My 'Heath Robinson' Media Streaming set up

Posted by: Geoff P on 30 May 2010

Well if you have a bit of time on your hands as..ahem this retiree does, your mind is apt to think in devious ways.

What follows is a small dissertation on the cobbling together of a slightly unusual media streaming system predominantly from bits of kit that I already have. There is nothing like reinventing the wheel yourself as cheaply as possible along with the joys of making those inevitable missteps which I won't bother to detail.

Anyway the kit pressed into use:
1) A Denon AVR 4310 A/v receiver in my home cinema system.
2) An old laptop PC lying around gathering dust
3) A USB attachable HDD already in use
4) My existing Network Router.

Software:
1) Windows XP with SP3 ( or Vista or 7 )
2) Windows Media Player 11 ( free if you don't have it already )
4) Windows Home Server ( free to download and try for 30 days)
5) A little program called Asset UPnp (free to download and try before buy) that runs in Windows Home Server.

Those nice people at Denon included a wired Ethernet port for media streaming into the 196/24bit DACS on this A/V receivers' front channels, which I have plumbed into my Naim kit via it's pre-outs.
So = DAC Sorted - run a bit of Cat5 - Network streaming connected - Audio out organised.

Now try it by using Windows Media Player 11 which has a basic server function to rip some CD's to .wav format on my main PC and send thru' the network to the 'DAC'.
So = success, works fine but of course dedicated to the PC the music was ripped on.

Next step...a bit of internetting reveals Windows Home Server software which they claim controls the lot (Music, Pictures, Video) including scheduled backups etc. Available as mentioned free to download as an .iso file and burn to DVD for install on 30 day free trial. Looks good BUT you do need to have a PC you don't mind loosing all files on because you have to do that to install Home Server. Hence the dusty old laptop mentioned earlier.
So = All went smoothly - Installed no problem. up and running and the other PC's can talk to it. Alas it only 'sees' HDD's directly attached via USB or internal to the PC, so no NAS. However it has a nice fast response. Easy to swap music playing in mid stream no delay. Has turned out to be stable and bug free so far. I like it.

So my USB HDD was pressed into srevice to get things going on a ripped CD library. ( I can buy 2 TB of USB attachable HDD pretty cheaply so that can be the alternative to a NAS in the future if I fancy it).

Things are beginning to come together now, remaining problem. I don't have a flexible way of searching to find music quickly in the library and can't get Album Art to display. More Internetting and I come across the little program I mentioned 'Asset UPnp' that can be among alternatives an 'add in' for Windows Home Server. Turns out to be excellent giving me loads of search functions and up comes the Album Art so that's a program that stays.

I also have a nice user interface that displays on my Plasma courtesy of the Denon A/V receiver software, so no squinting to read as you can see from the screen shots.




Well I have actually really spent nothing yet and I like the results. The DAC's in the Denon as mentioned are pretty classy and it actually up-samples to 24 bit before spitting out the analog audio. I am hearing music that comes to my ear, thru the Naim kit, as being just as good as my CDS3 for no outlay other than some fun time.

NOTE this is not the full story but don't want to get too long winded. Also thanks to John (fixedwheel) who allowed me to bounce my ideas around and gave invaluable advice.

A bit of successfull fun..

Geoff
Posted on: 30 May 2010 by u5227470736789439
i-tunes is actually working reasonably well, the only problem is that when I rip CDs, I have to delete the library lis and reinatall it.

... with the external hard drive disconnected or else you will loose the contents! Then re-populate the iTunes library with the modified contents of the external hard drive.

If you have a dedicated internal hard drive - generally the province of a desk tp rather than laptop - then this particular wrinkle disappears ...

System: PC [Windoze XP] with dedicated half-TB hard drive for the "iTunes folder" running standard iTunes, Aune USB DAC/headphone amplifier coonected via USB rather than optional coaxial spdif, Sennheiser HD 415 'phones.

ATB from Goerge
Posted on: 30 May 2010 by fixedwheel
quote:
Originally posted by Geoff P:
Also thanks to John (fixedwheel) who allowed me to bounce my ideas around and gave invaluable advice.

A bit of successful fun..


Glad I could be of help.

Keep the story going, I think a lot of people would like to dip a toe into the distributed audio camp, but just need a gentle nudge.

John
Posted on: 30 May 2010 by u5227470736789439
It is the future. CD will survive till downloads match the quality for the mainstream, but actually using the purchased carrier [more than once for storage, thus enabling direct recall] is definitely going to recede. There will be a place for high-end CD players for a generation, but that is because some will individually refuse to change, but the trend is clear, and it will not involve a compromise in qualitative terms.

ATB from George

PS: I reckpon the future of true high quality radio [sound only] broadcasts will be not with DAB [which is not so fine as the current VHF], but with internet radio. If one can watch video on the net then the lesser requirements of high quality audio will surely be met where this is important, such as BBC Radio Three and Four, for two examples. For lesser quality requirements then DAB will serve well enough.
Posted on: 30 May 2010 by DarrellK
quote:
Originally posted by GFFJ:
PS: I reckpon the future of true high quality radio [sound only] broadcasts will be not with DAB [which is not so fine as the current VHF], but with internet radio. If one can watch video on the net then the lesser requirements of high quality audio will surely be met where this is important, such as BBC Radio Three and Four, for two examples. For lesser quality requirements then DAB will serve well enough.


