As per the title, I’m not making any statements, merely asking 2 questions. I couldn’t possibly make a statement about it (as I have no idea), hence my question in the first instance.
I think the way you’ve phrased my question is perfectly fine. So yes…the second part of my question relates to the fact you sell hardware and therefore the software (I assume), must be less resource hungry than the capabilities of a Nucleus.
So from my understanding, it’s been about 5 years and a Roon version 2 has not been released. Hence, I was asking forum users whether they felt the Roon hardware created barriers to grander Roon upgrades, rather than smaller type bug fixes.
On a side note, it’s a shame you no longer talk about what you are working on. I would have thought it a perfect opportunity to talk about future developments with a loyal fanbase. I say loyal, as I suspect most of the regulars here, only want Roon to develop and grow & are here as they really like this product.
When you are installing Roon Rock on your NUC, you will need a USB drive (on which you will have placed the Roon Rock installation download file). You will also need to attach a USB keyboard to the NUC and a monitor of some kind (hdmi). These will only be required for the installation and setup process. They shouldn’t be needed ever again.
When I began my installation, I realised that I didn’t have a USB keyboard and so I had to buy a very cheap one (around £8.00) from my local store.
When it comes to identifying the correct Codecs file to install once Rock has been installed, , the instructions may now be easy to follow. They weren’t when I was about to finish my installation. I had to get advice from this forum about which was the correct file for my setup. I’m sure that members of the forum would be happy to help you when you get to that stage.
Good luck (but you shouldn’t really need it - the process is pretty easy if you follow the instructions).
I noticed some of these quirks/necessities as I’ve been reading guides/threads.
I really need to think about all of this some more. My main attraction to Roon is what makes Roon different from any other streaming software & that is all of the data it collects on artists, biographies, and so on. I feel it makes digital music more organic and enhances my listening experience.
So NUC or Nucleus are headless devices as I understand, therefore I’d need more than just my phone to enjoy all the features that I really like.
And whatever I do, I want to do it properly, so that I’m happy with my set up well into the future. Perhaps, I struggle with much of this as it’s very techy, but for those who completely get it; it’s just a cinch.!
There have been many functional upgrades in the journey from version 1.0 to 1.7 over the past 5 years, so I wouldn’t assume that major upgrades only occur when going from 1.x to 2.0.
Also, Roon is not just using your local hardware - some of the major functional improvements (e.g. Valence) live in the Cloud - so your local hardware is not a barrier in these cases.
Smartphones have a reduced function user interface - if you want to unlock all the features of Roon, you need the user interface (the Control component in Roon parlance) running on a PC, a Mac or a tablet. A NUC or a Nucleus run just the Core and Output components.
Its all about that 'orrible phrase “Screen Real Estate”. I use a Tablet/Laptop as a 15in Tablet with Windows 10 , can see everything , even the pretty pictures at Windows startup
Thanks Geoff - well I’m using my laptop now, which is fine most of the time, until Roon wants to do some background tasks and chooses to skip tracks.
I totally want all the features that require a user interface. Hence my thoughts above…even with NUC/Nucleus I will need the control (I’m getting the lingo) aspect.
Given I’ve never owned a tablet device in my life that means I still need a laptop. Geez and when I got into this streaming thing, I thought i was going minimalist, with the bulk of my gear & physical media all in storage in another state.
I really don’t like the idea of having to boot up a laptop just to play music and I guess that same would apply to look at artist bio’s and all the other goodies that Roon offers moving forward. Hmmmmm…a tablet.
Further investigation required.
I’ve not doubted the upgrades over Roon’s five year journey. However, I do assume that all of those upgrades have not warranted a totally new build number. As I’m not in the software industry (I’m sure everybody can tell that ), I assume that a new build number is assigned when an upgrade of a more sizeable nature is forthcoming. Notwithstanding, I do get and have read, Roon over the years hasn’t been standing still either.
I did look at that link briefly that Geoff posted…geez…Roon radio track choices…that’s more my language.
Yup tablets need not be all that expensive, although everything is more expensive out here esp c/w America and like the UK. Although, having lived in London for a bit I don’t think it’s consumer goods are priced as ‘friendly’ as those over the Atlantic.
It’s not so much an expense thing, it’s more about whatever alternative I’m drawn to, there just seems to be more to it that I’ve not thought about or hasn’t been made clear.
I use both an iPad Air and a PC as my control (&display) devices for Roon.
My PC is normally on all day anyway in my study, which is also where my main system is located. The 32 inch monitor I use with this PC is wonderful for use with Roon.
I use my iPad or my touchscreen laptop to control Roon with my 2nd system in my AV room, and they also work superbly well.
I wouldn’t want to use my phone as a Roon control point. It would work, but you wouldn’t be getting the best out of Roon.
