Wiim local file experience.

[SuperDerpBro]

I am considering finally buying a wiim. However I do not sub to any music streaming services. Well, i have accounts on some but northing payed. No plans to change this. I only play local files. I've tried to, but I cannot find a single video that details what the local file experience is like. Its all about the services. Anyone know of a vid that shows it?

Suppose I could just return it if I don't like it, but I hate returning things that are not defective. heh.

 

[Chazz6]

The function of the Wiim device is to receive digital audio from a source that sends the file or stream onto your home wifi network. The Wiim either converts the digital audio to analog if it has a DAC built in, or it passes the digital stream to a DAC. Then into your audio system.

You don't need to use any app that Wiim provides. If you have a Windows PC, for example, the near-free Minimserver software will send a local file, or a stream coming in from the Internet, onto your home network, and the Wiim will receive it.

You don't need to be at your PC. With the near-free BubbleUPnP app on your Android phone or tablet, you can choose which file or Internet stream you want to play. BubbleUPnP tells Minimserver, and it is done.

 

[SuperDerpBro]

There are even less videos (basically none) showing the experience of those paid apps. I also don't use Android.

Guess ill just stick to Daphile/Material on a small PC :/

 

[Lord Magus]

You can use Plex! Wiim has good Plex support. It's free, setup a Plex Media Server in your pc and connect to the same network Wiim is connected to.

 

[SuperDerpBro]

My unRAID box does run PLEX in a docker. Mostly just use it so my mother can stream British shows I DL for her, lol. I cant stand using it to watch movies. It cannot run MadVR, among a few other things.

I actually played around with PLEXAmp the other day. How does the Wiim handle it?

 

[Lord Magus]

I never used it for movies, only music. It works very well, has the same UI as other services in the Wiim App

 

[Nordling]

I connected a 2 TB external ssd hard drive filled with FLAC files to my Fritzbox internet router. It has it's own media server which supports UPnP. It appears in my WiiM Pro Plus and Matrix Mini-i 4 streamers. I'm using this setup as my main music source for more than a year now and I'm very content with it. It is stable and has never let me down.

 

[Berwhale]

My unRAID box does run PLEX in a docker. Mostly just use it so my mother can stream British shows I DL for her, lol. I cant stand using it to watch movies. It cannot run MadVR, among a few other things.

I actually played around with PLEXAmp the other day. How does the Wiim handle it?

My Wiim Pro Plus has a native Plex client and works well with Plex server, however, it's not a native Plex endpoint yet, which means that you cannot Plexcast to it from the PlexAmp. This feature is in active development...

Features We're Actively Working on

• Support App Widgets on iOS and Android
• Per-Output EQ
• Enhanced Internet Radio (WiiM Radio)
• Improved Custom URL
• Native Plex Control Protocol for the native Plex endpoint
• New Amazon Music API
• Improved Room Correction

WiiM Pro and Pro Plus Roadmap

Updated on Oct 4, 2024 What we're working on … We want to give you visibility into some of the features we are working on. For a complete list of released features, please refer to our official release notes. If you want to make a feature...

faq.wiimhome.com

To be clear, you can cast to the Wiim from the main Plex app because the Wiim is a Chromecast endpoint. But then you don't get the nice music oriented experience that PlexAmp app brings.

So for now, PlexAmp headless running on an RPi4 works better in my bedroom setup... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/plexamp-headless.51669/

 

[linuxfan]

Guess I'll just stick to Daphile/Material on a small PC

WiiM Pro will act as an LMS endpoint (in addition to DLNA).
WiiM Mini will only act as a DLNA endpoint, but you can still use it with LMS by installing the "UpNP/DLNA Bridge" plugin on your LMS server - in your case Daphile.

My unRAID box does run PLEX in a docker.

I think PLEX is overkill for audio, but you can also install binhex-minidlna on unRAID. Then your unRAID box will be a DLNA server.
If your phone/tablet is iOS, there are several DLNA control apps available - JPLAY and mconnect Player spring to mind ...
... though I don't think you will like them compared to Material Skin.

 

[Vincent Kars]

WiiM works using plain file sharing , no need for UPnP.

Adding and Accessing SMB Shared Files in the WiiM Home App

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction to SMB (Samba) Benefits of Using SMB (Samba) with WiiM Add a SMB Shared Folder in WiiM Home App Access the Added Shared Folder Later Support for Playlist Files (M3U8 & PLS) Add Custom Album Artwork in Your...

faq.wiimhome.com

 

[linuxfan]

WiiM works using plain file sharing

That's great! They didn't have that option last time I looked.
I suppose you have to use the WiiM Home app to control.

 

[linuxfan]

So @SuperDerpBro, for playing your local music library (which I will guess is stored on your unRAID box) to a WiiM endpoint, your options are;
- direct SMB share access, using the WiiM Home app as player interface. Nothing to install.
- DLNA sharing, using a DLNA control app as player interface. Need to install a DLNA server on the unRAID box.
- DLNA sharing, but using an LMS/Material Skin player interface. Need to install LMS with DLNA bridge plugin on the unRAID box.

 

[Berwhale]

So @SuperDerpBro, for playing your local music library (which I will guess is stored on your unRAID box) to a WiiM endpoint, your options are;
- direct SMB share access, using the WiiM Home app as player interface. Nothing to install.
- DLNA sharing, using a DLNA control app as player interface. Need to install a DLNA server on the unRAID box.
- DLNA sharing, but using an LMS/Material Skin player interface. Need to install LMS with DLNA bridge plugin on the unRAID box.

And Plex, as they are already running it on the UnRAID box.

 

[Brian Hall]

I have a Plex server on a mini PC running Linux to serve my ripped CD collection. It works great because there is a Plex app for almost every device I use (Android tablets, Android phone, Chromebooks, Chromebox, Linux PCs, Wiim Pro Plus, Wiim Ultra, Fire TV sticks, Xbox Series X). The exception is the Eversolo DMP-A6 (it works with the UPnP selection in the Eversolo app).

 

[MrBlueSky4470]

Using services like Spotify connect with WiiM works great, but playing local files through the WiiM app is a kind of unpleasant experience. The app cuts album and title names instead of using multiple lines (like other apps do: foobar2000, ...). Unfortunately WiiM seems to refuse to solve this issue.

 

[Brian Hall]

Using services like Spotify connect with WiiM works great, but playing local files through the WiiM app is a kind of unpleasant experience. The app cuts album and title names instead of using multiple lines (like other apps do: foobar2000, ...). Unfortunately WiiM seems to refuse to solve this issue.

It looks fine to me:

 

[MrBlueSky4470]

If you look for super short album names then yes. But not everything is short like that. Makes it hard to pick the release I want to listen to.

 

[Brian Hall]

 

[Brian Hall]

Switch to a tablet if you need longer names.

 

[MrBlueSky4470]

Typically people use a smartphone. I'm not at my computer desk when I listen to music. And other apps use multiple lines, just the WiiM app doesn't / can't. No use looking for excuses.