Chorale on Sourceforge

Server features

The server part of Chorale — the Linux/Unix daemon and the Windows service — provides the following:

UPnP MediaServer server for streaming local files, currently MP3 and FLAC, to UPnP clients including Roku Soundbridge and Sony Playstation 3.

UPnP MediaRenderer server* for allowing UPnP control-point software to send audio files to your sound card’s outputs.

DVB-T (“Freeview”) gateway* for streaming digital terrestrial radio stations to UPnP clients, including different stations to different clients as long as all stations are on the same DVB multiplex.

DVB-T (“Freeview”) PVR/EPG* with web interface, for browsing and recording digital terrestrial TV and radio programmes.

Rio Receiver protocol server for streaming to Rio Receivers, Dell Digital Audio Receivers, and Receiver Edition Empeg and Rio car-players.

Automatic updating* of the server’s database when media files are added or modified.

Access control* using the standard libwrap from TCP Wrappers.

Dual-format support for keeping FLAC and MP3 copies of each file, and serving FLACs where possible (for quality) and MP3s otherwise (for compatibility).

Playlist entry upgrading so that when a FLAC-capable client plays a playlist of MP3s, any MP3s which have corresponding FLACs will be automatically “upgraded”.

* Linux/Unix version only.

Features for Empeg car-player owners

If you have an Empeg or Rio car-player (mark 2 or 2a), Chorale offers you the following:

Listen to music from an Empeg on your PC or on a UPnP MediaRenderer such as Roku Soundbridge (Linux/Unix PC only).

Synchronise music to an Empeg including FLACs (for v3 firmware) or, alternatively, not including them (for v2 firmware). Currently command-line driven only; see protocoltool.1 or readme.protocoltool.txt in the Chorale distribution.

Stream MP3s, FLACs, and Freeview Radio to an Empeg (using the v3 Receiver Edition firmware, not the standard one).

Protocol code is open-source for maximum customisability.

All car-player features work only over Ethernet, not USB.

Application features

The application part of Chorale — currently for Linux/Unix only — provides the following:

UPnP control point for sending media from MediaServer devices to MediaRenderer devices.

UPnP media player for direct playback of media from MediaServer devices.

CD ripping to both MP3 and FLAC simultaneously, including from multiple CD-ROM drives simultaneously, with multi-threaded encoding. Metadata lookup is from FreeDB.

Networked CD ripping with the help of Chorale servers on other devices.

Features for Rio Receiver owners

If you have a Rio Receiver, a Dell Digital Audio Receiver, or a Receiver Edition Empeg or Rio car-player, Chorale offers you the following:

Hierarchical (“nested”) playlist support whereby the server exports the entire folder structure to the clients.

Server runs as a service on Windows — that is, it starts with Windows and runs even when nobody’s logged-in.

Automatic updating of the server’s database when media files are added or modified (Linux/Unix server only).

Listen to DVB-T (“Freeview”) radio stations served from the same server as ordinary files (car-players only).

One server for both Receivers and UPnP for consistency and ease of maintenance.

Listen to music from any Receiver server on your PC or on a UPnP MediaRenderer such as Roku Soundbridge (requires Linux/Unix PC).

Server is open-source for maximum customisability.

Features for Rio Central owners

If you have a Rio Central (or HSX-109 — marketing changed the product name after software gold master) media server, Chorale offers you the following:

Listen to music from a Central on your PC or on a UPnP MediaRenderer such as Roku Soundbridge (requires Linux/Unix PC).

Republishing Receiver protocol as UPnP for browsing and listening to a Central from any UPnP client, such as Sony Playstation 3.

Synchronise music to a Central, which hasn’t been tested — but should work, as it acts just like a car-player.

All Rio Central features require either a compatible USB Ethernet adaptor for the Central, or a HomePNA adaptor in the PC. Note that only a very few, very obsolete USB Ethernet adaptors are Central-compatible.