= Songcast For Mac And Windows = [[PageOutline(2-4,,inline)]] == Introduction == Songcast for Mac and Windows will allow your computer to send audio to any Songcast receiver in your home. When Songcast is switched on, any audio that is produced by any application running on your computer will be sent to selected Songcast receivers. For example, the audio from iTunes, Spotify or any web browser can now be sent to any Linn DS in your home. == Installation == === System Requirements === ==== Mac ==== * Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or later * Mac OS X Lion * 64-bit Mac hardware ==== Windows ==== * Windows 7 * 32 or 64-bit hardware === Installing === ==== Mac ==== * Download the .dmg file from the [DownloadSongcast download] page * Double click the downloaded .dmg file * In the window that appears, double click the .pkg file * Follow the on screen instructions in the installer program ==== Windows ==== * Download the installer from the [DownloadSongcast download] page * Double click the downloaded .exe file * Follow the on screen instructions in the installer program === Uninstalling === ==== Mac ==== * Double click the .dmg file that was downloaded to install Songcast * In the window that appears, double click the "uninstall.tool" file * Follow the on screen instructions in the uninstall window ==== Windows ==== * Open the Windows Control Panel and double click "Programs and Features" * Select "Songcast" in the list of programs and click the "Uninstall" button * Follow the on screen instructions in the uninstall window === Updating === Songcast for Mac can be configured to automatically check for new software updates. Checking for available updates can also be performed manually as described in the "Advanced" section below. Alternatively, Songcast can be updated by manually downloading the installation packages from the [DownloadSongcast download] page and installing them using the method described in the [#Installing Installing] section above. == Operation == The general operation of Songcast is intended to be very simple and, largely, there should be little interaction with the software. === The Songcast status bar icon === After installing Songcast, the Songcast icon should appear in the status bar area of your desktop: [[Image(wiki:SongcastImages:SongcastMacOff.png,34px,title=Songcast Off Icon,link="",align=center)]] This says that Songcast is switched off and any audio will be played through the computer's speakers. When Songcast is switched on and audio from the computer is being sent to the DS, the icon will change to show: [[Image(wiki:SongcastImages:SongcastMacOn.png,34px,title=Songcast On Icon,link="",align=center)]] === The Main Songcast Window === Clicking the Songcast icon will show the main Songcast window: [[Image(wiki:SongcastImages:Songcast_4_2_Off.png,620px,title=Songcast main window (Off),link="",align=center)]] [[Image(wiki:SongcastImages:Songcast_4_2_On.png,620px,title=Songcast main window (On),link="",align=center)]] The left hand image shows the main window when Songcast is switched off and the audio is being played through the computer's speakers. The right hand image is when Songcast is switched on and audio is being played through the current DS. The various elements of the window are as described below: ====== Current DS ====== This displays the Linn DS that is currently configured to receive the Songcasted audio from your computer ====== My !Computer/Current DS icons ====== These icons can be used to determine whether the computer's audio will be played using the computer's speakers of the current DS. When the computer comes out of hibernation or starts from shutdown, Songcast will be set to play audio through the computer's speakers. ====== Volume ====== This can be used to change the volume of the current DS. The volume can be changed by clicking the outer ring of the control and rotating it. The volume can be muted by clicking the centre of the control. ====== !Play/Stop ====== When Songcast is set to play audio through the DS (rather than the computer's speakers), this button provides an additional control to instruct the DS to play and stop the audio. In situations where the DS has been used for other purposes, such as listening to the radio source, this button can be used to easily switch the DS back to playing the Songcasted audio from the computer. ====== !Music/Video Mode ====== On some networks, there may be a trade off between the reliability of the audio that is sent using Songcast and it's timeliness. Therefore, in order to achieve best audio reliability a slight delay in the audio signal must be introduced. This can adversely affect the user experience when watching video in the sense that the audio will slightly lag behind the video. This button allows the user to select how they want Songcast to operate. In music mode, timeliness of the audio signal is sacrificed in favour of reliability. In video mode, timeliness is favoured over reliability in order to minimise lip sync issues. The specific parameters that control how much delay is added to the audio signal in each mode can be finely tuned in the Advanced section in the Songcast Preferences