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Author Topic: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?  (Read 1541 times)

currter

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Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« on: October 21, 2019, 06:33:21 am »

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blgentry

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2019, 04:34:44 pm »

This question seems to be focused on network audio, DLNA, etc.  This particular forum for the Mac based MC does not get a lot of traffic.  You might be better off posting this question in the Media Network forum, which is devoted to these types of questions.  People that read that forum have some focused expertise in that area.

Good luck to you.

Brian.
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currter

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2019, 06:46:54 pm »

I posted it here only because JR MC25 works so well on Mac and Mac is lacking
in this area where Windows is more focused with this as it runs or can run
Neutron Music Player. I do have problems with Airfoil there however..

What what I am trying to accomplish here, going through MacOS , the audio
sounds better and not compressed as I suspect Windows is doing.


so ...

Android portable device & Neutron --beam audio--> MacOS computer running JRMC25 & Airfoil connected to several networked-speaker systems---Yamaha RN-803, Linksys RE 6500, MusicCast, ChromeCast audio, AppleTV, AirportExpress Audio


My goal is to not run Airfoil as it could be causing the 6 seconds of delay
Hopefully JR MC25 can be a DLNA render that can forward or distribute lossless (uncompressed)
audio to various networked speaker systems aforementioned.

Thank you.
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blgentry

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2019, 08:19:11 am »

I'm not sure why you chose this workflow.  To me it's counter intuitive.  You're starting with a device (android) that's not very optimized for large storage or sound quality and then "streaming" from there to a real computer and then on to audio specific devices.

There are many ways to accomplish tasks.  This one doesn't make sense to me, but maybe you have some specific reasons.

I would suggest starting with MC as the repository of audio and the place you play from.  MC has remote control apps that run on Android and IOS.  Gizmo (for Android) is free, so you can try it out if you'd like.

All of this being said, without AirFoil or another 3rd party component, you probably aren't going to get MC to play network audio in sync.  I have not had success with it and I have spent quite a number of hours testing it.  I use a different application for that purpose now.

Good luck.

Brian.
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currter

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2019, 09:55:31 am »

I do not care about the audio being in sync
The phone has a 512GB micro sd card that has .flac audio
that is compressed and lossless and I use Neutron Music Player
to stream the lossless audio.  Also I can connect a networked
hard drive via- wifi and access uncompressed audio (WAV or
Flac uncompressed) using Neutron MP.  The audio sounds great
actually just may a 1 to 2 second delay there.

I just want to "share" the audio I am listening to inside the house
on a premium stereo system (Yamaha R-N803 with Definitive
Technology speakers, subwoofer) with a speaker that is external or
outside or two... one in front and one in back (perhaps connected
by AudioCast, Linksys RE 6500 with audio output, or Chromecast).
Being in sync is not of any concern just as long as the audio sounds
great inside the house. :) and it does.

It works for my specific purpose.
I could also use a Mac and use iTunes (Apple Music) and do this as iTunes
can output to multiple speaker networked speaker systems.

I just want to have the control in the palm of my hand from the phone or
portable device-- Fiio or a Tablet.

It is just a hobby type of thing... not too much thinking involved as you
offered your opinions.

Actually the delay is coming from JR MC25 as it has to buffer the audio and
it takes 6 seconds.

I can avoid using JR MC25 if you want, as there could be another option
but I wanted to promote your software and it does sound a bit better...

If you have issues with it. I can stop using JR MC25 and look elsewhere.
Neutron Music Player if it could send audio to multiple speaker systems,
Neutron would be the ideal app to use...  I am waiting for them to update
after some discussion with NMP.

Thank you.
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blgentry

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2019, 10:53:29 am »

I don’t work for jriver. I don’t speak for them. I was just offering my opinion. Use your system and software any way you like. I hope you enjoy whatever solution you arrive at.  :)

Brian
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Awesome Donkey

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2019, 11:00:05 am »

I quickly tried this Gizmo music app, made by J river , hmmm,
Well it says I need some key to get it to work.

This is fortunately covered in the Media Network and access key wiki topics. :)

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Media_Network

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Access_Key
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currter

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2019, 02:09:06 am »

I have already figured this out.. I have been doing this for about a week.
What I am trying to do, and I will state again,
is to avoid using Airfoil to connect or distribute the audio to various
networked speakers.
I want to use JR MC25 to do the distribution of the audio to networked
speakers.

I thought using the Zone feature could accomplish this.


So again. what works is
The Android portable device is able to beam audio (lossless or uncompressed)
to a computer, namely a MacBook running JR MC25.
JR MC25 buffers the audio causing a 6 second delay and plays on the Mac.
What I do next is use Airfoil to capture what is streamed into JR MC25 to
then distribute to the various networked speaker systems.

So I was just hoping there would be experts here or somewhere here who
could tell me how to bypass Airfoil and have JR MC25 do the distribution
to speaker systems networked.  Maybe it cannot do it.

JRMC25 seems very complex software that seems to do too much and yet
may not be able to do this little thing.

Anyway I am exploring some other apps /software called Whaale that seems to
do what I want from the portable device without using a computer in between.
It would be nice if iTunes could be set up as a DLNA.

I just did not want the portable device to stream to multiple devices as it could
be an overload of the processors on such small devices . The goal would be for
it to just send the audio to a computer and have the (i7) computer distribute the
audio to other speakers systems.

Thank you.

This is fortunately covered in the Media Network and access key wiki topics. :)

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Media_Network

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Access_Key
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RoderickGI

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2019, 06:36:44 am »

You can do;

1. Android Device containing Media Files > via Wi-Fi and DLNA > JRiver MC acting as a DLNA Renderer > via wired connections (or maybe Bluetooth) > Zone or Zone Group (Linked Zones) to one or more speakers

OR

2. Android device acting as a DLNA Controller < Wi-Fi and DLNA > JRiver MC acting as a DLNA Server and containing Media Files > via DLNA > DLNA Renderer > connected Speakers managed by the DLNA Renderer.


