Streaming audio _from_ WiiM with URL (current beta: output to DLNA speakers)

[pfavr]

Hi!

I'm really happy with my Wiim Pro. I'm using it for casting e.g. Youtube Music from my family's phones.

Then from the Wiim I use the beta firmware 4.8.705360 which has a function to output to DLNA speakers.

The receiving end is special as I don't have a DLNA speaker. Instead I use https://github.com/hzeller/gmrender-resurrect (standard in Debian Linux) with this command line:

gmediarender --friendly-name "WiiM Bridge" --uuid 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc --output gst --gstout-audiopipe="fakesink sync=false" --logfile=/dev/stdout

This allows using the WiiM app to select the output "WiiM Bridge" (I'm using FLAC @48kHz).

And then the magic happens

The WiiM now exposes a streaming URL (on my network it is this): http://192.168.0.180:8086/stream.flac

Adding this URL as a "favorites" (an internet radio station) in my Squeezebox System (Using "Lyrion Music Server" former Logitech Music Server"): IT JUST WORKS!

Now all my Squeezebox players (old Logitech hardware) throughout our home can play the WiiM like any other Internet radio station. No drops, clicks or any problems. It works 100% reliably and with multi-room synced playback (like Squeezebox would normally do).

This is so so great! I used to have the SPDIF output on the WiiM Pro feed into my LMS server and then use WaveInput plugin there... but this used a lot of CPU, was prone to occasional "glitches" - making it practically unusable.

Now to the feature request: Please make the DNLA url always available - regardless if DLNA output has been chosen or not (or paired or not). Just let any streamer be able to reach out to http://192.168.0.180:8086/stream.flac and this should start streaming on that URL. This would eliminate the need for running gmediarender to trick the WiiM into exposing the URL.

To the WiiM team: thanks for a really good product and that you keep supporting Squeezebox also!

Best regards,

Peter Favrholdt

 

[d6jg]

Are you saying that if you had a real DLNA target on your network and pointed the WiiM at it this would also expose /stream.flac ?

 

[d6jg]

Are you aware that the WiiM device also has a web api that exposes Now Playing info?

I inject audio from a WiiM Mini into LMS via pCP Streamer built into piCorePlayer then have it as a favourite in the form

http://10.0.0.192:9100/S16_LE/48000/2/F/?rnptype=wiim&player=wiim1&ip=10.0.0.165

.192 is the piCorePlayer, .165 is the Mini - Paul Webster's Radio Now Playing pulls the Now Playing info from the Mini's API

 

[pfavr]

Are you saying that if you had a real DLNA target on your network and pointed the WiiM at it this would also expose /stream.flac ?

I would expect so.

AFAIK gmediarender is a "real DLNA target". Running gmediarender on my (Debian Linux) laptop (apt-get install gmediarender) makes it possible to select my laptop in the WiiM app as DLNA output - and I hear the sound playing through my laptop speakers.

However the reason for me to use gmediarender is only to "trick" the WiiM Pro to expose the /stream.flac ... it needs to see a DLNA target to do so. I've written a feature request to WiiM to ask if they could make the /stream.flac permanently available regardless of DLNA target being available or not - and preferably even without having to select a special output - wouldn't it be cool to just have a URL that always exposes FLAC copy of whatever is output on SPDIF/Analog?

 

[pfavr]

Are you aware that the WiiM device also has a web api that exposes Now Playing info?

I inject audio from a WiiM Mini into LMS via pCP Streamer built into piCorePlayer then have it as a favourite in the form

http://10.0.0.192:9100/S16_LE/48000/2/F/?rnptype=wiim&player=wiim1&ip=10.0.0.165

.192 is the piCorePlayer, .165 is the Mini - Paul Webster's Radio Now Playing pulls the Now Playing info from the Mini's API

My LMS/Squeezebox players already get this in the FLAC stream - I didn't have to do anything!
(And LMS pulls the cover-art from somewhere - I've yet to see it get this right though )

 

[d6jg]

That may already be from Paul's RNP plugin. He gets the cover art from the internet lookup but other metadata from within the stream if it is there which I imagine it is in your scenario.