Using Firefly Media Server with Roku SoundBridge and SoundBridge Radio

For Microsoft Windows

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What is Firefly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Latest Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Prerequisite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bonjour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Getting Firefly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Installing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Post Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Firefly Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Firefly Configuration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Web Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Using Firefly with SoundBridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Uninstalling Firefly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
My SoundBridge Does Not See Some Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sharing Files on Network Share. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Still Having Problems?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Introduction

What is Firefly
The Firefly Media Server is an Open Source server program capable of serving your music files to compatible clients on your home network, including your Roku SoundBridge. Firefly has many advantages compared to other media server programs:
Firefly is lightweight with low system requirements Firefly is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows,

MacOS X and Linux.

Firefly supports multiple media formats including MP3, AAC, WMA, Ogg-Vorbis,

FLAC and Apple Lossless

Firefly supports transcoding of formats to allow clients to play formats they otherwise
would not be able to play
Firefly is Open Source, allowing users to enhance and extend the server if desired. Firefly runs as a background service it does not require the user to run anything after
Firefly is initially installed.
Firefly is integrated with your iTunes Library. It understands iTunes playlists (including
SmartPlaylists) and allows your SoundBridge to access them from across the network.

Latest Information

The latest information about Firefly including the latest version of the server can always be found at http://www.rokulabs.com/firefly. Here you will also find support documentation as well as discussion forums where you can ask your questions and receive help should you need it.

Installation

Fireflys installation procedure is fairly simple and straightforward. At this time however, it requires the installation of Apples Bonjour program to function correctly.

Prerequisite

Bonjour
Firefly uses Apples Bonjour program to announce its availability over your home network. You will need to download and install Bonjour for Windows in order to successfully use Firefly. You can download Bonjour for Windows from http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/bonjourforwindows103.html. Once downloaded, run the setup program and follow the on screen instructions to install Bonjour.

Getting Firefly

The latest version of Firefly will always be available at http://www.rokulabs.com/firefly. Follow the links to download the version appropriate for Windows. Firefly is also available for MacOS X and Linux.

Installing

Locate the Firefly setup file you downloaded above. Run this program. Follow the on screen instructions to complete setup. During setup you will be prompted for your main music directory. If you are an iTunes user, make sure that the directory you specify contains your iTunes Library file. Doing so will enable Firefly to access your iTunes library and playlists.

Post Installation

Immediately following the installation, Firefly will run and scan your music folder for music. Depending on the size of your collection, this can take some time. Once the scan is complete, Firefly will announce itself on your network and should be shown on the Change Library or Configuration screen on your SoundBridge.

Firefly Configuration

Firefly has a few methods by which you can alter its configuration. From most basic to most advanced, these are the Configuration Utility, the built-in configuration webpage, and finally, direct editing of the configuration file.
Firefly Configuration Utility
Firefly comes with a Configuration Utility for performing the most common maintenance tasks. The configuration utility can be accessed via an icon in your System Tray. The color of the icon indicates the status of the Firefly server. Orange indicates that the server is up and running while red indicates that the server is stopped. If the Configuration utility is not available in your System Tray, you may need to run it by choosing Configuration Utility from the Firefly Media Server program group under your Start Menu.
Note: For most users, it will not be necessary to change these values from the defaults.
To change settings using the Configuration Utility, simply double-click on the System Tray. The Configuration Utility has multiple tabs. The most important and interesting tabs are the Library and Server tabs. The Library tab will allow you to change the name of the server, change the directory in which Firefly looks for your music as well as add an optional password to your Firefly Server. (See next page)
The Server tab allows you to start and stop the Firefly Media Server as well as set it to run automatically when Windows starts. You can also change the port on which Firefly listens. This should only be necessary in case of a conflict with an existing program. Finally, the Server tab will allow you to easily access the Web-based Administration page for your Firefly Server (see below).

Web Configuration

Firefly has a built-in web server that offers another method by which you can configure it. This web page is more advanced that the Configuration Utility and will allow you to alter more settings. To access the Configuration web page, simply click on the Open button in the Web administration section of the Server tab of the Firefly Configuration Utility.

Note: Firefly needs to be running in order to access the web-based configuration.

Configuration File

Firefly stores its settings in a text-based configuration file. This file is usually located in c:\program files\firefly media server\ and it is called firefly.conf. Should you wish, you can edit this file with your favorite text editor to change Fireflys settings. Be careful, though, as making mistakes in the file may cause Firefly to operate improperly.
Using Firefly with SoundBridge
The Firefly Media Server is among the most advanced SoundBridge-compatible servers available. It supports more music formats than other servers and also supports searching and browsing. SoundBridge uses these features to provide a very rich and powerful experience. When your SoundBridge connects to your Firefly server, you will be able to browse, search and queue your music to quickly and easily listen to whatever you desire. Please see your SoundBridge manual for more information about using Firefly and other servers with SoundBridge.

Uninstalling Firefly

Should you decide that you no longer want to use Firefly to serve your music on your home network, you can uninstall it from your computer. To do so, access Add and Remove Programs in your Control Panel and locate the Firefly Media Server item. Click on Remove and you will be able to uninstall Firefly from your computer.

