VortexBox

VortexBox is an open source, minimal and free distribution of Linux based on the well known and highly acclaimed Fedora operating system. It has been designed from the ground up to transform an old, low spec computer into a feature rich media server.

Availability, boot options, installation

It is distributed as a single, CD-size ISO image that supports both 32-bit and 64-bit hardware platforms. It’s not a Live CD, which means that it has no graphical interface and can only be installed.

There are two installation options on the boot prompt, one for installing the operating system on a local hard disk drive and a second one for deploying it onto a USB flash drive or any other portable storage device.

The installation process is text-based only, but fully automatic. At first, it will download a few GB of packages, a process that will take some time, depending on your Internet speed. After that, it will start the main processes, configure network connections, set the timezone, and partition the drive.

The third step in the installation process is to install all the packages, which should be around 300-400 hundreds on a minimal install (2GB - the second option on the boot prompt).

Features at the glance

Key features include the ability to rip Audio-CDs to digital formats, such as MP3, Ogg Vorbis or FLAC, automatically tag converted files using the CDDB (Compact Disc Database) service, and automatically download album artwork.

In addition, it allows users to share and stream files to Windows or Mac OS X computers via the Samba protocol, as well as to any other DLNA compliant device, including Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Sonos, and Apple TV.

Bottom line

Summing up, VortexBox is an interesting project that will transform any machine into a dedicated NAS (Network-attached storage), jukebox or Audio-CD ripper system in less than 20 minutes.

What is new in this release:

• SqueezeBox Server 7.8.0 the latest release from Community Squeeze
• Fedora 20 with better hardware support for new DACs, motherboards, etc
• Squeezelite as a built-in player
• Full DSD support - play DSD direct to a DSD capable DAC or transcode to PCM in-line for non DSD DACs
• Backup and restore now does the LMS settings as well
• Network-based install so you can install from a USB key
• Latest PlexMedia Server to serve files to TVs and video devices
• SqueezeBox Server Google Music plug-in prebuilt for VortexBox
• SqueezeBox Server Shairport (Airplay) plug-in prebuilt for VortexBox

What is new in version 2.1:

• It's been a while since we had a release. This release is a roll-up of a lot of features and fixes we have been working on since the last release. It's been over 6 months since 2.0 was released so there are a lot of new features and fixes in this version. This release includes Logitech Media Server 7.7.2. Backups now support more than 2.2TB drives. This is great for 3TB+ VortexBoxes. We have the latest Fedora kernel with upgraded audio drives. The new ALSA drives now have better support for USB audio devices. We are now using ALBUMARTIST instead of BAND tag in the FLAC to mp3 mirroring.
• We have experimental support for some leading edge features. VortexBox Player now has DSD support. You can play your DSD rips directly. We now support Bluetooth audio devices through VortexBox Player. Blu-Ray ripping is working well but it still not 100%.
• We added Plex Media Server to the apps available for installation. For those of you who haven't looked at Plex, it's a great way to view your movies on many different devices.

What is new in version 2.0:

• With the recent release of Fedora 16 it's time to release a new version of VortexBox based on it. VortexBox 2.0 is based on Fedora 16 and also includes the new Logitech Media Server 7.7.0. We have added some other fixes and updates as well including new versions of MPD and our built in DLNA server.

What is new in version 1.9:

• This release adds updated versions of many of that packages that make VortexBox work so well. This version includes a new kernel for better hardware support. The DVD ripping package has also been improved and of course we added the latest version of SqueezeBox Server (7.5.4).
• The DAAP server has been updated to support AppleTV and you can now stream music direct from your VortexBox to your Apple TV including cover art. VortexBox can even stream your FLAC collection to AppleTV even though AppleTV doesn't support FLAC.

What is new in version 1.8:

• VortexBox now identifies the DVD and names it accordingly.
• VortexBox can also create an mp4 mirror of your DVD with a Windows Media Center xml file.
• This works great for viewing movies in Windows Media Center.
• You can now select the length the DVD tracks you want ripped.
• This is great for TV show DVDs where you want to rip all the tracks greater then a certain length.
• We have also added the latest version of SqueezeBox Server (7.5.3) and a bunch of other fixes and upgrades.

What is new in version 1.7:

• VortexBox can now autodetect CDs or DVDs and rip accordingly. All you need to do is insert a DVD movie into the VortexBox and it will be auto ripped to MKV format. This is great for all the new media players such as Logitech Revue, Boxee Box, Windows Media Center, and XBMC.
• We have also added the latest version of SqueezeBox Server (7.4.2) and a bunch of other fixes and upgrades. VortexBox is now not only the easiest way to get CDs to your player but the easiest way to get DVDs there as well.

What is new in version 1.6:

• This release has Fedora 14, 4K sector driver support, and support for USB 2 and 192/24 USB DACs.

What is new in version 1.5:

• We are pleased to announce the release of VortexBox 1.5. As always our goal it to make VortexBox work with any media player. The recent release of iTunes 10 does not work work with the old VortexBox DAAP server. We took this opportunity to replace the DAAP server in VortexBox with a better one. The new DAAP server not only works with iTuens 10 but it can server FLAC files to iTunes by encoding them as WAV files inline. This reduces the need to keep a mirror of your music files in mp3 format.
• We also updated the the latest squeezebox server and added a control panel to control the services on VortexBox. Thanks to everybody who helped with features and bug fixes for this release.

What is new in version 1.4:

• We are pleased to announce the release of VortexBox 1.4. Continuing with our goal to make VortexBox the universal server for any media player we have added full DLNA support to VortexBox. DLNA is the future of media sharing and many players such as PS3, Windows 7 Media Player, and Samsung televisions support DLNA. Now you can easily serve your music and video files to all these devices.
• We have also added Bliss to the VortexBox web GUI. Bliss can find cover art for even the most obscure albums.
• As usual there are also may other fixes and updates requested by the VortexBox community.