Benefit of a streamer?

[The_Lhc]

It's plugged into your router, same as any other streamer.

But a streamer doesn't have to be plugged into your router to stream. I mean I have a NAS that streams very nicely to various devices without going anywhere near a router.

You mean your router isn't providing a wireless link for the NAS and various devices? Or providing the the internet connection for online streaming services?

 

[The_Lhc]

It's plugged into your router, same as any other streamer.

Exactly: it

needs to be used with other equipment.

Too slow on the edit old chap, either way, if that defines a "streamer" then there are no streamers as none of them, to my knowledge, are capable of accessing the internet independently (ie without going through a router first), so by that argument EVERY streamer needs to be used with other equipment and so does every "media PC", so that's a complete non-argument.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Sounds like a snappy title for a new category in the WHF awards: 'best network content distribution system'

It's as good a description as any, and to keep it snappy I left the 'mesh' bit out, too.

I think I was trying to make the point that this thread has got very caught up in its terminology: is a streamer the thing that sends, or serves, content out onto the network, or the thing that takes content from the network and plays it. Is a streamer a server or a network music player, or indeed a network media player? Is it a streaming client or a streaming player or a streaming nightmare?

What's playing the music? The server (software) on the server (device), which is pointed at the music library which only becomes a music library and not just a set of files when the server (software) is pointed at it and indexes it so the client device be pointed at that server (software) and access its content, which isn't actually its content but content to which it is acting as a kind of media satnav to get you to the music you want?

And when you use app control, is the app playing the music, or the device the app is controlling? Is the app pulling the music from the server store via the server software and pushing it to the device connected to your hi-fi, or merely controlling that hardware which is doing the whole process for itself?

 

[Andrew Everard]

You mean your router isn't providing a wireless link for the NAS and various devices?

Yes, exactly that, old chap.

Or providing the the internet connection for online streaming services?

And yes again.

 

[The_Lhc]

You mean your router isn't providing a wireless link for the NAS and various devices?

Yes, exactly that, old chap.

Or providing the the internet connection for online streaming services?

And yes again.

Well, come on then, name this mysterious beast! I've never heard the like of it!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Well, come on then, name this mysterious beast! I've never heard the like of it!

/sites/whathifi.com/files/images/netgear-prosafe-8-port-gigabit-desktop-switch.jpg

Two of them, actually.

 

[The_Lhc]

Well, come on then, name this mysterious beast! I've never heard the like of it!

/sites/whathifi.com/files/images/netgear-prosafe-8-port-gigabit-desktop-switch.jpg

Two of them, actually.

?

That's a network switch. It's not capable of providing an internet connection for online services.

 

[Andrew Everard]

That's a network switch. It's not capable of providing an internet connection for online services.

Yes, exactly. I refer the honourable gentleman to the answers I gave to his previous questions, viz

You mean your router isn't providing a wireless link for the NAS and various devices?

Yes, exactly that, old chap.

Or providing the the internet connection for online streaming services?

And yes again.

 

[hammill]

That's a network switch. It's not capable of providing an internet connection for online services.

Yes, exactly. I refer the honourable gentleman to the answers I gave to his previous questions.

In other words you stream content held on your NAS and don't bother with spotify, iplayer etc. I do stream bbc radio through my touch, but never bothered with anything else that was not on my NAS.

 

[The_Lhc]

That's a network switch. It's not capable of providing an internet connection for online services.

Yes, exactly. I refer the honourable gentleman to the answers I gave to his previous questions, viz

You mean your router isn't providing a wireless link for the NAS and various devices?

Yes, exactly that, old chap.

Or providing the the internet connection for online streaming services?

And yes again.

Right, so I asked a two part question, the second part of which was: "So your router ISN'T providing an internet connection for online streaming services?", to which you replied "Yes" (ie "yes, it isn't" because you're agreeing with me), so if the router is NOT providing that path to the internet services, what is?

 

[The_Lhc]

That's a network switch. It's not capable of providing an internet connection for online services.

Yes, exactly. I refer the honourable gentleman to the answers I gave to his previous questions.

In other words you stream content held on your NAS and don't bother with spotify, iplayer etc. I do stream bbc radio through my touch, but never bothered with anything else that was not on my NAS.

