Streaming music to 2 zones

[ParadigmDawg]

I need help figuring out the best way to stream music to a second zone on a very limited budget.

I have been helping my brother in law slowly and I mean slowly build up his system. We started over 2 years ago with a nice 2.0 system and recently he asked me to get him the surrounds and also in-ceilings for his garage and patio. So that part was easy and I went over to his place last night to help him lay it all out.

The issue is; he doesn't really have a way to listen to music. I thought I got him a Network based AVR but once I starting looking at it, it wasn't. I got him an Denon AVR 2310 CL. He picked out the features he wanted "back then" and that's what I got him.

I asked him how he plays music now and he said just through a PS3. IIRC...that's strike two as you can't run an analog signal from the PS3 when you are already running a digital signal.

My next thought was to just get a networking dock for his iPhone but those things are $250-$300 so strike three.

Another issue is the fact that his computer is 8 years old and doesn't work worth a darn but he said he may be willing to get a new one.

For now, I told him to just get a RCA cable with the mini-plug on one end and plug his iPhone to the AUX in front of his AVR. We have done that at my house a few times during parties but it seems like the volume is lost somewhere.

Is there a $99 solution for streaming music to different zones once he get's a new computer?

Any other suggestions?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Oh wait....is the answer just a Panny BD player? I guess those still allow a digital and analog signal to run simultaneously?

 

[lsiberian]

Can you use a Wii maybe?

FYI I use Iphones for this all the time and have no issues unless the hidden volume limiter is on. Be sure to check that.

 

[lsiberian]

Oh wait....is the answer just a Panny BD player? I guess those still allow a digital and analog signal to run simultaneously?

I've never tried that. But you'd lose the disk space of the PS3.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I've never tried that. But you'd lose the disk space of the PS3.

He doesn't game at all. He just watches movies and listens to music.

He texts all the time so I don't think he will end up liking the fact that his iPhone is in the house being a music source as he is kicking back brews on his patio.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Any other suggestions?

 

[adwilk]

So he wants to play media from the PS3 to two different zones? Am I understanding that correctly? Is the media stored on the PS3 or does he play optical (disc) media? How will he control it? An XBMC device can play music that is on his iPhone if they are on the same network. I assume he has wifi?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

So he wants to play media from the PS3 to two different zones? Am I understanding that correctly? Is the media stored on the PS3 or does he play optical (disc) media? How will he control it? An XBMC device can play music that is on his iPhone if they are on the same network. I assume he has wifi?

He wants to stream music from his CPU to his PS3, like he does now but you can't do a second zone with a PS3 so I am looking for an alternative.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Does he want two separate things to play at once, or does he need both analog audio as well as digital audio so you can feed the zone2/3 of the Denon receivers? If you just need analog audio, then I believe that the PS3 now supports multiple audio outputs concurently. This feature is enabled in the sound settings. I have a PS3 and I have NOT tried this, but it is a newer feature that was definitely not there a couple of years ago. You just use the old PS3 proprietary analog cables it came with an you hook up the red/white cables along wtih digital audio and turn on the multi-format audio output connection type. Since I have a PS3 and want/need the same thing, and I did a bit of research on it, it looks like it will work.

Otherwise, from a iPhone/iPad, AppleTV with AirPlay is a pretty good completely wireless option.

AppleTV will also stream from any iTunes enabled PC.

If he isn't an iPhone type of person, then he may prefer one of the 5,000 other media players which are out there. None of them under $100 are excellent, but they all do a reasonable job. A hard wired network between the two locations is a real benefit to this setup.

 

[bikemig]

The Apple TV is a less than $100 solution (assuming your OK with iTunes as your front end). Also good is the apple airport express; the cool thing about the AE express is that it is dual band and can be used to extend your wifi range. With either the Apple TV or the AE express, you will want to use the digital out with a mini tosklink to toslink connection. You can use a minijack for an analog out but the music will sound noticeably better if you use a digital out and let the AV receiver do the D to A work.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Does he want two separate things to play at once, or does he need both analog audio as well as digital audio so you can feed the zone2/3 of the Denon receivers? If you just need analog audio, then I believe that the PS3 now supports multiple audio outputs concurently. This feature is enabled in the sound settings. I have a PS3 and I have NOT tried this, but it is a newer feature that was definitely not there a couple of years ago. You just use the old PS3 proprietary analog cables it came with an you hook up the red/white cables along wtih digital audio and turn on the multi-format audio output connection type. Since I have a PS3 and want/need the same thing, and I did a bit of research on it, it looks like it will work.

