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autostream

Stream turntables and CD players to AirPlay speakers — automatically.

autostream makes it easy to play vinyl records and CDs through AirPlay & AirPlay 2 speakers anywhere in your home. It connects your classic Hi-Fi gear to wireless multi-room speakers, without complex setup or specialist knowledge.

autostream exists for people with real Hi-Fi gear who want it to behave like a modern source — without changing how they listen to music. No apps to install. No complex configuration. Just press play.

License: Source-available. Free for personal use. Commercial licensing available.


autostream


What It Does

  • Plays vinyl records and CDs on AirPlay speakers
  • Provides a simple, iPhone-friendly web app to control volume
  • Works with phono, line-level, SPDIF and USB audio inputs via low-cost USB dongles

Perfect For

  • Turntables
  • CD Players
  • Tape Decks and other line-level music sources

Note: autostream is designed for music playback and physical media. It is not suitable for video or lip-sync-critical sources such as TVs.


How It Works (High Level)

autostream supports one or two connected sources. It listens for audio on one or both, and when sound is detected, it automatically streams it to your AirPlay speakers. When the music stops, the stream stops. And, if you switch from vinyl to CD - autostream switches too. Automatically.

Everything runs locally on your network. There are no cloud services, logons, recommendations or end of year wraps. Just you, and your music.


Simple App-Style Interface

autostream includes a lightweight web interface designed to feel like a native app on iPhone and iPad. Add it to your home screen for quick access to volume controls and speaker selection.

autostream playback control

  • Mobile-friendly layout
  • PIN-protected setup screen
  • No cloud services required
  • Bass and Treble controls for each input

Platform & Requirements

  • Raspberry Pi - Pi ZeroW is enough (Zero-2W recommended) - with an 8GB micro-SD card
  • USB audio input device, for example:
    • USB Turntable (e.g. Audio-Technica AT-LP60XUSBGM)
    • USB ADC for line-level or phono input (e.g. Behringer U-PHONE UFO202)
    • SPDIF to USB dongle for CD Players (e.g. Cubilux USB C Optical Audio Capture Adapter)
  • AirPlay or AirPlay 2 speakers on the same network (also supports Chromecast and Roku)

Running on a Pi ZeroW or Zero2W, it consumes less than 2 Watts.


Dependencies

autostream runs on Linux and uses Owntone for speaker discovery and streaming (AirPlay / AirPlay 2). Owntone is a separate project with its own license and is installed automatically by the autostream installation script.

By default, autostream_install.sh builds and installs owntone-mini from the Lo-tech Systems GitHub repository. If you need the packaged upstream build instead, run the installer with --owntone=full.


Getting Started

  1. Create a Raspbian Lite microSD with Raspberry Pi imager, boot the Pi from it, and SSH to it.
  2. Install Git
sudo apt install git
  1. Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/lo-tech-systems/autostream.git
  1. Run the install script:
cd autostream && sudo ./autostream_install.sh

This installs the default owntone-mini build from source. Use sudo ./autostream_install.sh --owntone=full if you explicitly want the packaged OwnTone build instead. 5. Connect one or two audio sources 6. Reboot, then use an iPhone to browse with Safari to http://autostream.local/ (replace 'autostream' with the hostname of your Pi) 7. Run the one-time setup (two screens)

Detailed setup instructions are provided in the docs folder.

From then on, just drop a needle on a record or press play on your CD player - autostream will do the rest. There is no "connect" button. autostream simply listens. When music starts, it plays. When it stops, it stops. And it's designed for continuous operation, dealing intelligently with WiFi outages automatically to ensure it's always ready - just like your AirPlay speakers.


License

autostream is source-available and free for personal, non-commercial use.

Commercial use, redistribution, or integration into paid products requires a commercial license.

See the LICENSE file for full terms.


autostream is Copyright (c) 2025-2026, Lo-tech Systems Limited. All rights reserved.

About

autostream is a Raspberry Pi package that streams turntables and CD players directly to AirPlay and AirPlay 2 speakers using Owntone.

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