14
Music Player
Please note that when using a UPnP/
DLNA server, the search and selection
criteria that are available to the user
are determined by the server software,
and not by the device playing the content. Typical searches include Artist,
Album and Genre. Many server applications also allow you to access your
fi
les according to the folders within which they are stored as well as other
criteria. Windows Media Player is less
fl
exible than some other UPnP
servers in this regard, but is generally easier to set up.
Many UPnP server applications are also capable of sharing pictures and
video
fi
les to other network connected devices. If this is the case (as it is
with Windows Media Player) you may see the option of choosing between
'Music', 'Video' and 'Pictures' on the Music Player's menu. Clearly you
should only select the 'Music' option. Content offered via the alternative
options will not be playable using your adaptor.
Some third party server applications allow customisation of the search
criteria and indexing methods. This can be useful if you have a very large
collection of stored music
fi
les.
It is not possible in this book to describe server applications for all available
environments, and neither is it practical to describe how to get the best
out of each. Windows Media Player is used as an example in this case,
although many of the principles are applicable to other servers as well.
The access to the media, the choice of media for playing, and the use of
the media playback controls within UNDOK are similar regardless of the
UPnP / DLNA server being used.
When using your adaptor as part of a group of multi-room products, audio
fi
les in ALAC and FLAC formats will only play on the group master (see
page 37).
Music Player
Use with Windows, Apple Mac, Linux, USB memory
The Music Player allows you to play audio
fi
les which are stored on another
device connected to your network or which are held on a USB memory
device plugged into your multi-room adaptor.
Networked devices that could hold audio
fi
les can include computers,
smart phones, tablets, Network Attached Storage (NAS) units, and network
routers which have UPnP / DLNA
fi
le sharing capability. In order to play
fi
les from a device on your network, your adaptor must connect to a
fi
le
server program on that device which uses the Universal Plug and Play
(UPnP) protocol (often known as DLNA).
If the device is a computer or tablet using Windows, then it probably
already has a UPnP server program available in the form of Windows
Media Player (WMP). This allows you to share your
fi
les to devices on
your network, and you may then select
fi
les by Album, Artist, and so on
using UNDOK. WMP can serve MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV
fi
les to your
adaptor (and FLAC
fi
les from Windows 10).
If you are an Apple MacOS, Linux, iOS or Android user, or if you have
your audio
fi
les stored in other formats, such as ALAC, there are many
other UPnP server programs available. Note that Apple computers do not
support UPnP streaming natively and third party software is required for
this task. If you wish to use a DLNA server built into your network router,
you should consult your router's documentation on how this should be
con
fi
gured.
The Music Player on the adaptor can play audio
fi
les in MP3, WMA, AAC,
ALAC, FLAC and WAV formats. WMA Lossless
fi
les can also be played
when using Windows Media Player as the UPnP server. Note that the
playback of
fi
les encoded using WMA Voice, WMA 10 Professional, and
of
fi
les which have DRM protection is not supported by the adaptor.
