UPnP Servers for Mac OS X - NaimUniti Compatibility

Posted by: David Dever on 26 May 2009

We recently received our first two demo NaimUniti units at the ASL Brickyard, and I managed to sneak one into the boot of the car.

The NaimUniti is happily powering a pair of passive DBLs on a wired network (though the wireless setup at the office was a dawdle)

Music is streamed from my MacBook 13" laptop, from my iTunes Music library, subject to the following caveats:

1. NaimUniti file rendering is presently limited to 48 kHz sample rate (not a problem, as many DVD-A discs, for example, possess 48 kHz / 24-bit stereo mixes)

2. NaimUniti cannot render Apple Lossless files directly, but, in conjunction with Elgato's EyeConnect software, one can queue files for real-time transcoding to WAV over the network (NaimUniti acts as UPnP player here, with track selection and control from its front panel, including track metadata on the front display)

3. PlugPlayer app for iPhone / iPod touch works well, provided you do not attempt to queue Apple Lossless files to the NaimUniti. The combination of PlugPlayer as a UPnP controller with Allegro Media Server works quite well, though, and, barring the Apple Lossless playback requirement, one could live quite happily with this (NaimUniti acts as UPnP renderer here, with PlugPlayer on iPhone acting as UPnP controller, however, this arrangement does NOT pass track metadata to the NaimUniti's front panel display).

Copied untagged WAV files from NS01 into iTunes Music Library; playlists from iTunes show up on the NaimUniti from both server applications.

It's a bit more geeky than the NaimNet or HDX approach (my opinion only), but given the price difference...well, what do you expect? Two totally different approached to streaming technologies.

More as I have an opportunity to get familiar with the unit...quite impressed.

Posted on: 27 May 2009 by pcstockton

FYI,
I have one buddy on the search for a DAC and some Naim separates.

He REALLY likes how my kit sounds and is eager to get into Naim. I have been having him hold off for some time now, but he is ready to go.

He wants to use his computer as a player and like me, lives in a very small house, wireless not needed. I thought he could hard wire the Uniti to the PC/MAC just like I do with my DAC. Then output the VGA to his HDTV for the interface. As I do, he wants to use the player he uses and doesn't want another network/streaming player.

He understands even less about all of this than I do.

But we are in the same boat in wanting to use our computers (he has a Mac) as the player, our TVs as the monitor, and existing bluetooth mice and keyboard to interact with it.

He asked me just now that same thing i am wondering.... "Do they have a DAC without all of the computer BS inside???" I told him it was beyond my understanding.... that put him firmly on the path of finding a 122/150 and a Lavry USB DAC. easy peasy, chicken greasy. Otherwise I have told him a supernait might be the answer (he thinks my B-Ford sounds just fine).

I will return in some time to this debacle and see if it makes sense then, or if the entire range of products has appeared at that point.

Posted on: 27 May 2009 by David Dever

PlugPlayer should also function just fine controlling streams from a Windows Media-based UPnP server.

Posted on: 27 May 2009 by pcstockton

Thanks Dave!!!!

I just downloaded a UPnP component for Foobar. This will replace my current HTTP controller I am using now.

The app is only $5!

I just grabbed it and am going to start playing now!

If i am not a total idiot, it seems I could "export" my Foobar as UPnP to the uniti? Using Plugplayer as the interface?

could be cool.... ill report back.

thanks again
-patrick

Posted on: 27 May 2009 by pcstockton

Ooops. Should have done some more research. Just wasted $5.
It can even come close to handling my playlist. Maybe if transcoded. But not going to do that.

Back to the drawing board.

Posted on: 27 May 2009 by pcstockton

that should read "can't" above.

Posted on: 27 May 2009 by SC

quote:
Originally posted by Signals UK:
I'm trying to understand why this 'kills' interest. The playing of Apple lossless in this way is completely seamless...

I'm not sure I entirely agree this is 'seamless' playback ! It's a workaround. And basically dependent on the end user installing another piece of software to sit in the middle of computer source and the Uniti - a situation I personally find strange for a product that is apparently aimed at the 'one stop' connivence market...!

iTunes must be one of, if not the, most popular playback and management applications on a computer, with Apple Lossless it's preferred lossless file format. Linking up to this mass market in a 'seamless' manner would have been priority No.1, one would think.....Talk about swimming upstream and making things harder !

The more I consider the Uniti, I think it is a brilliant 'one box' and I could really see one somewhere in the apartment or office - I just find all this a very strange omission on an otherwise very well thought out product.

Steve

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by Signals UK

I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

From my Mac - owning viewpoint I plugged in the Uniti expecting it to need some software to be added and it simply worked. Not only that, but it played all the music files that I have in the folder. I now know that by deciding to buy Eye TV four or five years ago I inadvertently installed one of the better UPNP servers.

My reference to 'seamless' was towards how it works from the user's point of view, not what might be being done in the background. I was just keen for people to understand that it is not a matter of waiting for files to be converted or anything so clunky.

As a Mac user I would have to buy some sort of UPNP software for any UPNP device and I knew this before the Uniti arrived. I just didn't know I already had some. For PC users, the lossless argument could be an issue because as I understand it the 'standard' UPNP software makes no such adjustments.

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by David Dever

quote:
iTunes must be one of, if not the, most popular playback and management applications on a computer, with Apple Lossless it's preferred lossless file format. Linking up to this mass market in a 'seamless' manner would have been priority No.1, one would think....

The same could be said for Apple–a built-in Mac OS X uPnP client and server*, along with provisions for open-license Apple Lossless transcoding or decoding on Windows / Linux / etc., would render (no pun intended) the issue moot.

