Print

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

[kewe65]

I have set up zones from the main PC.

One zone is this PC - this is the default zone created at install, other zones are in other areas of the house, where there is either a computer acting as a client or a squeezebox.

When I send different audio to different zones, i can hear both audio streams from the main PC.  is there something i need to do to have the default PC zone only play what is sent to it and have other zones play their corresponding music?

Does the main PC have to act as a controller and not have playback of itself?

Also, im unable to have playback of audio to both the main PC and the PC acting as a client.

Am i not understanding the role of the PC with the library server, etc., on it?

[JimH]

You should be able to play on the main PC also.  Something isn't right.

Try the Help section in MC for Zone.

Zones and Library Server aren't related.  Again, try the Help section.

User Mastiff has written a lot about zones.  See the FAQ in my signature for a link.

[kewe65]

i probably wasn't clear.  (i didnt see anything in the mastiff faq that addressed this)

I would like to start a track that plays on the main PC that also plays on the client PC at the same time.

Sort of like the client PC is acting as a media player on the network.

Im expecting the main PC to be the controller that can send different audio to different devices, while also playing its own audio stream.

One device is another PC
One device is a squeezebox
One device is a roku soundbridge

what i dont expect is that if different streams are sent to all those zones, that the main PC is playing all of them on top of each other through the main PC soundcard.

[JimH]

You may not need zones.

Try solving the problems separately.  Get them running one at a time.

Run Library Server to allow another PC to connect and play your main PC's library.

Run UPnP Server to allow devices to connect and play the library.

Zones allow you to address multiple sound cards or sound cards that have multiple channels.  All playback would be initiated from the main PC in that case.

[kewe65]

understood.

im able to:
connect to the library from the client PC using Library Server on the Main PC.  and i can play audio independently from what is playing on the Main PC.

i cannot:
start a track on the Main PC and have it automatically also play on the client PC.  this is why i asked if i need to make the client PC act as a upnp device.  but since i dont have any upnp device, im not sure i can send different audio to different upnp devices and not hear all them on the main PC sound card.

i can:
connect a squeezebox to the network and play audio to that device from the Main PC using MC and MC2Slim.
i can start a track on the main PC and the squeezebox play the same track at the same time.

i cannot:
have the squeezebox play one audio track, the Main PC another audio track, and not hear both tracks at the same time on the Main PC soundcard.

[Listener]

understood.

im able to:
connect to the library from the client PC using Library Server on the Main PC.  and i can play audio independently from what is playing on the Main PC.

i cannot:
start a track on the Main PC and have it automatically also play on the client PC.  this is why i asked if i need to make the client PC act as a upnp device.  but since i dont have any upnp device, im not sure i can send different audio to different upnp devices and not hear all them on the main PC sound card.

i can:
connect a squeezebox to the network and play audio to that device from the Main PC using MC and MC2Slim.
i can start a track on the main PC and the squeezebox play the same track at the same time.

i cannot:
have the squeezebox play one audio track, the Main PC another audio track, and not hear both tracks at the same time on the Main PC soundcard.

MC2Slim plug-in doesn't send an audio stream from MC 12 to Slimserver.  It just monitors what MC 12 is playing and sends a command to Slimserver to play the same thing.  This requires that MC 12 play audio on a regular audio output.  When I tried MC2Slim, I found that it was making local playback very jerky to try to sync it with playback on the Squeezebox.

Bill

 

[kewe65]

yeah, i can see that.  luckily the squeezebox is so far away from the main PC, that im not worried about 'sync' between the two.

but now i can see that even though the plugin will allow for zoned playback, i may not be able to have different songs sent to different squeezebox's if i had more than one.

[Alex B]

Kewe65,

MC cannot "push" audio to other networked PCs or devices. The Library and UPNP servers only provide the clients access to the media library.

The Zone system plays audio through local devices (i.e sound cards).

A Shoutcast server based solution would be able to dublicate the audio stream. You can create a web radio station that streams everything you play with MC to LAN. You can create a separate web radio channel for each zone (in this case each zone must have access to a separate audio device).

Here are some more or less related threads. You may want to check them out before posting further questions:

Topic: Multizoning 301  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=26573.0
Topic: synch MC on two different computers  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=29642.0
Topic: Need Simple Instructions on Streaming MP3's to Other PC's in House  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=26332.0
Topic: How can I fix the time lag between overlapping zones?  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=28554.0
Topic: Multi-zone question  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=32660.0
Topic: Switch to second sound card  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=34922.0
Topic: Shoutcast   http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=24691.0
Topic: Client that doesn't require installation  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=28560.0
Topic: Remote Control of MC Server  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=37797.0
Topic: Topic: Control Media Center ON desktop FROM Lappy?  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=28206.0

[Listener]

yeah, i can see that.  luckily the squeezebox is so far away from the main PC, that im not worried about 'sync' between the two.

but now i can see that even though the plugin will allow for zoned playback, i may not be able to have different songs sent to different squeezebox's if i had more than one.

Here is another approach to sending audio from MC 12 to a squeezebox:

   http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=35718

There are some threads on the SlimDevices forum about s/w to capture a Windows audio output stream and direct it as an input stream to Slimserver. 

This device driver provides the key step of simulating a "virtual audio cable":

   http://www.ntonyx.com/vac.htm

i.e. It installs as an audio device driver and registers as an audio output device.

I've seen announcements recently of a Slimserver version that can connect to the audio input stream from this driver.

Bill

[kewe65]

I recall that thread when i was looking at squeezebox as its main advantage was allowing playback of DRM files as it just sends anything hitting the sound card (including computer 'beeps') to the player.

I did just discover a way to use zones to play one thing on the main PC im sitting on, while playing something else to the squeezebox while not hearing both streams simultaneously. 

in MC2Slim, not have MC control volume
in MC for both main PC zone and squeezebox zone, set volume to internal audio
start playback of different tracks to each zone
for squeezebox zone, MUTE the audio in MC

works perfectly.  i dont hear the squeezebox zone on the main PC

seems like a 'duh' moment...

[glynor]

Just as a quick question... Have you considered using Remote Desktop?  If I'm not crazy (and I might be) the Microsoft Remote Desktop software can transmit audio as well as the desktop.  If you start the music playing on MC on PC1 and then remote into it from PC2 -- it might just work.  You wouldn't need zones or anything (not even MC) installed on the "receiving" computer...

0. Configure your "host" machine to have Remote Desktop Server enabled.
1. Open the Remote Desktop Connection client ("mstsc" on the commandline).
2. Click on Options>> to open the detailed settings dialog
3. In the "Local Resources" tab, there should be an option for "Remote computer sound".
4. Select "Bring to this computer"
5. Connect to the "host" machine and start the music playing (and enjoy).

Note: You may have to do this first for it to work... http://www.visualwin.com/Audio-Mapping/

[kewe65]

yeah, ive used that in the past and yes there is the option to use the sound card for the remote computer.  but its not a good solution when you have more than one place that you want to have music playing.

in my view, i get the 'push' of audio to multiple squeezeboxes using MC2Slim and the above method. 

however, in my set-up, i really only need to sync two locations - adjacent rooms (kitchen and dining room) - and i was just trying to figure the best way to have one PC control both and keep them in sync.  maybe a handheld with netremote, not sure...

thanks

[mirdle]

As a continuation of what has been said above, is it possible to control two separate Squeezeboxes from MC, each using a separate zone?