Hi!

It would be nice if amaroK could serve the music also via UPnP. If you don\'t know UPnP: UPnP is a protocol for connecting your PC (or any other media server) to standalone devices like Netgears MP 101, Terratecs Noxon or the Philips Streamium System.

There are some stand alone UPnP servers for Linux, for example the GMediaServer or the commercial TwonkyVision Server, but it would really be nice to see such a thing in some way integrated into amaroK to take advantage of amaroKs advanced playlists ability, etc ...

Although I know this is a big feature request I think it should be feasible, because Intel was so nice to offer a Linux UPnP SDK under the BSD license.

I absolutely agree!

Since 1 week I\'ve got a Philips Audio Streamer (SLA5500) and this is a wonderfull machine. If it only could work with my favorite audio player....

I can imagine that PnP support can be implemented as a plugin.

Are there any plans for this? Could we start some cooperation with the author of gmediaserver (one of the few linux gpl UPnP servers available)?

regards harry

It would be pretty easy to do this from amaroK\'s prespective using scripts. Scripts get notified (via their STDIN) of when track changes occur and then the script can use dcop to retrieve the filename of the newly playing track.

So all it would take GMediaServer or TwonkyVision Server is the ability to be controlled by a computer (in other words, a small scripting interface of their own).

Though... scanning the GMediaServer site I\'m now not sure I understand what UPnP media servers do. Can you control what the media devices are playing or do you just make music available to them? If its the latter I don\'t really see the point of amaroK integration.

It\'s the latter. UPnP mediaservers like gstreamer or twonkyvision\'s mediaserver (commercial) make it possible to provide digital content (audio/pictures/video) to UPnP portable equipment. Have a look at the Philips Streamium hardware to get an idea (http://www.streamium.com).

Let\'s stick with audio for now. So the mediaserver provides a collection of mp3\'s to possible media clients (like Philips streamium hardware) to play on your stereo. So it would indeed be nice to have it integrated with Amarok. Because UPnP supports virtual folders, playlists and so on. I would like to see to get my dynamic playlist (for example) to be exported for my UPnP devices.

Really, UPnP is becoming hotter and hotter (there are many, many UPnP devices already available) and a cool implementation on KDE isn\'t available.

For example: MicroSoft mediaplayer is capable of being UPnP server.

Regards Harry

Hi

Another way of using amaroK to stream media to an UPnP AV media
renderer device would be via an amaroK engine that mimiques an UPnP AV control point. I have been investigating this in the context of an cd3o device (yet another streaming protocol, see www.cd3o.com) for which I wrote an UPnP bridge.

Current status of my code is still very experimental, but It works fine with the cd3o UPnP bridge. Most likely it needs some more work to
stream e.g. to a Netgear MP 101. In the case anyboby is interested:

http://home.arcor.de/qelis/amarok-1.3.6 ... .11.25.tgz
http://home.arcor.de/qelis/c3tools-p18-r05.11.25.tgz

Cheers,
QElis.

Addendum.

Got an Netgear MP 101 from a friend to figure: this is *not*
an UPnP AV media renderer. It is \"just\" capable of connecting
to an UPnP media server. So in UPnP AV nomenclature it is
a renderer with built-in control point, but it cannot be controlled
by an external UPnP control point. Sorry for suggesting otherwise.

However, word is that Philips Streamium devices as well as Roku
SoundBridge are indeed UPnP AV media renderer. I\'m trying to
get a hand on one of those to verify myself.

Perhaps this needs more general investigation/work before
one could sensibly approach any kind amaroK/UPnP integration.

Cheers,
QElis

I run the free version of TwonkyVision\'s MediaServer (which is in turn called MusicServer) to stream audio to my Netgear MP101.
The software is ok, but it hogs too much the host computer when it rescans its preset dirs for new music files.

It\'d be really awesome to have this integrated into amaroK.

Or we may have to ask them to support amaroK collection\'s database, either if you\'re using a real db or not.

It would be appealing simple to do this from amaroK's prespective application scripts. Scripts get notified (via their STDIN) of if clue changes action and again the Software can use dcop to retrieve the filename of the anew arena track.

So all it would yield GMediaServer or TwonkyVision Server is the adeptness to be controlled by a computer (in added words, a baby scripting interface of their own).

________________
IP PBX