Using Roku 3 as an audio player?

[Quattro Pete]

Anyone using their Roku 3 for streaming audio (local content, not internet streaming)? How good is it at doing so? Which apps on Roku 3 specifically do you use for local audio content streaming? Plex? Something else? How easy is the navigation through your library, playback, etc?

I currently have a standalone digital audio player (Squeezebox) that is simple enough and supports variety of audio formats.

Roku 3 would be appealing if it could do what the Squeezebox does plus stream video, which I know it does very well. Roku 3 has some gaps when it comes to certain audio formats support (example: no Ogg Vorbis), but if that is the only gap, then I can live with it since very little of my content is in this particular format. Apparently the current Roku 3 firmware does support FLAC.

I can certainly keep the Squeezebox even if I get Roku 3, but was just wondering if I'd be able to completely retire the Squeezebox if I do get Roku 3.

Thanks!

 

[IntegraVT]

We're using a Roku 2 XS, not a 3, in a guest room and it seems to work pretty well with the Roku Media Player application - http://www.rokuguide.com/channels/roku-media-player

It connects to our TVersity server as well as a simple DLNA-enabled DLink NAS. You might be able to use a media server, like TVersity, that does on-the-fly transcoding to play content that the Roku does not natively support. I know I've played FLAC and DTSWAVs on the Roku using it, but never Ogg Vorbis.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Thanks.

Yeah, I found this article mentioning that the Roku Media Player should be able to just connect to my Logitech Media Server which I already have running to feed the Squeezebox, so access to my library should be easy. LMS will transcode to another format if the device can't support a particular format natively. However, there seems to be an issue with LMS and FLAC support on Roku at the moment...

My other option is to make my audio library visible through Plex. I know Plex will also transcode certain formats.

 

[Jim K]

My Roku 3 constantly pauses , makink it hard to watch anything.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
My Roku 3 constantly pauses , makink it hard to watch anything.

Poor connection between Roku and the router?

Low internet speed?

 

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
My Roku 3 constantly pauses , makink it hard to watch anything.


How's your connection? My Roku 3 is on a different floor than my router, but I can stream everything without a hiccup.

 

[Jim K]

Originally Posted By: sicko
Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
My Roku 3 constantly pauses , makink it hard to watch anything.


How's your connection? My Roku 3 is on a different floor than my router, but I can stream everything without a hiccup.

The Roku is on an upstairs bedroom, and the computer is downstairs. It works off Wi-Fi that I think is working ok. I know when I`m on the computer downstairs my monitor pauses on You Tube playbacks.

 

[Quattro Pete]

How fast is your internet connection?

 

[Jim K]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
How fast is your internet connection?

I don`t really know , I`m not very computer savvy.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Go to http://www.speedtest.net/ and run a test.

 

[Jim K]

says download at .21 mbps and upload at .31 mbps.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Those are terrible speeds. Not good for any kind of video streaming, roku or else.

Per Roku, you want at least 1.5 Mbps for standard def streaming and at least 3 Mbps for high def streaming...

http://support.roku.com/entries/20289373...my-Roku-player-

 

[FL-400S]

Stream local content? Isn't that what radios are for?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Well, I just gave it a try. Roku Media Player would not recognize the content from my Logitech Media Server, so I ended up having to serve it up through Plex. However, I was not happy with audio quality. My old Sqeezebox sounds notably better. Oh well.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
says download at .21 mbps and upload at .31 mbps.


I suspect a poor wireless signal between your Roku and your router. As Quattro Pete said, those speeds are insufficient for streaming anything across the internet.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
says download at .21 mbps and upload at .31 mbps.


I suspect a poor wireless signal between your Roku and your router.

It could certainly be the case since I can't imagine any ISP providing such slow speeds these days. He never mentioned where the router is. Only mentioned that his roku is upstairs and his computer is downstairs and both can't play Youtube smoothly.

 

[Jim K]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
says download at .21 mbps and upload at .31 mbps.


I suspect a poor wireless signal between your Roku and your router.

It could certainly be the case since I can't imagine any ISP providing such slow speeds these days. He never mentioned where the router is. Only mentioned that his roku is upstairs and his computer is downstairs and both can't play Youtube smoothly.
I have windows 8 and it defrags on auto weekly . Thought I would manually defrag and it shows 0 percent, so that don`t seem to be the problem. Ran the Kaspersky and it shows no problems there either . So I really don`t know why my internet is running those low numbers.

 

[Jim K]

Ps , the Wi-Fi signal is strong . I`ve checked it against my phone up in that bedroom.

 

[Quattro Pete]

You could try this:

1. Disable the wi-fi on your computer.
2. Connect your computer to the router with a physical network cable.
3. Run the speed test again and see what you get.

If the speeds are higher, that means your wi-fi is the problem. If the speeds are the same, you really need to tell us who your ISP is and what you're paying them.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
Ps , the Wi-Fi signal is strong . I`ve checked it against my phone up in that bedroom.


Try as Quattro Pete said. It will remove the wireless variable from the equation. If your speeds are still that slow, you may try contacting your cable or DSL provider...no service should be that slow. That's slower than 3G cellular service.