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Topic: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out? (Read 4627 times) previous topic - next topic
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*very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

After a decade or so I'm getting weary of having to fire up my laptop, attach external drive, attach HDMI, every time I want to listen to my music (which consists of ~900GB of stereo and multichannel FLAC (WAV) , AC3, DTS, and mp3 files) over my main system.  I'm wondering if there are any DAPs that support bit-perfect playback over HDMI, so I can just plug the little guy into my AVR's front HDMI port and let the AVR do the decoding.   And ideally have the capacity to store that much music --- *or* connect to small portable USB hard drive that contains it all.   I would just leave it all connected and free up  my laptop for other use.

And it would have decent player software & interface.   Ideally there would be something I could load with foobar2K and just run that as I do on my laptop....only much smaller. 

I know there's mobile foobar2k now, but are there phones with HDMI out?  And that have ~1TB of native or added capacity?  Not that I know of, and anyway I'm not ready to switch phones.

Yes, it could be use tablet instead, I suppose.... but those have so much extra functionality that I don't need.

Or maybe I should just be 'casting' the audio from a central server to the AVR, using e.g., phone + mobile f2k + wireless receiver device plugged into the AVR (or AVR wired into the home network via ethernet)?  That's all terra incognita to me.  

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #1 –
I did, for a while, use my Kindle Fire's HDMI connection for playing video (streaming and stored) through my TV/Amp etc., but the mini-socket on the Kindle failed after a few months. I have since bought a Fire TV stick, and can play streaming and stored content through that.

There was a thread recently on here about ChromeCast Audio, which might be a more straightforward device to set up.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #2 –
Another alternative might be a RaspberryPi (or similar SBC), and external HD. Maybe run something like RuneAudio [1] or Volumio [2] if you only require music playback, otherwise there are plenty of media player solutions that work better with a screen.

[1] http://www.runeaudio.com/  
[2] https://volumio.org/

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #3 –
The RaspberryPi is a good solution. piCorePlayer now has LMS integrated so you can have the server and player in one Pi, just plugin an external drive :)

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #4 –
Consider an OrangePi Plus. Not only has HDMI, but includes a SATA port...

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #6 –
Are you interested in something complex but powerful like Kodi/XBMC?  If so a raspberry pi might be a great choice.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #7 –
Have you considered a Chromecast or Chromecast Audio? They seem to cover FLAC, here's the complete format list https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/media#image-formats

Many routers now also come with a DLNA and SMB server, if you have one of those you could just leave your HDD in place, control music from your laptop or an Android phone with something like BubbleUPNP and shooting it out to the Chromecast.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: andy o on
Have you considered a Chromecast or Chromecast Audio? They seem to cover FLAC, here's the complete format list https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/media#image-formats

Many routers now also come with a DLNA and SMB server, if you have one of those you could just leave your HDD in place, control music from your laptop or an Android phone with something like BubbleUPNP and shooting it out to the Chromecast.

My cable company's DVR (by Arris) includes a media player that not only plays the recordings of cable video content that it makes, but also can be used to browse both audio and video media servers on the local computer network.  It operates in the digital domain and has HDMI multichannel outputs, so the fidelity of audio playback from my own audio libraries on my home network is just fine.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quote from: andy o on
Have you considered a Chromecast or Chromecast Audio? They seem to cover FLAC, here's the complete format list https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/media#image-formats

Many routers now also come with a DLNA and SMB server, if you have one of those you could just leave your HDD in place, control music from your laptop or an Android phone with something like BubbleUPNP and shooting it out to the Chromecast.

My cable company's DVR (by Arris) includes a media player that not only plays the recordings of cable video content that it makes, but also can be used to browse both audio and video media servers on the local computer network.  It operates in the digital domain and has HDMI multichannel outputs, so the fidelity of audio playback from my own audio libraries on my home network is just fine.
Which model is it?

And what's library navigation like for a large audio collection?

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #10 –
Quote
Posted by JabbaThePrawn - Today at 11:07:24 AM
Quote
from: Arnold B. Krueger on Today at 08:22:02 AM
My cable company's DVR (by Arris) includes a media player that not only plays the recordings of cable video content that it makes, but also can be used to browse both audio and video media servers on the local computer network.  It operates in the digital domain and has HDMI multichannel outputs, so the fidelity of audio playback from my own audio libraries on my home network is just fine.
Which model is it?

The media player my cable company leases to me is an Arris  MP2000. It seems to be used in conjunction with one of several models of a Arris Media Gateway, a remote device that has the phone, wired LAN, , wireless LAN,  cable modem and disk storage functions.

Quote
And what's library navigation like for a large audio collection?

I find it to be usable but sometimes awkward. It is like a superset of what you find on most  portable digital music players but usually faster responding.

These are very good questions as I don't know of any Arris public documentation that describes it even 1/2 well.  Most of the online doc I've found vastly understates its functions and file support.  Most of what I  know about it was discovered by simply playing with it.

Originally it was pretty unreliable and locked up all the time while playing music. They've done lots of automatic updates to it and it now pretty stable.  However, its stability is somewhat dependent on some subtle aspects of the installation.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #11 –
Interesting info. I'm not sure if the the Arris range is widely available in the UK, and your point about the lack of documentation means it would be hard to find an equivalent with the same capabilities. I might do a bit of searching, but while my current setup is working, it isn't too urgent.

