FLAC and Windows Media Player

Posted by: Gordon McGlade on 05 October 2009

Does anyone have any experience of using Windows Media Player 11 and FLAC. NOT his res 24/96 and playback using the Uniti?

Gordon
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by garyi
If price is the main issue xmbc will run as a UPNP server if WMP turns out to be as shit as their usual offerings.
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by Occean
I tried and gave up

I would suggest a different upnp server, I know silent tim has foobar running as a server flawlessly
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by pcstockton
Gordon,

My experience with FLAC in WMP was with a previous version. It worked just fine. The only reason I moved from WMP, then to iTunes then on to Foobar2000 (current), was due to WMP seriously bogging down at about 20K tracks.

But even if it could now handle infinite playlists, I would NEVER go back to it.

Foobar is wonderful. It supports UPnP.

My current config looks like this. Although I like to change it up.



thanks,
Patrick
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by garyi
Can it act as a server though patrick?
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by likesmusic
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
Can it act as a server though patrick?


Apparently so.
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by garyi
Thats two more options than Windows Media Player then haha.
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by Occean
Once again patrick, love the foobar patrick.
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by pcstockton
Garyi,

Yes absolutely.

Occean,

Thank you friend!

Was using this for a bit.... but I like it simple, so went to the white one above. The lyric panel though is really cool and Ive actually been using it lately. In the "white" example, the vertical tabs are for Lyrics, media library and info view (shown). I have added 2 more tabs for Bio (lastfm) and library "tree".

Posted on: 05 October 2009 by Gordon McGlade
Guys

Still feel question is unanswered. When using WMP as the UPnP server, the Uniti is only able to see MP3 files and not FLAC files on the PC. The FLAC files can be copied to USB stick and the Uniti plays them.

I do not have any issues wi the Uniti buy do not have experience of WMP. I do know that my dealer has had to download some Codec patches specifically for FLAC which his WMP can now play from the PC.

However the problem is on the UPnp stream, it seems that the FLAC files are not being made available.

Can anyone help with specific issue?

Thanks

Gordon
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by garyi
Yes, like Apple, Microsoft are bastards.

Microsoft are more bastard like though because they will happily use a standard but put restirctions in if it does not suit them. So the whole purpose of Universal Plug and Play is screwed over by MS because they don't suppoer FLAC.

At least apple make no effort to support UPNP.

Haha.

So in conclusion, WMP does not do flac*


* I am totally guessing this, I have never used WMP, researched it, or cared about it. You have been given options, ditch WMP.
Posted on: 05 October 2009 by Occean
Garyi hit the nail on the head
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by David
Actually you can make WMP play FLAC files, if you install the codec.

Google it or try this Directshow Filters for Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Theora and FLAC

I got it working with an older version of WMP, but now have migrated to Asset uPnP by the same people as dbpoweramp (www.poweramp.com) as a server.

I am using Foobar as the renderer, with ASIO drivers.

David


David
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by Gordon McGlade
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
Yes, like Apple, Microsoft are bastards.

Microsoft are more bastard like though because they will happily use a standard but put restirctions in if it does not suit them. So the whole purpose of Universal Plug and Play is screwed over by MS because they don't suppoer FLAC.

At least apple make no effort to support UPNP.

Haha.

So in conclusion, WMP does not do flac*


* I am totally guessing this, I have never used WMP, researched it, or cared about it. You have been given options, ditch WMP.


With all due respect, and I do tend to agree with you on most points, my dealer´s customers are using WMP to replay their stored music and now he wishes to sell them Naim Uniti and stream their audio, via the UPnp renderer in the Uniti from their PC which uses Windows Media.

I have asked clearly if anyone has any experience of this set up with FLAC, not peoples second guesses or opinions.

So to repeat, anyone got any direct hands on experience of this set up?

Thanks

Gordon
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by Gordon McGlade
quote:
Originally posted by DavidJL:
Actually you can make WMP play FLAC files, if you install the codec.

Google it or try this Directshow Filters for Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Theora and FLAC

Hi David

My dealer did download some Codec patches which now allow WMP to play the FLAC files but they are not seen on the UpNP stream.

