These are the days of digital music. We've all heard the controversy regarding the music file format, MP3, but like it or not, the MP3 is here to stay. And most of us are very glad about that. Thanks to the Internet, we can now download and hear songs that we thought were long past forgotten, such as those little remembered bands like Vicious Pink, and the Yellow Magic Orchestra.

But our computers are just computers. We want to be able to hear those "way cool" songs on that awesome stereo system we've got sitting in the living room. Well now there's a way, without having to run a ton of wires throughout the house, or without having to burn a new CD every time you get a new song that you want to add to your playlist. In this How2, we're going to show you how to hook up MP3 Anywhere to your computer, and then to your stereo system so that you can change that playlist as often as you want, and it's as painless as the click of a button.

So let's get started!

The first thing we want to do here is set up the Audio Transmitter. The Audio Transmitter is that little piece of equipment that looks like a miniature satellite receiver.

Once you've identified the Transmitter, then hook that into the "Line Out" or the "audio output" of your computer's Sound card. There is a cable supplied in the MP3 Anywhere package that will allow you to hook up the Transmitter to the computer, and then into the left and right ports of the Transmitter.

Also, and it's a little thing we know, but we have to mention it. Make sure that you have plugged the Transmitter into your twelve-volt adapter, and plugged that into your power supply.

Place this Transmitter in a good location, a short distance away from the computer, and raised up just a little. Be sure and raise the antenna.

The Transmitter is now ready to transmit audio to your stereo system, so we'll move on to the Video/Audio Receiver.

An important thing to remember is "audio left," and "audio right." Every stereo cable comes with a red connector, and a white connector (sometimes instead of white, the connector is black). Red always means "Right," and White (or Black) always means "Left." Just think R for Red, and R for Right. That will help you remember which plug goes where. These cables are also called "RCA" cables, in case you should ever have to replace one of them.

Make sure that your Right and Left connectors are hooked up correctly, both to the Video Receiver and to the stereo system. (You can probably use your "Auxiliary" input for your stereo, and you won't have to "borrow" from another input such as CD.)

Again, it's a small thing, but make sure that you've plugged the Video Receiver into the wall with your 12 Volt AC adapter. (We recommend that you keep all your stereo equipment and your computer equipment plugged into a power strip/surge protector, just in case the power goes out, or there's a sudden power surge. The surge protector will automatically shut itself down, protecting your delicate stereo equipment.)

Make sure that the "Channel" switch on the underside of the Video Receiver is set to the same letter as the switch on your Audio Transmitter, and make sure that both are turned on.

Now, turn on the stereo to the Auxiliary preset, turn on the computer and select your MP3 playlist, and you're up and running. You should be hearing your favorite ABBA tune as clear as if you were playing a CD.

If you want to continue on, and have your computer act as an audio station, then we'll talk about that Remote Receiver.

Hook the Remote Receiver into a free serial port on your computer. (Be sure and tighten the plugs so that it doesn't slip.)

Go up to www.x10.com/software, and install the Boom 2000 software.

Once Boom is installed, then run the software.

Boom 2000 controls up to three different media players, of any type, such as MusicMatch Jukebox, or WinAmp, or Windows Media Player. It's completely up to you which you choose to use.

Right click on the Boom Window and select "Players."

In the dialog box, under MP3, pick the MP3 player you wish to use. In the CD dialog box, choose which CD player you wish to use. In the DVD dialog box, choose the DVD player you wish to use. Then click okay. (The options in these drop-down boxes are determined by what's already installed on your computer.)

Now run Boom 2000. Press "Power" to open your MP3 or CD player. Now you've got the "Play" "Stop" "Pause" and other commands right there on your computer just as you would a CD player. And you can use your remote to make any changes you would like to make, between MP3s and CDs, volume up or volume down, or off and on.

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