Album Art/Info while streaming via Bluetooth in car - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I drive a Cadillac ATS that has a fancy 8" touchscreen, but all that nice technology is wasted because streaming music from my phone does not display anything at all.
I use Google Music, is there anything else I need to do in order to get some artwork and song info on the display?

Does it show album art work from a CD when u play a cd?
Sent From My Miui Powered Galaxy Nexus

Bluetooth audio streaming is just for audio.
You'd have to either plug in a USB thumb drive with MP3's or an iPhone.
Don't think android has any support for outputting additional info yet.
You could try getting one of those special micro SD to standard USB adapter and see if the car will recognize it as a USB drive.

isajoo said:
Bluetooth audio streaming is just for audio.
You'd have to either plug in a USB thumb drive with MP3's or an iPhone.
Don't think android has any support for outputting additional info yet.
You could try getting one of those special micro SD to standard USB adapter and see if the car will recognize it as a USB drive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect. Bluetooth can pass data with the AVRCP profile. However, only android 4.3 (just released) supports it. It passes the metadata of artist, title, etc. to your device, but I'm unsure whether it passes album art though.

kazander18 said:
Incorrect. Bluetooth can pass data with the AVRCP profile. However, only android 4.3 (just released) supports it. It passes the metadata of artist, title, etc. to your device, but I'm unsure whether it passes album art though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, I'll have to try with my Nexus 7 and report back....
Looks like CUE supports AVRCP 1.4

Nexus 7 with 4.3 works well, no album art though
And from another forum:
I have my Nexus 4 with Android 4.3 running. What has changed sine 4.2 is track, artist, album info now shows up with BT streaming, prior to 4.3 it only said Bluetooth Audio. I also tried WP8, BB10 and iPhone 5 (iOS7) None give you album art.
Only a physically connected (USB) device gives me album art, so I sacrificed an old iphone 3gs and it has 32GB of my library in the car at all times.
On a side note, BB10 and WP8 (Samsung Ativ S) have integrated nicest with CUE since days one, even contact pictures from phone sync-up.
Windows phone 8 even reads incoming text messages and I can reply by voice without touching the phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I have had issues with my nexus 4 - when ever I play via cue it plays it via the phone. My Samsung Ativ-s will pair just fine but a day later the car won't see the phone or pair with any other phone even though the phone thinks it is paired.

