+- MinimServer Forum (https://forum.minimserver.com)
+-- Forum: MinimServer (/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: General (/forumdisplay.php?fid=2)
+--- Thread: Amazon Echo/ Alexa (/showthread.php?tid=3666)
Amazon Echo/ Alexa - brantome - 11-11-2016 13:15
Any chance you might develop an Alexa skill to allow voice control of minimserver, as I see JRiver are doing for JMC? I realise this has wider implications, but it'd be great to be able to play my local music as well as Spotify, Amazon Music etc
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - simoncn - 11-11-2016 13:33
(11-11-2016 13:15)brantome Wrote: Any chance you might develop an Alexa skill to allow voice control of minimserver, as I see JRiver are doing for JMC? I realise this has wider implications, but it'd be great to be able to play my local music as well as Spotify, Amazon Music etc
To play music using voice control, you would need Alexa support in the control point rather than the server.
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - brantome - 11-11-2016 13:47
(11-11-2016 13:33)simoncn Wrote:(11-11-2016 13:15)brantome Wrote: Any chance you might develop an Alexa skill to allow voice control of minimserver, as I see JRiver are doing for JMC? I realise this has wider implications, but it'd be great to be able to play my local music as well as Spotify, Amazon Music etc
To play music using voice control, you would need Alexa support in the control point rather than the server.
Thanks, I obviously phrased that badly - wouldn't the cloud skill be in effect the control point, accepting the voice to text output from Alexa, and in turn generating UPNP requests? The wider implication I was referring to was an account-based web service that could securely pass requests to your personal local instance of minimserver, much as how I expect, in my relative naivety, the HouseBand skill is doing for JRiver.
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - simoncn - 11-11-2016 14:27
(11-11-2016 13:47)brantome Wrote: Thanks, I obviously phrased that badly - wouldn't the cloud skill be in effect the control point, accepting the voice to text output from Alexa, and in turn generating UPNP requests? The wider implication I was referring to was an account-based web service that could securely pass requests to your personal local instance of minimserver, much as how I expect, in my relative naivety, the HouseBand skill is doing for JRiver.
I understand what you are describing. JRiver is both a control point and a server. All user interaction for playing music would be handled by the control-point portion.
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - Martin H - 27-01-2017 18:42
(11-11-2016 14:27)simoncn Wrote:(11-11-2016 13:47)brantome Wrote: Thanks, I obviously phrased that badly - wouldn't the cloud skill be in effect the control point, accepting the voice to text output from Alexa, and in turn generating UPNP requests? The wider implication I was referring to was an account-based web service that could securely pass requests to your personal local instance of minimserver, much as how I expect, in my relative naivety, the HouseBand skill is doing for JRiver.
I understand what you are describing. JRiver is both a control point and a server. All user interaction for playing music would be handled by the control-point portion.
Just returning to this point. It does seem that this issues straddles the server and control functionality. There is no doubt that Alexa is handling/parsing the requests but there remains a gap between that and the control function. However, it's not clear how the control can easily expand to offer that function to Alexa without in its own right adding server like function (if my understanding/assumptions are correct).
It does seem to me that existing servers might gain by extending to fill that gap and conversely be considered less useful by not doing so. i.e. if Kazoo server extends its server function to support Alexa. I realise Jriver is a combo solution but it does feel that the world might shift here.
I am not sure I am explaining this well here but is it still your opinion that this is not an area that Minimserver will extend? I must admit to finding voice control enticing but at the same time I would be very reluctant to move away from your server product. I am sure over coming year or so this will play itself out but interested in your view.
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - simoncn - 27-01-2017 20:05
I think you are misunderstanding what a UPnP server does. It receives UPnP requests sent over the network and sends UPnP responses. It is up to the UPnP control point to provide the user interface (either visual or voice) and translate UI actions into UPnP requests.
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - Cebolla - 27-01-2017 20:17
(27-01-2017 18:42)Martin H Wrote: I am not sure I am explaining this well here but is it still your opinion that this is not an area that Minimserver will extend? I must admit to finding voice control enticing but at the same time I would be very reluctant to move away from your server product. I am sure over coming year or so this will play itself out but interested in your view.In well designed systems, semantics is usually the key to determine what component is required to perform a particular function. Voice control is obviously control point functionality and nothing to do with media file serving - it's in the name!
Best ask the designer of your favoured UPnP/DLNA controller app for his/her opinion on this matter.
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - BlueDog - 27-01-2017 22:15
"Alexa, please play the new Metallica album."
"Sorry, I can't hear you over this Iron Maiden track."
Voice controlled renderer? Hmm ... Bit of a silly idea, no?
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - brantome - 28-01-2017 10:17
(27-01-2017 22:15)BlueDog Wrote: "Alexa, please play the new Metallica album."
"Sorry, I can't hear you over this Iron Maiden track."
Voice controlled renderer? Hmm ... Bit of a silly idea, no?
I guess you meant that as a joke, but it can be an issue despite the Echo's supposed ability to distinguish conversation amongst a lot of background (or foreground) noise. Like a lot of things, it depends: on how loud the overall noise is, how loud you're speaking, where the noise source is, and indeed where your echo is placed. I've just got the echo voice remote which I'm hoping will help with that issue.
RE: Amazon Echo/ Alexa - brantome - 28-01-2017 10:24
(27-01-2017 22:15)BlueDog Wrote: "Alexa, please play the new Metallica album."
"Sorry, I can't hear you over this Iron Maiden track."
Voice controlled renderer? Hmm ... Bit of a silly idea, no?
Playing Heavy metal? Hmm ... Bit of a silly idea, no?