Otherwise, from a iPhone/iPad, AppleTV with AirPlay is a pretty good completely wireless option.

AppleTV will also stream from any iTunes enabled PC.

If he isn't an iPhone type of person, then he may prefer one of the 5,000 other media players which are out there. None of them under $100 are excellent, but they all do a reasonable job. A hard wired network between the two locations is a real benefit to this setup.

He will need the ability to play the main zone and use a separate source for the second zone so he will need something that has both digital and analog capability.

So now, with the PS3, you can use both HDMI and analog? If so then that is all I need. He has my old "fat" PS3 if that matters. It looks like he would lose the ability to use Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD if he went this route.

He is a iPhone/iTunes user but I am trying to get him away from that...lol...

The Apple TV is a less than $100 solution (assuming your OK with iTunes as your front end). Also good is the apple airport express; the cool thing about the AE express is that it is dual band and can be used to extend your wifi range. With either the Apple TV or the AE express, you will want to use the digital out with a mini tosklink to toslink connection. You can use a minijack for an analog out but the music will sound noticeably better if you use a digital out and let the AV receiver do the D to A work.

Do either of these have the ability to connect both analog and digital at the same time?

 

[bikemig]

He will need the ability to play the main zone and use a separate source for the second zone so he will need something that has both digital and analog capability.

So now, with the PS3, you can use both HDMI and analog? If so then that is all I need. He has my old "fat" PS3 if that matters.

He is a iPhone/iTunes user but I am trying to get him away from that...lol...

Do either of these have the ability to connect both analog and digital at the same time?

No. There is just one analog/optical audio jack; you either connect it with an analog minijack or a digital mini-toslink. If you stroll to the bottom, you'll see the pic: Apple - AirPort Express - A powerful little Wi-Fi base station.

It is a good and inexpensive music streamer and you can do multiple zones with airplay. The digital connection leads to better sound quality but the analog is not terrible; just get one of these, Amazon.com: C2G / Cables to Go 27016 Velocity Toslink-to-Optical Mini Plug Digital Cable-2 Meters: Electronics.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

No. There is just one analog/optical audio jack; you either connect it with an analog minijack or a digital mini-toslink. If you stroll to the bottom, you'll see the pic: Apple - AirPort Express - A powerful little Wi-Fi base station.

It is a good and inexpensive music streamer and you can do multiple zones with airplay. The digital connection leads to better sound quality but the analog is not terrible; just get one of these, Amazon.com: C2G / Cables to Go 27016 Velocity Toslink-to-Optical Mini Plug Digital Cable-2 Meters: Electronics.

I'm lost on how it does multiple zones and I don't understand Airplay but then again...I'm an Apple hater. Can you explain the exact set up for using this in multiple zones?

All of his zones are connected to his AVR.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I'm still kind of stuck on the thought that a new "smart" BD player maybe the best solution for what I am trying to do.

Can anyone confirm that you can use analog and digital connections at the same time on this:
Panasonic DMP-BDT220

Amazon.com: Panasonic DMP-BDT220 Integrated Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player: Electronics

 

[bikemig]

I'm a bit skeptical about how good music networking is with a Panny Blu Ray player; I own this model (and think it's great for video streaming and blu ray playback) but haven't had much luck with it for music (to be honest, I also haven't tried very hard). Here is a thread on this topic: Panasonic DMP-BDT210 poor quality DLNA playback | AVForums.com - UK Online. I've just seen a lot of bad networking solutions when it comes to music. Apple airplay (whether you love or hate Apple) works well. Also you are not necessarily stuck with iTunes as your front end; this software from Rogue Amoeba is clever, http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/windows/. The point is that there is a huge ecosystem for airplay which means that there are plenty of hardware and software which has been tested under a variety of conditions. Plus airplay is easy to use (Apple may have its issues but its strong point has alway been a focus on the user experience).

