What Devices Work with Crossfade When Streaming / Casting

[richiefinger]

Are there any devices that MM5/MMA can stream to and crossfade still works?
I have 2 Yamaha Musiccast WXAD-10 (DLNA) a Chromecast Audio and Chromecast HD.
None of these work with crossfade.

[richiefinger]

It seems that my Yamaha Musiccast WXAD-10 (DLNA) or my Chromecast Audio or my Chromecast HD don't work with crossfade when streaming from MM5.
Are there any devices that crossfade works on when streaming / casting from MM5 / MMA?

Must be capable of streaming FLAC files, ideally up to 24 bit

[Lowlander]

It's up to the device to provide crossfading or any playback modifications. MediaMonkey just serves the files to the device, the device takes care of playback.

[richiefinger]

I was asking if anyone knows of such a device?

[richiefinger]

So I've been "casting" to a pair of Sonos Play 3 speakers as a stereo pair. Although they show up as two identically named devices in MM5 under the cast icon, they will play as a stereo pair if I choose the correct one (top one in the list).
However I'm noticing that crossfade doesn't work, neither does "strip silence at beginning and end" work.
Unlike my previous speaker setup I know that the Sonos speakers will work with crossfade (if choosing it from the Sonos app).
So what's up?
If Sonos is capable of it and MM5 is playing it on wired speakers, where does the problem lie?

I've now tried Apple TV, various Chromecasts, Yamaha Musiccasts and now Sonos.

It seems to me that MM5 DOES NOT SUPPORT crossfade when casting.
I'd rather MM just say this then say its the receivers problem, as I still haven't had any examples of a streaming speaker/receiver that does support it. I'm happy to be proved wrong but until someone gives me an actual example of this working I'm afraid this is something that needs to be looked at and not fobbed off as a 3rd party problem.
All these problems will vanish if MM Mac ever arrives as I can just cast the whole system via Airplay, but I won't hold my breath

[Ludek]

You are true, it's not currently possible with any client.

The MM5 support is being tracked as https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=11716

Trying to do some research it seems that SetNextAVTransportURI isn't widely supported by renderers (minimum of DLNA/UPnP renderers support it) and in addition the Chromecast devices does not support gapless playback either.
But one can still play gapless using a gapless desktop music player that sends its audio output as a single PCM stream (eg foobar2000 with foo_out_upnp).

So the universal solution for MM5 would be to do what the foobar2000 with foo_out_upnp plugin does, i.e. single PCM stream as audio output.

I briefly tested the plugin and upon selecting the output as DLNA renderer the info on the renderer is only "foobar2000 audio stream", not seekable, not artwork etc.
I suppose that if we want to take the same approach with MM5 then it should be configurable and maybe similarly like in foobar2000 belongs rather to "Audio Ouput" config.

I've noted your feature request here: https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view ... 716#c60768

[richiefinger]

Appreciate the answer. Would have been nice not to have been given wrong info when I first asked it though.

Yes I'm guessing that individual tracks Vs entire stream will always have pros and cons for both sides..

If the problem is outside of MM then that's fair enough.
I know airplay is a different approach but using the whole stream method works well when I've used it. Solves replay gain, cross-fade, cut silence etc.

Now if you can explain why Sonos speakers can't be seen in MMA but can be seen on MM5 (both using 2.4ghz WiFi) and that it's actually a fault with MMA and not my router, that would be great.

[Ludek]

Now if you can explain why Sonos speakers can't be seen in MMA but can be seen on MM5 (both using 2.4ghz WiFi) and that it's actually a fault with MMA and not my router, that would be great.

Are you sure that you are on the same LAN/NAT ? i.e. MMA on the same network interface as Sonos ?
Is another app on the same phone (e.g. using Bubble UPnP) able to see the Sonos speakers? If yes, then feel free to report this on MMA forum.

[richiefinger]

I did, and Peke told me it's a router issue. The ISP (who supply the router) are saying nothing to do with them if can see the speakers on laptop WiFi, then WiFi is working. I have to agree.

Very frustrating to get given wrong answers.
If something doesn't work or it's a bug just tell people or say you don't know.
Saves them wasting time trying to troubleshoot. That's two answers in two months that have wasted a tonne of my time. ( Not from you)

[Ludek]

So is 'Bubble UPnP' installed on the sma Android phone able to see the speakers that MMA doesn't see ?

[Peke]

Hi,
If none help and as liek you pointed WiFi Works, may I suggest taht you open support ticket so that we can try more direct approach.