Yes it’s $£ so expensive here.
I mostly use my phone to play music, works fine. If you need to fine tune everything you are doing then you need the big screen device.
Like you, I’d never had a tablet and I’m 67. Wasn’t something I had a use for. I used my desktop PC to control Roon on the NUC and that worked fine for me. Queue up hours of music and let it play. When Roon radio kicked in I had to go back to the PC location to see what was playing.
That prompted me to get my wife to let me try her IPAD when she wasn’t using it. I liked the convenience of having the remote close by but couldn’t use hers all the time. I got one for Christmas to use for a dedicated remote.
My desktop is Windows 7, out of support, so I bought a Windows 10 laptop and am in the process of moving all my stuff over. The laptop also works great as a remote.
So now I have numerous Roon remote control devices. PC, laptop, ipad and phone. They all work well with Roon. I only use the phone when I’m outside and it doubles as the remote and endpoint using a Bluetooth speaker system. Not the best sounding endpoint but it does allow me to listen to my music anywhere outside my wireless network can reach.
I could get by using any one device if it was the only one I had but it is nice to have choices.
What kind of answer are you looking for here? I don’t work for Roon, but I wouldn’t expect someone at Roon to answer “Yes, we’ve hamstrung ourselves” even if they have (and I doubt Roon has).
Well - there’s an answer Rob - thanks. As for Roon people - they don’t talk about their developments, so I wouldn’t expect to hear from them. That was made clear above from Danny.
It was merely a thought I had when making this thread and was hoping some people with more knowledge about software than myself may like to comment on.
As I was reflecting on what I consider the resource requirements to run Roon seamlessly, I then thought about the potential constraints moving forward. After all, in 5 years there’s been no version 2, despite the multitude of upgrades along the way.
I’m not alluding to any potential downfall, nor did I want this to come across of some ‘side swipe’ at Roon. It was merely a question for discussion, amongst the myriad of discussions, support questions and more that are all within this forum.
Yup, until now, I’ve never had a need for a tablet. I’ve been a laptop user ever since my last pc about 20 years ago. A laptop, plus up to date phone, I’ve simply not needed a tablet. Not to mention, in more recent times, I view tablets (my own bias) as somewhat old technology.
I use them in my profession or I should say the student’s do, but that’s partly out of convenience, rather than doing things a laptop/phone can’t.
I certainly like that way you’ve grown with your devices and sense you really like the convenience they allow coupled with Roon.
I’m clearly getting the picture throughout this thread, that prior I didn’t really understand.
Makes sense. Roon’s been up and running for years-ish, so in general the analysis is done. Just when adding new tracks (or starting up) does it eat CPU for a while. When playing music in general resource use seems reasonable.
@Nostro Let me try to consolidate (my) answers to the various questions you have asked:
Roon computing resources: The Roon core programs that do the bulk of Roon’s processing will do varying amounts of work depending on your choices. They are most demanding when doing signal processing, in particular when analyzing new tracks added to your collection. Once all your music is analyzed, load will be much less. In my case, I don’t need that analysis and I’ve turned it off, so adding new music does not need much compute. The other thing Roon needs from its core server is responsiveness when streaming music to Roon endpoints, especially if doing signal processing at the same time. So, running Roon on a laptop or desktop that is also doing other tasks for the user can be problematic as Roon contents with those other tasks. That’s why it’s best to host the Roon core on a dedicated server. In my case, a NUC running Ubuntu Server, but Roon ROCK on a NUC, a Nucleus, or a variety of other Roon-enabled music servers would also do.
It’s perfectly viable to control Roon play from your phone, that’s what I do most of the time, but occasionally it is more convenient to use a tablet or laptop to manage your Roon collection. Again, it’s important for the best Roon experience to have a separate core server even if you have a good desktop or laptop.
Roon has changed a lot for the better since I started using it several years ago. Integration with Qobuz and Roon Radio aka Valence are wonderful ways of sitting back and enjoy music I didn’t know or remember, for example. Many other small and bigger changes have made the Roon experience more reliable and more polished. I haven’t seen a big change in the pace or type of progress since Nucleus was introduced.
I’m in the industry and my home is littered with PCs, laptops, tablets and phones.
With all these available, what do I reach for? Always a tablet: screen size, immediate startup, light weight. When walking around and nothing else is near, occasionally the phone in my pocket. When I’m sitting working at my desktop, I sometimes use Roon on that desktop but I usually have a tablet nearby…
I couldn’t possibly make a statement about it (as I have no idea), hence my question in the first instance.
), I assume that a new build number is assigned when an upgrade of a more sizeable nature is forthcoming. Notwithstanding, I do get and have read, Roon over the years hasn’t been standing still either.
