Print

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

[Alex_W]

Hi all,

Tried searching -- couldn't find an answer... must be getting old(er).

JRiver MC 28 running as a server on a virtual Ubuntu machine -- and running well
Serving audio over DLNA; there are 2 DLNA renderers on the network: one multi-channel capable (Sony STR-DN1080, playing multichannel flacs and dsds), and one stereo only (Teac NT-505). The controller apps are Gizmo (for either of the renderers), Sony's "Music center" (for the Sony), or Lumin player app (for either Teac or Sony) -- depending on where my fat-ish finger lands on the tablet screen

For the life of me, I couldn't find a way to make JRiver remap multi-channel to 2 channel stereo if I'm playing the mch-file to the stereo renderer (the playback just fails to happen; and the bloody Roon just does it automatically).

In the DLNA server config, currently an option of "convert only if necessary" is set, and in DSP -- "source number of channels"... logically, there _should_ be an option of "downmix/remap if necessary" somewhere here, but I can't find it? Or, how can I achieve the end-point I'm chasing?

...help?..

A

[JimH]

DSP Studio should let you do that.

You can set up a separate zone for it and use ZoneSwitch to use a zone automatically.  See the wiki for more.

[bob]

Set up 2 DLNA servers, one tailored to each renderer.

Associate the DLNA server with the specific renderer by right-clicking on the renderer zone and doing "Associate with DLNA server"

For the device with only 2 channels, MC will not do "when necessary" based on channels, it's only based on the input file format. However, you can specify always convert and just do a decode to something like headerless PCM so it's not actually converting. Then under Advanced->DSP in that DLNA server do the channel downmix.

[Alex_W]

Thanks @Bob and @JimH, wonderful suggestions.

Setting up the second DLNA server/associating it with the TEAC kind of works: when it is set to "always convert", it does what is expected to MCh flacs (downmixes 5.1 to 2.0). However, it simply stops playing any kind of dsf files (2.0 or 5.0, doesn't matter: controller is showing an attempt at playback for ~5 sec, then stops; no sound and no signs of stream detected by TEAC). Also, TEAC flat out refuses to play anything if the conversion is set to "header-less PCM".

Setting up separate zone shows Player playing files, but no sound output from the TEAC; DSP window shows audio path ALSA to Null device...

I appreciate your efforts to help Any other suggestions?

A

[bob]

Thanks @Bob and @JimH, wonderful suggestions.

Setting up the second DLNA server/associating it with the TEAC kind of works: when it is set to "always convert", it does what is expected to MCh flacs (downmixes 5.1 to 2.0). However, it simply stops playing any kind of dsf files (2.0 or 5.0, doesn't matter: controller is showing an attempt at playback for ~5 sec, then stops; no sound and no signs of stream detected by TEAC). Also, TEAC flat out refuses to play anything if the conversion is set to "header-less PCM".

Setting up separate zone shows Player playing files, but no sound output from the TEAC; DSP window shows audio path ALSA to Null device...

I appreciate your efforts to help Any other suggestions?

A

The DSP Studio audio path window isn't currently useful when playing to DLNA renderers.

Your dsf files are probably converting with too high a sample rate for the Teac to play them. Try using the DSP studio settings for the DLNA server to set bitrates 176k and over to 44.1k.

[Alex_W]

another excellent suggestion, many thanks @bob!

setting the DSP on DLNA to 192 k makes the Teac see the incoming stream as -- not surprisingly -- a 192 k PCM stream. I'd like to keep my DSD as is, just remap the 5.0 to 2.0.

I know this sounds annoying, but will risk repeating: Roon somehow does this automatically, and the Teac shows the stream as DSD 2.8 Mbit (just like the file).

Is there any way to make JRiver "simply" remap 5.0 to 2.0 without downsampling?

A

[JimH]

Try converting to PCM.  DSD 5.0 to 2.0 isn't possible without going through PCM anyway.

[bob]

another excellent suggestion, many thanks @bob!

setting the DSP on DLNA to 192 k makes the Teac see the incoming stream as -- not surprisingly -- a 192 k PCM stream. I'd like to keep my DSD as is, just remap the 5.0 to 2.0.

I know this sounds annoying, but will risk repeating: Roon somehow does this automatically, and the Teac shows the stream as DSD 2.8 Mbit (just like the file).

Is there any way to make JRiver "simply" remap 5.0 to 2.0 without downsampling?

A

If your device can already play DSD then you don't need to do the PCM conversion. You may have to turn on the DoP flag under advanced since you previously said you couldn't play 2.0 DSD.

"Mapping 5.0 to 2.0" without going through PCM is not a thing that I know of.
It might be possible for one to discard the 3 unwanted streams but we don't do that and what roon does and doesn't do isn't terribly useful since there are all sorts of things MC can do that roon can't.

[Alex_W]

If your device can already play DSD then you don't need to do the PCM conversion. You may have to turn on the DoP flag under advanced since you previously said you couldn't play 2.0 DSD.

"Mapping 5.0 to 2.0" without going through PCM is not a thing that I know of.
It might be possible for one to discard the 3 unwanted streams but we don't do that and what roon does and doesn't do isn't terribly useful since there are all sorts of things MC can do that roon can't.

Like I said before, Teac plays 2.0 dsf files via network without any additional help... minidlna alone serves those files "as is". "DSD over PCM" flag definitely prevents playback in my setup... Teac would require DoP if the _transport_ is connected via coax/optical/USB -- but not for files served via its LAN or USB drive interface... but that's details pertinent to my specific use case.

Currently, the only possible workaround seems to be @bob's suggestion to turn the conversion on in DSP under DLNA (352.8 KHz work as well, btw, with Teac correctly showing the properties of the stream).


as far as Roon goes: yes, you are right, that is exactly what it does -- drops the channels that the renderer does not have (or, more precisely, it is _one of the two things_ it can do... the second thing being mixing those channels into the L and R of 2.0 setup. User-selectable, of course ;-)) I don't think my use case is unique; and -- IMVHO -- channel downmixing/remapping _without downsampling_ would be a nice feature to implement in JRiver.

second point on Roon is more philosophical, if you will, so feel free to read diagonally The Interact forums are peppered with references to Roon, comparing it to JRiver; there appears to be no _perfect_ product for every use case. I'm slightly biased towards tinkering (hence MC on a virtual Ubuntu sitting on top of a DIY Debian server with OMV), and my wife prefers "turn-key" solutions -- hence Roon (sitting very comfortably on that same virtual machine, but that's -- again -- details). Since I paid for both products, I am acutely aware of the price difference between MC and Roon, as well as differences in features.

I truly appreciate your efforts to help find the solution for my issue. For now, I'll probably have to simply remember which albums I have in 5.0/5.1 (there's not a whole lot of them in my collection), and choose the audio server (MC v. Roon) accordingly.

Please chime in if you think of any other ideas I can test out.

A