domestic announcement system

concept

Since we were “renovating” our house, I thought I'd take the opportunity to install a thorough sound system. And since there is no small game for me, I decided to build it as a centralized computer controlled system with dozens of speakers where input devices and output channels can be mixed arbitrarily. Adding an intercom shall be the icing on the cake.

The goals:

• music everywhere you want it
• different input sources for different rooms and different people
• communication through this system—from any place to anywhere you want
• hook up the computer/HI-FI–system/TV you are using to the rooms' audio system, or even to other rooms' audio systems

And all that in about twenty small and large rooms on three floors. On cheapo hardware! Avoiding crap software and IT concepts like XML, where possible. yuck

This is all work in progress, I don't have too much time to put into it and most of the things I did I had to figure out myself and *insert more random excuses for sloppy craftsmanship here* … ;-)

This is what it is supposed to look like when it's done. A crucial part plays the media server, which stores music and films, ready to play anywhere in the house or even at remote locations over the Internet. The audio system is mostly centralised, as this allows for the easiest coordination and makes the overall concept cheaper and easier to maintain.
Since quality suffers using the cheap hardware, the system is connected to separate media systems with high quality hardware, i.e. for Hi-Fi audio.

This is the current state of the project (as of end of May 2007):

• media server: the box is there and serves already, although with a fraction of the intended functionality. Quite some audio adapters are “aquired” already.
• room speakers: some are already there, some are even hidden behind covers
• there aren't enough amplifiers for the whole system yet!
• network: most cables are already in place, but they are not always connected. Wireless LAN still lacking :-(
• About all of the software needs to be programmed yet. Some problems are solved, but the code-crunching has to start yet!

The rest does lie around in parts, or doesn't even exist yet. My scarcest ressource is time …

→ installation

— more to follow soon, stay tuned! —