Unraid flac media server


Scancell

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Hi guys...

 

I have tried to search for hours but can not find what i am looking for. The case is like this:

 

I have now a Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4 with 2x3TB with my flac collection on and playing on my Bluesound Node and it works great.

Server setup raid 1 (mirror) for safety.

 

SO...i have now setup a Unraid server and want to do the same from this server. What apps do i use that can handle this?

I have read about Roon but sounds very expensive, is there anything i can install on my Unraid server that do the job?

 

My Unraid server is 1TB SSD cache and 3x4TB drives with one for parity. And the server is a HP Microserver Gen 8 with xenn cpu and 16GB of ram.

 

Please help me!

 

Jan, Norway

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Maybe i should point out that i will only need to stream flac music at home, do not need web based playing.

 

As i have it now with the Bluesound Powernode 2i i use Bluesound app to feed the Powernode fom the NAS server.

I need something that can do the same now, a server on unraid that feeds the Bluesound Powernode that i control with a bluesound app.

 

Hope you uderstand what i want :)

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3 hours ago, sdamaged said:

You can use Dsub via docker.  It can be configured to direct stream FLAC without reconverting to MP3.  I've used this before for my 1.2TB FLAC collection

Thank you for answering. Cant find the Dsub…can you please tell me more about this and where i can find it?

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@Scancell Does the Bluesound Node support DLNA?  (the product's web pages are seriously lacking in useful information regarding the network streaming protocols that may be supported, and the manual tells me even less.)

 

If so then take a look at Minidlna or Serviio in Community Applications (install that first as a plugin if you don't have it).  Also there you will find Twonky Server which may also work for you.  In Community Applications just search for dlna and you should be able to find these.  

 

Edit: I also see that the player should be able to read files directly from a Samba share, in which case you may not need any additional software at all to access music files from an Unraid share on your home network. See here... https://support.bluos.net/hc/en-us/articles/360000469948--How-do-I-connect-music-on-my-NAS-PC-or-iTunes-Shared-Music-to-BluOS-

 

Edited by S80_UK
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@S80_UK Here is whats running on my old NAS now that i want to migrate to Unraid. This is what it says in admin and it works with my Bluesound Powernode 2i now.

 

 - ReadyDLNA, enables playback of videos, music and pictures from DLNA/UPnP AV network media players.

 

So it seems like it supports what you are saying. So what will be the best solution to this?

I see that Roon is very good but cost some, does this give me better sound quality or sound output?

 

Here is what it looks like now: 

NAS.jpg

Edited by Scancell
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So that is a DLNA server and the options that I suggested are broadly similar and therefore should work.  minidlna might be a good place to start, at least to prove that it can work.

 

Roon is for those who want in depth information on albums, artists, etc. and offers a potentially better media browsing experience.   I tried it, but decided that for me it was not worth the cost.  It may claim audio quality benefits - but a good DLNA client and server can stream bit-accurate audio gaplessly, so I am sceptical regarding any additional audio benefit from Roon.  

 

One important point to note is that the media browsing and selection options are heavily determined by the DLNA server application and not by the player or the control point / media broswer (if that is separate).  Thus, some DLNA software will only let you see a list of 500 artists as a single long list - whereas others (Twonky Server, for example) allow custom search trees, and indexed searches (such as A, B, C, D or ABC, DEF, GHI as a first menu level) which can make life a lot easier.  There really is no substitute for trying different server applications with your own player and your own music library. 

 

I use Twonky for FLAC streaming, but not the exact version found from Community Applications.  I just happen to have been running mine as a process started up from the "go" file on my Unraid flash drive, and I've been doing it that way for the past 10 years, long before Docker was available as a means of running third party applications under Unraid.   I also run another DLNA server called AssetUPnP, but again I run that more or less from the command line, not via Docker.

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Which is best for you? I honestly cannot say.  So much is down to your library, any other tools that you use for control or media management, personal preference, etc.  It's also possible that the media player (your Bluesound Node) might also expose strengths or weaknesses in different server programs.  I am more familiar with Twonky Server than the others, I suppose, but that might require you to buy a license after a period of time.  minidlna is completely free as far as I know.  As said before, the best way is to try.  At least being able to do that using Docker makes it relatively easy.  

Edited by S80_UK
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Thank you for the tip but i have 3TB of flac files :) Most of my collection have album art but inn various quality.

And some dont, but it will be a huge job to do this, thank you for letting me know.

 

BTW - does anyone know if i use the Roonàn server will it be free? Or do i have to pay to use their app to controll the server?

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