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[Q] Video Streaming?

One thing i really miss from my time spent with iPhone is airplay, used it everyday.
Since jumping on to WP7 i have searched hi & low for a streaming solution and haven`t found one yet.
So my question, is there any video/music streaming option for Mac to WP7 out there?

That might actually be worth developing. Bear in mind that WP7 users who run OS X PCs are going to be an extremely niche market, though. There are two ways that I can see to do it, though:
* Write a WP7 app that acts as a client for a current streaming service on OS X / iTunes. Make sure the stream can be decoded on the phone and that the service recognizes the app, but neither should be too hard (WP7 already recognizes most of Apple's codecs).
* Write a WP7 app that acts as a client to a dedicated media server app. Write that dedicated media server app, for OS X and possibly other platforms. The server would take care of ensuring WP7 compatibility. You'd need Apple dev tools (which is expensive, for somebody who currently owns no Apple hardware) and knowledge of writing good server code, though.

For HTC phones, you can download "Connected Media" from the HTC section of marketplace. Although not the greatest player, it does allow you to play non-DRM music and videos stored in your library (no streaming) to DLNA receivers. I use it to play to my Linksys Extender of my Media Center every once in a while.

@spokanedj: I think the OP is looking for the other direction, streaming files from the PC (Mac, in this case) to the phone. I'm guessing the goal is working around the limited storage on the phone for people with a really big media library.

I enjoy watching tv-shows when laying in bed, so yes im only interested in streaming.
I saw on https://www.emitapp.com/ that wp7 app coming soon.
I used emit on android, it wasnt perfect but i did the job

Develop an Air Play app for Android (Stream any audio to any reciever)

For those of you not familiar with Rogue Amoeba they are the developers of a very popular iOS/OS X and now Windows application called Airfoil that is capable of streaming any audio source to any Airplay capable device or any device with their "Airspeaker" app installed on it.
As you can imagine they have had great success with this app. Unfortunately they have no plans to develop a version for android. This was made clear in a post in February located here:
rogueamoeba.com/utm/2012/02/18/sending-any-audio-to-android-devices-via-airplay-with-airfoil/
I also contacted Paul Kafasis (CEO of RA) and his response was the same explaining further that Android actively prevents access to it's audio making it nearly impossible to develop an app for android. I've included our conversation below as well.
ME:
I would like to officially submit my request to have the Airfoil app developed for Android.
With over 300,000,0000 android devices sold worldwide as of February 2012 (over 10 times the amount of iOS devices despite a 16 month head start) and another 850,0000 activated every day the potential here is absolutely enormous.
Please seriously reconsider your decision to not develop for android at this time.
PAUL:
Hi Drew,
It's an interesting idea, but at this time, I'm afraid we have no plans for Airfoil for Android. While Android allows for more access than iOS, it's still nearly impossible to grab another application's audio to send it out. As such, Airfoil for Android is a difficult proposition at best.
Perhaps more likely is an Airfoil Speakers client for Android, enabling you to *receive* audio on Android. We don't have any announced plans for that either, but it's likely what you'd see first, before an Airfoil for Android.
Anyhow, we'll keep our eye on the platform, and see what happens!
ME:
Paul,
Thanks for the quick response. I am not a programmer so I won't pretend to know the complexities involved with grabbing the audio output of the device and redirecting it but I wouldn't think it would be extremely difficult to redirect all audio on the device no different than when you plug in a set of headphones or send your audio over Bluetooth. This is what I believe to be the primary feature of your software. Being able to set each app individually to use airplay as a receiver would be nice but certainly not necessary for initial releases. I would hate to see someone beat you to it since you've done such a great job on your iOS, OS X and Windows applications.
PAUL:
Drew,
You wouldn't think so, no, but it is. Android simply does not make this functionality possible, and actively prevents it.
Anyway,
Where I'm getting with all this is that a lot of people would like to see an app with this capability developed for android. Especially now that a large number of devices (receivers, speakers, etc.) in recent years have started to come with airplay compatibility out of the box. People have been requesting this from Airfoil for over 2 years with no response. I was hoping to get the following answered from someone with an intimate knowledge of the capabilities of android:
1. Is it possible to develop an app that is capable of routing all audio on an android device to an Airplay device?
2. If not possible on a locked device, is it possible on a unlocked/rooted device?
3. Is this something anyone on here would be capable or interested in developing?
Thanks for all the help.

Anyone have any opinion or feedback on this? Is it possible is it not?

