Next up... Laptops!

i buy 5 year old mac mini's on craigslist at a substantial discount vs. new and typically they are more than adequate for my video and audio streaming needs. after apple stops updating the OS for a particular model year... i wait about a year and get another cheap used mac. will probably replace the laptop and mini that i have within the next 18 months.

that + jriver and you are good to go. and as is being discussed in another thread amazon released the HD version of amazon unlimited which i think is huge for computer audio/digital audio folks such as ourselves.

 

No. None at all, unless you have a nostalgia for the 90's.

Choosing a player can either be easy or frustrating. I'm using JRiver because it's (a) a haven for tinkerers and (b) the best media player for video. It's also a very good media server. You may also consider Foobar if you want it free and don't mind the basic standard UI or Roon if you want it extremely simple, not so free but with a more modern user interface. There are plenty other media players around and these 3 are just the more popular - which could be useful if you get into problems and requires forum assistance.

BTW, I run my setup with a NUC and it's been a great experience for me so far.

 

on a side note. i use vlc still for video although i have jriver i've never explored the video fucntions... worth going down that rabbit hole?

 

The advantage for JRiver is that you get to use the same audio settings for both your audio and video. JRiver does audio very well. It does audio with video just as well and with all of the features and tweaks that you're used to. I enjoy concert video. And need to have audiophile quality audio I'm used to while watching concert videos. JRiver can do that. VLC can't.

 

i was surprised to find that under the "audio" menu of VLC i now have the option of outputting directly to my DAC.... but now i am intrigued and will have to check out some video via JRiver. Thanks!

 

Unless I'm mistaken VLC is strictly a media player and has zero capabilities to organize and display your media libraries. JRiver does, which is why it's a media server AND a media player and why you can also use it to stream media through the local network or internet to pretty much any other device you might have.

Another advantage is the "Theater View" option which allows me to navigate and select from the libraries using an MCE remote (in my case a Logitech Harmony One).

 

VLC does. But only does shared mode audio. VLC does not have an option to do WASAPI exclusive mode where the audio/video application has full control of the audio device and can force the audio device to change sampling rate.

JRiver can do WASAPI exclusive mode or ASIO that allow the JRiver application to tell the audio driver to change sample rate. So if you play a concert video that has 24/96 audio, JRiver can tell the DAC to change to the 96 kHz sampling rate to match the audio. Then if the next DVD you play has 24/48 audio, JRiver will change the DAC to play at 48 kHz to match the sample rate of the audio being played. VLC won't do that. If I'm playing a video that has high-res audio I want to make sure that I get to listen to the high-res audio without it being resampled.

 

Early 2012 MacBook Pro with dvd drive.

 

I recommend JRiver Media Center as an excellent server choice on the PC of your choice. It's about $50 bucks but they offer a 30 day trial.

Oh, and a lot of newer laptops do not have CD/DVD drives. You probably want to find one that does so you can RIP CD's, DVDs.

 

Not long ago I purchased a Late 2012 Mac Mini from a seller on Amazon. It cost a hair over $300.00. I changed out the hard drive to an SSD and added RAM. I'm old school, I don't care for disposable computer's, hard drives fail.

 

As you may be inferring from a lot of the responses above, it's a good idea to first spend a little time mapping out your system architecture and music ecosystem as a whole, first. Then, the right PC choice will fall into place. For example, some key questions:

Windows or Mac (and do you have a broader music ecosystem you're trying to stay compatible with)? Where is media stored? How much media are you storing? Audio and video, or just audio? Do you have a preferred media player (or what player features will you require)?How will media be backed up? For new content, do you ever rip CDs or do you instead rely solely on downloads or streaming services? Are you physically able to direct connect to your network?

 

That's how i do it, external HD, JRiver media running on laptop, USB into my integrated amp. I control playback with Gizmo app on my phone. Works just fine. Laptop lives on top of my stereo with screen pointed at listening chair so i can see album covers as music library plays everything on random shuffle.