An Android device as a touchscreen network streamer...

[BillG]

By the way, one isn't restricted to using BubbleUPnP on an Android to set it up as a streamer. As sergeauckland has pointed out, there's Squeezebox emulation, and also my favorite media server package, Emby, is capable of being remote controlled as well...

 

[BillG]

Of course, DLNA/UPnP is also a mostly abandoned protocol

I just did a little research as I was curious as to why you would write that given the almost ubiquitous presence of the protocol: Indeed dlna.org, which was the non-profit organization behind defining the standard, dissolved as of January 2017 with a statement saying they had fulfilled their mission. However, the guidelines and test tools are still freely available on their site, and the certification program is still very much active. Also, UPnP is now being handled by the Open Connectivity Foundation.

According to some figures I've come across, there are over 6 billion DLNA certified devices in use as of 2017. So, I don't think we can call it abandoned just yet...

 

[Vincent Kars]

Can an Android tablet output digital data via the USB?

Yes.
Up to Android 4 it supported USB in accessory mode.
As USB DAC's expect a host, this didn't work
From Android 5 on, USB in host mode is supported.
Using Android 6 I couldn't get my DAC to work simple because it is 24 bits DAC and the output was obvious 16

Using Android 8 on a S8 using USB C to A and an A to B cable, the DAC played without problems.
Using Foobar Mobile I upsampled to 96 kHz, again played flawless.
Looks like 24 bit / 96 kHz is perfectly possible with Android 8

There is a little program USB Audio tester
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.sobe.usbaudio&hl=en
Tells you the capabilities of the USB audio supported by your phone

 

[ahofer]

I just did a little research as I was curious as to why you would write that given the almost ubiquitous presence of the protocol: Indeed dlna.org, which was the non-profit organization behind defining the standard, dissolved as of January 2017 with a statement saying they had fulfilled their mission. However, the guidelines and test tools are still freely available on their site, and the certification program is still very much active. Also, UPnP is now being handled by the Open Connectivity Foundation.

According to some figures I've come across, there are over 6 billion DLNA certified devices in use as of 2017. So, I don't think we can call it abandoned just yet...

I don’t pretend to be expert in these things. My son (a software engineer and security consultant) pointed out the following:

“ I hesitate to recommend anything based on DLNA and/or UPnP. The DLNA trade foundation was dissolved in 2017 and UPnP is one of the few protocolsso terrible that even Microsoft abandoned it. Shipping a product that depends on either protocol in 2019 would be terrible security malpractice. Home media servers are in a weird standards limbo these days.”

So I based my generalization on the trade foundation and Microsoft info he passed on. Re security, I’m already operating the protocol, so the cat’s out of the bag.

 

[Vincent Kars]

To the best of my knowledge, DLNA = UPnP + a couple of extensions.
From Vista on Win is fully DLNA certified.

UPnP is a pun on Plug&Play.
Indeed, networking gear discovering each other without user interference just like USB.
Nice but indeed do to a total lack of authentication, a risk over WAN.
I do use DLNA occasionally (don’t like streaming, I prefer direct playback) but I do have it disabled on the router.
So no UPnP/DLNA over internet (WAN) as far as I’m concerned..

 

[GioF71]

@Vincent Kars
While I agree with you, I would like to hear your recommendation for a home setup for storing, indexing and serving music to multiple endpoints.
Excluding Roon

 

[Vincent Kars]

DLNA

Simply because of its wide support.
My PC, NAS, Android Phone, Smart TV, all support this protocol.

 

[GioF71]

OK, same for me. Including the security concerns. I use bubbleupnp server to access my library via a VPN (no public access).
I was under the impression you had something different to suggest.
BTW, what application do you use for the library? I am using MinimServer as my main library and one instance of MiniDLNA with very few files, so (e.g.) I can immediately a new cd-rip to any of my renderers.

 

[Vincent Kars]

I have all audio on a external USB drive attached to my router.
Using file sharing I maintain my collection using MusicBee.

 

[BillG]

UPnP is one of the few protocols so terrible that even Microsoft abandoned it.

I'm not an expert in it either. However, DLNA and UPnP are both still available in Windows 10 for media streaming. As a matter of fact, I've even used the facilities on occasion. As for any security concerns regarding either, I've heard of none. But then again, Windows (any version) isn't an OS I engineer software professionally for, and I've no real need to keep a close eye on its security issues...

