[Monad]

Here's what I have in terms of hardware:

• Samsung Focus, running Windows Phone 7
• iPhone 4
• 2 Windows laptops
• Linksys E3000, Dual-band Wireless N router
• Ethernet, but no ports are near the location where I'd want the speaker(s) to be
• The music is all .mp3, ripped probably 128 - 160kbps or whatever iTunes/Amazon/Zune offers.

Here's the problem:

• Each of the laptops have a different set of music
• Each of the phones have a subset of the music on each laptop
• The laptops are not on 100% of the time, making streaming from the laptop difficult
• I'd prefer not to have actually turn on the laptop, sit-down pick music to play, etc; in other words, I'd like to control playback/selection from a remote or one of the phones

Here's the goal:

• Play all the music that I own/have ripped
• Play any of the music I have available via Zune Pass
• Play music without requiring a laptop to be turned on
• Do so with minimal hardware/wires
• I care about music quality, but I'm not fussy; in other words, I want it to sound good, it doesn't have to sound perfect.
• Looking to have speakers only on one floor, open floorplan, room is probably 40x15

Is what I want feasible? What hardware do I need?

 

[MiHewitt]

I stream music from a variety of sources - an iPod Touch, Windows laptop and NAS - using iTunes and an Airport Express.


You can plug the Airport Express into a socket next your stereo and output the music either by mini-to-RCA plugs or optical mini-toTOSlink.


Then you simply choose Airport Express as your "speakers" in iTunes.


(I am assuming iTunes works on a Windows phone. I don't know.)


I'm not a huge fan of iTunes for a number of reasons, but this works nearly flawlessly, and I paid less than $100 for a used Airport Express on eBay. I have it hard-wired into my system, but if you are playing 128kb mp3s, wireless should be no problem.

 

[Monad]

Thanks for the reply. However, I do not have a stereo or speakers

That's all part of my question.