Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[edwarduk]

Wondering if anyone has an Android TV (typically a Sony) and how they have got it working with a JRiver MC server?

I will be getting a Sony Andoid TV in a few days time and would like the ease of connecting directly to my local MC server.  Ahead of actually getting the Sony android tv I had a look at a demo unit. JRemote does not appear in the relevant Google playstore.  JRemote would be my preference as a player on the Sony but in its absence I guess I will have to use something like VLC and connect, via DLNA, to my MC. Hopefully that will work.  VLC is in the Android TV playstore (as implemented by Sony).

But perhaps others here have a different approach?  Hopefully JRiver will release a fully fledged android player soon and have it available via Andoid TV?

My main use case for streaming JRiver MC content to the Sony is for video etc. I will continue streaming audio only files directly to a DAC/HiFi as I can't imagine the DAC chip in the Sony will be of a premium quality.

 

[audunth]

I don't think you'll need VLC, at least not for streaming video to the TV, as all new smart TVs have DLNA built in. I don't think you even have to start Android on the tv, usually DLNA/USB play etc. is separate from Internet TV.

Never tried an Android TV though, so if I'm wrong, please correct me.

[tyler69]

Wondering if anyone has an Android TV (typically a Sony) and how they have got it working with a JRiver MC server?

I will be getting a Sony Andoid TV in a few days time and would like the ease of connecting directly to my local MC server.  Ahead of actually getting the Sony android tv I had a look at a demo unit. JRemote does not appear in the relevant Google playstore.  JRemote would be my preference as a player on the Sony but in its absence I guess I will have to use something like VLC and connect, via DLNA, to my MC. Hopefully that will work.  VLC is in the Android TV playstore (as implemented by Sony).

But perhaps others here have a different approach?  Hopefully JRiver will release a fully fledged android player soon and have it available via Andoid TV?

My main use case for streaming JRiver MC content to the Sony is for video etc. I will continue streaming audio only files directly to a DAC/HiFi as I can't imagine the DAC chip in the Sony will be of a premium quality.

Are there any news to this? I'm looking for a new TV and check out several possibilities..

[tyler69]

bump

[tyler69]

bump

[tyler69]

bump

[tyler69]

bump because i'm looking at an nvidia shield which runs android tv as far as i understand.

[RoderickGI]

I assume the OP was running his MC Server remotely from his TV, as I am running a Sony Android TV directly connected to my HTPC MC Server, with sound going to my Receiver, and video to the TV via HDMI, and having Android on the TV in that setup makes absolutely no difference. It acts just like a monitor.

Does a nvidia shield add some value over just MC, such as streaming the services directly? How will you connect it all up? If it is Android TV, wouldn't it have a DLNA Controller and Renderer built in, that can talk to the MC Server?

My Sony can directly access the services, and act as a DLNA Renderer. But I chose not to use it that way.

[tyler69]

Thank you very much for replying!
I was not aware of DLNA functionality in android tv.
What do you mean by "streaming the services directly"?

I thought of using it as a client connected to a DAC and a tv. I did not look through enough yet into this product though.

[connersw]

Android TV by itself is not a DLNA Renderer.  You will need to run an app within Android TV for that.  There are literally hundreds.  Some things to consider going this route: (1) you will need to use your TV remote to start the app then (2) you will need to use your phone/tablet/PC to push the content.  It is rather cumbersome. 

Some DLNA apps work both as a Renderer and a Client Controller.  BubbleUPnP is probably the most well known.  If you are using Android TV built into your actual TV, it probably comes with some preloaded Audio/Video Client Controller apps.  In this case, you could then use your TV remote to access content on your TV through those apps.  The disadvantage here is that most of the 3rd party apps are built for touch screens, so they can be rather cumbersome to navigate with a TV remote.  Additionally, the DLNA spec is not perfect, and there are often issues with MC as a DLNA Server and something else as a DLNA Renderer.  It can be a quite finicky getting the DLNA Server settings correct, and often times you run up against certain video codecs/containers that just won't ever work.  AndrewFG on the forum is very helpful in this regard.

You can use Gizmo or JRemote to cast to Android TV.  You will no longer need to start up a separate app for this, but again, you will only be able to navigate content using your phone/tablet/PC.   You are also limited to Gizmo & JRemotes resampling quality (320kbps mp3 and 720p/5Mbps mp4).

You can use ADB or the network settings in ES File Explorer to sideload any Android .apk that is not available in your version of the Google Play Store like Gizmo, JRemote, or EOS.  Here you can use your TV remote to navigate, but again you are limited in quality.  Also, since these programs are built for touchscreens, they too are not always the easiest to navigate with a remote.  I have found EOS to work the best, and this is what I use when I travel and am not on my home network. 

