The Ethernet Speaker System

If one wishes to distribute audio in a large room, building, or even a campus, one needs multiple speakers. These speakers must be jointly managed and synchronized. The Ethernet Speaker (ES) system presented in this paper can be thought of as a distributed audio amplifier and speakers, it does not "Play" any particular format, but rather relies on off-the-shelf audio applications (e.g., mpg123 player, Real Audio player) to act as the audio source. This paper covers all three elements, discussing design considerations, experiences from the prototype implementations, and the plans for extending the system to provide additional features such as automatic volume control, local user interfaces, and security.