The ethernet card on my Quadra 630 easily supports a connection of 800 kilobits (or 100 kilobytes) per second. I encode my MP3s at a variable bitrate (VBR) of around 160 kilobits (or 20 kilobytes) per second. If I were buying a drive now, I’d probably only get 30-40 GB and save some money.Įven though a Quadra is incapable of playing an MP3, it can easily serve them across an ethernet network to other Macs. I have a 60 GB drive on my Quadra 630, but all my CDs (around 250) only use about 15 GB. The Quadra uses a subset of the IDE specification and won’t exploit a fast drive, so you don’t need to worry about getting a fast IDE drive – the cheapest one that has the capacity you want will be fine.
#MP3 DISK AID SERIES#
The 63x series was the first desktop Mac to use IDE hard drives, and IDE drives are exactly what you want for an MP3 server, since they can inexpensively hold lots of data.
#MP3 DISK AID MAC OS#
All the software necessary for sharing on a small home network is built into Mac OS 8.1. The Mac also needs 12 MB of system memory to run the Mac OS and file sharing.
When dealing with drives as large as 30 GB, it is beneficial to have OS 8.1, since that is the minimum system that can use an HFS+ formatted hard drive. The 63x series has a 68040 processor that can run Mac OS 8.1. Combined with, say, a 30 GB IDE hard drive for under a $100, a $20 ethernet card, and a $50 tape backup drive, you can make a relatively inexpensive (compared to today’s prices) system that can easily serve MP3s to your network. So what Mac makes the best server? For my money, it’s the Quadra/ Performa 63x series. Assuming a network (say a home AirPort Base Station), one network computer can contain all the MP3s, and various other Macs can tap into that server to get whatever song you want. But once it is done, there’s a whole realm of flexibility. There’s a huge time investment on the front end to making an MP3 server – it takes a long time to convert your CD collection. But using CDs is like backing up a 230 MB hard drive using a floppy drive. I want access to all of my music at any time. I love music, but CDs or tapes can be a hassle. Networking is the key idea it allows simplification on the particular appliance, since other services can be had over the network. My goal is to pick sufficient hardware and software to set up something that can be like an appliance – inexpensive, reliable, and simple. In the next few articles, I’m going to outline some ideas of ways that existing Macs can be put into service as Mac network appliances. If only my Mac could save me time like that! I probably save an hour each week through skipped ads. I can watch two hours of broadcast in an hour and a half. And, best of all, I can fast forward through commercials. I can fit my favorite prime-time shows into whatever time I’m available, since there are always several hours of good shows on the TiVo whenever I sit down. It learns what sort of shows I like and finds me other things to watch. I tell it that I like to watch The West Wing, and it figures out where and when to record. It does one thing (record TV), but it does it well.
#MP3 DISK AID TV#
A TiVo is essentially a Power Mac 6100 with a huge hard drive, a TV tuner, and an Internet connection. The best example of a computer appliance in my life is my TiVo. What I really need is some Mac appliances that actually simplify my life. I spend way more time optimizing than I actually save by doing the optimization. I enjoy optimizing, but let me be honest: It’s a waste of time. I know that computers are supposed to save me time and energy, but I spend so much time tweaking and playing with my Mac that I never seem to get ahead.
But often that isn’t the way it seems to work out for me.
#MP3 DISK AID FREE#
Computers are supposed to make life easier, right? It seems like if I have a faster computer, I should be able to get things done more quickly and have more free time for important things – like talking to my fiancé or getting some exercise.
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