[Technology] Playing local music collection via Alexa.

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boik

Well-known member

Sep 3, 2011

3,355

Between Happiness and Heartache

• Jul 23, 2021

• #1

A friend has Alexa, a large collection of CDs and live recordings and a really good hifi. However he'd like the convenience for parties and stuff of just asking Alexa to play stuff but still sounding decent.

I know he uses iTunes on Windows (Boooooooo!!). And from the quick investigations I have done, the 2 options seem to be setting up a Plex server, which I could do for him, but the Alexa skill seems pretty limited. Or uploading his music to one of the cloud services, from where Alexa would be happy with it.

2 issues with the cloud option. It must be free as he is impoverished, and it absolutely must NOT remove any music from his PC.

Anyone got any experiences of this and any recommendations?

 

Happy Exile

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NSC Patron

Apr 19, 2018

1,862

• Jul 23, 2021

• #2

Might make myself sound stupid here, but I think you can get a Bluetooth receiver for a hifi, then if he's got Spotify on a phone (or some mp3's from his CD collection on a phone or similar) he can Bluetooth them and play them through his hifi that way?

 

studio150

Well-known member

Jul 30, 2011

29,611

On the Border

• Jul 23, 2021

• #3

Happy Exile said:

Might make myself sound stupid here, but I think you can get a Bluetooth receiver for a hifi, then if he's got Spotify on a phone (or some mp3's from his CD collection on a phone or similar) he can Bluetooth them and play them through his hifi that way?

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You can indeed do this, as I have the bluetooth option. I expect the issue may be the impoverished part.

 

B

boik

Well-known member

Sep 3, 2011

3,355

Between Happiness and Heartache

• Jul 23, 2021

• Thread starter
• #4

studio150 said:

You can indeed do this, as I have the bluetooth option. I expect the issue may be the impoverished part.

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Indeed that will be a problem, as will the live recordings he also has. Spotify will know diddly squat about those. [MENTION=4019]Triggaaar[/MENTION] has come up with a potential free solution and something that I have some experience with, so I will try that out next time I'm at his place. (that's my friends place, not Triggaaars !!!).

 

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Fungus

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May 21, 2004

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Truro

• Jul 23, 2021

• #5

boik said:

Indeed that will be a problem, as will the live recordings he also has. Spotify will know diddly squat about those. [MENTION=4019]Triggaaar[/MENTION] has come up with a potential free solution and something that I have some experience with, so I will try that out next time I'm at his place. (that's my friends place, not Triggaaars !!!).

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Is Trig's potential free solution something that can be shared publicly? I'm in a similar position to your friend.

 

B

boik

Well-known member

Sep 3, 2011

3,355

Between Happiness and Heartache

• Jul 23, 2021

• Thread starter
• #6

Oxy McFloppie-Tish said:

Is Trig's potential free solution something that can be shared publicly? I'm in a similar position to your friend.

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Cant see why not. It uses the old Slim Devices server software (LMS) to stream to either a genuine Squeezbox or an Echo connected to your HiFi, and there is an Amazon skill to frontend it all.

https://mediaserver.smartskills.tech/

I wont be trying it straight away, but might try it here on a VirtualBox Win10 machine before I get a chance to go to my mates place.