 

[somebodyelse]

@Vincent Kars
While I agree with you, I would like to hear your recommendation for a home setup for storing, indexing and serving music to multiple endpoints.
Excluding Roon

Squeezebox/logitechmediaserver gets my vote. It'll interoperate with Chromecast, UPnP/DLNA and a bunch of others, and the custom indexing options mean you can arrange things as you prefer.

 

[graz_lag]

... I am using MinimServer ...

Here the same for me, it is really the best Media Server among the free ones ...

Hi-Fi Cast Music Player might be seen as a valid alternative to BubbleUPnP as Android control point.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.findhdmusic.app.upnpcast&hl=en

 

[graz_lag]

Squeezebox/logitechmediaserver gets my vote. It'll interoperate with Chromecast, UPnP/DLNA and a bunch of others, and the custom indexing options mean you can arrange things as you prefer.

I've been a Squeezebox aficionado for many years, however since Logitech has discontinued the hardware players, there is no support from hardware vendors.
I am not aware of an hardware streamer that currently supports LMS, they are all based on UPnP.

 

[Berwhale]

I've been using Plex for years (I bought a lifetime Plexpass in 2013). The Music library functionality has steadily improved over the years - especially if you have a Plexpass... https://support.plex.tv/articles/205744257-getting-started-with-plex-music/

I have Plex Media Player clients on my Samsung TV, Nvidia Shield, Android phones & tablets, a Roku box and various PCs. I can also cast from Plex to my Chromecast Audio.

 

[BillG]

Hi-Fi Cast Music Player might be seen as a valid alternative

I've Hi-Fi Cast installed as well on my Androids; It's a more aesthetically pleasing app than Bubble. However, it doesn't include any facility for networked control and playback, which would make it useless for streamer duties on an Android in the way that I've outlined...

 

[graz_lag]

I've Hi-Fi Cast installed as well on my Androids; It's a more aesthetically pleasing app than Bubble. However, it doesn't include any facility for networked control and playback, which would make it useless for streamer duties on an Android in the way that I've outlined...

You're exactly right, it is sooooooooo difficult to stay 100% on track with the OP content ... especially if one follows the sinuous flow of post contents ...

 

[ahofer]

Here the same for me, it is really the best Media Server among the free ones ...

Hi-Fi Cast Music Player might be seen as a valid alternative to BubbleUPnP as Android control point.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.findhdmusic.app.upnpcast&hl=en

+1 for Minimserver. Light, flexible, reliable.

 

[somebodyelse]

I've been a Squeezebox aficionado for many years, however since Logitech has discontinued the hardware players, there is no support from hardware vendors.
I am not aware of an hardware streamer that currently supports LMS, they are all based on UPnP.

Was there ever any hardware vendor support for streamers apart from squeezebox/logitech? A Raspberry Pi with PiCorePlayer makes a great streamer with a better record of long term support than almost all hardware vendors, and works with a wide range of DACs. If you've got UPnP/DLNA devices the server will interoperate with them, with more capability than many DLNA servers. I've been keeping an eye out for alternatives in case it dies a death, but so far the community support is putting many companies to shame, and I've not found anything that would suit me better.

UPnP interoperability is a lottery. DLNA is somewhat better in that it at least defines a minimal set of common standards. Unfortunately some of the things I consider important aren't in that minimal set, and it's often hard to find out whether a device supports them. Gapless playback and multi-device synchronisation are a couple of examples where you need support from all devices involved. LMS sync isn't great, but it's close enough for multi-room.

Unfortunately the industry trend in consumer audio seems to be proprietary, rather than trying to fix interoperability in common standards. I'm not a fan of walled gardens or arbitrary limitations. The pro audio options for networked audio delivery look much more to my taste. Rolling my own with gstreamer is another option - I must find time to see how well the clock sync works over wifi.

 

[graz_lag]

... with PiCorePlayer ...

I am an user of the SBCs from Odroid so was not aware of this piCorePlayer for Raspberry Pi, thank you so much for the input.

 

[BillG]

+1 for Minimserver. Light, flexible, reliable.

I've auditioned Minimserver in the past as well, and even liked it. However, I found Emby to offer an overall better user experience. By the way, it's another application that can be used for turning an Android device into a network streamer as it can be remote controlled (but only within an Emby environment)...

Emby Android on my phone: