Multiroom audio

Hi guys,

What you need is shairport-sync which is specifically built for the scope.
It creates and airplay receiver using airplay timestamps and some re-sync techniques to avoid drifts.
It works on raspbian, currently I use it on a PI zero but i believe could be a simple add-on for OSMC (it does not rely on KODI)

To confirm what Patrocks has suggested:

I use the (free) Logitech LMS as my central music and radio server. I have a few actual Squeezebox hardware players round the house, but I recently installed the ā€œXsqueezeā€ add-on to Kodi on a Raspberry Pi 3. This means:

(a) the Pi still works as a Kodi video client driving my TV, and yet also
(b) the Pi, with the Xsqueeze Kodi add-on runs as an audio client off LMS - which means it can be synchronised with my other Squeezebox players.

Naturally, you donā€™t NEED any Squeezebox hardware to do this. This solution gives the OP free, synchronised, audio players round the house based on Raspberry Pis and free central software.

Even if the OP has his reasons for not wanting a Logitech solution, this does work, if others are looking for such a system.


Edit: BTW: ALSA is needed for audio playback, and the Xsqueeze Wiki describes how to determine if itā€™s installed, and how to do so, if itā€™s not.

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While NTP is oo loose for synching audio, PTP gets down to sub millisecond sync (across the 5 switches in my LAN, I usually get sub 100 microseconds sync.

Granted I am running an uputronics GPS with PPS on a Pi as my PTP Grandmaster, but a PPS input is NOT required is you just want to sync and are not bothered about absolute timeā€¦

take a look at GPSD redirection page

Hi donā€™t know if this is still somthing you want? :stuck_out_tongue: but I have been using OpenHome a long time. And it works ok. So this might be a solution. they have a package for Pi. so. I have been using it on Ubuntu., but only recently gone for Piā€™s. goto openhome.org. Hope we can get this as a plugin to OSMC. Love OSMC buy yhe way Great work guys.

You mean a plugin to Kodi, as OSMC is a linux distribution :wink:

I tested airfoil which works wonders. It handles sync for every device, only problem is that you can stream from a windows or Mac device only, but you can then control the playback using a separate app (airfoil satellite) for pc, Mac, android and ios.

Itā€™s a paid app (airfoil, satellite is free), but I think itā€™s well worth it. I currently stream from my pc to my chromecast, my vero 4k, my Bluetooth speakers, and even my iPad and my android smartphone.

Jriver Media Center
https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Zones

Iā€™m not sure if JRiver plays fully synced, but not far off.
You can play in several zones using DLNA/UPNP, so I can send audio to my Vero 4K, Samsung, TV, Macbooks. You also have the Gizmo app / Jriver App so you can play on phones, tablets via browser.

Edit:
You can link zones so they same the same track on different units. I have done this with with a Macbook to my hifi setup and to my bluetooth speaker. There was a bit of delay but I think itā€™s because of the Bluetooth connection and the distance from my Macbook.

You can sync libraries, backup of database etc.

I can test later for you how many units I can send to and how it goes.

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Possible KODI solution?

Instant Switch Addon

Cheers,
Robert

Probably :slight_smile: I would love someone (a pi guru or coder) to compile a new installer for stretch at least :stuck_out_tongue:

Resurrecting an old post - AFAICS there has not been a lot of intervening discussion. Things have changed a lot since 2018. Is there now a good/best default for multiroom synchronised audio with multiple osmc/kodi clients and a (not necessarily osmc) linux server? What do other people do?

We just got Bluetooth audio working out of the box as standard. I think it will be a while before we have a solution for multi-room audio.