You can't do;

3. Android Device containing Media Files > via Wi-Fi and DLNA > JRiver MC acting as ? > via DLNA > DLNA Renderer(s) > connected Speakers managed by the DLNA Renderer.

You might be able to link multiple DLNA Renderers (as linked Zones) for example 3., but I'm not sure. If the speakers you are distributing to are active speakers capable of decoding digital audio, and act as DLNA Renderers, then the last two steps are combined in one device. Or multiples of a Renderer+Speaker set.


I didn't re-read all your posts, but I think you are asking for the last example above. In that example, MC is not a DLNA Server, Renderer, or Controller, just a conduit. MC can forward sound like this on a Windows PC using Windows App, but not from an Android App streaming via DLNA into MC, and then out to networked speakers. Whaale can't do that either by the look; "The app can only play music on multiple speakers that is provided by the sources integrated into the app."

Basically, your two requirements to store the media files on the Android device, and distribute audio to multiple networked speakers using DLNA are incompatible. MC only supports DLNA for networked devices.



Regarding the 6 second delay, there is a setting in "Options > Audio > Settings > Prebuffering" that you might be able to reduce without causing audio quality issues.

BTW, I assume that you use Airfoil to capture what streams out of MC and then distribute to the various networked speaker systems. You said into, but I don't think you meant that.

PS: I'm no expert in this. I'm just giving you my best guess, and I suppose pointing out that what you specifically want MC can't do, without third party Apps in the solution.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

blgentry

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2019, 08:05:10 am »

currter,

I would like to apologize if my post discouraged you in any way. 

I won't post any more in this thread unless I have a useful suggestion to offer.  I wish you the best of luck with your project.  :)

Brian.
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currter

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Re: Zones: How to use? Can one add 2 or more speaker systems?
« Reply #10 on: October 23, 2019, 11:59:01 pm »

Thank you RoderickGI for the suggestion about the prebuffering.
I am using this solution for now.

I guess what think I want to do to eliminate the Airfoil in between is
... have JR MC25 act as you said a conduit by which audio from a remote/external
source (tablet, phone, another computer,...) is beamed or sent via the network
to a computer running MC25.
MC25, as you said , will distribute the audio to the various speaker systems that
are networked.
That is how I am doing this but Airfoil is doing the work to distribute.

I was just hoping to easily find a way for JR MC25 to use Zone feature to
create a container of networked speaker systems and the audio will be forwarded
to all the speaker systems in that list instead of just one speaker.

I have 2 Linksys Range Extender RE6500 that have analog 3.5mm jack/port,
I have Audiocast (analog) and I have Yamaha R-N803 and even Chromecast Audio (both
can be analog or digital). Adding to the complicated mess, I even have an
old Apple TV and Airport Express as well as various SmartTVs show up in the list
where audio can be streamed to (Samsung, Sony, Philips )... a headache with all this stuff
let alone various computers that are open to receive audio...

So basically Airfoil , Neutron, iTunes/Apple Music can see all of these
devices. iTunes can allow me to select 1 or all of them for audio to be
sent to all. Airfoil can do similarly.
Neutron can only connect to one speaker system at a time and I assume
the same for JR MC25 unless I can group the speakers systems in one
container for audio to be blast to all of them in the set.

I will try to follow what you suggested. I just thought it would be
a bit easier since JR MC25 seems to do a lot of stuff -- stuff I would use
dbPoweramp to do and JR MC25 just seems overwhelming as it does
too much that I am sure it could possibly do what I am attempting.

Thank you. So far I am content with the 4 second delay to accomplish
my current goal with this now. RoderickGI figured out what what I was
trying to do.
Finally, about Whaale, it works fine and actually does what I want to
accomplish all using the smartphone to distribute audio to various speaker
systems... I may have to purchase it ... but it is a bit cramped and hard
to keep track of what song is playing and associating that song to be sent
to various speaker systems networked and all on a small screen. I am not
sure if I may go this route as I would just prefer to have a computer server
do the forwarding of the audio to speakers. JR MC25 and Airfoil seem
to do all of this better and cleaner.


You can't do;

3. Android Device containing Media Files > via Wi-Fi and DLNA > JRiver MC acting as ? > via DLNA > DLNA Renderer(s) > connected Speakers managed by the DLNA Renderer.

You might be able to link multiple DLNA Renderers (as linked Zones) for example 3., but I'm not sure. If the speakers you are distributing to are active speakers capable of decoding digital audio, and act as DLNA Renderers, then the last two steps are combined in one device. Or multiples of a Renderer+Speaker set.


I didn't re-read all your posts, but I think you are asking for the last example above. In that example, MC is not a DLNA Server, Renderer, or Controller, just a conduit. MC can forward sound like this on a Windows PC using Windows App, but not from an Android App streaming via DLNA into MC, and then out to networked speakers. Whaale can't do that either by the look; "The app can only play music on multiple speakers that is provided by the sources integrated into the app."

Basically, your two requirements to store the media files on the Android device, and distribute audio to multiple networked speakers using DLNA are incompatible. MC only supports DLNA for networked devices.



Regarding the 6 second delay, there is a setting in "Options > Audio > Settings > Prebuffering" that you might be able to reduce without causing audio quality issues.

BTW, I assume that you use Airfoil to capture what streams out of MC and then distribute to the various networked speaker systems. You said into, but I don't think you meant that.

PS: I'm no expert in this. I'm just giving you my best guess, and I suppose pointing out that what you specifically want MC can't do, without third party Apps in the solution.
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