WMP is the UPnp server and the Uniti is the renderer.

Gordon


I got it working with an older version of WMP, but now have migrated to Asset uPnP by the same people as dbpoweramp (www.poweramp.com) as a server.

I am using Foobar as the renderer, with ASIO drivers.

David


David
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by Occean
quote:
So to repeat, anyone got any direct hands on experience of this set up?

Thanks

Gordon


Apologies Gordon if I was not clear with my answers.

When i did this my first issue was that Windows Media Player 11 is not compatible with FLAC, I tried various plugins and codecs that enabled compatibility - while they allowed playback, they did not always broadcast on the server. But when the latest build of WM11 was released it rendered all the *hacks* that were made useless.

Which build of WM11 are you using?
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by garyi
David being rude and impatient will not change the facts hands on experience is neither here nor there.

Your customer who is obviously not very good with computers (Based on the assumption he is the only person in the wolrd using WMP for anything) will need to hack his Windows Media Player with other codecs in order to get it too work. Tell your customer that he should try other options out there, most of which need nothing more than to be launched and pointed at a folder of music. Job done.
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by David
Rude, moi, I think my response got quoted and chopped up in another response.

It seems no one who has updated this thread has the experience of using WMP as a uPnP server for the Uniti, and can offer a solution.

As others have said there are a number of other solutions out there, also for free, which work out of the box, and can offer as easy to use solution as WMP, but maybe require a bit more tech knowledge to set up.

D
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by Gordon McGlade
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
David being rude and impatient will not change the facts hands on experience is neither here nor there.

Your customer who is obviously not very good with computers (Based on the assumption he is the only person in the wolrd using WMP for anything) will need to hack his Windows Media Player with other codecs in order to get it too work. Tell your customer that he should try other options out there, most of which need nothing more than to be launched and pointed at a folder of music. Job done.


Hands on experience neither here nor there? God help us if you were running the show!

My "customer is obviously not very good with computers". What a sweeping statement! How did you guess that one?

Christ! I would love some of what you´re taking. To be so right, intelligent.......

My dealer, in this case, is actually sufficiently good with computers that he installs networked audio every week, his customers also may or not be good with computers but the Naim manual specifically mentions WMP 11 and that is what is mostly used here in Spain, whether you like it, agree with it or not.

So you obviously cannot answer my question because either you too are " not good with computers" or you do not have a Naim Uniti.

I hope you take that on the chin because you deserve it.

Gordon
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by garyi
David, sorry lost in translation there.

Gordon, I have experience of the Uniti thank you for your concern. A fantastic bit of kit one of the best to come from naim in a while.

It will play back flac as you well know, however WMP will not broadcast it, exactly how much more experience do you require?

I misunderstood that you customer was a dealer and not a customer, for that I am sorry. Please relay to him/her that Windows Media Player does not natively handle FLAC. I suspect that even if a codec is instaleld to allow it to do so, it may very well not broadcast that to UPNP.
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by pcstockton
quote:
Originally posted by Gordon McGlade:
Guys

Still feel question is unanswered.


Well that makes sense since you didn't ask anything other than if anyone had experience with FLAC/WMP/Uniti.

You didnt say what the problem was.
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by pcstockton
quote:
Originally posted by Gordon McGlade:

So to repeat, anyone got any direct hands on experience of this set up?


NO. and to repeat, NO. Jeez Gordon. Chillax bro.
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by pcstockton
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
Please relay to him/her that Windows Media Player does not natively handle FLAC. I suspect that even if a codec is instaleld to allow it to do so, it may very well not broadcast that to UPNP.


Yes.... have them use Foobar for now. That will get them rolling easily.

Then they can try other options if Foobar isn't their preference.
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by silent tim
I've had my uniti for several months, but when I first got it I went straight to foobar as a upnp server bypassing wmp, its worked flawlessly so have not experimented with anything else

have you tried checking the codec installer from the flac site?

http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html
Posted on: 06 October 2009 by silent tim
a quick google confirms what everyone has already mentioned: wmp is not suited for flac, but it is possible

http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01...in-media-center.html

the question being is it worth the effort considering the alternatives posted here already?