Is there a way to use the CasaTunes iphone application to control Russound CAV6.6 and its sources, including the SM3 media server (specifically, to be able to select music from the media server), and the ibridge?

The CasaTunes iPhone application controls the Russound CAV 6.6 and the Russound tuner sources only.  Since CasaTunes includes great iPod and SMS3-like support these sources are currently not supported.

Is there a way to set up the Casatunes XP version (on a net book) to control the CAV 6.6, the keypads, and the keypads.  Also, do you know of a link illustrating how Russound appears on the Casatunes software. Thanks!

You can run CasaTunes on a NetBook, however, you will still need to use either a USB to Serial adapter, or a networked serial server to control the Russound controller.  You may also want to add a USB multiple-channel sound card if you are looking to add multiple CasaTunes media player sources to your Russound controller. 

Here is a link to a video that provides an overview of how to configure CasaTunes with Russound: http://www.casatunes.com/multi-room-audio/index.php/customer-service/video-guides/

Thanks.  The CasaTunes seems like much better software than the Russound SMS3 and I would like to integrate everything into one software system.  Is it possible to copy MP3 files from SMS3 into CasaTunes?  If so, can an entire album (with cover art) be copied into CasaTunes.

We are not aware of a utility that will copy music off an SMS3.  Since this is a proprietary system, I would contact Russound directly.  I know Russound provides a backup utility but I am not sure what the format of this backup is and whether the backup disk would be mountable on another system (like Windows PC).

I checked with Russound and I can retrieve MP3 files.  Are MP3 files tagged for artist, album, and cover art or do they have to be organized in any fashion for CasaTunes? 

Also, with CasaTunes and Russound, will the ipod (connected via Russound ibridge) and current media server be available as sources? I understand that these sources cannot be controlled with CasaTunes.  Finally, will the metadata from these sources show up?

Sorry for all the questions, but I’d like to upgrade from Russound to CasaTunes and I’m just trying to determine the best way to do so!  Thanks again!

The MP3’s should have all the metadata; you can download the fully operational trial software to try it out. Antoher way to see what metadata is available is to retrieve them and open them in Windows Media Player (or iTunes).
It is definitely best to organize the music by Artist/album. For example, you might have “.../music/My Music/Al Dimeola/Electric Axe”, with all the Electric Axe songs in that folder.
Any sources that are already controlled by Russound should still work, you will just be adding CasaTunes as additional sources. You will have some rudimentary control of the existing sources (actually, full control of Russound tuners).

As far as the iPod goes, you have a couple of options:
1) You can leave it as it is, connected to the Russound
2) You can connect the iPod to the USB port of the computer where you are installing CasaTunes and totally control it from CasaTunes. The next release of CasaTunes will support multiple iPods, one on each USB port! When plugged into the computer, they appear like our other CasaTunes libraries. You don’t have to mount them right next to the computer. If you have CAT5 cabling going from where the computer is located you can use “USB extenders” that allow the iPod to be as far away as 160 ft. We recommend the ones from CablesToGo, which are USB 1.1 (plenty fast enough for music).
3) You can run CasaTunesSync on the computer that you use to sync your iPod. Then all the iTunes Plus music that is on that computer shows up in the CasaTunes library. The next release of CasaTunes will include CasaTunesSync that runs on the Mac, so you can even sync your Mac’s library to CasaTunes (if you have a Mac).

I would recommend downloading CasaTunes, installing it and trying it with the Russound free for two weeks. Call us if you do this and have any questions. I am positive you will love it and it is getting better with every new release!! At this time, new updates are free to owners of CasaTunes.

One final question.
If I connect the computer with Casatunes to Russound via USB to serial adaptor, can I control CasaTunes wirelessly via a separate Netbook?
Thanks again for all your help.

You bet, as long as the Netbook has a compatible internet browser (most do!). We are compatible with most browsers, like Mozilla FireFox, Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer. The browser does not have to be running on Windows.
Also, you would be able to control it with an iPad (using current iPhone app for now), iPhone or iPod touch wirelessly. The touch makes a nice, relatively inexpensive, remote.
We are actively working on a control program for the iPronto Pro TSU 9600 and 9800 controllers and will start on an Android version (for Android phones and panels) shortly.
All of these would control CasaTunes and the Russound.

So the CasaTunes application would have its own IP address?

I want to make sure you are not confusing two things:
The CasaTunes service is an Internet Information Service that runs on a PC (let’s call it the CasaTunes server) at http://computername/CasaTunes, where computername is the name of the CasaTunes server. This service and associated programs are what control the music that is playing and the hardware that switches the music to the various rooms, in this case your Russound. So the browsers on the other computers can enter this address and use the CasaTunes service to control everything.
The iPhone app is an app that you can download from the Apple AppStore. You can use this app to control the CasaTunes service in a similar way that the browsers control the service.

Thanks for the clarification.
I am looking to purchase a Dell for the media server; it seems they do not offer that many 32 bit machines.  I found one with Vista Home Basic SP1.  Will this work? Or, does the latest Casatunes software work with 64 bit machines?

CasaTunes works fine with any Windows 64 bit OS. I run it on my own Windows 7 64 bit machine all the time. Personally, I would definitely go for Windows 7 over any of the earlier versions of Windows.

Kim

Cant wait to see the iPad version of the software. I hope it has full cover art as part of the browsing feature. I plan to roll out 2 iPads to act as wireless touchscreen to control everything in my home later this year!
HAI security, lighting, and HVAC control. CasaTunes and Russound WHA. Gonna be sweet!