Facts, Figures, Costs
The Jukebox stores and processes an extraordinary amount of data by the normal standards of PC operation. It's necessary to take great care during the design process to ensure that the data, the time required to process it, and the cost of the components, all remain within reasonable limits. Many of the factors are difficult to predict in advance, which is why on this page I've summarised the relevant facts and figures, so that you can see what's involved.
File Formats
- Jukebox library: WMA (Windows Media Audio) lossless
- iTunes and iPod: AAC 128 kbps
Timings
All timings refer to our jukebox, are typical values, and are approximate.
| Activity | Time Taken | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Rip a CD with EAC, convert it to WMA, and write it to the server PC | 5 minutes | per CD (or less: see Two PCs) |
| Export the Media Center database for use by the Database Converter | 2 seconds | * |
| Run the Database Converter | 1 minute | * |
| With the Directory Synchroniser, compare the Jukebox Database on the main PC with that on the server PC | 3 minutes | * |
| With the Directory Synchroniser, copy the entire Jukebox Database from the main PC to the server PC | 8 minutes | * |
| After clicking a page on the remote control, the delay while the next page is displayed | 2 seconds | |
| With the Directory Synchroniser, compare the music files on the server PC (Jukebox + iTunes) with those on the backup disk | 3½ minutes | * |
| With the Directory Synchroniser, back up a CD's music files to the external disk | 2 minutes | per CD |
| Import a CD's music files to iTunes, with compression to AAC | 9 minutes | per CD |
| Download a CD's music files from iTunes to an iPod (connection: USB 2) | 20 seconds | per CD |
(*) Items marked with an asterisk relate specifically to the database described in the next section, "File Sizes".
File Sizes
The file sizes below relate to a database with:
- 906 CDs
- 12,228 tracks
| Files | Total Size |
|---|---|
| Music files, including album art and lyrics | 270 Gb |
| Media Center Database, excluding album art | 4.7 Mb |
| Media Center Export file | 2.7 Mb |
| Jukebox Database | 60 Mb |
| Music files imported to iTunes (also their size in an iPod) | 46 Gb |
Custom Software Sizes
| Software Component | No. of Files | Total Size |
|---|---|---|
| Database converter: Perl programs | 1 file | 90 Kb |
| Database converter: HTML templates | 28 files | 53 Kb |
| CGI Programs: Perl programs | 12 files | 47 Kb |
| CGI Programs: HTML templates | 10 files | 40 Kb |
Costs
All costs are what I paid, in UK pounds. Costs, especially those based on US dollars, are variable. You might pay more or you might pay less. Items in bold make up the minimal jukebox or Jukebox Lite: total cost was £880, plus anything from £5 to (say) £25 for the network and audio cables, depending on length and quality.
Hardware costs
| Hardware Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Server PC (from Dell Outlet) | £268 |
| Sound card | £70 |
| 500 Gb hard disk, internal | £175 |
| WAP/switch | £45 |
| CAT5 Blaster QC transmitter and receiver | £90 |
| 500 Gb network hard disk for backup | £207 |
| Powerline adapters (pair) for for backup disk | £134 |
| Psion remote control (one) | £322 |
| VGA extender (transmitter+receiver) | £66 |
| 8" LCD VGA monitor | £105 |
| VGA-to-AV converter | £26 |
| 5" LCD TV | £43 |
Software costs
| Software Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Apache HTTP server | £0 |
| ActivePerl | £0 |
| Winamp | £0 |
| Windows Media Encoder | £0 |
| Exact Audio Copy | £0 |
| J River Media Center | £14 |
| JPEG Resizer | £0 |
| httpQ | £0 |
| Mozilla Firefox | £0 |
| AJC Directory Synchroniser | £17 |
| RealVNC | £0 |
| Full Fullscreen | £0 |
| Cursor Hider | £12 |
