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[rick5]

Hello,  I plan to download JR Media Center to upgrade my digital music collection and delivery, and dabble in hi-res downloads.

To make best use of my trial period, I hope someone can offer guidance on how economically to accomplish what I planned to do -- relating largely to the extinction of Chromecast.

(I'm not on a high-end budget, and many of MC's abundant settings are more than I would use, at least at first; many forum details are over my technical head.)

I was about to buy a DAC (thinking of the Cambridge DacMagic 100, that's the nature of my budget, other recommendations welcome), and optical cable for the Chromecast audio now plugged analog into my main living room amp (an oldish but liked Yamaha without USB or optical-in).  I have other Chromecasts around the house, providing synchronized streamed music where I want it.

But, Google has discontinued Chromecast, effective January 2019.

I hesitate to plan around Chromecast, unsure how long the little pucks will last, or how long Google or streaming apps (like Pandora, Google Play Music, or TuneIn Radio) will support it.

My digital music now is mostly in iTunes burned from my CDs as Appleless lossless.  I planned to convert it all to WAV or FLAC (is one more extensively compatible or otherwise more desirable?), and stream music with JRiver from my PC to a DAC-connected Chromecast.  JRiver's forum explains how to set that up.

Also, much of my iTunes library is uploaded to Google Play Music's free storage, and I use the Google Play Music app to stream from my Android phone to my home group Chromecast audios (or in my car, or anywhere).  Since Google converts lossless uploads to WP3, I expect streaming FLAC or WAV files with JRiver from my PC to a DAC to be a nice improvement in sound quality. But I like the convenience and portability of Google Play Music from the phone, and hope to be able to continue streaming my music on the cloud from my phone -- but how, economically, if not from Google Play Music with Chromecast?

So, does anyone have advice for the best budget-sensitive alternatives to Chromecast?

I'm sorry if all this this mixes more than one subject in the same thread, but it covers the things I've been doing with Chromecast (like whole-house streaming), that maybe the alternative can too. Thank you!

Rick