Well, if you want to do that then that's fine but it doesn't remove the fact that the majority of these "streamers" (of any definition) are perfectly capable of doing those things, with the assistance of an internet connection provided by another device. So it's a non-argument.

 

[Andrew Everard]

In other words you stream content held on your NAS and don't bother with spotify, iplayer etc. I do stream bbc radio through my touch, but never bothered with anything else that was not on my NAS.

Indeed: there is, however, a connection from one of the switches to a wireless hub to allow the devices running control apps to access the relevant hardware.

 

[BenLaw]

In other words you stream content held on your NAS and don't bother with spotify, iplayer etc. I do stream bbc radio through my touch, but never bothered with anything else that was not on my NAS.

Indeed: there is, however, a connection from one of the switches to a wireless hub to allow the devices running control apps to access the relevant hardware.

I'm not sure you're getting us any less caught up in the minutiae!

 

[hammill]

That's a network switch. It's not capable of providing an internet connection for online services.

Yes, exactly. I refer the honourable gentleman to the answers I gave to his previous questions.

In other words you stream content held on your NAS and don't bother with spotify, iplayer etc. I do stream bbc radio through my touch, but never bothered with anything else that was not on my NAS.

Well, if you want to do that then that's fine but it doesn't remove the fact that the majority of these "streamers" (of any definition) are perfectly capable of doing those things, with the assistance of an internet connection provided by another device. So it's a non-argument.

I agree it is a non-argument. since it was never an argument in the first place Simply an explanation of Andrew's streamer usage which seemed to be confusing you for some reason.

 

[The_Lhc]

That's a network switch. It's not capable of providing an internet connection for online services.

Yes, exactly. I refer the honourable gentleman to the answers I gave to his previous questions.

In other words you stream content held on your NAS and don't bother with spotify, iplayer etc. I do stream bbc radio through my touch, but never bothered with anything else that was not on my NAS.

Well, if you want to do that then that's fine but it doesn't remove the fact that the majority of these "streamers" (of any definition) are perfectly capable of doing those things, with the assistance of an internet connection provided by another device. So it's a non-argument.

I agree it is a non-argument. since it was never an argument in the first place Simply an explanation of Andrew's streamer usage which seemed to be confusing you for some reason.

No, it's not me that's confused, someone, earlier in the thread, suggested a streamer is only a streamer if it's a standalone item and requires no other devices to operate it or allow it to operate (which is nonsense anyway). Andrew then appeared to back that up by suggesting that even a streamer that requires a router connection should not be considered as such (a streamer), unlike his own setup which didn't use a router at all (but did use switches to provide wired connections, and I don't really see the difference, logically, there) to which I then asked if his setup made its own connection to the internet and appeared to get an answer in the affirmative, when in actual fact it doesn't have an internet connection at all, even though it could quite easily make use of one.

So, to summarise, my point that EVERY streamer, regardless of whether it's a dedicated device or general purpose "Media PC" will always require A. N. Other device to allow a connection to the internet is entirely correct and therefore by the twisted logic of the original argument there is actually no such thing as a streamer as NONE of them are capable of providing their own internet connection (Correction: I've just thought of one device that can do that, a mobile phone utilising its 3/4G connection. Therefore the only true streamers are in fact mobile phones). I suspect even Andrew's situation is failing the (highly dubious) test, as I suspect he has a clever NAS that is acting as a DHCP server and providing the IP addresses Andrew's devices require to communicate with each other, although I might be wrong about that.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes thats what I thought so ordered a HRT Music Streamer 2 last night

We'll see how it goes when it arrives

Cheers

 

[MajorFubar]

Yes thats what I thought so ordered a HRT Music Streamer 2 last night

We'll see how it goes when it arrives

Cheers

With a bit of luck yours will last for longer than the 369 days mine did, but that's another story for another thread lol. Oh by the way when it did work it sounded superb. Hopefully you do know though that it's not a streamer as such, it's a USB DAC...

 

[Anonymous]

andybeau wrote:

If I hadn't have had the netbooks I think I would have gone for a dedicated streamer for pure convienience.