Negreac said:
Anyone have any opinion or feedback on this? Is it possible is it not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I would LOVE to see an app like that! My whole house is wired for airplay with 6 zones and speakers in all ceilings. Iphones can play music in any room. Only app for Android is Honey Player and that is terribly buggy
It would be awesome if it was just possible to send ALL audio like bluetooth A2DP !!!

I just wanted to add my desire for such an app as well. I have airfoil all set up so I can stream from my laptop to my HTPC but it would be awesome if I could do it from my Android phone and tablet.
There must be a developer on here that could do such a thing and I for one would be willing to donate.

The last thing i want is to propagate the Apple jail cell.. they are the only kid on the block that does not want to play with others... and yes, i own an iPad.
I USED to want to get airplay running in my house but i realised that my Samsung Galaxy Note, Blackberry BB9930, Dell PC, HP desktop, HP laptop, Gateway Netbook and Sony TV ALL support DLNA and so i have stopped caring about my iPad and its audio...
A DLNA app for Ios and an itunes plug-in would be the way to get universality here

Mystic38 said:
The last thing i want is to propagate the Apple jail cell.. they are the only kid on the block that does not want to play with others... and yes, i own an iPad.
I USED to want to get airplay running in my house but i realised that my Samsung Galaxy Note, Blackberry BB9930, Dell PC, HP desktop, HP laptop, Gateway Netbook and Sony TV ALL support DLNA and so i have stopped caring about my iPad and its audio...
A DLNA app for Ios and an itunes plug-in would be the way to get universality here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DLNA is fine for streaming media files from one device to another but it is not capable of streaming media from a streaming service. I.e. streaming Google music or Tune In via airplay to your home stereo. Really the only solution to date is airplay or bluetooth and bluetooth just doesn't have the range. AM I missing some other solution?

iMediaShare has Airplay capabilities, I use it to stream to my AppleTV(s).

iMediaShare is not compatible with Airport Express at the moment...I tool would be willing to pay for an "Airfoil for android" type application the key being that it can send ANY audio source to the Airport Express.

Plus 1!
I am still looking for this! My apple days are over, but I still own 3 Airport Express devices and 1 appleTV.

JB has ability to do USB audio. Are we getting any closer to "airfoil-like" app for android. I too have 4 zones set up in whole house audio, and hate my first gen ipad these days. Whoever makes this app will make some serious money on the market.

Any news regarding this...?
Seriously... this would be a gold mine for the developer. There are so many Airplay speakers out there that would make playing music to your speakers so much easier.
Isn't it possible to root your device and send all sound output directly to an airplay device?
Sincerely
L

Airplay for Android? I think i'll try that!
i'll attempt this. If i start now, i think i can have a beta version out by february. I'll keep updated for links and progress.

dcbartlett said:
i'll attempt this. If i start now, i think i can have a beta version out by february. I'll keep updated for links and progress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may be a bit late now that miracast has been established and is starting to go into devices. It pretty much does the same thing as airplay except a little better. However it's still brand new so there aren't many devices that support it yet.

dcbartlett said:
i'll attempt this. If i start now, i think i can have a beta version out by february. I'll keep updated for links and progress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be interested in this as well. My GF has a airport express that I would love to stream to from my tablet/phone.

Negreac said:
It may be a bit late now that miracast has been established and is starting to go into devices. It pretty much does the same thing as airplay except a little better. However it's still brand new so there aren't many devices that support it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I agree that Miracast duplicates some of the features of AirPlay, that doesn't change the fact that many people already have AirPlay devices (eg AirPort Express) and don't want to buy new hardware if/when it's available.
I would love a "Airfoil for Android"-type app.
However, as a workaround, does this sound like something feasible?
1. Connect Android device to PC via Bluetooth.
2. Setup PC as a Bluetooth speaker for the Android device. (Is this possible?)
3. Use Airfoil to route audio: Android > Bluetooth > PC > Airfoil > AirPort Express (I've never used Airfoil, so I don't know if this is possible.)

Just wanted to add my support for something like this. I would gladly pay money for this app. I have a Galaxy S2 skyrocket and a Nexus 7. I would love to be able to use my nexus 7 as an audio receiver and stream music from my phone (Play Music / Pandora / Songza / etc) to it. I realize I could set up these apps on the n7 itself and play directly that way, but the key is having the ability to control the music from my phone. Additionally, my friends who have Android phones and the app should be able to do the same with relative ease.
Currently I have AirFoil on my laptop and Android HiFi installed on my n7 and stream music that way. That is less than ideal. I don't understand why this is so difficult? But then again, I'm not a programmer.
---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 PM ----------
joelshooty said:
While I agree that Miracast duplicates some of the features of AirPlay, that doesn't change the fact that many people already have AirPlay devices (eg AirPort Express) and don't want to buy new hardware if/when it's available.
I would love a "Airfoil for Android"-type app.
However, as a workaround, does this sound like something feasible?
1. Connect Android device to PC via Bluetooth.
2. Setup PC as a Bluetooth speaker for the Android device. (Is this possible?)
3. Use Airfoil to route audio: Android > Bluetooth > PC > Airfoil > AirPort Express (I've never used Airfoil, so I don't know if this is possible.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess that works. I feel like it's kind of overkill and it sucks that you'd have to daisy-chain using both bluetooth and a laptop/desktop. But in the absence of anything else, we have to make due, right?

