Here are the UPnP/DLNA music servers being tested: I want the server software to be low cost, ideally free.I want to see album/artist/genre art for my library within the controller.I want to be able to browse and search my library using the controller.I want to listen to my music in its native format and original quality, from the renderers mentioned above.I want to run the music server on my NAS, a Synology DS3615xs.There is no weighting to these requirements, they each get one point for every requirement satisfied: So without further a do, here are my requirements. I’m using Hi-Fi Cast as the controller (which i highly recommend), running on a wireless android tablet. For testing, the renderers i will be using are a Yamaha MusicCast stereo, a Sony TV and a Windows PC. This guide will only address the server component.

UPnP/DLNA has three components, the server, the renderer and the controller. Some of the music servers tested also serve video and photos and fall into the media server category, which is great but I’m only testing their merits on serving audio.įirst some terminology to get your head around. They bring the same cross-platform, cross-device, and convenient experience with your local content.This review has been written by a tech enthusiast, not an audiophile, with my own personal requirements in mind, but since i went to great lengths testing every possible UPnP/DLNA Music Server i could find, i thought you might also benefit from my conclusions. Media servers are a great option in today’s world of connected devices. You can access content on any device and resume right where you left. The experience is pretty great with on-demand video streaming services. Today, we watch our content on multiple devices. And keep in mind that for all the flexibility and features, you don’t have to pay anything. Listing all of its features would be a chore in itself. MediaPortal also allows you to watch and record live TV, group your channels, view the TV guide, etc. It also has plenty of built-in features and can show you the current weather and the latest news. This includes watching live sports, news, YouTube, internet radio, etc. The plugins allow you to do almost anything, just like Kodi. In addition, it also supports expanding the feature set through plugins and also supports various skins. MediaPortal offers the usual basic media server features you can expect from any other options on this list.

Universal media server docker