet radio support with the ability to browse a library of internet radio stations. Users can use Roku Radio Snooper to easily find and set most Internet radio stations from around the world--with up to 18 presets. SoundBridge is an attractive and easy-to-use network music player on the market that connects to a stereo to play digital music via an Ethernet or Wi-Fi home network. Pricing is $150 (M500) or $200 (M1000).

The free update also brings new fonts for one-line mode on M1000 and two-line mode on M2000 and R1000 and support for the new Roku Control Protocol (RCP), which allows developers to create applications to control a SoundBridge from a PDA or computer and Roku Server Protocol (RSP), which allows creation of more advanced server features.

Open-source media server software

Roku also released the Firefly Media Server, an open-source project sponsored by Roku and to which Roku is contributing code. Firefly supports SoundBridge’s new Roku Server Protocol (RSP), a Roku proprietary method of streaming a user’s music library to their SoundBridge that maximizes integration between the music library and the SoundBridge. Firefly is also an option for customers who want a high-performance server, the benefits of the community aspects of open-source, or who want support for file formats such as FLAC. Firefly works with Windows, Macintosh ("coming soon") or Linux (now available).

by MacNN Staff