Intro To Streaming Music

Introduction to Streaming Music

Streaming music has all sorts of variations but in essence it is the process of sending digital audio from one device to another in a constant "stream" of data. This could be from your Phone to your hi-fi or from the Internet to your computer and either a wireless or wired connection. We're going to look in a lot more detail and review some of the products available, but first lets outline some of the main types of streaming.



Internet Streaming Overview

Several companies now provide a service providing huge online music collections. These can be accessed via software on your computer, an app on your phone or can now often be found built into hi-fi and AV equipment. Subscribe to a service such as Spotify, Napster or Last.FM and you'll have access to millions of tracks available to listen to instantly.

The main advantage of this is the sheer quantity of music available - far more than you would possibly fit on your shelves at home in CD or vinyl format. Then there's the fact that this music is available to you in a variety of places making it possible to listen on your PC at work or your phone whilst commuting or on your hi-fi when at home. These services are certainly one of the most user friendly forms of streaming as they require very little in the way of set-up or technical knowledge. Simply install the program or app and you're ready to go.

Probably the biggest disadvantage is that these services must use a compressed audio format to stream reliably over the Internet so the quality will not be exactly the same as CD and will vary depending on the service you use. Possibly a bigger issue, depending on taste, is that whichever service you choose they will not necessarily have every artist you want to listen to available. However most offer free trials so you can see what is available before you pay. The sheer convenience of having this amount of music on demand combined with a very accessible way to discover new artists certainly outweighs the disadvantages for most people.

WiFi / Home Network Streaming Overview

At first acronyms such as DLNA may sound a little daunting but this system really does make life simple. DLNA or the Digital Living Network Alliance to give it it's full name, is a set of guidelines for manufacturers to follow to ensure that devices which feature network support will play nicely with each other. Although all sorts of devices such as TVs, printers and cameras can support DLNA we'll just concentrate on audio devices for now. Where you see the DLNA logo on a device you can be assured that it will work with another DLNA product when connected to the same network. We can divide DLNA devices into three basic types:

Digital Media Server: These devices “serve up” files to a Player device. A server could be a PC with your music collection on it, a networked hard drive or even a phone or iPad.

Digital Media Player/Renderer: A Player is any product designed to look up a Server device on your network and play back file from it. A renderer differs slightly in that it requires a controller to tell it what to play. Some devices can do both in that they have a control of their own but can also be controlled by another product. This might be built into your AV receiver, TV or it could be hi-fi separate unit.

Digital Media Controller: Controllers tell a Renderer what to play from a Server. Some of the most common controllers are simply apps for smartphones or tablets. These provide a pleasant wireless interface which is convenient and ideal as so many people have Apple or Android phones there is no extra controller to buy at added expense.

If you already store your music collection on your computer or networked hard drive, or are planning to then using DLNA devices for control and playback offers one of the most flexible solutions available. A single control app can often be used to control several different devices around the house, even if they are different brands and models.

Apple AirPlay Overview

Apple AirPlay is very much like DLNA in that it allows an Apple product (iPhone, iPad, iTunes) to send audio and video over a network connection to a compatible receiver. Many new hi-fi systems and AV receivers now come with AirPlay built in and it's certainly one of the most convenient ways to stream off your Apple device. When an AirPlay enabled product is detected on the network then the AirPlay icon automatically appears when playing back music on your Apple device. Simply select this icon to stream music, it's as simple as that. The only downside to this simplicity is that many products require AirPlay to be registered to be activated which can incur some additional cost.

Internet Music Streaming Services

Spotify – Probably the one of the largest services out there, Spotify is available on pretty much every phone and computer you can think of, but you will need to subscribe to the premium version to get it on your phone. It's £10 per month for all the music you can eat and comes with some nifty features such as making playlists available on your phone even when you're not connected to a network. One of the best things about Spotify is that Premium subscribers can stream music in 320kbps – that's as close as a compressed format comes to CD quality.

Napster – Napster has come a long way since it's early days as a file-sharing platform. It now enables users to purchase MP3s legally and provides a subscription streaming service. It has two tiers like Spotify, with the basic £5/month available for computer use and £10/month providing the same on your phone or mobile device. Unfortunately, whilst downloads are 256kbps their streaming service currently only provides 128kbps or 64kbps to a phone.

Last.fm – Last.fm is a fantastic way to discover new music and monitor your music listening habits. It can generate personalised radio stations which play back music based on your favourite artists or tracks. You can use their “scrobbling” service for free which logs what music you listen to from plenty of different players. A £3/month subscription allows for ad-free website and radio listening as well as being able to use the mobile app and use last.fm on various hi-fi and AVR products which support it.

vTuner – When a product says it has Internet radio built in then it's probably powered by vTuner. This is not a subscription service, rather it's licensed by the manufacturer so radio thousands of radio stations are made available to you as soon as you connect your device to the network.

DNLA Streaming Products

Onkyo AV Receivers – TX-NR509, TX-NR609, TX-NR709, TX-NR809, TX-NR5009, PR-SC5509

Yamaha AV Receivers – RX-V671, RX-A810, RX-A1010, RX-A2010, RX-A3010

Denon AV Receivers – AVR-1912, AVR-3312

Marantz AV Receivers – NR1602, SR5006, SR6006, SR7005

Arcam AV Receivers – AVR400, AVR600

Onkyo Hi-Fi – TX-8050

Denon Hi-Fi – DNP-720AE, CEOL RCD-N7

Marantz Hi-Fi – NA7004

NAD Hi-Fi – C446

TEAC Hi-Fi – CR-H500, AG-H600, MP-H01

Pro-Ject – Stream Box DS

Apple AirPlay Streaming Products

Denon AV Receivers – AVR-1912, AVR-3312

Marantz AV Receivers – NR1602, SR5006, SR6006, SR7005

Denon Hi-Fi – DNP-720AE, CEOL RCD-N7

Marantz Hi-Fi – NA7004