The MusicCast app supports playback of songs stored on smartphones and tablets that are not DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected. The app also supports playback of music libraries stored on a computer through UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), which is already available on most Windows and Mac computers or is easy to add. Control it, all from one app, designed to be intuitive, quick and simple to use. Use a soundbar, a wireless speaker, an AV Receiver, Hi-Fi audio whichever suits you best, mix and match then expand your MusicCast system as time goes on. All new from Yamaha, the MusicCast system brings everything to everywhere for everyone. Remote Control all your Yamaha MusicCast Audio Device ( MusicCast network connected Speakers / Sound Bars / Receivers / Amplifiers / Turntable ) in your local network on your Mac with this App. You can use this App to play/pause/mute audio, control volume and tones, switch audio input, list network radio source, quick select preset of net radio. The app works perfectly fine to control my Yamaha sound bar. However, the app consumes a ton of my phone’s battery with its “background activity”, even if all I use it for is to control the volume or sound settings. I have to manually kill the app each time after I use it for anything in order to preserve my phone’s battery.
It’s finally going to happen. With the upcoming release of Apple’s new operating system for Mac computers (MacOS Catalina, scheduled to arrive in late September 2019), Apple will flip the switch and shut off iTunes for good. But don’t panic. All that time and effort spent creating playlists and purchasing your favorite tracks wasn’t wasted. That music will still live on your computer (in the new Apple “Music” app that will replace iTunes), and you can keep it alive through the power of streaming … just perhaps not the way you might think.
If you’re a fan of streaming music from your mobile device to speakers throughout your home, MusicCast is your ticket to digital freedom and unleashing your iTunes library. The MusicCast Controller app allows you to stream music to any room of your house using a number of different options, including Bluetooth®, Apple Music® (via AirPlay) and other streaming services. You can also stream music you have stored on your device or on a local network.
If you’re using a PC computer, you’ll want to check out our blog article “How to Stream Music From Your Computer.” To stream from an Apple computer such as a Mac or MacBook, read on.
Setup Requirements
In order to access your music, you’ll need to establish a connection to the iTunes collection on your Apple computer using the “Server” button on the MusicCast Controller app, as shown in the illustration on the right. This will allow you to access any downloaded or backed-up music files you have previously purchased and stored on your computer or NAS (Network Attached Storage) device such as a thumb drive or external hard drive. A third-party service is required to connect your streaming capabilities via MusicCast with the stored content on your Mac. There are a number of free and paid software options to choose from to accomplish this. We recommend you do some research online to find the service that’s right for you. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll be using the free media server software called Plex.
Using Plex
1. First, find and download Plex Media Server to your Mac. Then, under the Plex Media Server drop-down menu, select “Mac OS”:
2. You’ll be prompted to give a name for your stored media folder. Keep it simple:
3. Now you’ll be asked to add your iTunes library or libraries. (You’re not limited to just one library.)
4. Click Next and you’ll see the following screen signaling the end of the process. Click Done and you’ve completed the connection!
5. While still in Plex, click on Settings in the left panel, then scroll down until you see “DLNA” towards the bottom of the Settings section. Click on it and look for the check box line that reads “Enable the DLNA server.” Make sure the box is checked (it should be already). This will allow the software to connect via Wi-Fi, and by extension, MusicCast:
6. Finally, go back to the MusicCast Controller app and click the Server button, which, as shown in the screenshot on the right, should now be showing the folder you shared through Plex. And that’s it! You can now listen to your collection of stored music through MusicCast and enjoy all the versatility that comes with it.
Aside from connecting to your iTunes library, Plex also scans for all music files on your computer that can be enjoyed with the MusicCastControllerapp, including AAC, ALAC, E-AC3, FLAC, MP3, M4A and WAV. Click hereto learn more about Plex Media Server and its capabilities.
For more ways to enjoy music at home, check out these blog articles:
Click here for more information about Yamaha MusicCast.
Click here for more information about the Yamaha MusicCast Controller app.
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You like music. Maybe you’ve been downloading music for years. You might have even gone through the arduous process of digitizing your CDs and cassette tapes. They now reside on your computer. You’d like to stream them. But how?
The Yamaha MusicCast Controller app doesn’t discriminate between streaming sources. Whether it’s one of the nation’s most popular streaming services or music you have stored on your device or on a local network, you can share it with every room of your house. Want to know how? Read on.
The Server Button
The purpose of the “Server” button in MusicCast Controller (shown on the right) is to allow you to access music files that you have downloaded or backed up. Those files are usually located in a particular folder on a hard drive — either one inside your computer or an external storage device like a thumb drive. With MusicCast, you can play those files back in any or all rooms in your multi-room home audio system.
Don’t touch that Server button just yet, though! Before MusicCast can see this content, you need to activate a feature on your computer called media file sharing.
Media File Sharing
There are several methods for accessing your music depending on how your network is set up. For instance, if your router has a USB port configured as a NAS (Network Attached Storage) input, you’re ahead of the game. Simply connect a high capacity USB thumb drive or hard drive with all your music stored on it (or as much as you can fit on the drive). Touching the “Server” button in MusicCast Controller will give you access to all the music stored on the drive.
If that feature is not available on your router, you can add a dedicated NAS server to your network. Here’s how to activate media sharing on a PC that’s running Windows 10:
1. First, you’ll need to turn on the sharing function of your PC. From the search bar, type “Control Panel”:
2. From the icon view, navigate to the “Network and Sharing Center”:
3. Select “Change advanced sharing settings”:
4. Click on “All Networks”:
5. Click “Choose media streaming options”:
6. Click on the “Turn on media streaming” button, then hit OK:
7. Type in a name for your media library, then use the tick boxes to decide which devices will have access to the media stored on your PC’s music folder. Finally, hit OK:
8. Finally, close out all windows. MusicCast Controller can now see the music stored in your Music media folder.
In an upcoming post, we’ll explore how to set up an iTunes® NAS server and stream the music you own from a Mac®.
For more ways to enjoy music at home, check out these blog articles:
Click here for more information about Yamaha MusicCast.
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Yamaha Musiccast App For Windows 10
a home theater enthusiasta music loveraudio and home theaterMusic LoverMusicCastStreamingYamaha AVYamahaAVYamaha Musiccast App For Macbook
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