multi zone audio through streaming? Or Seperate server?

[Dosperado]

First off, Kudos to the group here for such a great package. I've been trying to find something that would allow ppc control of my htpc for a week now, and up until Xlobby, I was stumped. Couldn't even get Netremote working (does Netremote offer added or other significant features over Xlobby? It's amazing how much reading I did on that one without finding any newbie help at all) but Xlobby went through with little trouble, and I was downloading cd covers and dvd covers and playing Winamp and ZP with no problems! This is so cool, I'm having a great time now

Anywho, I have a central HTPC and 2 other remote systems, one of which will be going in the garage by the pool along with a seperate receiver and speakers, and my goal is to play audio on this 'zone' and receiver from the networked systems when I'm outside. However, I noticed your solutions to multi zone all involve additional audio cards, which I assume then drive a line level output to that zones receiver, right? Well, the garage is detatched and I did run cat5e, phone, and cable out there, but no rca lines.
So, is there a way to stream audio over ethernet out to the system in the garage as a zone, and then that pc can decode it and feed the receiver? Or should I just install another Xlobby server on the garage pc, and since I can't run more than one server on the same network at once (right?) shut down Xlobby on the main pc, and access the music collection from the garage pc's Xlobby server as needed? The only drawback I can think of is having to configure 2 copies of Xlobby and keep them up to date, no?

Is there a better way?

Thanks!

[jowaldo]

If running audio cables to the second location isn't possible for you, the next best thing is just set up a cheap computer running the xlobby client in that second location. Share all the files on your main PC and run xlobby in server mode on it, and run it in client mode on the other... and tada only one xlobby to manage.

That is basically how I am going to be using it. Hope this helps.

[Dosperado]

I thought only one client at a time? The ppc will be running a client, which is how I plan to control the server, wherever it may be. The important thing is that the garage pc be able to output the audio to the adjacent receiver, so server or stream, unless I actually can use two clients at once, then I can run the server inside, tune the garage client in to listen, and control playback via the ppc client?

[stevenhanna6]

my goal is to play audio on this 'zone' and receiver from the networked systems when I'm outside. However, I noticed your solutions to multi zone all involve additional audio cards, which I assume then drive a line level output to that zones receiver, right?

that is correct the main server computer that is running xlobby will run multiple instances of winamp therefore outputing to multiple sound cards or a multioutput sound card. This is ONE option.

Well, the garage is detatched and I did run cat5e, phone, and cable out there, but no rca lines. So, is there a way to stream audio over ethernet out to the system in the garage as a zone, and then that pc can decode it and feed the receiver?

I dont know of any way like what your thinking of...but your making things to complicated.

Or should I just install another Xlobby server on the garage pc, and since I can't run more than one server on the same network at once (right?) shut down Xlobby on the main pc, and access the music collection from the garage pc's Xlobby server as needed? The only drawback I can think of is having to configure 2 copies of Xlobby and keep them up to date, no?

You really have to ask yourself what your want to do....if you want to control all your audio zones from a PDA then you will have to use 1 computer with multiple audio outputs. You said you only had cat5 running to the garage.....but you could convert your cat5 cable to an rca type cable to plug into your receiver.....I have heard of people doing this in cars....I'm sure the loss of quality isn't that bad. Personally I would try to do it this way....then you only have to worry about one computer. But yah you could run multiple instances of xlobby....and each could be running in server mode because each pc would have a unique ip. Another nice thing about running everything off one pc is the ability to synch up your zones.

[rhinoman]

cat5 to phono/rca convertors are readily available if relativly expensive but work extremely well. I've been consdering this option myself, it just means using a stereo amplifier or active speakers at the, in your case, garage/pool end.

The other possibility for audio over cat5 is using shoutcast from the people that do winamp, I dont know much about it but remember reading an article which basically allows an audio stream to be put on the network and then a client could pick that stream up, means PC's at each end although specs dont necessarily have to be high.

Steven, is there any way the audio could be brought to a PC clent in xlobby in a similar fashion to that available in RDP.

[Dosperado]

Ok, thanks. Yes, I do have a habit of complicating things, helps pass the time though
I was hoping there was a plug in that could be configured as an audio output and which would then stream, or something. Not a biggie, thanks.

I really planned on using the cat5e for ethernet, so rather than modify it, I'll just run another server. Maybe there's a config file or folder I can just copy now and then to the second server from the primary one that points to all the media lists I've compiled?

[stevenhanna6]

if your running a seperate server and you want to have exactly the same information you should probably install xlobby to a network share and run it off there....the only thing I would caution is whenever you want to change something....shut all instances of xlobby down and only run one while your making changes....then restart the other ones.....not the best solution but it will work for now.

[rhinoman]

So just to clarify, we can have mutiple instance sof the same install of xlobby running at the same time?

A couple of questions,

Would it be possible to have xlobby start on a server machine as a service minimised to the taskbar? My planned multiroom setup will have 4 zones running from my server (in the background controlled by ppc) but its touch-screen monitor will run a remote instance of a seperate or maybe shared xlobby running on my htpc for some other zones?

and

is there a way to sync the playback from the two machines in a way I haven't thought of?

[rhinoman]

I suppose what I am saying is if xlobby is in a shared folder and two instabces are running on seperate machines, can the zones be synced?

[Dosperado]

if your running a seperate server and you want to have exactly the same information you should probably install xlobby to a network share and run it off there....the only thing I would caution is whenever you want to change something....shut all instances of xlobby down and only run one while your making changes....then restart the other ones.....not the best solution but it will work for now.

Ok, thanks. And I assume I'll have to change the ip configuration each time on the ppc and the server config to match where the server is running?

Alternatively, I found I can configure Winamp to output the audio to a file or directsound, and I know I could use vlc to stream directshow, so there may be an answer in there somewhere.

edit: vlc seems to be working nicely, takes the wave output from directshow and streams it over the network, so I just need to start the vlc server at each end of the stream.