Roon OS Missing Codecs

Roon OS Missing Codecs

Background

Roon does not ship with patented codecs such as MP3 and AAC on any platform.
  1. On Android/iOS, Roon does not decode audio formats.
  2. On Windows/Mac, it uses the built-in system codecs.
  3. On Linux, Roon expects to find the codecs installed as part of the Linux based operating system.
  4. On Roon Server Partner hardware devices, the partner is expected to license the codecs required and provide them in their operating system.
Because Roon OS (the operating system behind Roon Optimized Core Kit) is optimized to do nothing but run Roon in the most efficient manner possible, it doesn't contain the general-purpose packages that come along with a large server or desktop Linux OS install.

Missing Codecs?

If you visit the web UI of Roon OS, it may tell you that you are missing codecs (with a link to this page.) To rectify this situation, you will need to make the codecs accessible to Roon OS. This is done by placing the `ffmpeg` file in the `Codecs` folder of Roon OS's shared `data` directory.

Notes
Note that the file must be called `ffmpeg` and must live in the `/Data/Codecs/` directory in your Roon OS's network share (so make sure you uncompress the .xz file). The ffmpeg must be a statically linked Linux ELF x64 binary. One place you can get those here: http://johnvansickle.com/ffmpeg/

How To Add Codecs: Step By Step
  1. Download ffmpeg - Roon will need access to the required codecs via the `/Data/Codecs/` directory. You'll need to download these codecs on another computer, like a Windows PC or Mac, before you put them on ROCK.
    1. For example, grab https://johnvansickle.com/ffmpeg/builds/ffmpeg-git-amd64-static.tar.xz and uncompress it. Remember, no additional files from that package are required, only ffmpeg. You will need to uncompress the file twice. 
    2. If you are using Windows and cannot uncompress .tar files, we recommend downloading the open-source program 7-Zip 
      1. This may create a new file: ffmpeg-git-amd64-static.tar
      2. Extract that file as well
      3. Open the extracted folder (ffmpeg-git-amd64-static) and locate the file named ffmpeg
      4. This is the only file you need
  1. Connect To Roon OS - Roon OS exposes a shared network folder called `Data`. You can access this SMB share by following the instructions here, or review the steps below. We'll share an example for accessing the Data folder within the ROCK file system :
    1. Open File Explorer>Network on your Windows PC or Finder>Go>Connect to Server on Mac.
    2. If you see ROCK, double-click to open it.
    3. If ROCK does not appear, For PC enter '\\rock\data' in the address bar (not the search box) and press Enter. For Mac enter 'smb://ROCK' or 'smb://[IP Address of your ROCK]' (don't include the brackets, only the IP address)
      1. If prompted for a login, enter: 
      2. Username: guest Password: guest
      3. If you receive an authorization error for Windows, please review the following article, in case of others platforms please report it to our Technical Support Team.
  2. If successful, you should now see the Data directory of ROCK.
  3. Open the Codecs folder inside the Data directory.
  4. Copy Codecs to Roon OS - Place the ffmpeg file in the `Codecs` folder
  5. Restart Your Server - Restart the Roon Server using the Roon OS web interface
Now your codecs should be installed, and everything should work properly!


Here is a video breakdown of the process on a Mac: 



Need additional help? Our Technical Support team is here to help.