Airfoil can't intercept audio from the bluetooth stack server, I've tried.

I am also interested in such app

Charles_LV said:
I am also interested in such app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We all are. It is shocking nothing has come of this.

It is indeed shocking. I'm guessing there's not a lot of work being done because it is too difficult (though I don't quite understand why that is). I am hoping Google blesses us with miracast in the next release.

Android audio streaming unit

Hi!
With a computer and an Airport Express you can for example browse Youtube and get the audio distributed through a hifi system via the outputs on the Airport Express.
I would like to do something similar with an Android based platform. However, I need the stereo channels to be optionally split into a 2.1 or 2.2 setup (speakers + one or two subwoofers). Further, I want the Android unit to be set up as a DSP with cross over and equalizers for each channel.
Does anyone know if something like this has been done before?
What existing platform could be suitable, and what mods would need to be done?
Any software suggestions?
Thanks!

I changed the title.
I need a skilled Android developer to look into this for me.

Hi-Fi playback on Android (developers/testers only)

Each and every app on Google Play makes use of Android audio system to play music files (excluding my old andLess and the "USB Audio Recorder PRO" for external usb). The trouble with such playback is that you get a perfect 16/48000 or (44100) stream no matter the source file which is first downsampled then (digitally) clipped to the requested volume. Just try running this while playing _any_ file ("pcm15p" is for Qualcomm-based devices only, "15" needs be replaced with a different number for other ones):
Code:
adb shell cat /proc/asound/card0/pcm15p/sub0/hw_params
access: RW_INTERLEAVED
format: S16_LE
subformat: STD
channels: 2
rate: 48000 (48000/1)
period_size: 240
buffer_size: 480
As the time goes by and new devices receive better hardware, you'd expect this to change. No such luck with Android yet.
So I wrote a test app that plays lossless FLAC files directly through the ALSA driver.
The disgrace is:
1) It's targeted to recent msm8974 or apq8084 based devices and has no built-in support for other ones. If you've got an unsupported device, you have to modify the cards.xml file settings before anything, and this may be tricky (see below).
2) Root access is a must. A Permissive selinux setup may also be required (adb shell; setenforce Permissive).
3) No formats other than 16/24-bit FLAC or 16-bit APE are supported. There's a curious bug with 24-bit APE (won't be fixed);
-- All files not recognised for playback will be routed to Android;
-- If a particular sample rate (e.g., 176400) is not supported by hardware, it will be silently downsampled to its base rate (88200 or 44100 in this example);
-- If a particular format (i.e. a compressed stream, or 24-bit pcm or even 16-bit on some usb devices) is not supported, an error will be shown
4) In ALSA mode, volume controls work only when the app is in foreground (to be fixed);
5) Switching to/fro the Compr device may reboot your phone (kernel bug; workaround will be included later);
The settings file is called "/sdcard/.alsaplayer/cards.xml" and it's well commented. If you have a device missing there, all settings go in this file. A simple tip is checking the output of a mixer program like tinymixer and adding the diff when the device is playing and when it's not. These ALSA contrtols will be executed each time before the device is opened/closed/volume managed. The periods size/number to be added later.
This app also tries to play on "compressed" (a.k.a. "offload") Qualcomm devices, but you'll not be able to play FLAC files ulesss your kernel is patched; all newer msm8974/apq8084 devices support the hardware FLAC decoding, please ask your kernel developer to add the code like https://github.com/CyanogenMod/andr...mmit/f961d70994fe5f097b90e2cb5cfd87e90302c456 (I'm not providing a patch intentionally as (1) it's straightforward for an experienced developer (2) the codeaurora interface is really broken). For me, an offload FLAC playback sounds +worse+ than the direct pcm one (and I don't know the reasons why) -- I'm testing with the sennheiser IE-80 & audiotechnica ath 1000D headphones.
The program is opensource https://github.com/avs333/alsaplayer
The kudos go to skvalex who wrote almost all java part!

