- #HOW TO USE A MAC MINI AS A SERVER UPDATE#
- #HOW TO USE A MAC MINI AS A SERVER SOFTWARE#
- #HOW TO USE A MAC MINI AS A SERVER TRIAL#
I simply liked the Mac Mini idea because of my familiarity with it and the fact that I could re-deploy it for other purposes, or maybe make it a multi-purpose server for photos, etc., too.
So maybe it's better to choose that option. I didn't know the DNLA background, but perhaps QNAP has their own in-house version that they package with their media server. Since I'm a Mac guy (all kinds of Apple gear in the house), I thought I could configure a Mac Mini to be the media server, as long as it could stream iTunes with the needed protocol for the Russound core. The DNLA issue arose because the solution provider recommended a QNAP media server that uses DNLA to stream iTunes from it to the Russound amplifiers. So I'd rather retain that infrastructure as I move to these newer sources, and simply add the sources (via the Russound) to the back-end of the system. My house has high quality wired audio system speakers in 6 different rooms. I was only introduced to DNLA recently, when looking at a wired solution ( s-controllers/kt2-88x-controller-amplifi…) that will deliver multiple music sources (tuner, internet radio, Spotify (etc.), media server, along with traditional CD players (etc.)) to multiple zones (each zone is a set of speakers which can receive a source independent from the others). With no particular sentiments, have a look at the following.
#HOW TO USE A MAC MINI AS A SERVER TRIAL#
I would advise testing the trial versions, make sure to remove each before trying the next. You will therefore find that you may have to buy a commercial DNLA package although this will be still cheaper than say buying a multi-room Sonos setup. In other words like DNLA as a whole it is rather a mess.
#HOW TO USE A MAC MINI AS A SERVER UPDATE#
You are probably going to find many DNLA servers for the Mac are either discontinued, or semi-discontinued in that they have not had a recent update and therefore may have problems with newer versions of OS X, or only work with some clients, or do not do Transcoding well or at all. The iTunes however can be a Mac, or Windows, or an iPhone, or an iPad. Now there is a limitation with AirPlay, a single iTunes can only output via AirPlay the same content to one or more AirPlay destinations, if you want to play multiple different music tracks at the same time then this is where Sonos and similar solutions win hands down. iTunes would then stream directly to the AV Receiver using the AirPlay standard.Ī third similar approach is to get one or more AirPort Express WiFi base-stations, these have an audio out connector, you AirPlay from iTunes to the AirPort Express and it outputs via its audio connector to the attached audio device which could be speakers or an AV Receiver.
All these support Apple Lossless and all allow different rooms to play different tracks at the same time.Ī second approach is to use Apple's AirPlay standard, many AV Receivers now support AirPlay if you have a network interface on your AV Receiver which these days is either standard or an option on most. Examples of other similar systems to Sonos include Logitech Squeezebox, Roku SoundBridge (discontinued), an Apple TV3 or TV4, etc. While Sonos is the market leader there are other brands offering similar solutions. Sonos supports all the audio formats supported by iTunes including Apple Lossless which is going to be the best format to use if possible. Play:3 or you buy a Sonos Connect which allows you to plug in to an existing amplifier. With this you either buy Sonos speakers e.g. The premier approach for doing multi-room audio is to buy a Sonos system. There are other approaches which you may decide are better for you but if not then move on to the DNLA answers below.įirstly, other non-DNLA approaches. You may want to take this in to consideration when choosing a DNLA package for your Mac.īefore I get on to DNLA I would say that DNLA is old, poorly supported, poorly featured and I would advise if possible to avoid it. So if you have a mixture of DNLA clients which do not all support the same format it can convert the files for those that need it.
#HOW TO USE A MAC MINI AS A SERVER SOFTWARE#
UPnP software includes the ability to 'transcode' video and/or audio files from one format to another.
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