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Post by willscary on Mar 1, 2017 19:04:36 GMT -5
I have an Intel NUC that I purchased about 4 years ago as a TV tuner and DVR. I used Windows 7 and WMC, along with a few HD Homerun tuner boxes. WMC stopped upkeep on the programming guide and I moved on to TIVO for my OTA tuners, guides and DVR.
I want to repurpose the machine as a dedicated Pandora player. No Windows OS, no other programs. My NUC has an IR receiver built in for remote control capability. It has HDMI out for digital audio and HD video. It is fully capable of 1080p 5.1 surround. The OS and programming would be on a 128 GB mSATA SSD and there is also a 256 GB internal SSD and a 1 TB internal HDD. It has 8 GB of RAM and a dual core I3 processor.
Is there a simple Linux program that could automatically start Pandora when the NUC is activated? Can Linux be programmed to correctly use IR inputs from a remote control? I can easily get this to work in Windows, but I want something very light and fast. A small program that opens the Pandora website and works via RC and sends the audio and video via HDMI.
Anybody? |
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Post by jlafrenz on Mar 1, 2017 19:53:09 GMT -5
If you can do it with Windows easily why not just do that? Pandora isn't going to be taxing on a computer so you shouldn't have any performance issues just running it.
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Post by willscary on Mar 1, 2017 21:25:41 GMT -5
If you can do it with Windows easily why not just do that? Pandora isn't going to be taxing on a computer so you shouldn't have any performance issues just running it. I would like it to automatically open and not have any windows in the background. A dedicated machine...
If not, I then have to wait for Windows to load (about 10 seconds) and then start Pandora.
I suppose I could try to load Pandora at startup and place it as "always on top"...
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Post by ÈlTwo on Mar 1, 2017 23:30:10 GMT -5
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Post by garbulky on Mar 2, 2017 0:33:14 GMT -5
Doesn't Pandora have like a time out device on it if no input is given?
You may have to figure out how to solve for that if you want it to be a hands off device. Good luck!
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Post by mgbpuff on Mar 2, 2017 5:24:56 GMT -5
Sounds like building a skyscraper to only use the basement. I send Pandora to my system via Bluetooth simply by telling my Echo Dot "Alexa, play Pandora", in which case, the last station used plays. You can play a specific station by saying, for instance, "Alexa play Padora station Frank Sinatra", or whatever.
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Post by ÈlTwo on Mar 2, 2017 7:53:08 GMT -5
It's what he has on hand, so it's not building a skyscraper, it's just re-purposing an abandoned building.
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Post by mgbpuff on Mar 2, 2017 8:37:22 GMT -5
He seems to want easy; easy does not usually start with a custom computer. Computer addicts are the bane of almost every A/V blog that exists, and they want others to solve their problems, which are usually many and unique to their equipment. IMO, of course.
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Post by ÈlTwo on Mar 2, 2017 10:24:04 GMT -5
Sometimes true, but some of us like to learn new stuff.
I thought it was interesting, and since it took me very little time to get it up and running in a VirtualBox on LinuxLite, it will probably run that way on his NUC.
The other options (IR control) would require more work, but it seemed interesting.
The specs of the system are overkill for the simple task.
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Post by willscary on Mar 2, 2017 17:18:41 GMT -5
The specs of the system are overkill for the simple task. It's a tiny little box, perhaps 5" X 5" X 2". It has no fan. It had all of the power I needed to use it as an HTPC and media streamer. I could just use Windows and deal with restarting Pandora every time I want to listen, but I thought there might be a way to make it a dedicated machine...like a plain old remote controllable tuner, except with video also.
If I use any commercial boxes, I am limited to 128 kbps MP3. If I stream using a mobile device I am limited to 64 kbps AAC+. It is a bit secretive, but I have read in a few places that streaming the paid Pandora app through my computer is at a bit rate of 192 kbps AAC+. Pandora admits to 192 kbps, but does not give the format. I can tell you that it does sound MUCH better than streaming through a Blu Ray player, a receiver or Tivo.
Not trying to ruffle feathers...just looking for a way to make the NUC act like a stand-alone commercial player...turn it on and it works...
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Post by mgbpuff on Mar 2, 2017 19:13:22 GMT -5
You have to subscribe at $4.99/mo. In order to get advertising free 192kbps. Pandora pretty much requires some interface in order to set up 'stations' and choose between them, unlike a FM station. Old school and new school don't mix well.
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Post by willscary on Mar 2, 2017 19:44:47 GMT -5
You have to subscribe at $4.99/mo. In order to get advertising free 192kbps. Pandora pretty much requires some interface in order to set up 'stations' and choose between them, unlike a FM station. Old school and new school don't mix well. I have subscribed to Pandora One for several years. The NUC has an IR receiver for remote control use and I have a wireless mouse and keyboard for inputting data and choosing onscreen stations and such.
Again, I am simply looking for a way to create a "clean" box that simply starts and goes directly into Pandora when the power is turned on... |
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Post by ÈlTwo on Mar 2, 2017 20:18:27 GMT -5
You have to subscribe at $4.99/mo. In order to get advertising free 192kbps. Pandora pretty much requires some interface in order to set up 'stations' and choose between them, unlike a FM station. Old school and new school don't mix well. You could set it up on your regular desktop computer, and just let it autoplay on a dedicated unit. |
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