[Keopele]

Is there any new information, expected announcement date, or availability date for the Omnia S1 unit?

It seems to be delayed into oblivion. Perhaps it has been cancelled?  I've been delaying the purchase of a Bluesound Node 2 to see what the Omnia has to offer.  I have come to the point where I'm done waiting, but thought I'd ask, just in case there is some information coming very shortly. 

If anyone can provide any sort of update, it would be helpful. Thanks.

[rustydoglim]

I just tested another revision of the app, it is quite stable and fast now, we still have to test it on the S1 server so this process will take a few more weeks. 

Here's what we have to do for the testing:
Omnia S1 hardware - one of the few media server with 2.4G and 5G WiFi support.
On this hardware, we have two firmware with Linux and Android OS.  The Omnia S1 can be switched from media server mode into Android model to run Spotify, Tidal, .... and all streaming services native on the hardware for best performance.
On the software side, we have to test DLNA server, DLNA Renderer/receiver on Linux and Android OS, and also on smartphone.  The controller/player app runs on the smartphone.
Rounds and rounds of testing and bug fixes. 

I think we can ship some samples around end of June or early July, with full production shipment in August (or July if we don't have more bugs).  There are still administrative type of software work to do, such as system configuration and firmware/software update.

[rustydoglim]

Omnia S1 is for real, just took too long. We just completed the following tests this week.  Note that the "Server" below refers to Omnia server software, it can run on Omnia S1 hardware, or other Linux/Android OS.  The server's device driver layer will be able to take advantage of the Omnia S1 hardware for performance gain, but can also be run "everywhere"

Test environment 1:
Server - Omnia
Controller - Omnia
Renderer – Omnia

Test environment 2:
Server - Omnia
Controller - Omnia
Renderer - BubbleUPnP

Test environment 3:
Server – Windows DLNA Server
Controller – Omnia
Renderer – Omnia

Test environment 4:
Server – Windows DLNA Server
Controller – Omnia
Renderer – BubbleUPnP

Test environment 5:
Server – Omnia
Controller – BubbleUPnp
Renderer – Omnia

Test environment 6:
Server – Omnia
Controller – BubbleUPnp
Renderer – BubbleUPnp

Test environment 7:
Server – Windows DLNA Server
Controller – BubbleUPnp
Renderer – Omnia

Test environment 8:
Server – Windows DLNA Server
Controller – BubbleUPnp
Renderer – BubbleUPnp

Test environment 9:
Server – Windows DLNA Server
Controller – Omnia/BubbleUPnp
Renderer – NuPrime WR100

[zappan]

Awesome news!

Were the tests listening tests (and if so, which combo(s) offer the best result), or just functional tests verifying everything works? Looking fwd to furter updates, interested whether Omnia could be my next server/streamer.

[rustydoglim]

These are purely software test. The hardware sound quality was confirmed more than a year ago, but we abandon the portable server/player model to focus in desktop model. The software took too long to complete.

Another never been done before feature - the Omnia S1 can be booted as a DLNA server (running Linux) or Android to run streaming app like Spotify, Tidal, etc. either way it can take advantage of the hardware.
You use the remote control to switch between the two - expect some delay to shutdown one system and booting up the other. 

[Keopele]

Rusty,

From your explanation, I interpret that to mean that if a person is listening to music on a hard drive and then wants to listen to spotify that the person would have to reboot the unit?  Am I misunderstanding the explanation?

Also, are you able to provide more details about the unit's specs? What advantages would it provide over something like a Bluesound Node 2 ? Thanks.

[rustydoglim]

Also, are you able to provide more details about the unit's specs? What advantages would it provide over something like a Bluesound Node 2 ? Thanks.

Note2 is a renderer (ie it is a receiver), with a DAC capable of 32bit/192kHz.  It doesn't say about 5G WiFi, so most likely it supports 2.4G.
Omnia S1 much more than Note2, and includes a DAC that can decode up to DSD512 and PCM 384kHz.  I will update the spec by end of July.  I think it was posted in another topic earlier.

BTW, Omnia has an app (cost $5 if you don't buy the hardware) that can turn your Android tablet into Note 2. Bluesound has a nice app and you are buying into their system too. So I don't imply for $5 your tablet can be as good as Note2. 

[rustydoglim]

From your explanation, I interpret that to mean that if a person is listening to music on a hard drive and then wants to listen to spotify that the person would have to reboot the unit?  Am I misunderstanding the explanation?

Spotify has reduced support for hardware device integration, see

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/2/6/16979102/spotify-ends-support-speakers-receivers-pioneer-denon

So we have a solution by running Spotify and other apps native on custom Android hardware, therefore there is no need for integration.  Just download the streaming Apps.
If you really want to keep switching between music from DLNA server and streaming services (why? when you are using Spotify, you continue to use it until you are done), you can just get a DLNA server for cheap (Synology for example).