Squeezelite Player for Stream Output

[bpa]

No it's not about syncing, it's about having a player run 24/7 and simply switch into its current output if needed, without affecting its playing and where it plays at this moment.

How is this NOT syncing one player against a master player ? whatis the difference between what you want and syncing ?

a VLC http stream or wavinput will only support one connection ? do you only want one player to connect the vlc / wavin stream at time ?

[Labmaster]

How is this NOT syncing one player against a master player ? whatis the difference between what you want and syncing ?

The difference is, that the stream is selected by simply choosing a favorite from the favorite list then.

I was not aware that vlc can not do multicast streams, so anyway i would need another streaming option then.

[bpa]

The difference is, that the stream is selected by simply choosing a favorite from the favorite list then.

OK - I know understand how you would like the system to work.
I think by using Group player and sync to a "master" - it'll be as easy as using a Favorite.

I was not aware that vlc can not do multicast streams, so anyway i would need another streaming option then.

This is not "multicasting" - it is the support of multiple separate HTTP/TCP connections but same content.

VLC and wavin will only support one "user" of the source at at time. In the case of wavin - the input device is "owned" by one application while data is being read from it..

[bpa]

If you really do not like Group player or cannot see how it can be used, Pulseaudio might be an alternative where the "master" Squeezelite streams to a pulseaudio sink and waveinput connected to a pulse audio source connected to same sink.

I think (but needs to be checked in docs) Pulseaudio can be configured so that multiple users can "play" from same source - I avoid Pulseaudio whenever possible as using it with waveinput always gave me headaches. It feels very complicated.

[d6jg]

yes, it's a kind of loopback, but for good reason.

For my multizone home audio installation i want to have this zone running all the time in the background, where i could for example add, remove an replace spottify playlists.

With my smarthome installation, for each zone (normally room) i am able to start/stop/select each entry from the LMS favorites by simple clicks on buttons at the wall.
Sometimes zones are even started by presence detectors mounted in the rooms (eg at the restrooms and bathrooms)

If i directly place the playlists in the favorites it will always start at the beginning, always hearing the same again an again on every start.
So having this special zone always running in the background it would offer to enter mostly at different positions but still be in sync with the other zone using the same special source.

Looking at this a different way. Have you considered assigning randomplay to a favourite?

This
randomplay://track?genres=Rock&dontContinue=1
for example will randomly select X tracks with genre tag "Rock" where X is defined in Random Play settings.
After X I allow LastMix/DSTM to take over but you could then add whatever you want whenever you want.
The favourite is therefore hardly ever going to be the same unless you choose a very specific genre with very few tracks in it.

[bpa]

The favourite is therefore hardly ever going to be the same unless you choose a very specific genre with very few tracks in it.

But won't it be different on each player - I thought the OP wanted the same audio as well as not restarted at same point.

[Labmaster]

Looking at this a different way. Have you considered assigning randomplay to a favourite?

I really do not want a random play, but instead big playlists (that goes for hours and then starts from the beginning)

For example, one playlist consists of 5 bird sounds each between 2 to 8 hours long. (so a random play would not help that much)
This playlist is mainly used for bathrooms and spa area and activated by the presence detectors in this rooms.
Other playlists are specific atmosphere sounds that even goes for hours each.

Another thing is, that i need to start this by simply choosing a favorite, as this is the method how the room control system is doing it.

I think by using Group player and sync to a "master" - it'll be as easy as using a Favorite.

Is there a way to sync and unsync to another player without disturbing it's audio output.
Every time i sync to a running player or already grouped players there is a hickup on there outputs, this would be no option then, even if i would find a way to get the room control system doing this.

[bpa]

Is there a way to sync and unsync to another player without disturbing it's audio output.
Every time i sync to a running player or already grouped players there is a hickup on there outputs, this would be no option then, even if i would find a way to get the room control system doing this.

No. syncing will always require a small stop to load each player buffer and then tell each player to start at the same audio sample. If all the player have same capabilities and network is fast, it shouldn't be too long.
If you don't sync and play the same stream in different rooms - there will be small differences which may be more annoying if they are in earshot of each other.

Alternative could be to have all players playing and synced but each have individual mute control.

[Labmaster]

So syncing is not a solution for me.
My initial idea of having loopback players is the way to go, but i still do not know exactly how.

When using waveinput the problem to get solved is to have the squeezelite output feed into a virtual audio input that can be routed to waveinput, right ?
Can't "Jack" ( https://jackaudio.org/ ) be used for getting both connected ? (just googled it, so forgive me if this is totally stupid)

EDIT:
it seems snd-aloop (alsa loopback device) might be a solution ?

[bpa]

When using waveinput the problem to get solved is to have the squeezelite output feed into a virtual audio input that can be routed to waveinput, right ?

No - since I assume the virtual audio input device can only be opened once and so supply one player, waveinput cannot be the basis to your solution

Can't "Jack" ( https://jackaudio.org/ ) be used for getting both connected ? (just googled it, so forgive me if this is totally stupid)

I think Pulseaudio might be a better fit than Jack. If you are not familiar with Jack or Pulseaudio - you need to do a lot of reading first as you can waste a lot of time as there are a lot of "gotchas".

I cannot understand your objection to the slight delay in syncing players.
If you turn on the stream where you cannot hear the main source - then you won't notice a slight delay.
If you can already hear the main source when you turn on the main stream on a new player - then you'll notice the difference between the local & main stream and that will annoy you.