Streamers and bit rot.
In audio land, I see streamers as being complicated and subject to what we call "bit rot" in the software industry. It really means that over time, the code that used to work may no longer work because the environment around them is moving on. It doesn't mean the code becomes buggy, but fails to keep up. A modern streamer has three different areas where code must interface to the outside world:
- The services being streamed (Quboz, Spotify, Tidal, etc.)
- The USB DAC - Drivers must exist for each chipset.
- The user interface - iOS, Android, web
If you are an audio manufacturer, say, Parasound or Ayre and you want to make a streamer you have to solve all of these issues. Those require developers. OK, so you pay your Android and Tidal developer. They go away, and Tidal adds a new feature or a new service like Amazon streaming comes in. Got to go find developers again. Apple releases a new iOS and your old Android app is now dead. What are you going to do? This happens with some frequency and all but the most basic of apps "rot" over time.
This is very different than the software-less EE world in which your core expertise may lie in. I mean, even if you use some microcontroller to handle your inputs/levels and bass management it's still a lot simpler, and fewer lines of code to manage and keep up.
So, my dear fellow A'goners, what brands to you trust to keep up and how did you solve this issue?