If change name flac to wav, it work.

Dear @avs333,
So.. this alsaplayer is great.
I can config cards.xml to make it work with my Lenovo Vibe X3(that havs built-in Sarbe DAC es9018c2m). So It can work with 24 bits FLAC file in direct PCM mode( that can not work with other, even with Poweramp alpha in HI-RES Mode).
I just need to ask you for support.
+ Can you add support for WAV file?( I mean in alsa PCM mode)
+In offload mode, I know in my device it will use PCM divices number 9, with Control - MultiMedia 4. But it's hidden, I can config it in cards.xml but it il not show in devices list. Of course the pcm device 9 does not show when I tried to list it "alsa_aplay -L".
Thank you

Hi @ctheanh!
Thank you for the comments!
Playing WAVs is currently supported in offload mode only, due to some obscure bug with Java I'm failing to find. A good news is that @skvalex (who is much more experienced in Java) has recently decided to join the project, so it'd be fixed soon I believe. He's planning to make a decent interface for this app, which is very rudimentary for the time being (and I'm really sorry for that!).
As to the offload playback, the devices have to be called "/dev/snd/comprCXDY" to be detectable (you need to make a link to such names if they're called otherwise by your specific driver). alsa_play won't show them as they're not pcms.

Hi @avs333
If you need tester, of course I am willing to join.
I am still optimize something with cards.xml to let it works smoothly. Still got some problem with volume( breaking my ear when changing from 24 bits to 16 bit). And the music will stop when receiving notification.
And, stupid question. How can I config to show offload device in device list?

ctheanh said:
Hi @avs333
If you need tester, of course I am willing to join.
I am still optimize something with cards.xml to let it works smoothly. Still got some problem with volume( breaking my ear when changing from 24 bits to 16 bit). And the music will stop when receiving notification.
And, stupid question. How can I config to show offload device in device list?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to specify different volume ranges for 24-bit and for 16-bit/offload playback in cards.xml as the standard QC controls are a bit strange, to say the least. For digital controls, I'm using 0-84 for 16-bit pcms (or *any* offloads) and 40-124 for 24-bit pcms with reasonable defaults (please see the original cards.xml), but using analog controls looks more promising.
To avoid the conflicts with notifications, select a device that is not used for them as they may stop the device even if they fail opening it.
The devices (including offload ones) shown in the "Settings->Device name" list are those specified in "cards.xml" if it is present (to filter out irrelevant playback ones) , or +all+ playback devices otherwise. You can "cat /proc/asound/pcm" to find their ids (and names). E.g., use <device id="17" offload="1"> if you see "00-17: (Compress2) : : playback 1". Please let me know if this doesn't work for some reason.

Is development dead? This is an awesome player! I'm asking my friends if they wanna contribute into this project, or we can team up, to push android audio further (you can see our team work with my sig picture link)

This seems very interesting.. I've been trying to get this working for AGES and have only successfully played 24 bit over Android O. ALSA is luckily very useful and I believe that card config can also be systemically implemented (as done in AINUR SAURON).
I'll happily join this project if you wish.

It seems to be a very good player
However I cannot play the file in external SD.

Hi everyone,
Looks like someone has forked this project on GitHub and made several commits to it:
https://github.com/cerg2010cerg2010/alsaplayer/graphs/commit-activity
Can anyone build the APK with the newest commits?

m00nlighter said:
Hi everyone,
Looks like someone has forked this project on GitHub and made several commits to it:
https://github.com/cerg2010cerg2010/alsaplayer/graphs/commit-activity
Can anyone build the APK with the newest commits?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other methods exist for HiFi such as OpenSL ES HD and aaudio but this still send interesting so I'll take a look.

LazerL0rd said:
Other methods exist for HiFi such as OpenSL ES HD and aaudio but this still send interesting so I'll take a look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any news?

Lotoss said:
Any news?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On modern Android devices, I don't see why this is needed anymore. On older devices, if the kernel is set up correctly, this would work in theory as most devices allowed 24-bit PCM playback. Nowadays you got OpenSL ES HD, HiRes APIs from certain OEMs, HiRes paths for other OEMs, and probably stuff I missed out. In a post-Oreo world, I don't see why OEMs would have an excuse not to (or even custom ROM/kernel devs) unless the hardware has a limitation (unlikely).

