
Abstract
Compressing raw audio with the MP3 standard can reduce the storage space required by
approximately one twelfth. [17] This has made it possible to play audio from devices
with limited storage space, for example mobile phones, PDA’s and flash based MP3
players. Their small size also makes them more convenient and flexible to use than
using traditional audio CDs. It is now possible to buy MP3 players that can play MP3s
from a CD containing ten or more albums or from a hard drive containing hundreds of
albums.
Another advantage of their small size is that they are very suitable for transferring
between devices, whether it be through USB, cable based networks or wireless
networks. This allows for the MP3s to be played in a remote location from where they
are stored. For a long time now people have been doing this on computers to play MP3s
that are stored on other computers connected via a LAN or the internet. Up until now
this has been limited to computers. The aim of this thesis is to produce a MP3 player
that can play MP3s that are stored on computers connected to it through a LAN or
internet connection. This enables the user to be able to play MP3s that are stored on
computers without being in the same environment as the computer.
The project was broken into two parts: development of an embedded MP3 decoder with
a network interface, and a server program on a PC to communicate to the player and
Windows. The networking on the player was performed using an Ethernut development
board. The Ethernut is an open source hardware and software project. The hardware
uses an Amel ATmega103 processor with a Realtek 8019 network controller and the
software is the Nut OS, which is a real-time operating system and Nut Net, which
provides networking APIs and a fully featured TCP/IP stack. The software developed
on the player streams the MP3 data from the server program on the PC through a TCP
connection. The server program determines which MP3 to stream by reading a standard
Winamp play list file. From this file it also determines the song title and sends it to the
player which receives the song name and displays it on an LCD. On the player the MP3
stream is received and stored in a buffer which in turn is sent to the MP3 decoder, the
VS1001k. Whenever the decoder needs more data it raises an interrupt and the program
feeds it data through a serial interface. A user is able to control how the music is played
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