Wireless system that works with MinimServer? (SONOS alternative)

[adrian]

(17-03-2017 12:54)Cebolla Wrote:  

(16-03-2017 18:29)adrian Wrote:  Now suppose I want to stream from a radio station or amazon prime. Do I run a different app on my phone? Or can I do this without switching apps?

Talking about not being in the title/moving goal posts.

Hey, SONOS can do it, and I mentioned SONOS in the title.

I mean, what I'm really trying to do here is replace my existing control system (Olive ONE), which has some major deficiencies, with something that works better and still enables us to do the things we already do (or things we now realize that we want to be able to do). Before getting the ONE my music system was a CD player/radio, so I've already come a long way. As I started reading about options it seemed like compatibility with Minimserver was a frequent question, so that was what I was focusing on at least initially.

Quote:So, you are going to have to switch apps for internet radio, unless you know their URLs and can list them in MinimServer's internet radio feature (via MinimStreamer). Also, not sure if there are any apps that officially support Google Cast from Amazon Prime. Amazon even stopped selling Google Cast devices quite a while back, presumably in preparation for its rival Echo devices.

Hmmm. It looks like I can list radio stations in a playlist (using their URLs) and not even need MinimStreamer. I didn't realize this was possible.

Presumably Amazon and Google aren't playing nice here, so getting Amazon Prime to talk to Google Cast might not be seamless.

Quote:

(16-03-2017 18:29)adrian Wrote:  What happens if I am listening to the radio station and I turn off the phone?

That'll depend on what app you are using and how it's casting to the Chromecast Audio. I know that with the TuneIn app you can switch off the device and the Chromecast Audio it's casting to carries on playing, presumably because TuneIn provides it with the internet radio stream's actual URL.

Incidentally, the OpenHome by design allows the renderer to play the entire playlist, not just the current track that's being played, if the controller is switched off.

Sounds like exactly what you want: you use the controller to issue a command and then the renderer executes the command even if the controller subsequently vanishes.

How can I identify hardware that supports chromecast? I was at the google site and they had a list of vendors, and I clicked on "Polk" and that takes me to four products that Polk sells under their Wireless section. They have two portable speakers, a wireless DAC and a wireless integrated amp and no mention of chromecast anywhere. Instead (?) they say the use DTS Play Fi. (Maybe it uses both? Or can google not keep up?) I saw one article that seemed to indicate that DTS Play Fi was a competitor to Chromecast, but that it (currently) has the best hardware support. If that's the case it could be a reason for wanting to use the Play-Fi standard instead (for more hardware options). However, people seem kind of critical of the apps that work with Play Fi. It also sounds like each audio company is selling their own Play Fi controller app rather than there being general apps for the system.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions about this. It's been very helpful.