wrote:
HI,

I have a USB 2.0 external drive (2.5") having 80 GIG of Mp3. The
problem is that I still need to use my computer to listen the music. I
would like to be able to plug the USB drive directly on a HIFI, without
using the computer.

I will have to buy anyway a new HIFI, a new LCD TV 26", a new CD
player, etc. I am ready to buy some new piece of equipment.

D-Link DSM-120 will attach to a USB drive, and easily to your HiFi.
http://reviews.cnet.com/D_Link_DSM_120/4505-6470_7-31561630-2.html?tag=nav

Or, you can connect your HDD drive to a NAS adaptor such as a Linksys
NLSU, and then attach any network media player to it. There are a few
of these out there. (Freecom, Philips, Creative, Roku etc...)

Or, If you are buying a TV, you may be in the market for a PVR (personal
video recorder). Some of these have USB interfaces for external drives
and memory sticks, indeed some of these ARE computers (but not as big
and hopefully quieter) - and run operating systems such as Windows Media
Center Edition, which can access all sorts of digital media including MP3.

Or, you can buy a DTT (digital TV) receiver made by Netgem (french!)
which has a USB port. It is admittedly USB 1.1 but should not be an
problem playing back MP3s. It's called the 'iplayer+' over here, I think
in france, it's called the Netbox. http://www.netgem.com

All of these sources (and also others in this thread) will connect to
your HiFi, but ultimately the choice is made depending on how 'HiFi' are
your expectations - and what you want to spend.

--
Adrian C