If only. I believe that the bean-counters at the BBC, encouraged at every turn by the populist private sector media and the current, corrosive, lack of trust in all public servants, will lead to the lowest common denominator in BBC engineering, even with R3 and R4. For me, I'd happily pay twice the licence fee for R3, R4 and David Attenborough, never mind the rest. But I fear I'm in a minority.
Posted on: 30 May 2010 by u5227470736789439
But I fear I'm in a minority.

If you are in this minority, and you may well be right, then so am I. But the need for radio as a music carrier is much reduced given the multitude of other sources in the modern world compared to any time since radio started in the post Great War era. It is not something to become downcast about.

ATB from George
Posted on: 01 June 2010 by Andy S
quote:
Originally posted by Geoff P:
A bit of successfull fun..

Geoff
Geoff,

#If your Panny has the ability to turn of overscan, I'd do it (IIRC it's called pixel perfect on Pannys). You'll see the DENON logo properly...
Posted on: 03 June 2010 by Geoff P
quote:
PS: I reckpon the future of true high quality radio [sound only] broadcasts will be not with DAB [which is not so fine as the current VHF], but with internet radio. If one can watch video on the net then the lesser requirements of high quality audio will surely be met where this is important, such as BBC Radio Three and Four, for two examples. For lesser quality requirements then DAB will serve well enough.


George

Right now the typical bit rate on the internet versions of BBC radio stations are 128kps. That is quite low but I did read that rates as low as that are now used for some DAB simply so they can push more staions into the bamd width. Mostly pretty peurile stuff unfortunately.

Certainly bandwidth on the Internet is not a problem for most folks now.

regards
Geoff
Posted on: 08 June 2010 by Geoff P
quote:
Geoff,

#If your Panny has the ability to turn of overscan, I'd do it (IIRC it's called pixel perfect on Pannys). You'll see the DENON logo properly...


Andy Thks for mentioning it. Actually it fits fine in 16:9 or 4:3 but I was using Zoom to get a bigger picture of the relevant bits.

Regards
Geoff
Posted on: 08 June 2010 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Originally posted by DarrellK:
I'd happily pay twice the licence fee for ... David Attenborough, never mind the rest. But I fear I'm in a minority.


Posted on: 08 June 2010 by Blueknowz
ROTF, How did you post the You Tube link?,I have tried both of the last two options,& it does not seem to work for me.
Posted on: 09 June 2010 by Geoff P
Well one of the nice side effects of my fiddling around is that I can watch slideshows of my photographs while I listen.



Geoff...more to follow.
Posted on: 09 June 2010 by Chris Shorter
quote:

Right now the typical bit rate on the internet versions of BBC radio stations are 128kps.


Ah, but have you tried the newish AAC streams available through the BBCiPlayer, which can be accessed also through Squeezeboxes etc? These are excellent - really up there with good FM in my view.

Are you outside the UK? I am for part of the time and, unfortunately, the AAC streams have reduced bandwidth there but still pretty good.

I'm convinced that internet radio is the way forward for home use; it has the potential for great quality and huge choice.
Posted on: 09 June 2010 by Geoff P
quote:
Geoff,
This stuff still does my head in as you know.
I downloaded a load of stuff yesterday John/js said try.And its still doing my head in.
My Windoz coax out WAV media box still does it for me as does my MacBook through my Naim DAC.

Hi Munch

It is a larger minefield than std HiFi as far as I can see. I have made a choice and am happy so far with the music I get out of it

4 HDD mini server running Windows Home Server software. A portable USB attached Optical Drive using RipNas Essentials software to rip direct to the HDDs and pull in the album pics and track data as it rips.

Compact and easy.



regards
Geoff
Posted on: 09 June 2010 by Geoff P
quote:
Are you outside the UK? I am for part of the time and, unfortunately, the AAC streams have reduced bandwidth there but still pretty good.


Chris.

I am, and thats where I got the 128Kps value from since thats what BBC comes over at where I am.

Regards
Geoff
Posted on: 09 June 2010 by u5227470736789439
I'm convinced that internet radio is the way forward for home use; it has the potential for great quality and huge choice.

The end of FM broadcasts is definitely coming within a few years, but with digital streaming via broadband, I really don't think that the limitations of DAB will be that serious for fine radio-style listening.

DAB will give a wide range of broadcasts in a quality fine enough for pop and speech radio, and high quality will be via BB streaming, I would think.

In car entertainment hardly needs better quality than DAB in 99 per cent of vehicles, because of road noise etc.! If it can ever be made to work well on the move. Mind you FM can be quite dodgy in a car as well from time to time!

ATB from George
Posted on: 09 June 2010 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
DAB will give a wide range of broadcasts in a quality fine enough for pop and speech radio,
I wish - my AM set sounds better on Radio Five than DAB and I listen to test match special on long wave. DAB is for Radio 6/7 'cos I can't get it any other way except on a computer or freeview or ... perhaps I only need DAB in the car. Medium Wave is awful in the car. Radio 3 is OK on DAB because it gets the higher bandwidth, but I haven't listen it to it for ages so it may have got worse as quantity supplants quality.