As you can see, there are trade offs with every scenario.  What I have found to work best on my home network is using Kodi as a DLNA Client Controller by turning on UPnP in Kodi.  I can then navigate content fairly easily with a remote since it was built to be used with a remote.  Also, I am able to play 16-bit/44.1kHz audio and all video content at max quality due to Kodi's built in capabilities.  The only downsides in this set up is that Kodi does not allow for UPnP files to be integrated into your Kodi Library so you lose some of Kodi's Library functionality (dynamic linking, playing trailers, pieces of meta-data, etc).  Additionally, since Kodi 15, there has been an issue with how Kodi announces itself as a DLNA Renderer so it disappears from MC rather often.  Since I control it on screen with a remote, this doesn't bother me.  If you're plan is to control it from a PC, one of the above solutions with a different DLNA Client Controller or Renderer would work better.   

[RoderickGI]

What do you mean by "streaming the services directly"?

I mean the Sony TV has lots of Apps for streaming services installed on delivery. Which Apps are installed would vary by region, but here in Australia they include Netflix, Amazon video, Google Play, Stan, iView and other catch up TV services for OTA TV Channels, and so on. Running those Apps on the TV allow me to stream the service directly from the provider onto the TV.


Good explanation Connersw. Some points of clarification.

A DLNA environment includes a Server, a Controller, and a Renderer. MC can act as any one, or all three. A MC Client connected to a MC Server can act as a Controller to send media to a separate Renderer, or could act as a Controller and Renderer at the same time. Basically, just a terminology thing; there is no such thing as a DLNA Client. What is often called a DLNA Client is a Controller and Renderer combined. Minor point.

My Sony Android TV has a DLNA Renderer built in, and a DLNA Controller. I'm sure if I plugged in a USB drive it could act as a DLNA Server as well. I haven't tried that. No doubt Sony are providing the DLNA capabilities themselves, if they aren't built into Android TV. I think I read that somewhere in fact.

For example, without installing any new Apps onto my Sony TV, with my HTPC running MC Server (including the DLNA server), my workstation MC Client is able to act as a DLNA Controller and direct the MC DLNA Server to send a movie to the Sony TV, which then acts as a DLNA Renderer. I just did that, and even though the TV was set to an input of HDMI4, it switch to acting as a Renderer and played the movie no problem. Well, as a Renderer over a Wi-Fi connection it was a bit laggy, but MC may have been doing a conversion of the video, which could explain that.

I also just used the Sony menu system, selected video, selected Devices, and was able to chose my HTPC as a source, acting as a DLNA Renderer, and play the content. The same for audio. So the Sony is acting as a DLNA Controller and Renderer in that case, without additional Apps. All driven by the TV IR remote control.

Note that there has been a major update of the Sony Android TV recently, so that is works differently, if not a bit better. But all the above capabilities existed in the previous version. I have a KD-65X9300D Sony TV.


So Tyler69, I think you do need to research the NVidia Shield a bit more, and work out if it adds value over MC plus a good TV.

I would love MC to be able to connect to all the media provider services, such as Netflix, Stan, etc., so that I had only one interface to work with. But that isn't going to happen. I like the MC interface and capabilities, and lose a lot by just using it as a DLNA Server, which is why I don't do it. That is why I have my HTPC (MC Server) next to, and directly connected to my TV. I could chose to use the Sony TV as a source for external (streaming) services, and send the audio to my receiver, but I haven't bothered to do that up to now. I have enough material to play/watch without it.

Have fun researching what you want to do! 


PS: If you have a look at the Android TV site, the Sony Bravia is listed almost next to the NVidia Shield. Perhaps compare the capabilities of each. They may be the same.

[connersw]

A DLNA environment includes a Server, a Controller, and a Renderer. MC can act as any one, or all three. A MC Client connected to a MC Server can act as a Controller to send media to a separate Renderer, or could act as a Controller and Renderer at the same time. Basically, just a terminology thing; there is no such thing as a DLNA Client. What is often called a DLNA Client is a Controller and Renderer combined. Minor point.

You're correct--I mistakenly used the wrong terminology.  Wherever I wrote Client, I was referring to Controller capabilities.  Obviously, once it starts playing the content, it becomes the Renderer; however, I was referring specifically to the ability to select media content from the device itself (ie the Sony TV or Android TV).

For example, without installing any new Apps onto my Sony TV, with my HTPC running MC Server (including the DLNA server), my workstation MC Client is able to act as a DLNA Controller and direct the MC DLNA Server to send a movie to the Sony TV, which then acts as a DLNA Renderer. I just did that, and even though the TV was set to an input of HDMI4, it switch to acting as a Renderer and played the movie no problem. Well, as a Renderer over a Wi-Fi connection it was a bit laggy, but MC may have been doing a conversion of the video, which could explain that.

