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More => Old Versions => Media Center 12 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: SterlingY on July 04, 2007, 10:44:42 am

Title: Best way to stream multi zoned music
Post by: SterlingY on July 04, 2007, 10:44:42 am

I'm moving into a new house, and I would like to set up multiple zones.

I would like the option to have all zones play different music, which is easy or have them play a master stream, but they need to be in sync with each other. I seem to recall that if a zone just tapped into a stream, that there may be a short lag. Perhaps this is not the case anymore. Perhaps this is a wireless issue.

I would like to be able to do all of this through a wireless network.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a small computer/amp combo that could receive the wireless signal and amplify it to a pair of speakers?

Cheers,

Sterling

Title: Re: Best way to stream multi zoned music
Post by: SterlingY on July 04, 2007, 10:47:47 am

I should add that I would like to have 7 zones.

Title: Re: Best way to stream multi zoned music
Post by: john h on July 05, 2007, 10:18:02 am

This was my quest for about 2 years.  There's many posts from Mastiff regarding synchronizing zones.  I'm not able to write code and was looking for the easy way out, so I ended up getting a Sonos system.  I have 7 zones in my house.  The system is incredibly easy to use.  It also allows you to use all your MC playlists and smartlists--you just have to export them as .m3u files to a folder where sonos looks for them, so it's not instantaneous.  But the end result is pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

Title: Re: Best way to stream multi zoned music
Post by: SterlingY on July 05, 2007, 10:24:07 pm

But can the Sonos play Monkey's Audio (APE) files?

-Sterling

Title: Re: Best way to stream multi zoned music
Post by: JONCAT on July 06, 2007, 08:39:15 am

I am currently adding a few more Airport Express units in my house and some powered monitors with digital inputs. Right now the wife's laptop plays .ape through a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 via MC12 hijacked by Airfoil with no problems.

Airfoil for Mac lets you sync Airports. Apparently you can yet do this on a PC although there is a new beta of Airfoil right now. The developers posted that if you use Itunes with 6.3 firmware it will sync output to all Airports....but who wants to use Itunes.

You can use Virtual Audio Cable to create your 7 unique zones for MC but Airfoil is only going to pull from one source so it seems your stuck adding 7 Airports and having one source play through them; all in sync (not yet) or picking certain zones.

I have 4 zones in the works and with a few wired connections and combining laptop and HTPC, I should be able to play unique streams (and hopefully someday sync) the zones. If your looking for 7 wireless zones with 7 unique streams, I don't think that's an option with this setup.


DC

Title: Re: Best way to stream multi zoned music
Post by: JONCAT on July 07, 2007, 10:32:24 am

One step closer...

"Q: What's new?

A: Airfoil for Windows 2.0 has several major new features:

• Now optionally sends audio to multiple AirPort Express units, in sync.
• Now optionally plays audio locally Local Sync support
• New Audio Effects to adjust audio"

DC