 

[BMXTRIX]

He will need the ability to play the main zone and use a separate source for the second zone so he will need something that has both digital and analog capability.

So now, with the PS3, you can use both HDMI and analog? If so then that is all I need. He has my old "fat" PS3 if that matters. It looks like he would lose the ability to use Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD if he went this route.

He is a iPhone/iTunes user but I am trying to get him away from that...lol...

There is certainly the option now in the audio settings to allow for multi-format audio output as the 'connection type' and I have a first week release PS3, so an old fatty as well. It had the most hardware in it so it makes sense that it can support this functionality which was added through firmware.

I would NOT use a Blu-ray player. Once again - it is a Blu-ray player, not a media player. They are all slow, they are all quirky, and they all tend to give more headaches in usage than they solve problems. I've had customers use the Panasonic 220, and none of them are thrilled with it... many are far LESS than thrilled.

Start with the PS3 and the analog cable and changing the audio connection settings. If I have time tonight, and can find my analog connector, I will try it myself as well and let you know.

I'm also going to pick up an AppleTV to see how that works with AirPlay for audio in my system. Remember, if you just want good stereo audio, then analog connections exclusively from a source will work in multiple zones through the Denon.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I'm a bit skeptical about how good music networking is with a Panny Blu Ray player; I own this model (and think it's great for video streaming and blu ray playback) but haven't had much luck with it for music (to be honest, I also haven't tried very hard). Here is a thread on this topic: Panasonic DMP-BDT210 poor quality DLNA playback | AVForums.com - UK Online. I've just seen a lot of bad networking solutions when it comes to music. Apple airplay (whether you love or hate Apple) works well. Also you are not necessarily stuck with iTunes as your front end; this software from Rogue Amoeba is clever, Rogue Amoeba | Airfoil for Windows: Wireless Audio Around Your House. The point is that there is a huge ecosystem for airplay which means that there are plenty of hardware and software which has been tested under a variety of conditions. Plus airplay is easy to use (Apple may have its issues but its strong point has alway been a focus on the user experience).

I'm still at a loss on how this plays to multiple zones. Can you explain in detail?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

There is certainly the option now in the audio settings to allow for multi-format audio output as the 'connection type' and I have a first week release PS3, so an old fatty as well. It had the most hardware in it so it makes sense that it can support this functionality which was added through firmware.

I would NOT use a Blu-ray player. Once again - it is a Blu-ray player, not a media player. They are all slow, they are all quirky, and they all tend to give more headaches in usage than they solve problems. I've had customers use the Panasonic 220, and none of them are thrilled with it... many are far LESS than thrilled.

Start with the PS3 and the analog cable and changing the audio connection settings. If I have time tonight, and can find my analog connector, I will try it myself as well and let you know.

I'm also going to pick up an AppleTV to see how that works with AirPlay for audio in my system. Remember, if you just want good stereo audio, then analog connections exclusively from a source will work in multiple zones through the Denon.

Thanks for the willingness to go through all those steps with the PS3. He will still lose the ability to use Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD if he goes this route...correct?

 

[bikemig]

I'm still at a loss on how this plays to multiple zones. Can you explain in detail?

I haven't done it since I use squeezebox to stream my music, . Here are the apple instructions: iTunes 10: About playing music with AirPlay. I'll have to wait until I get home to try this out though. Sonos is clearly a more robust whole home audio solution but airplay cost a lot less and works well.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I haven't done it since I use squeezebox to stream my music, . Here are the apple instructions: iTunes 10: About playing music with AirPlay. I'll have to wait until I get home to try this out though. Sonos is clearly a more robust whole home audio solution but airplay cost a lot less and works well.

It looks like that system uses powered speakers for aux zones. If that's the case, it won't work for this application.

He has a nice set up in the living room and we added inceilings to his patio and garage. We just need a good way to get music to it all.

Here are the speakers I got for him. This is just a picture of them in my office "testing" them out before I gave them to him.