Would like "play-to" for FLAC and WMP12

[dsperber]

This subject has been discussed on the Internet before, and even in this forum. Seems like it just can't be done, but I'll give it one more try.


I would like to send FLAC files from Win7 to a network player capable of playing FLAC (e.g. Oppo 103/203). The optimal approach would be to right-click on either a folder containing the music files to be sent (which could include MP3, FLAC, videos, etc.) or an individual FLAC file, and then select the "play-to" item which hopefully would appear on the context menu, and then select the Oppo player from the list presented.


This approach works perfectly for all media types inherently supported by WMP12 (e.g. MP3, videos, etc.) where "play-to" actually appears on the context menu.


But for FLAC, the "play-to" item is NOT presented. Even though I've installed MFFLAC codec, as well as MADFLAC filter previously, so that WMP can actually play FLAC files if I select them, the streaming "play-to" ability for FLAC is missing.


Even if I play a FLAC file in WMP so that is shows in the "playing" list, when I drop down the "play-to" button list (upper-right corner) and select the Oppo player which appears, the "play-to" applet appears but seems to fail to successfully "contact media server" and the streaming to the Oppo never actually starts.


This isn't the most critical problem in the world, as I can actually go the other way, starting from the Oppo -> Network -> Music and then selecting my PC, and navigating to the music folders and picking music to play (including FLAC) from the Oppo itself. But it would often be much more convenient if I could stream from the PC to the Oppo, rather than being forced to do it the other way around.


My online research revealed a Registry hack which purported to solve the "play-to" context menu issue for FLAC, but it did not work for me.


Can anybody suggest a known working solution for this? Or is it just not possible?


I will experiment with my Win10 laptop, since FLAC is natively supported by WMP in Win10. Perhaps "play-to" is also presented on the context menu for FLAC files in Win10. Perhaps this is the only real solution, and that there's just no fix for Win7.


Anybody know anything about this?

 

[dsperber]

Well, lots of people have come by to read this question. But there's not one single "solution". So I have to believe this is simply not possible to accomplish in Win7.

I have now confirmed that in Win10 (where FLAC is natively supported by WMP) that the Win7 "play-to" functional equivalent, i.e. the Win10 "cast to device", actually DOES work just fine. So in fact if I had been using Win10 instead of still living with Win7 (because I still use WMC which was removed from Win10 by MS) I wouldn't have had any problem doing what I wanted to do.

As it turns out, since "play-to" isn't possible in Win7 for FLAC, I've simply connected an HDMI cable from an available HDMI port on my EVGA nVidia GTX 1050ti SC graphics card, and connected the other end of the HDMI cable to the external HDMI input of my Oppo UDP-203 player. So even though I couldn't use an ethernet cable connection to the 203 (on my LAN) and the non-existent "play-to" for FLAC to play FLAC music files through the 203 and its external audio system, I can instead now simply play the identical FLAC files using a Windows-based player (e.g. Winamp, Jaangle, or even WMP after installing MFFLAC or MACFLAC) selecting my external 203-based digital audio system in "playback devices" for output.

Same objective result... i.e. FLAC played through the external audio system based around the 203, DAC, and high-end preamp/amp/speakers. Just achieved via straightforward HDMI-audio from the HTPC to an external audio system as the selected "playback device", rather than either (a) "pushed out" via WMP "play-to" through ethernet from the HTPC to the 203, or (b) "pulled" via ethernet from the HTPC folders by the 203's music player and network/Explorer apps.

Don't need "play-to" or "cast to device" any longer, nor do I need to manually select music to be played through the 203's very limited player interface. Playing music to my external audio system via Winamp and/or Jaangle via HDMI-audio output is far superior to either of these methods anyway, and I can now do it.