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[Cornan]

    I'm in need of an end-to-end introduction to what I understand are the very few options for playing multi-channel files on disk (somewhere) on my audio-visual systems, which are at present networked but which are NOT co-located with computers.

    I'm beginning to know of a few pieces (such as getting the files from sites such as primephonic.com), but I can't see how to make the process work end-to-end.

        I have tried for years to get about six separate Sony devices just to see my computers' DLNA on Windows - none of them even see my main computer running Windows 7.  My Sony Bravia television has rudimentary diagnostics which only display "unsuccessful" and I haven't found any other software DLNA diagnostics.

        I installed Serviio and again, no devices (or other computers) see the Serviio DLNA (Serviio can play FLAC and DSD files, but not sure about multichannel).  My Windows Firewall is completely OFF.

        I just discovered primephonic.com, and their website seems to be talking only about playing surround sound on computers directly, not playing files stored on my Windows computer (I guess I run some kind of non-network cable(s) 50 feet between two rooms to play on my A/V system?)

        I see the exaSound e28 DAC, but $3,800 for just one piece of the puzzle? Seriously?

        From the last paragraph, you may infer that I am a music lover, not an equipment lover. Yes, I've spent five figures over decades on media (about 1500 CDs and 100-200 SACDs and miscellaneous) and equipment, and my main system includes items from 1970s Janzsen electrostatic speakers to a 2014 55" Sony Bravia television. But it's not about the gear, it's about the music (video, schmideo, I'm not a videophile, either)

        I'm a software/database developer with almost 40 years experience (H-P mini-computer, then Microsoft stack), and for me computers are work tools, not toys. I don't love 'em any more than my father (an auto mechanic) loved his wrenches.

    So, "thank you" first of all to anybody who has read, not just skimmed, this post.

    I'm stubborn enough to still want to troubleshoot DLNA, just to prove I can get it working, or at least understand why it doesn't, but my ultimate goal is to play surround sound on my A/V systems.

    P.S. For the last 10-15 years I've been grumpy about the conflation of "hi-res" with multichannel sound. Strange bedfellows - I'm perfectly happy with a 44.1 kHz sampling rate, but view stereo recording as a historical artifact of the 1950s (wait a minute, I was born in the 1950s).

[blgentry]

I read your entire post.  Twice.

I've only worked with DLNA a little, but I've read about it here quite a bit.  As far as I know, there aren't a lot of DLNA products that support multi-channel transport.  Stereo (2 channel) is supported by pretty much all of them, though the ability to play different resolutions, gapless, etc varies quite a bit.

DLNA is kind of complicated and I won't go into all of the components, but there's one detail I should share with you:  It seems like you are trying to use your Sony devices as DLNA controllers and renderers.  That is, you are using the interface of the Sony to try to "see" a DLNA server on your network, then pick the media you want, and play it (render it) on the Sony device.  That's one way of doing it, and it's not the way I like with JRiver MC.

MC can also act as the controller and push media to a renderer.  In MC, you should see all of the DLNA devices on your network on the left side under Playing Now.  Each should have a name that indicates what they are.  These are added and removed dynamically, as they appear on the network.

You can push music to these DLNA zones just like any regular zone.  Just click on the zone you want and then start playing music and it should send it there.  More or less.  DLNA can be really finicky.  The key point here is the "push from server" model as opposed to "pull from server".

This also means that, once you have it working, you can use JRemote, or any of MC's interfaces to play music to your DLNA zones.

Multi-channel audio is probably best served by a real computer with a multi-channel DAC attached, or an HDMI connection if you like that better.  An inexpensive, small computer, can run MC, and then your MC server can push multi-channel music *to* that MC client and play through it's HDMI or attached DAC.  The ability to play over the network from MC server to MC client is much more reliable and well defined than MC server to generic DLNA client.  The later is kind of hit and miss.  MC to MC should work pretty darned well.  Though I have not personally tested multi-channel audio this way, so please do your own research before making any purchases.

Good luck with your project.

Brian.

[JimH]

MC can also act as the controller and push media to a renderer.  In MC, you should see all of the DLNA devices on your network on the left side under Playing Now.  Each should have a name that indicates what they are.  These are added and removed dynamically, as they appear on the network.

I use MC with a recent Sony receiver in this way and it works fine.

If it doesn't work using the Sony devices in this way, you might try updating their firmware.

[ferday]

i have issues with my Bravia TV, so i use a WDTV HD box, it reads all major formats including multichannel FLAC and DTS

i use the WDTV as a controller (pull) and other than a difficult browsing style it works fine

[blgentry]

I have a WDTV Live (that was generously donated by a forum member).  I hate to say it, since it was a gift, but I think it's a rather poor DLNA renderer/controller.   I've had lots of trouble with it, both as a controller and as a straight up renderer.  These troubles include random stops, random ability to start songs, crashes of the WDTV *and* crashes of MC.  Just a data point.

Brian.

[JimH]

Have you updated the firmware on it?

[blgentry]

Have you updated the firmware on it?

Yes.  We've discussed this previously.  My WDTV is at the latest (and presumably final) firmware version.

Brian.