Announce: Whitebear Media Server v2.2 Released

[NogNeetMachinaal]

At a basic level, the LMS/SBS DLNA plug-in does the same thing as Whitebear; but IMHO the plug-in is not compatible with some Control Points and Renderers, and it lacks features too. But if the LMS/SBS DLNA plug-in works for you please use it; whereas if it doesn't, disable the plug-in and use Whitebear instead.

Ah - ok. This helps. :-)

So if I disable the plugin on LMS and install Whitebear, which application serves which request? And how do these two communicate with each other - if at all?

For example, are the Squeezeboxes served by LMS (for example due to the sync-ing).
And the DLNA requests served by Whitebear? Because Whitebear can not keep Squeezeboxes in sync?

Do you understand what I'm trying to figure out?

Does Whitebear have some sort of an interface to configure things. For example to enable or disable broadcasting on all interfaces? Or to configure the transcoding.

[AndrewFG]

So if I disable the plugin on LMS and install Whitebear, which application serves which request? And how do these two communicate with each other - if at all?

Whitebear provides a UPnP/DLNA open system front end to LMS/SBS proprietary back end. And yes, of course Whitebear talks to LMS/SBS (it uses the "CLI" interface)

For example, are the Squeezeboxes served by LMS (for example due to the sync-ing).
And the DLNA requests served by Whitebear?

The Squeezeboxes are independent devices on the network. The Control Point sends UPnP/DLNA player commands to Whitebear, which in turn sends CLI commands to LMS/SBS, which in turn sends low level proprietray commands to the players. If the command is "play this Url" then the Squeezebox may contact the remote server and download and play that track.

Because Whitebear can not keep Squeezeboxes in sync?

Unfortunately the UPnP/DLNA standard has no functionality for synchronised playing. (Except trivially the Control Point can send the same Play To command to more than one player...)

Does Whitebear have some sort of an interface to configure things. For example to enable or disable broadcasting on all interfaces? Or to configure the transcoding.

Yes. Although UPnP advertisements are sent on all interfaces and there is no function to disable that. And UPnP/DLNA transcoding works by the server (Whitebear) "offerring" multiple formats, and the client selecting its preferred choice from those offers; so the configuration just determines which formats are offerred in which order.

[AndrewFG]

This confirms my suspicion that the problem is on the side of your codecs. And not a problem with Whitebear.

Hi Wigster,

I found you a solution. I sent you a PM explaining it.
Please test it, and if it works, I will publish it here.

[AndrewFG]

Setting up Windows Media Player 12 to play FLAC files to a UPnP/DLNA Renderer (Player) via the "Play To" command

Note: the following only works on Windows Media Player 12 running on Windows 7 or Vista

1) Uninstall any previously installed DirectShow codecs related to playing FLAC files; reboot the PC to make sure all is clean.

2) Install WMP Tag Plus http://bmproductions.fixnum.org/wmptagplus/ on your PC; reboot the PC to make sure all is clean.

3) Install this Windows Media Foundation codec http://sourceforge.net/projects/mfflac/files/ on your PC; reboot the PC to make sure all is clean. Note: in my experience it is important to install the codec after installing WMP Tag Plus (probably because both apps make changes to the Windows registry, and the last change sticks).

4a) In Windows Media Player | Organise | Manage libraries | Music => Remove your music folder | Ok
4b) In Windows Media Player | Organise | Manage libraries | Music => Add your (same) music folder | Ok -- wait until the library has reloaded itself...

5) In Windows Media Player | Stream | Automatically allow devices to play my media

6) In Windows Media Player, select a flac file and Play To | Player (by Whitebear) -- for example

7a) Only if 6) does not work: In Windows Media Player | Stream | More streaming options | All Networks | click "unknown device" and if its MAC address is that of your Squeeze box, then Customise | Make all of the media in my library available to this device.

7b) Only if 6) still does not work: In Windows Media Player | Stream | More streaming options | All Networks | for Your Player (by Whitebear) | Customise | Make all of the media in my library available to this device.


Edit: if you are brave and willing there is a new beta version of WMP Tag Plus here http://bmproductions.fixnum.org/links/?linkid=5 that fixes a couple of bugs.

PS if you have already installed WMP Tag Plus and the MFFLAC codec as described above, and also want to use the Play To command for FLAC files from Windows Explorer, you will have to make the following changes/additions in your registry -- WARNING: all the usual caveats about messing with your registry apply!!

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.flac]
@="WMP11.AssocFile.FLAC"
"Content Type"="audio/flac"
"PerceivedType"="audio"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\WMP11.AssocFile.FLAC\shellex\Con textMenuHandlers\PlayTo]
@="{7AD84985-87B4-4a16-BE58-8B72A5B390F7}"

[bsmith1051]

I have LMS 7.7.2 and a Logitech Radio, and have now added a Sony DLNA-compliant box to my home stereo. Using any of the myriad DLNA/UPnP apps on my Android phone, I can see LMS as an available server and both the Sony and the Logitech Radio as available renderers. Isn't this the functionality that Whitebear is supposed to add?

[AndrewFG]

Isn't this the functionality that Whitebear is supposed to add?

Yes, LMS added this in v7.7 (or v7.6 I don't recall). But Whitebear had it first !!
So you have two options: a) use the LMS UPnP/DLNA plugin, or b) use Whitebear.
IMHO Whitebear still provides better functionality, and faster and mor dynamic support.

[batka]

Hi Andrew!

I wonder whether is it possible to use Whitebear with a remote Squeezebox Server?

I mean this:
My Squeezebox Server runs on a Linux box (OpenSUSE 12.1).
Then from the Windows PC, I would control the Squeezebox through UPNP, using Whitebear.
It is working if the Whitebear runs on same server as the Squeezebox Server.

Currently, if I understand correctly, Whitebear controls Squeezebox Server only if it is running on same server. In Whitebear settings, the Squeezbox Server HTTP and CLI port can be specified.
However it would be a great feature if the IP also could be specified, so that Whitebear would connect to remote Squeezebox Server.

What do you think?
Thanks
Gyorgy

[AndrewFG]

I wonder whether is it possible to use Whitebear with a remote Squeezebox Server?
However it would be a great feature if the IP also could be specified, so that Whitebear would connect to remote Squeezebox Server.

Unfortunately this is not possible because Whitebear also needs direct access to the file system on the PC where the SBS music library is located.

[Morph666]

Hello, and Thanks for a great program!

I really like Xbmc and I really like squeezebox. What would be great is to use xbmc in normal way to play music and send the music to squeezebox. Is this possible in any way? Sorry if i explaine badly. :-)

There is an option to add external player in xbmc:

://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=External_players

[AndrewFG]

What would be great is to use xbmc in normal way to play music and send the music to squeezebox. Is this possible in any way?

Yes xbmc should be able to Play To your Squeezebox (by Whitebear).
You need to check that it is a fairly recent version that has the capability to stream files as PCM. Otherwise it will only be able to play MP3.