Network mount(SBM/CIFS) vs DLNA(UPnP), which one is better?

vshk

Dear all,

I would like to learn from your experience and opinion on which type of streaming is better on the setup below:

Device: raspberry pi3, USB connection to DAC supporting DSD
Source: Music file in DSD(dsf) format stored in a Mac in the same network

I found that I have two choices:
1. Use network mount to share the folder in the Mac as a source in the library
2. Run a DLNA media server on Mac (e.g.serviio) and use a uPnP player client to stream the music to runeaudio.

I have no idea which option I should choose or the pros and cons.

Thanks!
Victor

hondagx35

Hi Victor,

I would like to learn from your experience and opinion on which type of streaming is better on the setup below:

I think you can't compare these two things because they are a totally different approach.

With your option 2 you would not need RuneAudio at all.
A Raspberry Pi with MPD and upmpdcli installed would be enough.
https://www.lesbonscomptes.com/upmpdcli/

Frank

vshk

hondagx35 wroteHi Victor,

I would like to learn from your experience and opinion on which type of streaming is better on the setup below:
I think you can't compare these two things because they are a totally different approach.

With your option 2 you would not need RuneAudio at all.
A Raspberry Pi with MPD and upmpdcli installed would be enough.
https://www.lesbonscomptes.com/upmpdcli/

Frank

Hi Frank,

Thank you so much for your advice. I will take a look at the upmpdcli for option 2.

However, do we think we can still compare the two approaches in terms of audio quality especially for DSD(dsf) file type?

Rgds,
Victor

westrock2000

You mean playing local content versus "casting" content?

You would have to know how (if) the content is altered by the streaming protocol before being sent....like how Bluetooth does.

You are also limited to 9-10MB/s over the network. If that matters with DSD. I don't think it should.

vshk

westrock2000 wroteYou mean playing local content versus "casting" content?

You would have to know how (if) the content is altered by the streaming protocol before being sent....like how Bluetooth does.

You are also limited to 9-10MB/s over the network. If that matters with DSD. I don't think it should.

In my case, the source files I am playing are stored in the desktop (a Mac) connected in the same local network. So it looks like there is no difference on the network bandwidth on which technology I chose.

I'm not sure if runeaudio (running on the Raspberry) is treating them as local content when I go for the network mount option.

For the option of using DLNA (UPnP), I guess it is casting(streaming) but I have no idea how the content is altered under this kind of protocol. That's the reason I want to know is it one option superior than the other one.

Thanks!

hondagx35

Hi,

I'm not sure if runeaudio (running on the Raspberry) is treating them as local content when I go for the network mount option.

Rune (MPD) reads your music file from /mnt/MPD so they are treaded as local files.
Rune does not know that these files are from your Mac.
You can check this with:

ls /mnt/MPD/NAS

For the option of using DLNA (UPnP), I guess it is casting(streaming) but I have no idea how the content is altered under this kind of protocol.

Bitperfect is possible with UPnP but many things to consider / check.
- server settings
- volume control
- renderer settings

Frank

vshk

Thank you Frank,

So it sounds the option of using network mount is guaranteed, while using streaming with uPnP may have some uncertainties.

That said, if there is no other special reason of using the DLNA server/client, going for network mount is the better choice.

Rgds,
Victor

medoc92

vshk wroteThank you Frank,

So it sounds the option of using network mount is guaranteed, while using streaming with uPnP may have some uncertainties.

That said, if there is no other special reason of using the DLNA server/client, going for network mount is the better choice.

Rgds,
Victor

Just to add a few precisions:

Neither network access methods (NFS/SMB or HTTP) will change anything to the streams. The bluetooth allusion by someone earlier was irrelevant, bluetooth streaming is a completely different thing.
DLNA servers do not alter the audio except if they are explicitely set for transcoding.
The audio is played by MPD in both cases, so the volume issue is exactly the same for both.
There is no setting in upmpdcli which would alter the sound (upmpdcli does not even touch the audio stream).

This said, the network mount is the simpler approach, which leaves you with less to worry about

. The advantages of the UPnP setup are having a choice of Media Server (different cataloging approaches), ease of multiple access and choice of control point (remote), none of which may be of interest to you.

vshk

medoc92 wrote Just to add a few precisions:

Neither network access methods (NFS/SMB or HTTP) will change anything to the streams. The bluetooth allusion by someone earlier was irrelevant, bluetooth streaming is a completely different thing.

DLNA servers do not alter the audio except if they are explicitely set for transcoding.

The audio is played by MPD in both cases, so the volume issue is exactly the same for both.

There is no setting in upmpdcli which would alter the sound (upmpdcli does not even touch the audio stream).
This said, the network mount is the simpler approach, which leaves you with less to worry about . The advantages of the UPnP setup are having a choice of Media Server (different cataloging approaches), ease of multiple access and choice of control point (remote), none of which may be of interest to you.

That's a very clear answer and conclusion.

Many thanks!
Victor