Video Output From Nucleus HDMI

Feedback Feature Suggestions
1

OK, I get the Chromecast video from Roon on my 55" Sony. But we all know it is incomplete.

But, when I was using a Mac Mini, it sent the full Roon software display over HDMI to my display, including all lyrics, que, artist info, photo, credits, etc.

The new 1.6 features available on my iPad would be even better. (yes, I know I can airplay the iPad screen to the 55", but the image is truncated, and odd, compared to the original)

I do not understand why my Nucleus cannot do the same thing that the Mac Mini could. The HDMI on the Nucleus delivers 5.1 audio, and there is some esoteric technical video in the upper left corner of my display from the HDMI video. So it works.

Why isn’t full video just a switch away from being a feature of the Nucleus? Roon could use this as a selling point.

Can someone tell my why this is 1)technically difficult/impossible, or 2)contractually disallowed?, or 3) ? ?.

This seems, on the surface, to be a no-brainer for the next software release. I love my Nucleus, and this could make it darn near perfect!

2

Nucleus is running a non-gui ( meaning there is no graphical interface) RoonServer Core it is not running the gui version of Roon. There is nothing to send over. The point of running a server is to be stripped down, lean and without all the extra processes.

When you were running your Mac Mini, you were running Roon with a graphical interface. Roon can be run in a server mode (as you seem have been doing) or in a client mode where it connects to a RoonServer Core somewhere else via the network. In this mode, Roon is acting as a graphical front end to a server located on a different machine.

The Nucleus is a RoonServer Core running on Roon OS. You can use your Mac Mini running Roon to be a front end and interface with the Server running on the Nucleus.

For exampe, I use a NUC running Window10 as a Roon endpoint and TV feed. My Core ( in your case the nucleus) is in the basement connected by ethernet to my NUC in the family room. My Nuc runs Roon (as a client/endpoint and not server) which is displayed on my TV. It is also connected via USB to my AMP and is running the necessary ASIO drivers to play native DSD256 (which are only available for Windows). The Roon program is displayed on my TV and I use my wireless mouse and keyboard to control things.

1 Like
3

I appreciate your reply which indicates that this is technically not possible, correct? Unless Roon decides to make a gui – working or not working – available.

It seems Roon’s decision to keep the sever “stripped down, lean and without all the extra processes” is the roadblock to what I am requesting.

So, why include video capabilities of HDMI at all?

Is there a huge difference in the output quality with only the small text area as opposed to a full display? I used a wireless trackpad and keyboard before, but the iPad is more convenient.

I don’t want to control my Nucleus with an on-screen display. I just want to see it, much like an airplay mirroring, but with a better image. It seems to me, from my perspective, the ability to turn such a feature on or off should be my option, especially for $1400.

Didn’t I read that Roon “might” find a use for the video output of the HDMI section “someday”? Or did I dream it?

4

I can’t speak to what is or is not “technically possible” concerning Nucleus video as I am not a Roon employee. I was only trying to offer an explanation of why you were seeing a difference between your usage of Roon on a Mac Mini and the Nucleus which is running RoonServer Core on Roon OS.

I also gave an example of how I have my system setup so I can run the full Roon interface on my TV with the server being on a different machine.

1 Like
5

Thank you! Most of my questions are rhetorical at this point.

1 Like
6

One aspect of Roon is that there is no graphical interface on any Linux based version of Roon. In fact the only version of Roon officially supported on Linux is Roon Server. There are workarounds such as using Wine to host the Windows version on Linux but that is of no help if you have invested in a (Linux powered) Nucleus. But if you still have the Mac, you can still do what you did before running in control only mode. I have done the same with a Windows mini PC.

7

Thanks, but I guess I am stuck with Chromecast or Airplay.

The reason I bought the Nucleus and shelved the Mac Mini is that the Mini did not play nice with my pre/pro which would not change inputs correctly from the Mac to any other input, requiring a hard reboot.

Now, at least I know why I can’t do it! Thanks for your help

8

3 posts were split to a new topic: Viewing and operating the Roon Core on Nucleus using a Mac