How to play music from hard drive on home receiver?

[santuitman]

Hello
I'm not sure if there is a way to do this. I have a lot of digital musci on an external hard drive and I'd like to be abel to play it on the home system across the room. I know I could run a audio out cable from the laptop that the external drive is connected to the receiver and then pick the songs through the laptop but is there another way or a way that I wouldn't need to fire up the laptop all the time?
Thanks
Brian

 

[mshan]

Apple Airport Express (with Airfoil for non-iTunes users) would be one simple and fairly cheap option.

Output is either 1/8 plug analog out or mini-toslink out.

 

[sdifox]

if you are willing to keep the laptop on, you can use a roku soundbridge.

http://www.roku.com/products_s...idgeradio_features.php

if not a WD TV HD Media Player will also double as a video player

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=572

 

[MrChad]

An Xbox 360 or PS3 can do this. An original XBox or PS2 + network adapter can with some extra software.

 

[santuitman]

Hi
Thanks for the ideas everyone! I didn't realize there were so many options. I'm looking at some of the older setups now too as I'm not sure how much I'll use it plus somebody here probably has one for sale

 

[Thump553]

The best audio device I have bought (in forty years of on and off again audiophilism) has been a Squeezebox. Ripped all my CDs to FLAC files, store them on an external hard drive and only dig out a CD when I want to play it in the car.

Link:

Squeezebox

They now have a better (and more expensive), the Duet. Or, if you are a true audiophile addict and $$ is no object, the Transporter.

 

[santuitman]

Sadly my audophile days are over... they died when I had to remove my subwoofer so it wouldn't bother the baby a few years ago. I'd like to listen to my music on more than just the laptop though! I really like the looks of the old Logitech wireless DJ. It had a nice remote with screen although it sounds like it was never Vista compatible and it had some skip problems. At the moment I'm thinking old/used until I see if I really use it that much.

 

[43st]

Originally posted by: santuitman
Sadly my audophile days are over... they died when I had to remove my subwoofer so it wouldn't bother the baby a few years ago. I'd like to listen to my music on more than just the laptop though! I really like the looks of the old Logitech wireless DJ. It had a nice remote with screen although it sounds like it was never Vista compatible and it had some skip problems. At the moment I'm thinking old/used until I see if I really use it that much.

Thank goodness my parents didn't do that.. I have very fond memories of my mom and dad dancing around the living room blasting tunes, probably one of my best early childhood memories.