Transcoding

Stream lossless files as compressed audio to save bandwidth without re-encoding your library.

What It Does

Transcoding converts lossless audio (FLAC, ALAC, WAV) to a compressed format on-the-fly during playback. The original files on disk are never modified — the conversion happens in real time as you stream.

This is useful when:

• You're streaming over a slow or metered connection
• You want to reduce bandwidth usage for remote access
• Your device doesn't benefit from lossless playback

Enabling Transcoding

1. Log in as an admin user
2. Click Settings in the sidebar navigation (gear icon)
3. Scroll down to the Transcoding section
4. Check the Allow transcode lossless checkbox
5. Select your preferred bitrate from the Transcode bitrate dropdown
6. Click Save

Bitrate Options

The transcode bitrate dropdown lets you choose the target quality for compressed streams. Available options:

Bitrate	Quality	Use Case
128 kbps	Good	Mobile data, casual listening
192 kbps	High	Balanced quality and bandwidth
256 kbps	Very High	Near-transparent for most listeners
320 kbps	Maximum	Indistinguishable from lossless for most people

What Gets Transcoded

• Lossless files (FLAC, ALAC, WAV) — transcoded to the configured bitrate when streaming
• Lossy files (MP3, AAC, OGG) — served as-is, never re-encoded

Already-compressed files are never transcoded, even if their bitrate is higher than your configured setting. Transcoding only applies to lossless sources.

Performance Notes

• Transcoding uses FFmpeg under the hood and requires some CPU — on a modern server it's negligible for a few concurrent streams
• If you're running on very low-power hardware (Raspberry Pi, etc.), consider 192 kbps or lower to reduce CPU load
• Transcoded streams are not cached — each playback triggers a fresh transcode

Disabling Transcoding

Uncheck Allow transcode lossless in Settings and click Save. All streams will be served as the original file — lossless files will stream at full quality (and full bandwidth).