iPhone/Touch "Remote App" With Foobar
Posted by: pcstockton on 10 December 2009
For any and all Foobar users out there with iPhones/Touch, you can now use Apple's own "Remote" App to control Foobar.
http://wintense.com/plugins/foo_touchremote1) Extract the component to your components folder.
2) Ensure you have Bonjour installed (you have it already if you have iTunes installed)
3) Download Remote app for your iPhone
4) Go to the plug-in's settings in Preferences in Foobar.
5) Click "pair with device"
6) Open Remote app on iPhone
7) Enter 4 digit Code into Foobar where indicated. (The field will pop-up after it finds the iPhone).
8) Enjoy.
Other than step #1 above, it is basically the same process as pairing the app to iTunes or an AppleTV.
This is the first build so it is not yet perfect. Volume works, Now Playing screen fully works with track progress slider bar, Next, Previous, Pause etc.... all work.
The library implementation using "Artist", "Album", "Songs" etc... is coming soon. Early January.
Search also coming soon.
It does allow playlist song scrolling, it just doesn't have the "A...B...C...D etc" down the right side of the screen. It works the same way now, it just doesn't show the letters.
At this point there is slightly less functionality than the http_control component. But it is much easier to install and only falls short with the searching function.
Check it out. This is exactly what I have been trying to find and help develop for the last year.
Once it is FULLY dialed I will happily drop the developer a few duckets via paypal for their efforts. They wont be able to sell it of course because it simply uses the native Remote app, as is.
All they are developing is the component in Foobar that allows the app to connect to it rather than iTunes. Slick.
-patrick
Posted on: 14 December 2009 by ramona.c
Thanks,
this works really fine for a first build.
I stay tuned for library implementation...
ramona
Posted on: 14 December 2009 by pcstockton
It is very nice..... If it is developed to full capabilities I will buy an iTouch exclusively for my hifi. Constantly docked, screen on, wifi connected.... until it dies.
I would move the PC to another room, run headless with usb to the M-Audio transit near the DAC.
money.
Posted on: 15 December 2009 by pcstockton
Does anyone know the limitations of the Remote app with iTunes in terms of playlist size?
Has anyone tried loading a huge playlist and browsed through the Remote app?
Just wondering..... I dont have enough mp3s that I can import into iTunes to give it a proper test.
When using with Foobar, a 70,000 playlist locked up the app. I am curious if anyone has used the playlist view on the Remote app in iTunes, with something close to this number.
If artist and album library views worked now, I wouldn't even use playlist view at all. Just curious.
thanks!
patrick
Posted on: 15 December 2009 by ramona.c
I have a nearly perfect streaming solution working for a long time, using Foobar and Airfoil for streaming to my Airport Express, instead of itunes.
Great to listen to ALL my files, especially my flac library... Sound is fine, converting from optical Airport output with Supernait DAC.
This Application is/will be the missing remote control link for me!
Posted on: 15 December 2009 by pcstockton
Ramona,
I have wondered about airfoil. It works with FLACs? But the remote app cannot be used? Correct?
What have you been using to interface with the music?
thanks,
p
Posted on: 15 December 2009 by AMA
quote:
pcstockton
pcstockton, thanks for interesting finding. Will definitely try if it works.
Posted on: 15 December 2009 by ramona.c
pcstockton,
airfoil is able to send any audio to Airport Express. As far as I understand, it convert to/streams all in Apple Lossless (basically like itunes).
Codec support depends on the hijacked application. With foobar, almost every codec is playable!
You can also play streams from your browser/internet radio...
Therefore, it makes no sense to control Airfoil itself remotely, but the hijacked application.
Before this "Remote for foobar", I had only one (upnp-)solution to control my setup (it´s a bit complicated, but it works basically too):
Asset upnp server/foobar upnp-renderer/Airfoil/Airport Express/PlugPlayer control on iPod Touch.
Gapless playback in this configuration is only supported with playlists from foobar itself, not with upnp control from iPod Touch/PlugPlayer.
With "Remote for foobar", I have already gapless playback by remote control.
Ramona
P.S.:
I have absolutely no dropout problems with the Airports, as mentioned somewhere else in this forum. This might be depend on network or streaming-buffer configuration. My 2 "Airports" are not connected wireless, but with ethernet...
Posted on: 15 December 2009 by pcstockton
AMA,
it works.... try it. Full function coming in Jan.
-patrick
Posted on: 15 December 2009 by pcstockton
Ramona,
Interesting. How have you liked PlugPlayer? I bought it and tried it briefly, but couldnt get along with it. Too buggy, slow, no gapless, couldnt handle my playlist sizes etc....
I was doing the same as you without the airfoil/airport portion.
Basically I was just using it as a remote, not for streaming.
thanks for the input!
Patrick
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by ramona.c
pcstockten,
PlugerPlayer is getting better with every update, but it still sucks against a setup like itunes/remote.
Howard from PlugPlayer forum is really helpful, but stability of PP depends on the renderer you use. I had the possibility to test a Linn DS for 3 weeks. With the Magic DS, PlugPlayer works really fine and support gapeless too.
