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[petaluman]

I’m interested in setting up an IdPi as a way to explore MC.  It appears that it can be used as a player for any files to which it has direct access.

1.  Is this stable on the RPi 3B+?  If yes, why are you still using the 3B in the fully baked version?

2.  Does player in this context mean the RPi can be used to both transcode & render the source files?  Does this limit its audio capabilities in any way?  For example, if I want to explore upsampling and/or dsp functions?

3.  Direct file access means only internal storage and physically attached USB drives, or does it include any audio files on my network?

4.  All my other storage devices are either Windows computers or hard drives whose content was written to them via Windows.  Can the IdPi access any or all of these files as is, or would I have to figure out some way to load up a drive in a Linux readable format?

5.  Does the Id default to hosting the media library on the SD card?  If so, roughly how many CDs can be cataloged on the card?  I assume this would give much better response than having the library on an external drive.

6.  Can the IdPi player be used to stream web content (Internet Radio, Tidal, Spotify, etc)?

7.  The installation instructions include an extra step if the IdPi is to be used as a server.  Is this step required for setting it up as a player?  What needs to be done if I later wish to use the IdPi strictly as a renderer?

Thanks for your help!

[JimH]

I’m interested in setting up an IdPi as a way to explore MC.  It appears that it can be used as a player for any files to which it has direct access.

1.  Is this stable on the RPi 3B+?  If yes, why are you still using the 3B in the fully baked version?

Yes.

2.  Does player in this context mean the RPi can be used to both transcode & render the source files?  Does this limit its audio capabilities in any way?  For example, if I want to explore upsampling and/or dsp functions?

It may work, but the Pi isn't a very powerful machine, so there will be limits to what it can do.

3.  Direct file access means only internal storage and physically attached USB drives, or does it include any audio files on my network?

Yes, you can import from a network drive, or play from any DLNA server on the network.

4.  All my other storage devices are either Windows computers or hard drives whose content was written to them via Windows.  Can the IdPi access any or all of these files as is, or would I have to figure out some way to load up a drive in a Linux readable format?

It can import the files as is.  The files themselves aren't different on different OS's.

5.  Does the Id default to hosting the media library on the SD card?  If so, roughly how many CDs can be cataloged on the card?  I assume this would give much better response than having the library on an external drive.

The SD card isn't big enough to host many files.  An external drive will work fine, but the power supply will need to be changed.  Search the RPi site for power information.  It's a common source of problems.

6.  Can the IdPi player be used to stream web content (Internet Radio, Tidal, Spotify, etc)?

No.

7.  The installation instructions include an extra step if the IdPi is to be used as a server.  Is this step required for setting it up as a player?  What needs to be done if I later wish to use the IdPi strictly as a renderer?

You can change the functionality at any time.

[BradATIMA]

Just to add one more thing, the IdPi fully baked does come with the Pi 3 B+ board now.

[petaluman]

Thanks for prompt responses!

To be clear, the IdPi’s eventual purpose in my system will be as a renderer.  However, I haven’t decided how I’m going to handle the server side yet.  In the meantime, I thought I could use it as a player to get a hands-on feel for the software.  With that in mind:

1.  Thanks for the info on the 3B+ option.  If you are shipping the fully baked version with it, you might want to update the Id home page to not say “Raspberry Pi 3 Model B with Id installed.”

2.  In response to “Direct file access means only internal storage and physically attached USB drives, or does it include any audio files on my network?” your response could mean:  “Yes, you can import from a network drive when used as a server, or play from any DLNA server on the network when used as a renderer.” (italics added by me).  Please verify that the IdPi can play these files when used as a player, regardless of OS?

3.  “Does the Id default to hosting the media library on the SD card?  If so, roughly how many CDs can be cataloged on the card?  I assume this would give much better response than having the library on an external drive.” is poorly worded.  I wasn’t asking about the actual media files.  Doesn’t MC build an index or catalog of the available music files, which includes metadata like the album name, artist name, genre, etc?  This might be a few MB  for 1000 albums.  Is that index normally on the SD card?  Roughly how much unused capacity is there on the SD card after loading the Id software?

I look forward to your answers & getting my hands on this fantastic product!

[BradATIMA]

2.  In response to “Direct file access means only internal storage and physically attached USB drives, or does it include any audio files on my network?” your response could mean:  “Yes, you can import from a network drive when used as a server, or play from any DLNA server on the network when used as a renderer.” (italics added by me).  Please verify that the IdPi can play these files when used as a player, regardless of OS?

The answer is yes. As a player, you can import files to the IdPi library from Linux Mac or Windows network shares. You can find more information here:

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,95376.0.html

3.  “Does the Id default to hosting the media library on the SD card?  If so, roughly how many CDs can be cataloged on the card?  I assume this would give much better response than having the library on an external drive.” is poorly worded.  I wasn’t asking about the actual media files.  Doesn’t MC build an index or catalog of the available music files, which includes metadata like the album name, artist name, genre, etc?  This might be a few MB  for 1000 albums.  Is that index normally on the SD card?  Roughly how much unused capacity is there on the SD card after loading the Id software?

Yes, the library is stored on the mSD card. There is roughly 8GB of usable space on the mSD card.

[petaluman]

Sorry - I thought I was out of questions!?

Is this Id version based on MC24, and compatible with both the 3B & 3B+ cards?

[BradATIMA]

Yes, the current version of Media Center on the IdPi is 24, and it is compatible with the Pi 3 B and Pi 3 B+.