Pane. ====== Settings ====== Clicking this icon will open the [#TheSongcastpreferencespane preference pane] for Songcast. ====== Online Manual ====== Clicking this icon will open this web page in your web browser. === The Songcast preferences pane === The Songcast preferences can be displayed using two mechanisms: * Clicking the settings icon on the main Songcast window * Selecting "Songcast" from the Mac "System Preferences" or Selecting "Songcast" from the Windows Control Panel ==== General use ==== [[Image(wiki:SongcastImages:Songcast_4_2_PrefGeneral.png,670px,title=User options dialog,link="",align=center)]] ===== Songcast Receiver ===== This allows the selection of the current DS that Songcast will stream audio to. Clicking the drop down box will list all available receivers that can be selected. To the right of the selection box, the connection status of that receiver will be displayed. The possible states for a receiver are: * '''Connected''' - The receiver is fully connected and ready to receive audio * '''Connecting''' - The receiver is preparing to receive audio * '''Disconnected''' - The receiver is available on the network but is currently being used for something else, for example, listening to internet radio * '''Unavailable''' - The receiver is not currently available on the network * '''Songcast Off''' - Songcast is currently turned off The button on the right can be clicked to refresh the list. ===== Songcast Volume Control ===== This button can be used to select which type of volume control is used in the main window. The rotary control allows the user to click the outer ring and then rotate it in order to increase or decrease the volume. Mute is applied by clicking the centre of the control. The rocker control splits the control into 2 halves that act as + and - buttons for the volume. Mute is applied in the same way as the rotary control. ==== Advanced use ==== [[Image(wiki:SongcastImages:Songcast_4_2_PrefAdvanced.png,670px,title=User options dialog,link="",align=center)]] ===== Network Settings ===== ====== Subnet ====== This drop down box can be used to selected the network subnet on which Songcast will operate. The majority of users will only have a single subnet in their homes and will not need to change this. ====== !Unicast/Multicast ====== This allows the user to switch the Songcast protocol between using unicast and multicast UDP. The majority of users will never need to change this from unicast. ====== Multicast Channel ====== This is the channel on which multicast Songcast will operate and must be unique on your network. To select a new value, simply click the "New" button. The majority of users will never need to change this setting (only needed if there is a channel conflict between two songcast senders). ====== Music and Video Latency ====== These settings define the delay, in milliseconds, that is applied to the audio signal in music and video modes. Increasing the delay value can help to reduce audio dropouts on some networks. Click the Default buttons will reset these values to their factory defaults. ===== Update Settings ===== ====== Automatic update checks ====== Check this box to allow Songcast to automatically check for updates. ====== Check Now ====== Click this button to manually check for any available updates. ====== Participate in beta program ====== Check this box to receive notifications of when beta versions of Songcast are available == Troubleshooting == === Known Issues === ===== My system experiences audio dropouts when using Songcast ===== We have tried to address issues of audio dropouts in this version of Songcast. We do believe that this issue is largely solved, however, we cannot guarantee no dropouts. If you do experience these symptoms, try increasing the latency parameters in the advanced settings of the Songcast preference pane. If this fails to solve the issue, these symptoms could indicate that there is a problem with the network. ===== I cannot see my DS in the Songcast Preferences tab ===== Press the REFRESH button, if your Linn DS('s) do not appear:- 1. Check the Advanced TAB - Network settings that the correct Network connection is used 2. On Konfig, check under Sources, that the Songcast source is Visible 3. Press the REFRESH button ==== Mac ==== ===== Songcast shows an error message "You cannot open Linn Songcast Preferences because it does not work on an Intel based Mac" ===== This slightly misleading error message is displayed because you have a Mac with a 32-bit Intel processor. Songcast currently only works on 64-bit Macs running Snow Leopard and Lion. ==== Windows ==== ===== I cannot install Songcast on my Windows XP or Windows Vista computer ===== Songcast is currently supported on Windows 7 only. ===== When Songcast starts, I get an error dialog saying "There is no disk in the drive" ===== Again, this is a very rare issue that we have seen and are investigating. When the window appears, clicking the "Cancel" or "Continue" buttons will dismiss the dialog and Songcast will then operate as normal. Also check [http://docs.linn.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Songcast#Known_Issues_with_Songcast_V4.10 Songcast PC/Mac operation]