My problem now is which DAC

Just my twopenneth

Now going off topic, but for use with a netbook only, I'd choose a good small USB DAC.
__________________
Yes thats what I thought so ordered a HRT Music Streamer 2 last night

We'll see how it goes when it arrives

Cheers

With a bit of luck yours will last for longer than the 369 days mine did, but that's another story for another thread lol. Oh by the way when it did work it sounded superb. Hopefully you do know though that it's not a streamer as such, it's a USB DAC...

Forgot the quoted text

 

[MajorFubar]

Whoops sorry.

 

[Anonymous]

Nothing to be sorry about I forgot the quoted text and it did look funny without it

Cheers

 

[busb]

The verb "streaming" adequately describes the general process of playing digital music (or media) from one or many sources, local or otherwise to single or multiple users (or locations) who can easily acces the content then choose what to play without needing to worry about the physical storage location. Trying to nail down what part of this service actually fits into a particular box called a "streamer" is rather fluid as Andrew E has eluded to. It's best described as a process (which includes getting the music/media into the system to start with).

If I was thinking of streaming my music & reading this thread to gain some insight as how to do it, the last thing I'd buy or use would be a Windows-based laptop or PC! The advocates of using computers, have IMO, shot themselves somewhere more vital than their feet! This thread is about as good an advert for buying/using a "streamer" as any manufacturer or seller could wish for! I would not be that surprised if PCs became obsolete in homes long before streamers but predicting the future of anything is always amusing through the gift of hindsight.

 

[WishTree]

Wow.. I think I managed to read most of this thread and hopefully I will be able to mark what I write below for future bookmark.

Until recently, I was living in the same world that I would not need a dedicated Streamer / Player and my Mac Mini does a great job! I have put an SSD in it and upgraded the RAM to 4GB on 2011 Mac Mini so everything is as per the needed specs. Music is played through iTunes.

However with Oppo BDP 105 acting as DAC or player / streamer (from NAS), I was able to see the differences. Mac Mini sounded thin and not right compared to Oppo playing directly from NAS (NAS acting as a Network Hard Disk). I had to fiddle settings on Mac Mini (Audio Midi Set Up), then installed Amarra software to ensure that everything is bit perfect and then the differences went away. I am now enjoying the 'fiddle free' 'assured SQ' from Oppo rather than remembering or checking if all the things are in place on Mac Mini to ensure that the output is really BIT PERFECT (?).

Coming back to difference in SQ by playing iTunes as is vs Amarra is a bit of debate for some but it is very apparent on my system. If I do not use iTunes and run music from XBMC (No Amarra) the sound is same as Oppo playing directly

As of today, with a substantial investment into the HiFi set up and if it is especially only digital, I would check out the streamer / player options to see if there is any added convenience or enhanced (observable) SQ.

 

[CnoEvil]

As of today, with a substantial investment into the HiFi set up and if it is especially only digital, I would check out the streamer / player options to see if there is any added convenience or enhanced (observable) SQ.

IMO. SQ may be effected by:

- How successfully the processing / filtering is done.

- To what extent the PC polutes the signal..

- How well the clocking is handled.

- Quality of the power supply.

- How successfully the components are isolated.

 

[WishTree]

IMO. SQ may be effected by:

- How successfully the processing / filtering is done.

- To what extent the PC polutes the signal..

- How well the clocking is handled.

- Quality of the power supply.

- How successfully the components are isolated.

+1

I remember long time back you asked me what is the source and I said Mac Mini which I believed back then would not effect the SQ but I guess now I am a lot more convinced the possibility of a dedicated streamer cum player giving additional SQ especially when the dedicated box is done correctly and the PC/Mac not tweaked optimally.

 

[busb]

As of today, with a substantial investment into the HiFi set up and if it is especially only digital, I would check out the streamer / player options to see if there is any added convenience or enhanced (observable) SQ.

IMO. SQ may be effected by:

- How successfully the processing / filtering is done.

- To what extent the PC polutes the signal..

- How well the clocking is handled.

- Quality of the power supply.

- How successfully the components are isolated.

Absolutely!

I'd add:

effected by other unrelated tasks running

I put a value on my time so all the faffing about under Windows should be factored into any cost comparisons.