My living room stereo is a Peachtree Nova running B&W CM1's. It is located away from the TV or other screens. I am trying to set up a standalone music archive to run this off.
Since I don't want to have to route it through my laptop and would like a remote which allows me to browse genres and albums without the need for a TV screen or monitor, for now, I'm hooking up an Apple TV and using only the audio out (no video) to hook to the Peachtree. (no TV screen use except during setting up the Apple TV). The reason I am doing this is that with the Remote download app, my iPhone can serve as a remote with the nice iTunes/frontRow type of visual interface. I could use advice on two fronts:
A) Is there a way to bypass the DAQ on the Apple TV and send the raw files for the PeachTree Nova's DAQ to process? I didn't realize this when I was buying the Apple TV, but the USB seems to be only for diagnostics (?!?)
B) Is there a hardware out there that is small, with a 500GB+ hard-drive, needs no TV screen, with a remote that has a screen with a nice GUI, that I can use as a standalone music archive, has audio/USB out to connect directly to the NOVA? I've looked into the Logitech Squeezebox, but it doesn't provide standalone storage - just serves as a bridge. I'm trying to avoid using my laptop or having to invest in another computer that would have to be an always-on media server in a closet with a wireless link.
Thanks!
Banny