network music player


network music player

A digital media server dedicated to audio only. Supporting a number of digital audio file formats, such as MP3, AAC and high-resolution FLAC, a network music player serves as the control center for music in the home. It connects to the home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet and delivers analog or digital audio to the stereo or home theater system. Contrast with a digital music player, such as an iPod, which is a handheld device.

Also called a "network audio player," network music players may also stream content from the user's computers as well as the Internet (Internet radio, Pandora, Spotify, etc.). The device may have an internal storage device or connect to external drives or both. See digital media server.