Just getting started...

[jchoatejr]

So, I am just getting started. I have built a small audio player PC in a mini-ITX case, running Windows 10 Home Edition (speed, local storage, and bandwidth are more than adequate). I confirmed that it can successfully stream via Amazon Music out a USB 2.0 port into my USB DAC and on to the analog equipment. My USB DAC is an older Benchmark DAC1, it uses the standard windows USB 2.0 driver. I intend to purchase a four bay Synology NAS, just haven't decided which one. I want my digital music library on the NAS, so MinimServer 2 seems like a natural choice for a NAS resident music server. Amazon Music is not my end goal, just a convenient test source.

This is about as far as my research and knowledge has taken me. I know that MinimServer 2 can access the music files and send the data over my local network, but to what? I need software on my PC to pull the music data off the network (a UPnP 'renderer' if I understand the documentation) and redirect the audio data to my DAC1 via the USB. I do not want any DSP, not even volume. I tried to research UPnP and ended up wrapped around the axle with external IP addresses, port mapping, etc., which I suspect I don't need anyway. I presume that MinimWatch (or an equivalent Android app) will communicate with MinimServer 2 to browse the library and request the music I want to hear (tracks or playlists), but what software do I need on my Win10 PC to accept the data and redirect it (unmolested) to my DAC via the USB port? I would greatly appreciate any advice, or suggestions you may have to offer.

[simoncn]

Welcome to the MinimServer forum!

MinimWatch is used to configure and monitor MinimServer. It is not a UPnP control point, so it can't browse the library and request the music you want to play. You will need a UPnP control point for this. Most of these are apps for iPad/iPhone or Android. If you want to do this on Windows, Linn Kinsky is probably the best option.

As you have said, you also need a UPnP renderer running on Windows. There aren't many of these. You could try foobar2000 with the foo_upnp plugin, running as a renderer only. Another option is the OpenHome player (see this page).

[Alandbush]

(10-06-2020 19:08)jchoatejr Wrote:  This is about as far as my research and knowledge has taken me. I know that MinimServer 2 can access the music files and send the data over my local network, but to what? I need software on my PC to pull the music data off the network (a UPnP 'renderer' if I understand the documentation) and redirect the audio data to my DAC1 via the USB. I do not want any DSP, not even volume. I tried to research UPnP and ended up wrapped around the axle with external IP addresses, port mapping, etc., which I suspect I don't need anyway. I presume that MinimWatch (or an equivalent Android app) will communicate with MinimServer 2 to browse the library and request the music I want to hear (tracks or playlists), but what software do I need on my Win10 PC to accept the data and redirect it (unmolested) to my DAC via the USB port? I would greatly appreciate any advice, or suggestions you may have to offer.

It's not clear from the above if you want to run a Windows media player or if you want to control a Windows UPNP media renderer from a tablet/phone.

Simoncn has provided some information for the latter. I would add Tunebrowser to his list. This can run as UPNP and OpenHome.
This Wiki page provides more information on both although not necessarily upto date.

[jchoatejr]

Simon and Alandbush,
Thank you for taking the time and effort to reply to my post. I hope that one day I will know enough to be able to give back to the community myself. I believe that I want to stay away from Windows Media Player, because I want to avoid the Windows audio mixer, which is integrated into WMP and inextricable (AFAIK). But I am now set straight on UPnP Control Points, and have some good advice about UPnP renderers to pursue. So, I have a well defined direction of research to follow, which will no doubt lead to more (but hopefully more advanced) questions.
Thanks, again. -john

[simoncn]

(10-06-2020 20:30)Alandbush Wrote:  Simoncn has provided some information for the latter. I would add Tunebrowser to his list. This can run as UPNP and OpenHome.
This Wiki page provides more information on both although not necessarily upto date.

Thanks for this useful pointer. I don't see any mention of Tunebrowser on the linked web page.

[Alandbush]

(10-06-2020 20:52)jchoatejr Wrote:  I believe that I want to stay away from Windows Media Player, because I want to avoid the Windows audio mixer, which is integrated into WMP and inextricable (AFAIK).

My apologies If I confused you but my reference to Windows media player was not to WMP itself. It was meant as a general reference to media players running on Windows. Foobar2000 and Tunebrowser, for instance, can be customised to connect to ASIO or WASAPI devices, thereby bypassing any Windows audio mixer.

[Alandbush]

(10-06-2020 22:22)simoncn Wrote:  

(10-06-2020 20:30)Alandbush Wrote:  Simoncn has provided some information for the latter. I would add Tunebrowser to his list. This can run as UPNP and OpenHome.
This Wiki page provides more information on both although not necessarily upto date.

Thanks for this useful pointer. I don't see any mention of Tunebrowser on the linked web page.

Yes, a very good place to start for a newcomer, but clearly not every player is listed.

Stumbled across Tunebrowser. A free version is available but limited to 500 tracks but the paid version is relatively cheap should it pass muster.
Checkout Tikisoft page for more details.

[simoncn]

Can the free version of Tunebrowser be used as a pure UPnP renderer, controllable from some other control point and server?

[Alandbush]

(11-06-2020 09:27)simoncn Wrote:  Can the free version of Tunebrowser be used as a pure UPnP renderer, controllable from some other control point and server?

I am mistaken about UPNP but it can be enabled as an Openhome renderer. Check out the File -> Preferences-> Basic -> Network settings. I use it that way myself but the 500 track limit still applies.

However, although Kinsky, Kazoo, fidata and Glider detect it as a renderer, Lumin does not.

[simoncn]

How can there be a track limit for a pure renderer? Couldn't it be configured with an empty local library so that files can be streamed to it from some other control point and server?