Can Upnp or DLNA stream audio from server to multiple renderers at the same time?

Question

I would like to know if it is possible for upnp/dlna protocol to stream audio from a single media server to multiple media renderers at the same time. Does the protocol allow this? Thank you.

Answer 1

Basically, it depends on what you mean with "at the same time". It is possible to access the same media by two different DMPs. However, each of them is creating a new stream, means twice the traffic. UPnP and thus DLNA as well is using HTTP as primary streaming protocol. RTP unicast and multicast streams are also considered but mostly not implemented by the manufacturers because it is not mandatory. So, multicast streams aren't well supported.

Additionally, some servers might implement some limitations when accessing a file or media, f.e. when you have a TV tuner or something else which provides exclusive access to a specific media (tv channel). Then, you can access this media only once at a time.