• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

AAC - Renderer/DAC Device

sibi1865

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2021
Messages
42
Likes
24
Hello all,

With the BBC updating URLs for its Radio stations (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/supported-devices/internet-radio-closure), I've been trying to get MPEG-DASH and HLS streams to work this week. I've had some success, but my renderer doesn't support AAC, and I have to transcode AAC to WAV, which then only allows me two hours of play before I have to start play again.

Would anyone be able to recommend a renderer or renderer/DAC that supports AAC? If it's a multi-input/DAC device, from discussions I've seen on this forum, I'd prefer something that doesn't support MQA.

Many thanks!
 

Jimbob54

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
11,067
Likes
14,700
I have not seen any DAC that supports compressed bitstreams. That is supposed to be done by the host computer, not the DAC.

I was confused by the term "renderer" in this context too.

Regardless of format, I have noticed internet radio played through both Roon and also direct to my Cambridge CXN v2 streamer seems to stop after a (variable) period of time.
 
OP
S

sibi1865

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2021
Messages
42
Likes
24
Apologies; I don't think the term renderer is used much! I use the term myself after using the BCD REFStream "ethernet renderer" for a number of years now. Probably "network bridge" is more common.
 

julian_hughes

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
657
Likes
901
Hello all,

With the BBC updating URLs for its Radio stations (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/supported-devices/internet-radio-closure), I've been trying to get MPEG-DASH and HLS streams to work this week. I've had some success, but my renderer doesn't support AAC, and I have to transcode AAC to WAV, which then only allows me two hours of play before I have to start play again.

Would anyone be able to recommend a renderer or renderer/DAC that supports AAC? If it's a multi-input/DAC device, from discussions I've seen on this forum, I'd prefer something that doesn't support MQA.

Many thanks!


Have a look at minimserver and minimstreamer.

https://minimserver.com/
https://minimstreamer.com/
https://minimstreamer.com/bbcradio.html

Minimserver is what I've been using for several years to serve all my audio files, and the minimstreamer component has allowed me to continue to listen to BBC Radio's DASH and HLS streams since the changeover a few years ago. You can set up minimstreamer to automatically convert DASH or HLS to wav or pcm and you should find there is no time or size limit.
 
OP
S

sibi1865

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2021
Messages
42
Likes
24
Thanks!

I've also been using MinimServer for a number of years now for my audio files, and I set up MinimStreamer just this week for BBC Radio DASH or HLS. According to Simon Nash at MinimSever, however, there's a size limit on WAV, and I now know that my REFStream imposes its own smaller size limit, which equates to 2 hrs before I have to replay. Whilst not the biggest problem in the world, I wondered what ASR members may be using that supports AAC.
 
Top Bottom