"Cheapest" media player announcement hardware

Hardware
1

Hi all.
I am looking to add some dedicated announcement devices into my home. Something simple and cheap just for HASSIO to announce events.
I was thinking a google cast receiver and a little amplifier PCB but thought I would ask here if anyone knows of anything simpler and/or more cost effective?
If I can attach a PCB to the back of a speaker and simply provide it 12v power, that would be first prize!
Thanks in advance.

2 Likes
2

I was look at this just a day ago and came across this project:


I have ordered some of the components and they arrive tomorrow. I am using old laptop speakers.
1 Like
3

There’s this:

Pros:

  • very cheap
  • no privacy/big data issues

Cons:

  • Noisy unless you add a separate DAC (see later in the topic)
  • TTS voice isn’t as refined as Google’s (examples in the video).

EDIT: same project as skutter linked to above.

4

I gave this a bash. Works. Congrats to the creator.

I want something a bit more refined though.

Any suggestions?

5

Don’t know how much this costs related to the other ones, but an Echo Flex/Input is $25.

6

I did as the previous post eluded to a different solution:
But I ended up doing this:-


Its inexpensive and I recorded the tracks (using a friends voice) to make the tracks.
These were then converted on:-

from the Android recorder to MP3.

I then copied them to an SD card in the required hardware and created automation’s to call the respective files and announce them on the required events.

In this way I was able to create announcers for regular events in exactly the same way in any room.
Doesn’t do TTS but for my need case it is inexpensive and serves its purpose.

7

Cheapest Media Player? I personally use JoyoPlayer. It is a totally free media player developed by Joyoshare software. Maybe you can have a try.

8

This thread is about hardware, as stated in the title.

9

I bought a couple of these several years ago from china and played around with them. Totally honest, for the 5 dollars I paid for them, combined with the right wall material, dry wall in my case, it is an interesting and decent speaker solution if you can output to headphone jack or ‘i think’ usb…

X Sticker Portable Vibration Speaker 3.5mm USB