Controling the foobar upnp renderer is still buggy.
One of the greatest efforts of the new PlugPlayer version is playing directly flac on iPod Touch/iPhone as upnp renderer!
Even 24bit files (f.e. HDCD Rips) are supported in flac or Apple lossless.
Sometimes, I use PlugPlayer for streaming, more usually for me are mainly the Airports.
ramona
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by likesmusic
Why not just go with a Logitech Touch? Any format, up to 24/96, gapless playback, bit-perfect, no drivers or soundcards, streams radio, no 'hijacking' or chicanery, can be controlled very nicely from an iPhone or Touch using iPeng ..
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by ramona.c
quote:
Originally posted by likesmusic:
Why not just go with a Logitech Touch? Any format, up to 24/96, gapless playback, bit-perfect, no drivers or soundcards, streams radio, no 'hijacking' or chicanery, can be controlled very nicely from an iPhone or Touch using iPeng ..
likesmusic,
thanks, I know that - you are completely right, iPeng control on touch works really great, but i.m.o. Squeezebox Server is a bit slow, especially updating the library. I find Asset upnp much better and open for other clients too.
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by likesmusic
You are right about squeezebox server, they must have really worked hard to get it so slow. I think the upnp architecture would be a much better solution, but the lack of gapless playback is an absolute deal-breaker for me.
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by ramona.c
likesmusic,
as I listen live-music, gapless is essential for me too.
We are at the point. Thats why I use Asset upnp and Foobar with upnp plugin. Foobar plays gapless, also from upnp-servers. Airfoil too. For the moment, it´s not that bad, cheap and really quick.
ramona
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by likesmusic
Thanks ramona.c, I didn't know that. I tried Airport/Airfoil a while back, but had problems with drop outs, so switched to a Logitech Duet. Linn do seem to be ahead of the game with their DS products.
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by ramona.c
quote:
Linn do seem to be ahead of the game with their DS products.
In case of sound too. As I tested the Magic DS/Dynamik a while back, the DS plays all my digital equiment "to the wall"...
Musically, only my Axis/Aktio Turntabele keep up with the DS, but not in terms of resolution and accuracy. Not even in case of three-dimensionality!
ramona
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by likesmusic
Interesting ramona.c. Since plugplayer can be used to stream to the new NAIM DAC from asset upnp, it should soon be possible for a competent Linn/NAIM dealer to offer an A-B dem of the NAIM DAC fed and a Linn DS fed from the same stream. I wonder what will sound best?!?!
Posted on: 16 December 2009 by pcstockton
Ramona,
Would you say your understanding of the gapless playback issue using upnp with the Uniti is the fault of the Unitis rendering?
Many here blamed the problem on the upnp protocol itself.
Then people stated how Linn can play gapless from their players, and someone claimed the Linn machines are not upnp.
Funny.
I suppose it is a moot point as I am not in the market for a Uniti nor a DS. The Naim DAC yes.... and thankfully I can run just about any signal from any source into that puppy.
Gapless is also a huge deal breaker for me... huge.
-patrick
Posted on: 17 December 2009 by ramona.c
likesmusic,
im curious about Naim DAC with iPod Touch/PlugPlayer too. Howard from PlugPlayer is working on gapless playback;
quote PP-forum:
"Continuous playback is well worth putting on the wishlist, but it's touch to do when for files that use different codecs; perhaps I can get it working in a limited set of use-cases where the codecs between songs need to be the same."
pcstockton,
Linn has extended the Upnp AV 1.0 standard, Upnp AV 1.0 can´t play gapless. So it´s both, not the fault of Naim Uniti, but Linn did a great Job with saving own playlists on DS:
http://docs.linn.co.uk/wiki/index.php/UPnPGenerally, I would prefer and stay tuned for a Naim-solution too,
but the Linn streamers are damn good...
ramona
Posted on: 17 December 2009 by likesmusic
ramona.c - thanks for that. If you have any influence with the guys at PP tell them that gapless playback for the same codec is a very worthwhile and probably quite sufficient goal - it would certainly be all that I and most classical music listeners would need.
Trouble is, in the context of the NAIM DAC we don't yet know how good the USB input fed from plugplayer is - and as there are already mumblings on other threads that iphones don't sound so good, and USB cables make a difference there may well be sound quality issues with that input.
Of course, if Linn's extensions to upnp are open source, there's nothing stopping NAIM using them and giving the DAC media rendering functionality with gapless playback
I'm sure they're working on something similar right now, because the current situation with the DAC and computer audio is a big mess.
Posted on: 17 December 2009 by ramona.c
likesmusic, as I already "supernaited" at home, I think about an Onkyo ND-S1 (iPod-dock with digital spdif-out). It´s claimend "jitter-minimised" from Onkyo (High-precision Clock Reference).
For Plugplayer, I can forward your comment to the PlugPlayer forum, but it will be very nice, to "see" youre own contribution there.
ramona
