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[nichilds]

My media network is currently centered around a Mac mini running JRiver, with my media files located on an external USB drive connected to the Mac mini.  The Mac mini is in the office and I have a headless Raspberry Pi 3B connected to my stereo in another room.  I manage the Raspberry Pi using VNC. I tried connecting an external drive to the Pi and having a local library, but it was a bit too resource intensive for the Pi, especially when it came to managing/curating the local library, so I'm considering two other options: (1) Using the Mac mini as my DLNA server and the Pi strictly as a DLNA renderer or (2) Loading the Mac mini library on the Pi (i.e., using the Mac mini as a library server), connecting to the Pi as a DLNA server, and using the local player on the Pi.  From an architecture perspective, which of these two would be the preferred method and less resource intensive?

[RoderickGI]

Paragraphs and sentence structuring are a good thing. 

You are running MC on the Raspberry Pi 3B, correct?

3) Run a MC Server on the Mac Mini and run MC on the Raspberry Pi 3B as a MC Client, using the JRiver Media Network functionality, which is an extension of DLNA. This will do any and all media conversions on the server, if required, so that the Raspberry Pi 3B only has to play the audio.


PS: Your option 2) didn't make much sense to me.
PPS: I don't use or own a Raspberry Pi 3B, so I'm just going by what I've learned on the forum. Whether you use a DAC built into (or added into) the Raspberry Pi 3B, or using an external USB attached DAC, will make a difference to the load on the Pi, but option 3) should still be the least resource intensive.

[nichilds]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm aware of the JRiver Media Network functionality and DLNA concepts, and have media networks set up on both the Mac mini and the Raspberry Pi.  Both are enabled as DLNA servers, renderers, and controllers.

Let me see if I can explain my options from the perspective of JRemote.  In option 1, I would select the Mac mini as my server in JRemote and the Raspberry Pi as my zone for playback.  In option 2, I would first open the local client on the Raspberry Pi and load the Mac mini library instead of the Main (local) library, so that I'm playing from the Mac mini library server.  Then, using JRemote, I would select the Raspberry Pi as my server and "Player" (the Raspberry Pi) as my playback zone.

Both scenarios accomplish the same thing, but from a different architectural perspective.  In each case, JRemote is the DLNA controller.  In option 1, the Mac mini is the DLNA server and the Raspberry Pi is the DLNA renderer.  In option 2, I'm using the Raspberry Pi as both the DLNA server and renderer, with the Mac mini loaded as a library server.  An external USB DAC is connected to the Raspberry Pi for audio decoding.

I believe your option 3 is the same as my option 1, which is strictly using JRiver on the Raspberry Pi as a DLNA renderer.  Given my clarification of option 2 above, is option 1 still the preferred method of playback?

[thecrow]

Your options are the same.
You are using the Mac mini as a server whether you select it or the Pi in JRemote the Mac is always the server.
In your second option when you load the Mac library on the Pi you are using the Pi as a controller not a server.

[JimH]

The IdPi is a very capable DLNA Renderer for audio. 

It's also find as a standalone player.

Or you could use it to load a library from another machine.

[RoderickGI]

TheCrow is correct. Well, maybe not exactly. Your original Option 2 description should have been:

(2) Loading the Mac mini library on the Pi (i.e., using the Mac mini as a library server), connecting to the Pi as a DLNA server Renderer, and using the local player on the Pi.

JRemote would be the DLNA Controller in that option.



The difference between your Option 1 and my Option 3 is that in Option 3 you would be starting the Pi as a MC Client, rather than just running the Pi as a DLNA Renderer and directing output to it. Functionally it doesn't make much difference, although settings are in a slightly different place (Client Options rather than configuring DLNA Server), but the Client/Server functionality was built for a reason; It improves on using just DLNA devices, while being based on DLNA (as best I understand).

So this is the setup:
Mac Mini runs as a JRiver MC Library Server (as opposed to a DLNA Server), with Media Network turned on, and DLNA Server, Renderer, and Controller turned on if you wish for flexibility.
Raspberry Pi 3B loads the Mac Mini Library and runs as a JRiver MC Client (as opposed to just a DLNA Renderer),  with Media Network turned on, and DLNA Server and Controller turned off, and DLNA Renderer turned on. You don't need a DLNA Server on a MC Client, and as you run the Pi headless, it doesn't need to run as a DLNA Controller. You could only ever use it as a Controller when you were remoting into it, which would be very satisfactory.

Connect from JRemote to either the Mac Mini or the Raspberry Pi 3B (either way works, but just with slightly different functionality and naming of target Zones), and use it to control playback.

I prefer to connect to the Server and send output to the Client, with JRemote (I'm using the Android version, JRemote2) set to "Server follow App Zones". This way if error messages are thrown, if there is a control problem for example, they appear of the MC Server, which in your case in the Mac Mini, which has a screen so you can see the messages.

Test the above. Play around with the different configurations. But addressing your original question:

From an architecture perspective, which of these two would be the preferred method and less resource intensive?

If you use my Option 3, you can turn off the DLNA Server and Controller on the Raspberry Pi 3B, so it will be using less resources. In terms of playback, the resource used for your Option 1 and my Option 3 are similar. Your Option 2 would use more resources on the Raspberry Pi 3B, because it is running as a MC Library Server, and Controller. But really, your Option 2 is the same as my Option 3. Just your terminology was a bit wrong.

PS: I think I made that as clear as mud.    DLNA is confusing!