{"id":17572,"date":"2025-11-12T16:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T15:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audio-2g.com\/?p=17572"},"modified":"2025-11-12T16:55:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T15:55:48","slug":"jplay-for-ios-upnp-control-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audio-2g.com\/en\/jplay-for-ios-upnp-control-point\/","title":{"rendered":"JPlay for iOS – UPnP Control Point"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Most streamers and DAC\/Streamers are “remote-controlled” by means of apps to be installed on Smart Devices, i.e., tablets or phones. Some of these apps are developed with dedication and great effort by the companies that produce the hardware on which they are to be installed; this is the case, for example, with the now defunct AURALiC, which developed the excellent Lightning for years, or with the apps of Linn, Lumin and dCS. Other companies prefer instead to rely on software made by external developers, such as Bubble UPnP, mConnect, etc. JPlay for iOS<\/b> is the proposal, presented for quite some time now and therefore fully matured, of the Polish company JPlay, which for years has been making the program of the same name for Windows, as well as the popular JCat-branded hardware that I use with satisfaction in my audio PCs. <\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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General framework<\/h2>

I begin by premising that the topic of UPnP(Universal Plug and Play<\/i>) is rather complicated and lends itself well to “informational slips” on the part of those – yours truly in this case – who, in an attempt to make complex concepts understandable, might oversimplify. So I will be forgiven by readers who are more knowledgeable about this specific subject and have a higher technical background <\/i>than I do. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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UPnP: some brief hints<\/b><\/h2>

Originally created by Microsoft in October 1999 as a protocol package, UPnP was further developed by the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), which has been managing its developments since 2016. In its AV version, it is to date the most widely used protocol in the audio video industry. This basically explains why JPlay for iOS works with almost any network streamer or DAC on the market. Before we get into the merits of the app, I think it is useful to recall once again the basic concepts of the UPnP standard. A digital audio system based on this architecture consists of the following components <\/span>Software side: Media Server<\/b>, Media Renderer <\/b>and Control Point<\/b>. Music files are stored on the media server. The Media Renderer receives the music files from the server and converts them into a digital audio data stream, which is then sent to the digital analog converter (DAC). The Control Point acts as a “control center” between the media server and the renderer and displays the music tracks stored on the server. It does not actually affect the quality of audio playback directly, since the audio files are not sent from the media server to the renderer through the Control Point, but directly albeit with its intermediation. Nevertheless, a Control Point communicates with the server and the renderer through the network infrastructure. Keep this in mind, because we will return to it shortly. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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In the diagram, a system architecture based on PC and DAC (via USB) and one based on UPnP are compared.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Description<\/b><\/h2>

JPlay for iOS is a Control Point<\/i> compatible with the UPnP\/AV standard, running on both Apple iOS and iPadOS; this implies that Android OS users are cut off; sorry, but they are. Actually, it also works on Macs as long as they have an M1 processor or higher. On the audio hardware side, compatibility is assured with almost all network DACs on the market. By this I mean those DACs that have a wired or WiFi network port. In case they do not have it, I am therefore referring to “pure DACs,” one can resort to an external component that adds such functionality, such as a WiiM or a Volumio Rivo Plus or a properly configured Raspberry, just to name a few. Consistent with its role as a Control Point JPlay scans content on one or more UPnP servers, finds UPnP renderers on the same network, and-if desired-connects to streaming platforms (Tidal and Qobuz). Beyond this there is to report a beautiful graphical interface through which one interacts with one’s music collection. <\/i>The interesting thing is that JPlay does not need a Core <\/i>(server) to work as is the case with, for example, Roon or Logitech Media Server.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Detail of the settings screen where we find the local libraries (two NAS with Minimserver in this case) and the Qobuz and TiIDAL platforms. The Audio Output section lists the Media Renderers found on the LAN. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Context of the evidence<\/h2>

Below I will describe the context in which I routinely use JPlay for iOS and in which my testing took place. This is by way of example only and with the purpose of providing useful elements to understand how, eventually, this app might integrate into your usage scenario and system architecture: <\/p>