Troubleshooting

My SoundBridge Does Not See Some Files
If some of your files are not accessible on SoundBridge and you think they should be, verify that they are located in the directory in which Firefly is configured to look. You can verify the current firefly Music directory using the Firefly configuration program or through the Firefly configuration web page. If the missing files are all of a specific type (eg WMA) while the rest of your properly-functioning library is of a different type (eg MP3), use the Firefly configuration web page to verify that the missing file type is indeed listed among the file types for which Firefly will search. If the file type is missing, add it and restart the server. You may also want to make sure that the meta data (artist, album and song title information is correct). There are various programs that can edit these tags, including Windows Media Player, Winamp, and MP3Tag.
Sharing Files on Network Share
If you store your music files on a network share, Firefly can still access them and serve them to your SoundBridge. To use a network share, enter the UNC path to the network share. For instance, if your music is on a computer named Sparky and in a shared folder named Musicality, you would enter \\Sparky\Musicality\ as your music folder in the Firefly Configuration. If, after setting shared folder as your music folder, Firefly still does not find your music, you may also need to modify the user under which Firefly runs. To do this go to Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Services. Locate the Firefly Media Server service and right-click on it and choose Properties. On the Logon tab, set it to log in as your user, with your password, rather than the default of LocalSystem. Stop and then restart the Firefly server. It will then rescan your music.

Still Having Problems?

If you are still having problems getting your SoundBridge to work with Firefly, visit the Roku Forum at http://www.rokulabs.com/forums and let us help! For help with Firefly itself, visit http://forums.fireflymediaserver.org.

06-FF-UG-0619

Roku Announces Free Software Tools for Digital Home
SoundBridge 2.5 software update adds many new features including Roku Radio Snooper to easily find new Internet Radio stations and Firefly Media Server
PALO ALTO, Calif., July 6, 2006 Today Roku released three new significant software applications for the Digital Home. Together these software tools greatly expand on the features and functionality of SoundBridge network music player and SoundBridge Radio. They dramatically increase the number of Internet Radio stations that can be played, and they provide an easy, one-step process to find the address of almost any Internet Radio station and create a preset for that station. All three applications are free, and information for downloading them can be found at www.rokulabs.com.
Contact Ann Holland Phone 650.321.1394 ext. 19
Roku SoundBridge 2.5 Software Upgrade
The SoundBridge 2.5 free software update is available today for all existing and new SoundBridge customers. The update is compatible with all four models of SoundBridge, SoundBridge Radio, and Pinnacle SoundBridge. The upgrade is simple to install using Rokus on-device, one-click update. Major new features include: Microsoft WMA Internet radio support - Now SoundBridge can access thousands more Internet radio stations Browse a library of Internet radio stations A list of nearly 100 high-quality Internet radio stations can be browsed by name, location, genre or language Roku Radio Snooper compatibility Easily find and set most Internet radio stations from around the world Presets - 18 presets can be set to Internet radio stations, playlists, specific artists, albums, a selection like all songs, etc. Plus, your selections shuffle and repeat status is also remembered, so if you want a preset of all Coldplay songs shuffled, you can create it. Software Update Prompts - Automatically checks for new software updates New Fonts - New fonts available for one-line mode on M1000 and two-line mode on M2000 and R1000 New Roku Control Protocol (RCP) RCP allows developers to create applications to control a SoundBridge from a PDA or computer New Roku Server Protocol (RSP) RSP allows creation of more advanced server features; the Firely Media Server supports RSP
Email aholland@rokulabs.com

Roku Radio Snooper

One of the biggest problems for users listening to Internet radio stations with devices such as the SoundBridge Radio is finding the address of a particular Internet radio station. There are tens of thousands of stations, but many dont publish their addresses, or they sometimes change unexpectedly. The Roku Radio Snooper solves this problem by showing users the addresses of their favorite stations. It also checks stations for compatibility with SoundBridge, and provides one-button playback of the station on the SoundBridge and the ability to set the station as a SoundBridge preset with one button click.

Firefly Media Server

The Firefly Media Server is an Open Source project sponsored by Roku and to which Roku is contributing code. Firefly supports SoundBridges new Roku Server Protocol (RSP), a Roku proprietary method of streaming a users music library to their SoundBridge that maximizes integration between the music library and the SoundBridge. Firefly is also an option for customers who want a high-performance server, the benefits of the community aspects of Open Source, or who want support for file formats such as FLAC. Firefly works with Windows, Macintosh or Linux. SoundBridge continues to focus on compatibility, and is the most compatible network music player with support for the largest number of music servers. Native support is included for Microsoft Windows Media Connect, Apple iTunes, Real Networks Rhapsody, Twonkyvision, Musicmatch, Yahoo Music Engine, Firefly Media Server and others.

Leading Solution

Our SoundBridge network music players and Internet radio are leading the market with advanced features and flexibility for consumers, said Anthony Wood, Roku founder and CEO. Our free release of the new 2.5 software, Radio Snooper, and Firefly demonstrate our commitment to the digital home market and community.

About Roku

Roku is the market leader in digital media streaming and Internet radio products. The companys business focuses on retail products and technology licensing to brand name OEMs. Roku SoundBridge models and SoundBridge Radio are sold through major retailers in the U.S. and Canada such as Best Buy, Dell, Frys and Tweeter. Major licenses of Rokus technology include Pinnacle Systems. Located in Palo Alto, Calif, Roku was founded by Anthony Wood, the inventor of the digital video recorder (DVR).