Network Media Player + DLNA

[alextanght]

Many networked media player (like WD TV Live) can support DLNA and directly stream music store on NAS. They got an optical out and a nice remote for controlling from your sofa. Do anyone has experience on such configuration? Does it allows playlist or just similar to plugging a USB drive to console which only capable to select the music from a directory structure?

 

Alex

 

[vortecjr]

I have not used the WD TV Live unit and not much in this forum on it as far as I know. I have used and own a similar device named the HDX-1000. Based on your description above the HDX is similar to the WD TV Live unit with respect to network and DLNA capabilities. Not sure about the WD TV Live, but the HDX browses the directory structure for playback. The HDX supports a popular app named MPD that does support play lists, but it is for advanced users. The HDX also supports USB devices with MPD, but again it is for advanced users. The big question in my mind is if these devices are bit perfect. I can test the HDX and let you know. Are these types of units a viable solution? I say yes, but that really depends on your sensibilities and expectations! You need to see if it supports the formats you want to play back and see if you like the sound quality.

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[PeterSt]

For the WDTV Live, as far as I have seen, only the latter.

 

But you can always make a playlist by copying files into a "Playlist" directory of course.

 

I don't know about others.

 

Peter

 

[alextanght]

I absolutely agreed with you that bit-perfect is the key. If possible, it should compare as a similar product as Airport Express and not necessary to have the computer turn on.

 

BTW, how can we compare is it bit-perfect? I think I can handle this if I got required knowledge and equipment.

 

 

 

[PeterSt]

I think I can handle this if I got required knowledge and equipment.

 

Haha, nicely put. But what's next ?

I am afraid there are no means to check this;

Doing this by means of the digital out and loop back (and next a lot of misery) won't help you much, because it doesn't tell a bit about the internal digital to analogue processing. But, then I assume you will use the internal DAC which won't be something to hunt for anyway. So, if you mean to connect your own DAC to it ...

 

Then it may be the easiest to go to a shop where they have a HDCD capable device, and look whether the HDCD light lits at playing an HDCD encoded album through it (your dig. out connected to the dig-in of that device).

 

Otherwise it comes down to loop back to a record-capable device, find the common denominator beginning of the resulting file with the original (which is a touch thing to do if you are not used to it), and next compare the remainder of the track (with WaveLab or something).

 

That's all !

:-)

Peter

 

[vortecjr]

hey pal how are you these days? Hope all is well!

 

Alex, he is right about it being a pain to test for bit perfect. I could test it here with my Weiss unit as it has a firmware update for this purpose.

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[PeterSt]

Hi Jesus, all is well, thanks. Maybe a bit busy though ... (which makes me recall some answers I owe you ... too late now I hope :-).

 

I could test it here with my Weiss unit as it has a firmware update for this purpose.

 

If you'd have the WD. But this is exactly what I have, and no Weiss (or other "HDCD" means). But I guess you are in the neighbourhood soon ?

 

haha

Peter

 

[vortecjr]

it I find one I will check it for you and let you know;) I also have a unit with HDCD, but it should not be trusted as it does not paint the full picture. It just checks the one condition and says nothing about the others.

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[PeterSt]

I know Jesus, but IMO this is allowed to work the other way around; When the light never lits it's not bit perfect. When it does it's most probably allright. For sure if you test it with a couple of albums/tracks. Don't you think ?

 

Peter

 

[alextanght]

Thanks a lot for your response. I know it is not a easy task to test the bit perfect. No matter it is perfect or not, I got a good lesson. I believe the major improvement is not only on the source, the DAC, amplifier, speaker and room acoustic should contribute more.

 

[vortecjr]

for sure the other way around would make me worry if no light:) The HDCD test is better than no test at all. It's just that we have found other sample rates and bit rates that did not work on the same machine running the same player software even after a good HDCD test.

 

Alex, these tests we have been talking about are digital in nature. The analog output is another issue all together. A simple search of these devices could reveal that the dacs are only 16 bit. So trust, but verify everthing...hehehe.

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[PeterSt]

Although I have been too lazy to look it up, I had in mind the 16 bit anyway, but *also* have in mind the 44.1/48 issue. So ... If that can be dug up, it is unlikely that a device like this has two crystals to begin with - which still may allow bit perfectness, but with jitter implications. More likely though, would be a conversion to one or the other. Since these merely are video - than audio devices, 48KHz would be logic, thus implying conversion to 48 at playing audio.

 

Again, I just have it in mind, and somehow spend some time on typing this rather than look it up.

And as we all know, looking up these things for "low spec" devices can take much time, since it will come down to reasoning out what the specs (texts) really mean, usually implying something not being there which is not mentioned as being there.

 

So, 1c only from my side.

Peter

 

[CharlyD]

According to the user manual, there is a filter option which allows browsing by All Music, Artist, Genre, Album, Date, Folders, Recent, or Playlist. In my limited experience with DLNA digital media players (renderers with integrated control point), the control point submits a standard query to the server. The server responds with a set of categories on which you can search (artist, album, etc.). These categories are defined at the server, and most servers (Twonky, Asset) allow design of the search tree. I would expect the WD TV Live box to operate in this manner.

 

On the other hand, I could find no specification on the sample rate/word length of supported content. It would be great if you could stream hi-rez content to an external DAC using this box, but I doubt that's the case.