clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver [#11716 #17074]

Get answers about sharing MediaMonkey for Windows 4 with different devices.

Moderator: Gurus

LeonT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:32 pm

clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver [#11716 #17074]

Post by LeonT »

I am having trouble with playback to my network receiver via DLNA in MM for Windows version 4. Starting playback seems to be sluggish and delayed. When I pause and resume play, there is a delay in restarting play, then it starts at the next track instead of resuming at the pause point. Sometimes it fumbles resume play: a delay, then a blip of music, then another delay, then restart of the current track or starting at the next track. Gapless playback is impossible. If I change output to my computer speakers, there is absolutely smooth playback, and even gapless playback. Is this behavior an unavoidable consequence of sending one file blocks to the receiver? Can MM send a continuous stream to the receiver? Would a newer or better receiver work?; I have an Onkyo TX-8160, made in 2015; I updated its firmware. Are there other output plug-ins for MM that would work better?; I tried all three that came with the download. Thanks for any help you can give. I am new to MM, trying to get away from iTunes.
Lowlander
Posts: 56465
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by Lowlander »

Which version of MediaMonkey?

The network between MediaMonkey and the DLNA client may be of issue, a good stable network is needed. Try streaming from the DLNA Client, instead of pushing it from MediaMonkey to the DLNA Client. Does Playback experience improve?
LeonT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:32 pm

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by LeonT »

MM version is 4.1.30.1914

I wasn't sure what you meant, but I went to the receiver menu under Network/DLNA/MediaMonkey Library, selected an album with the receiver remote, and played it with the remote. MM was frozen/inactive on my PC during all this. It played perfectly with normal play/pause and gapless playback.
Lowlander
Posts: 56465
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by Lowlander »

Did MediaMonkey freeze before or after you started playback on the client?
LeonT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:32 pm

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by LeonT »

I had the Internal Player selected when I ran the first test, so it was inactive, not really frozen. I just tried it again after selecting the network receiver as my player. I went back to the receiver and selected the album as before, but I was unable to get it to play either from the receiver remote or from MM on my PC.
LeonT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:32 pm

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by LeonT »

I powered my receiver off and back on because it wasn't playing in any network mode. After that, with MM player selected as network receiver, the receiver plays flawlessly as before. During playback from the receiver, MM is idle, doesn't show any player activity.
Lowlander
Posts: 56465
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by Lowlander »

When using the DLNA client to play from MediaMonkey you're bypassing the MediaMonkey completely (so it's best to have it set to Internal Player). There would be no evidence of this in MediaMonkey.

The client pulls files from MediaMonkey and does it's own playback processing (like gapless) on playback. MediaMonkey (if set to Internal Player or other DLNA client) can still be used for playback in this scenario.
LeonT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:32 pm

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by LeonT »

So this last test seems to indicate the network is not at fault. Playback from the DLNA client is not an option for me, since I have to select albums one letter at a time with the arrow buttons on my remote; I still need to go the other direction and use MM to select and play the songs.

Since output to the Internal Player works, I don't think file processing is the problem. It seems to me to come down to the interaction between MediaMonkey and the DLNA client. I am unable to find any reference to this kind of problem on the forum, so apparently this is not a common problem and MM would normally be able to do this properly. So maybe it comes down to (1) some problem with my MM setup or my computer setup, or (2) a problem with the DLNA client processing. Any other thoughts?
Lowlander
Posts: 56465
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by Lowlander »

You may want to check if MediaMonkey 5 behaves better for you: https://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewt ... 86639&sd=d

I think it may partially come down to an extra layer of complexity in that MediaMonkey sends these instructions to the client (ie. you're remote controlling a client), but I'm not sure that's how it actually works.

A workaround is to create a Playlist in MediaMonkey before and then use it on the client.
LeonT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:32 pm

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by LeonT »

MediaMonkey 5 is a significant improvement. It will pause and resume at the pause point. The silence between tracks meant to be gapless is still about 4-5 seconds, which is better but far from gapless. Start and stop is still a little jumpy; it seems to work best with the space bar rather than the mouse(?); but after a few minutes of experimentation I haven't had it fumble completely like it did under MM 4. I will have to live with it for a few days, but I think I can accept this behavior in MM 5--I have everything except gapless playback. I had decided these problems were a deal-breaker for MM 4. I greatly appreciate your help.

One unusual thing. During playback, the progress bar dot jumps around along the bar, forward and back, even though playback is smooth. Do you think it might help performance to increase the buffer size? I remember seeing that setting somewhere but can't find it at the moment.

Another question. Do you think I might do better with a new receiver? I am not eager to spend the money but might be willing.
Lowlander
Posts: 56465
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver

Post by Lowlander »

Lowlander
Posts: 56465
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: clumsy playback with DLNA to network receiver [#17074]

Post by Lowlander »

Note that MediaMonkey only serves the URL to the client, thus it's up to the client to stream that file. Output settings in MediaMonkey don't affect UPnP playback.

Gapless is being tracked here: https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=11716
Post Reply