This must be new for Sony.  On my LG TV and Samsung Blu-ray, I have to first go into the menu and launch a "my media" app for them to announce themselves as Renderers for them to appear in MC.  This is what I was referring to in my second paragraph regarding preloaded apps.  Since this is all being done over the network, there is no need to switch inputs either; however, the fact that the Sony is always announcing itself as a Renderer without having to go into the menu is something that I have never come across before.

The lag and conversion is what I was referring to in the difficulty of setting up MC's DLNA server.  There is even a section of the Wiki specifically for Sony because of these issues:  https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/DLNA#Sony_Bravia_Setup  There could literally be thousands of these guides because every brand, even every device, may require different settings.  In my case with the LG TV and Samsung Blu-ray, I had to have MC configured to run as two different DLNA Servers because the server settings were different to get the most amount of files to play on each one.

Even then, when you test it out to just play a snip-it of one video, you may get it to work just fine.  However, when you start using it as permanent solution, you soon realize that there is buffering, some file types won't play, some files can seek but others don't, sometimes files just quit playing half way through a movie (incredibly annoying on a 2-hour movie with no ability to fast forward), etc. 

I also just used the Sony menu system, selected video, selected Devices, and was able to chose my HTPC as a source, acting as a DLNA Renderer, and play the content. The same for audio. So the Sony is acting as a DLNA Controller and Renderer in that case, without additional Apps. All driven by the TV IR remote control.

Again, this is what I was referring to when I wrote about preloaded apps that can work as both a Renderer and a Client Controller.  The menu system of your Sony is technically a preloaded piece of software or "app" that is acting as the Controller.

So Tyler69, I think you do need to research the NVidia Shield a bit more, and work out if it adds value over MC plus a good TV.

I have tried a multitude of hardware devices to work as DLNA Renderers or Controllers.  Everything from LG to Samsung to Oppo to WD TV to Direct TV boxes to cheap Chinese dongles.  I spent hours, days, messing with settings.  I ran software like Device Spy and Whitebear's Renderer Analysis to try to tweak it just right.  Nothing I tried gave me a successful long term solution until I ran Kodi on Android. 

Like RoderickGI, I run a PC directly on my main home theater system, but this really is only for Hi-Res audio (DSD) now.  On my other TVs and for travel, I run Amazon Fire TV Sticks and Boxes running Kodi to act as a Controller and Renderer.  The Fire TV meets my needs because I also use Amazon Prime Video. 

I have also tried a Rasberry Pi running Kodi, and I have set up several family members with a NVidia Shield running Kodi.  The Rasberry Pi would often choke.  The NVidia Shield runs like a dream.  It is fast, responsive, and simply just works.  For the average consumer, I would not hesitate in recommending it as the only thing you need connected to your TV.

Also like RoderickGI, I would love to have a single interface for everything.  Since MC will not integrate with other applications or streaming services, I think that interface will become Android.  From there, you can launch separate apps for Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Hulu, Kodi, etc.  It would be ideal if MC became one of those apps, but I think we are a long way from seeing MC running on Android. 

[RoderickGI]

Another good explanation/clarification.

My Sony definitely does announce itself, and appears in the list of available devices to play to. But I used to have a Samsung (circa 2013) TV in the house that I'm sure did the same thing. In fact I am sure I tested playing to it, since it appeared in MC as a target device under Playing Now. But I can't check any more.

However I did mention it here:
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,106212.msg738604.html#msg738604
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,101153.msg701769.html#msg701769
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,101190.msg702057.html#msg702057

So obviously it was working as a DLNA Renderer, and announcing itself, since I never ran a specific App to make it visible, other than perhaps turning on DLNA in the TV settings. If I did that, I guess that sort of constitutes running an App. But I definitely didn't do that in the Sony, which I only bought in January 2017. Of course, it could be turned on by default in the Sony.

Maybe in all your testing there has been an issue with network routing, or a firewall, as suggested in one of those threads above?

[connersw]

Maybe in all your testing there has been an issue with network routing, or a firewall, as suggested in one of those threads above?

Sorry, but no.  I'm not new to the rodeo.  All of that was thoroughly checked.  I've never had any discovery issues other than with the last versions of Kodi.  That is known issue related to Kodi, not with my network or MC:  https://trac.kodi.tv/ticket/15636

[RoderickGI]

Pardon me if my comment caused offense.

I was talking about MC discovery of a DLNA Renderer. I can't talk to Kodi at all.

As I said, my Samsung and Sony TVs have always announced themselves to MC, without additional Apps being run. Just sharing what I have observed.