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.

• Jukebox library: WMA (Windows Media Audio) lossless
• iPod: MP3 VBR

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:

• 991 CDs
• 13,516 tracks

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