Apple is not the perfect sailor most Mac people make them out to be–and this comes from someone who types this on a Mac!

* - Yet there are valid technical reasons why Apple would do this (using a different schema for iTunes Remote), least of all the large number of possible exploits on some older machines enabled simply by turning UPnP on!

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by pcstockton

I was pleased to find last night that UPnP is fully integrated into Windows.

Even a program like Foobar is a "renderer" that works well with UPnP.

Although it doesn't yet appear to be a solution for me, I am going to play with it considering I spent $5 on the iPhone app.

There needs to be a way to have the plugplay app not try to spool entire playlists, but rather only chucks.

If the library it is looking at contains a lot of lossless, or only lossless, and a large amount (not sure how many yet) of songs, it simply doesn't work (well).

-patrick

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by Signals UK

quote:
Originally posted by David Dever:
. . .Apple is not the perfect sailor most Mac people make them out to be–and this comes from someone who types this on a Mac!. . .

Very fair point.

Much as I admire their style I am fully aware that I am being fleeced by their super neat apps store / itunes / whatever other revenue streams that they have developed. Some of the issues being run into here are part of their business of locking things down.

It's so well done, I don't mind.

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by Wazza69

My understanding is that on the mac, to play hires files via uPnP then the only option is Townky media server. You can then use something like Cidero or Songbook to play the files.

Options like eyeconnect downsample the hires files.

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by David Dever

quote:
Originally posted by Wazza69:
My understanding is that on the mac, to play hires files via uPnP then the only option is Townky media server. You can then use something like Cidero or Songbook to play the files.

Options like eyeconnect downsample the hires files.

Allegro will also stream hi-sample rate files–it's just that the NaimUniti cannot, at the moment, render or play them.

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by Signals UK

As a rule of thumb can you only have one UPNP server program operating at a time?

Tried downloading Allegro onto the same machine as has EyeConnect and Allegro keeps falling over. Must try it on another machine to test the theory.

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by Occean

Has a power line been tried on a Uniti yet?

Posted on: 28 May 2009 by David Dever

quote:
Originally posted by Signals UK:
As a rule of thumb can you only have one UPNP server program operating at a time?

Tried downloading Allegro onto the same machine as has EyeConnect and Allegro keeps falling over. Must try it on another machine to test the theory.

No, both services can be running simultaneously, in the case of Mac OS X.

Posted on: 29 May 2009 by Occean

I have 2 running on my pc network quite happily.

Foobar uPnP and Twonky

Actually i think my nas has one too

Posted on: 08 June 2009 by Chris West

I downloaded the Allegro UPnP software for my mac laptop, and it merely needs to be running to get the job done automatically (in conjunction with the iTunes song library on my machine).
No configuring or fussing required (except that I decided I wanted to specify my own name for the UPnP server ... which is useful if you want to set up several computers in a household to serve up music files via UPnP, and make it easy for anyone to locate their stuff).

Beyond that I simply selected uPnP input on the NaimUniti, selected the server I named on my Mac, and navigated through my iTunes playlists from the 'Uniti's front panel. I was rather impressed by the sound quality of 16/44 wav files streamed wirelessly from my mac to the 'Uniti this way! The neat thing is that my laptop isn't tethered via a digital cable which would be required by going the DAC route ... and so I can continue to use it anywhere around the home.

I also grabbed PlugPlayer on my iPhone to use it as a wireless controller.

I think anyone out of the millions who are capable of using a computer (and able to manage iTunes or similar) would be able to do the above things as easily as they would download a plug-in for a web browser to do extra stuff. For most people that's both a regular necessity and not especially difficult.

Posted on: 09 June 2009 by pcstockton

Chris,

How are you getting along with the plugplayer app? I found it incredibly slow. Too much so for my liking.

I went back to an HTTP controller depsite the few bucks spent.

But of course I still have it on my iPhone so I could give it another shot. Perhaps I had some incorrect settings?

-patrick

Posted on: 09 June 2009 by David Dever

There's an update (2.2.1 ?) which seems to behave much better, more responsive...

Posted on: 09 June 2009 by SteveH

Patrick

What's the name of the HTTP controller you are happy with please

Posted on: 10 June 2009 by pcstockton

Steve,

It is simply a Foobar component...Go here:
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/f...b1a9&showtopic=62218

Extract to the Components folder in the Foobar Folder (usually in "Program Files")

Then go to Page 6 or Post#129 for the "skin" perfectly formatted for the iPhone.

Follow the instructions on the readme.doc file.

Then navigate to 192.169.1.YourIP:8888/index.html on your iPhone

it is really easy.

Posted on: 29 November 2009 by Juanis

Hi,
I am using with my new Uniti and MacBook eyeConnect as the UPnP server. The problem is that the connection from the Uniti is falling after a period of inactivity. The message on the Naim says : No networks find, so I have to turn it off and on again to finally find eyeConnect on my laptop. Any ideas how can i solve this issue ?

Thanks,

Posted on: 29 November 2009 by garyi

I think that would be an issue of your router not of the uniti or eyeconnect.

Are you connecting with DHCP?

Posted on: 29 November 2009 by Juanis

Thanks Garyi, My router is using DHCP connection... it's a BT Home Hub.

Posted on: 29 November 2009 by garyi

It might be to do with the lease time on DHCP, shouldn't be a problem but who knows.

One connecting factor of everyones issues with any device on the whole interweb is the ever shit BT homehub. Try changing it.

Wait for other responses but in essence the uniti should remain connected for as long as its on.