LazerL0rd said:
On modern Android devices, I don't see why this is needed anymore. On older devices, if the kernel is set up correctly, this would work in theory as most devices allowed 24-bit PCM playback. Nowadays you got OpenSL ES HD, HiRes APIs from certain OEMs, HiRes paths for other OEMs, and probably stuff I missed out. In a post-Oreo world, I don't see why OEMs would have an excuse not to (or even custom ROM/kernel devs) unless the hardware has a limitation (unlikely).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agreed that the OEMS should have no excuses to set up the path correctly nowadays. However the fact is that, they DO NOT
I have lost the OpenSL ES HD since I updated my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge to Oreo:silly:

tidusdacapo said:
I agreed that the OEMS should have no excuses to set up the path correctly nowadays. However the fact is that, they DO NOT
I have lost the OpenSL ES HD since I updated my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge to Oreo:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Via modding mixers and audio routes you *may* be able to get it back.

LazerL0rd said:
Via modding mixers and audio routes you *may* be able to get it back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any clues for letting me to modify the audio path? Thx for the reply:good:

tidusdacapo said:
Is there any clues for letting me to modify the audio path? Thx for the reply:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comparing is about it. There's no necessity for OEMs to implement a normal naming scheme there such as "hifi" but it's worth a shot to look for that.

AWESOME PLAYER!!!
Thank you very much!

New to Sticks, need advice on my options please? Audio-centric questions

Hey folks,
TLDR at the end
I'm wondering if you can help me please, however I'm not sure if what I want is available. I'm new to this area of Android and I'm finding all the options a bit daunting as I'm not familiar with what is reputable and what is not. For example, I read the thread about the Gearbest MXiii, but when looking in the UK, I found the same box on Amazon, released under 2 different Manufacturer names... Much like if you try to buy a Media PC keyboard.
Anyway, here are the things I hope to do / run:
I want to replace my Windows Desktop that acts as my Media Centre. I use Kodi (Formerly XBMC) 14. I also use Chrome to play Netflix (would replace this with the android app), Spotify - and that's pretty much it. All my Storage is networked so I don't need anything there.
I am hoping to get a powerful machine (Quad core perhaps) with the ability to run lollipop (through AOSP if necessary) that will run Kodi, spotify and the Netflix app. BUT what I am also hoping to do, is run a 5.1 audio setup. I'm under no illusions that this support will be unlikely to be built-in (Although that would definitely be preferable) but will happily buy a USB DAC if we know of a stick that will support it and is not extortionately priced... What complicates things further, is I don't really want to run 5.1. I actually want to run 3.0 ( I don't imaging that makes much difference here, but again - it's not a familiar area to me). The reason being that on my Desktop, I run a centre speaker with the volume controlled separately, because whenever any of my media supports 5.1, when it mixes down to dual channel, I often end up with loud sound effects and low dialogue, which can be trouble when I have both an upstairs and downstairs neighbour....
So.... does anyone have any recommendations based on that?
TLDR;
I'm looking for a Powerful android stick that will support Lollipop through any means and 3.0 Audio as a minimum, even if through a USB Dac

danarama said:
Hey folks,
TLDR at the end
I'm wondering if you can help me please, however I'm not sure if what I want is available. I'm new to this area of Android and I'm finding all the options a bit daunting as I'm not familiar with what is reputable and what is not. For example, I read the thread about the Gearbest MXiii, but when looking in the UK, I found the same box on Amazon, released under 2 different Manufacturer names... Much like if you try to buy a Media PC keyboard.
Anyway, here are the things I hope to do / run:
I want to replace my Windows Desktop that acts as my Media Centre. I use Kodi (Formerly XBMC) 14. I also use Chrome to play Netflix (would replace this with the android app), Spotify - and that's pretty much it. All my Storage is networked so I don't need anything there.
I am hoping to get a powerful machine (Quad core perhaps) with the ability to run lollipop (through AOSP if necessary) that will run Kodi, spotify and the Netflix app. BUT what I am also hoping to do, is run a 5.1 audio setup. I'm under no illusions that this support will be unlikely to be built-in (Although that would definitely be preferable) but will happily buy a USB DAC if we know of a stick that will support it and is not extortionately priced... What complicates things further, is I don't really want to run 5.1. I actually want to run 3.0 ( I don't imaging that makes much difference here, but again - it's not a familiar area to me). The reason being that on my Desktop, I run a centre speaker with the volume controlled separately, because whenever any of my media supports 5.1, when it mixes down to dual channel, I often end up with loud sound effects and low dialogue, which can be trouble when I have both an upstairs and downstairs neighbour....
So.... does anyone have any recommendations based on that?
TLDR;
I'm looking for a Powerful android stick that will support Lollipop through any means and 3.0 Audio as a minimum, even if through a USB Dac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what a crap question