An app that allows browsing/selection etc. via a tablet/phone might improve the user experience.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #12 –
If given the choice I prefer SMB over DLNA though, I like browsing file structures, and having sorting options. It's a pain to have to organize everything in the server by media information/metadata.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #13 –
Really what I'm looking for is a mutant iPod: a rechargable handheld DAP, running software supporting bit-perfect output via HDMI of all the digital audio data formats I have (I don't care about video), having it own screen, and enough storage capacity so I wouldn't need to connect an external HD.   So I could just run an HDMI cable to my AVR, and that's it (or ideally, figure out a way to do it wirelessly).  My AVR does all the magic, all I need is something to let me pick tunes and spit out the bits.

But  I doubt it exists.  A more likely solution is a box running f2k-like audio player software, permanently communicating with/connected to the AVR, and having a remote control *with its own built-in screen*.    I want to be able to control from the listening position without needing an outboard monitor or TV to see the player software GUI. That's a critical component for me.  So no DVR.





 





Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #14 –
Quote from: krabapple on
Really what I'm looking for is a mutant iPod: a rechargable handheld DAP, running software supporting bit-perfect output via HDMI of all the digital audio data formats I have (I don't care about video), having it own screen, and enough storage capacity so I wouldn't need to connect an external HD.   So I could just run an HDMI cable to my AVR, and that's it (or ideally, figure out a way to do it wirelessly).  My AVR does all the magic, all I need is something to let me pick tunes and spit out the bits.

A lot of Android devices will do HDMI output, some of which are extremely cheap.  If you just want an audio player with HDMI, you could get one of these, install the player of your choice, and then use it to play your library on the TV.

Alternatively you can do this wirelessly from your phone using a variety of methods.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #15 –
Quote from: JabbaThePrawn on
Interesting info. I'm not sure if the the Arris range is widely available in the UK,

Arris claims to have a goodly number of UK cable systems as customers.

They are in the process of merging with Pace, a very large and apparently well known UK supplier to cable systems, etc.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #16 –
Quote from: saratoga on
A lot of Android devices will do HDMI output, some of which are extremely cheap.  If you just want an audio player with HDMI, you could get one of these, install the player of your choice, and then use it to play your library on the TV.


I'm aiming to not involve a TV or monitor at all.  I'd like the viewable interface to be part of a handheld device/controller (as on a DAP).


Quote
Alternatively you can do this wirelessly from your phone using a variety of methods.

Yes, I need to investigate how to remotely control a library-containing device connected to the AVR and running software like F2k, from a phone or other small device with a screen.


Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #18 –
Quote from: krabapple on
Quote from: saratoga on
A lot of Android devices will do HDMI output, some of which are extremely cheap.  If you just want an audio player with HDMI, you could get one of these, install the player of your choice, and then use it to play your library on the TV.


I'm aiming to not involve a TV or monitor at all.  I'd like the viewable interface to be part of a handheld device/controller (as on a DAP).


Quote
Alternatively you can do this wirelessly from your phone using a variety of methods.

Yes, I need to investigate how to remotely control a library-containing device connected to the AVR and running software like F2k, from a phone or other small device with a screen.




The Nvidia Shield TV appears to be close to what you want. It has Cast support, and it runs Android TV. But it's a full-blown media box and Android game console, and the 500GB version costs $300 so not sure if you'd wanna spend that kind of money on it.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #19 –
Quote from: krabapple on
Quote from: saratoga on
A lot of Android devices will do HDMI output, some of which are extremely cheap.  If you just want an audio player with HDMI, you could get one of these, install the player of your choice, and then use it to play your library on the TV.

Would a generic Android tablet with wifi and suitable software be a possible solution?

I see that the low end Android tablets (< $150)  have mini-USB outputs but no HDMI, so obtaining a HDMI output might require an add-on adapter which seems to run under $50.

I'm unfamiliar with this situation, so I'm watching the thread to see what I can learn.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #20 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quote from: krabapple on
Quote from: saratoga on
A lot of Android devices will do HDMI output, some of which are extremely cheap.  If you just want an audio player with HDMI, you could get one of these, install the player of your choice, and then use it to play your library on the TV.

Would a generic Android tablet with wifi and suitable software be a possible solution?

I see that the low end Android tablets (< $150)  have mini-USB outputs but no HDMI, so obtaining a HDMI output might require an add-on adapter which seems to run under $50.

I'm unfamiliar with this situation, so I'm watching the thread to see what I can learn.

The Kindle Fire has a built-in mini-HDMI socket.

But in my own experience, it worked for a few months, then I couldn't get a signal out of the socket any more. So I wonder about the physical ruggedness/longevity of such a tiny connector.

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #21 –
I would not get an Amazon tablet though. They play outside the Google ecosystem, and infamously they don't have the Google apps, including the Play Store. Its own app store doesn't compare, sometimes apps are versions behind, and updates take longer.

An Nvidia Shield K1 at $200 would be a good cheap-ish choice, especially considering the relatively powerful hardware, and NV has been very good in updating to the latest Android versions promptly. It has HDMI, and an SD card slot too.
 

Re: *very* high-capacity DAP w/HDMI out?

Reply #22 –
If unwilling to homebrew a Pi:

Amazon Fire TV, sideloading works Just Fine.  XBMC/Kodi, USB attached storage if you don't want to NAS.  Set the Audio in Kodi to HDMI passthrough.

You can use the IR remote it comes with, 100,000 Kodi skins of your choosing, a dozen third party library managers if you like, or use a remote app for your phone or laptop to control it. 


For your purposes the AFTV is everything the Nvidia Shield is for a lot less.


The desire for HDMI audio out without TV menus is a corner case.
Creature of habit.