Media Player - Linux Box -

I need help putting converting a linux box into a simple media player. I currently have all this working on OSx, built with apple scripting, shell scripts, cgi, perl and html. The current software system running on OSx is outdated and needs to be converted to Linux and re-programmed in "latest language". Core: This linux based software should do the following: Play music Create / generate "smart" playlists Scheduler for playback - (user controlled) Auto-Sync with amazon s3 or ftp Remote management capability & more GUI : This media box should also act as a web server and be fully controlled over a web browser. Full control over the player (play,stop, skip track..etc) Schedule playlists Restart Configure Network info Set the time/date ..etc I want to consult with experienced programmers to find the best method(s) of wrapping up this media player. Would it be too much work to create an interface for all this? Is it easier & cheaper to create a web-based GUI ?