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.
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 | * |
(*) Items marked with an asterisk relate specifically to the database described in the next section, "File Sizes".
The file sizes below relate to a database with:
| Files | Total Size |
|---|---|
| Music files, including album art and lyrics | 295 GB |
| Media Center Database, excluding album art | 6.6 MB |
| Media Center Export file | 3.0 MB |
| Jukebox Database | 66 MB |
| Music files converted into MP3s for iPod | 58 GB |
| Software Component | No. of Files | Total Size |
|---|---|---|
| Database converter: Perl programs | 1 file | 82 KB |
| Database converter: HTML templates | 23 files | 46 KB |
| CGI Programs: Perl programs | 9 files | 51 KB |
| CGI Programs: HTML templates | 9 files | 46 KB |
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 (probably less).
| Minimal Jukebox Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Server PC (from Dell Outlet) | £268 |
| Sound card | £70 |
| 500 Gb hard disk, internal | £175 |
| WAP/switch | £45 |
| Dell Mini 9 remote control (one) | £299 |
| Cables etc (approximate figure) | £10 |
| Total | £867 |
| Optional Jukebox Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| CAT5 Blaster QC transmitter and receiver | £90 |
| 500 Gb network hard disk for backup | £207 |
| Powerline adapters (pair) for for backup disk | £134 |
| VGA extender (transmitter+receiver) | £66 |
| 8" LCD VGA monitor | £56 |
| Benchmark DAC1 USB | £925 |
| Minimal Jukebox 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 |
| Total | £14 |
| Optional Jukebox Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Mozilla Firefox | £0 |
| AJC Directory Synchroniser | £17 |
| RealVNC | £0 |
| Full Fullscreen | £0 |
| Cursor Hider | £12 |