DLNA or Squeezebox

Hello All

I have been looking at the Squeezebox touch for some time. I am interested in converting my cd’s to a lossless format and listening to digital music in my system. Which seems very convenient compared to shuffling CD’s.
It seems that more devices are supporting the DLNA protocol. Before I invest in a Squeezebox I was curious to any opinions about using the DLNA to accomplish what I want.

Thanks Bob

DLNA is a standard for file sharing, but the device you use to access it is going to be a significant factor. Lots of DLNA-compliant devices exist, each with different capabilities for audio files, image files, and video files. FLAC is probably the logical choice for lossless audio, although there are some other options (lossless WMA, Apple Lossless, WAV, ...).

If you do the Squeezebox, one advantage is that it is fairly turnkey. You have to rip all your CD's, but the rest of the setup is straightforward - use the software they provide, and away you go. This is similar to the AppleTV, which is also locked in to one software package (iTunes) and one hardware platform. The AppleTV can be controlled from an iPhone or iPod Touch, which is good because the AppleTV remote has barely half a dozen or so buttons (far too few to be truly useful, in my opinion).

When using DLNA, you have more choices - and thus more decisions to make. Most of the DLNA servers are Windows apps. Some are free, while others will cost you some money. Features vary, as does performance. You also have to decide on a network player. DLNA devices have been growing steadily more common. There aren't a lot of standalone DLNA clients, but it's part of a lot of TV's, surround receivers, game consoles, and BD players. The OPPO Digital BDP-83 and BDP-80 disc players both offer some DLNA support, but can't support any lossless audio formats (which makes them less than ideal for this sort of application). There are rumors that the BDP-93 will offer more capabilities in this regard (possibly including FLAC), but we won't know for sure if that really happens until the player is received (possibly in November or December).

Thanks Gonk. Can you you purchase tracks from Itunes in Apple lossless? Bob

Not as far as I know. Also, it is worth noting that iTunes does not offer any sort of native support for FLAC - you'd need to settle on ripping your CD's to Apple Lossless, and you'd probably need to find a way to convert FLAC files purchased elsewhere before you could use them with iTunes and an AppleTV.

That is interesting that ITunes does not support the purchase of lossless. I guess it makes some sense with the standard use being Ipod and ear buds, the extra resolution may not be needed.

In any case, seems like SB is hard to beat at this point for my application. Bob

The lack of any reasonably extensive lossless download libraries is very frustrating to me given that I have a music server (which happens to be an Apple TV). I really don't care about the type of lossless code because converting from one code to another is easy with the right program. But, the lack of an extensive lossless library (such as is available in the MP3 library on ITunes), makes downloading those timeless, standard, favorite, and one-hit-wonder lossless tracks basically impossible. Therefore, unless I am missing something, the only way to get those lossless tracks into a music server system is to purchase the entire CD. Admittedly, this is good for my pocket book, but bad for the artists and my music library because it eliminates my spontaneous single track purchases as I generally avoid purchasing MP3s.

Ed

the industry does better selling you the CD than the MP3.

I am wondering if there is anything new on the market for DLNA streaming? I have ripped most of my CD collection to Flac on my PC using DBPoweramp. I would like a device which will install in my HT rack and connect to my 950 using coax or optical digital for the PCM stream. The device should be able to decode Flac so I don’t have to transcode at the server. Wireless is not important. The Squeezebox Touch looks good but I bet there are other options now. What about the WD TV live product, although I really don't care about the video portion?

As a side question, I am surprised at the popularity of local video streaming. Music I can understand since tracks are frequently repeated and the time period for each track is short. A movie can last 2 hours and thus does not seem too onerous to place a DVD into the player for movie night.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Bob

I stream movies using the Roku box and have gotten rid of HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and some other "Movie" channels because they all show the same stuff over and over. The variety on Netflix is pretty good and gets better the more you rate the movies. Of course it doesn't match the bluray experience but its as good as satellite in most cases.

Yes I can see your point for Internet streaming using a service. I do this now for Netflix and it's great. My point above was local streaming, where folks are asking to rip their movies on a central media hub. I guess this would be valuable for home movies.

>The variety on Netflix is pretty good and gets better the more you rate the movies.<
Is that true? Thus the more movies I rate the more that will show up for instant viewing? I did not know this. Bob



Bob

>I stream movies using the Roku box<
I noticed Roku has a news stream of some sort for CNN and others. Is it just taped shows or is CNN streamed live?

Thanks Bob

The Squeezebox Touch is a good option. I have one and I use it to stream HDTracks downloads and ripped CDs. I also use my Oppo BDP93 for this too. The advantage of the Oppo is you can see more choices on the screen. Also, Logitech is offering a special addition Transporter for $1300.00 if you have the cash. I think what makes it an SE is the big knob in the center is gone. While I really like my Transporter SE, if you choose to use the digital output of the Squeezebox instead of the internal DAC and analog output, there is really no reason to get the Transporter.