Related

[Q] galaxy s3 and 2010 Volkswagen audio

Just bought a 2010 gti.. which I'm loving.. I am excited to have a car with Bluetooth..
I got it paired to the Bluetooth system OK, it plays music as tho I had a headphone jack plugged in..
It will play call audio over the speakers and evidently the microphone, where ever it is, is working because people can hear me..
BUT.. I still need to use my phone to make or answer a call.. I've seen in videos people are using the car to browse their contact list and make a call.. I do not appear to have this functionality.. just curious if I could hit the jackpot here with someone who has had this problem
I'm running a custom ICS touchwiz ROM
Tia if anyone has any info on this
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
bump
Hi! I have a 2012 GTI and just switched 2 days ago from iPhone 4s to GS3. The way I did it I made sure to be in neutral (manual transmission), paired the phone and let it sync address book and everything worked. I suggest you remove the phone from the car and car from phone and try everything again. Im running Blazer ROM[9/23/12][Sup?][LG8][v1.9]
Nice! I knew someone on xda would have one.. do your settings look like this?
The phone audio troubles Me... I feel like it should reference contacts in some way..
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Don't have gs3 any more. Click those 2 check boxes and see what happens
eurominican said:
Don't have gs3 any more. Click those 2 check boxes and see what happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In 2010, VW had multiple BT systems. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have the lesser of the 3 (as do I).
I forget the model #'s, but basically there's a top end version that's part of the NAV system which uses the navscreen nicely. Then there is a version used in all the marketing materials that has steering wheel controls and uses the cluster info display for your address book / caller ID. THEN -- there's the real low end, crummy one that just interfaces as an audio cut in with no other integration. This is what I have. You still need your phone for all features except picking up a call (the button on the ceiling can begin / end a call). Lame.
I think your build date determined which BT system is in your car. The good (middle) system was only for very early units. IIRC, there was a class action lawsuit against VW about this - I opted in, still waiting for my check...
DrKaotica said:
Nice! I knew someone on xda would have one.. do your settings look like this?
The phone audio troubles Me... I feel like it should reference contacts in some way..
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is generally covered by media. For example, my 2009 Ford focus has a similar system (SYNC) which will download contacts into a small address book and save them for me but doesn't reference contacts in the bluetooth settings area.
monkeymania said:
In 2010, VW had multiple BT systems. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have the lesser of the 3 (as do I).
I forget the model #'s, but basically there's a top end version that's part of the NAV system which uses the navscreen nicely. Then there is a version used in all the marketing materials that has steering wheel controls and uses the cluster info display for your address book / caller ID. THEN -- there's the real low end, crummy one that just interfaces as an audio cut in with no other integration. This is what I have. You still need your phone for all features except picking up a call (the button on the ceiling can begin / end a call). Lame.
I think your build date determined which BT system is in your car. The good (middle) system was only for very early units. IIRC, there was a class action lawsuit against VW about this - I opted in, still waiting for my check...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the steering wheel phone button.. but yeah it doesn't do anything. When I push it
I appreciate the info.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
I have the base version which is... Basic lol
i am bumping my crazy old thread with another VW GS3 question if anyone has any info:
Based on the reply i got, i definately have the crappy bluetooth.. its just audio output, and it sucks, i still have to use the phone to navigate through music.
the car came with a iOS adaptor.. which does me no good..
i've done some research and have found this: http://www.amazon.com/Newest-interface-Adapter-Volkswagen-Touareg/dp/B004I9CXHW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370563911&sr=8-1&keywords=vw+micro+usb
coupled with this: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Inch-Micro-USB-Cable/dp/B003YKX6WM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1370564040&sr=8-6&keywords=usb+micro+usb
i would have a micro USB adaptor that would plug into the propietary mmi port..
our phones don't use USB mass storage however.. has anyone tried this? looking for experiences before i pull the trigger if anyone can help.
DrKaotica said:
i am bumping my crazy old thread with another VW GS3 question if anyone has any info:
Based on the reply i got, i definately have the crappy bluetooth.. its just audio output, and it sucks, i still have to use the phone to navigate through music.
the car came with a iOS adaptor.. which does me no good..
i've done some research and have found this: http://www.amazon.com/Newest-interface-Adapter-Volkswagen-Touareg/dp/B004I9CXHW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370563911&sr=8-1&keywords=vw+micro+usb
coupled with this: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Inch-Micro-USB-Cable/dp/B003YKX6WM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1370564040&sr=8-6&keywords=usb+micro+usb
i would have a micro USB adaptor that would plug into the propietary mmi port..
our phones don't use USB mass storage however.. has anyone tried this? looking for experiences before i pull the trigger if anyone can help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the bluetooth sounds horrible
Here's what I did, and it works beautifully..
I picked up the MDI USB adapter, fed a 6ft USB>micro USB through the center console to the dash where I fashioned a phone 'mount' from my Otterbox belt clip.
I noticed it was kind of clunky, and very slow (would take up to a minute for the Premium 8 to even recognize the S3) using the stupid MMS mode. It did work however. I did some research on enabling USB mass storage and found this app: SG USB Mass Storage Enablerhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mohammadag.samsungusbmassstorageenabler&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5tb2hhbW1hZGFnLnNhbXN1bmd1c2JtYXNzc3RvcmFnZWVuYWJsZXIiXQ.. It does require root, with Busy Box installed. Now the P8 recognizes the phone in seconds, and is very fast. The app is also nice for syncing content (more on that later). If your phone reboots, you will need to re-enable UMS. I handled that thru Tasker so each time the phone reboots it executes the shortcut that enables UMS. Works seamlessly.. Please note that UMS ONLY works on the S3's external micro sd card. It works great on my S3 but YMMV..
Now as far as syncing content I wanted something as close to iTunes as possible. Part of my mission was to divorce myself from all things "i"- iTunes, iPod, and of course iPhone. But iTunes has always worked well for me in terms of syncing content. Did some more research and found a nice music manager called 'MusicBee'- http://getmusicbee.com/ With UMS enabled it syncs my content very fast.. MMS not so much. On a side note, why they got rid of UMS is beyond me..
Now to handle playlists, and since I primarily use playlists in the car, I use MusicBee to sync those to a standard SD card and plug that into the slot on the P8. Don't use anything larger than 32gig as the P8 only 'sees' 500 folders. There is no limitation when using the MDI port so this limitation doesn't apply the the phone's storage.
One thing I want to mention is that if you want to be able to shuffle across all your folders you need to make sure to put a random MP3 in the root of your devices SD card. Start playing that song first, hit mix and you can shuffle across your entire library.
All browsing is done via the headunit just as you would an iPod. All tag info is displayed on the headunit as well, with the only exception being you can only browse the content of the phone's micro SD- so folder structure is important. The nice thing about this is that you can run other apps (I run Torque) since the MDI is only sees the S3 as a storage device, so hands free calling still works.
It also keeps the phone charged
Here's a few pics of my setup:
Any questions, don't hesitate to ask..
ddiehl said:
Yes the bluetooth sounds horrible
Here's what I did, and it works beautifully..
I picked up the MDI USB adapter, fed a 6ft USB>micro USB through the center console to the dash where I fashioned a phone 'mount' from my Otterbox belt clip.
I noticed it was kind of clunky, and very slow (would take up to a minute for the Premium 8 to even recognize the S3) using the stupid MMS mode. It did work however. I did some research on enabling USB mass storage and found this app: SG USB Mass Storage Enablerhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mohammadag.samsungusbmassstorageenabler&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5tb2hhbW1hZGFnLnNhbXN1bmd1c2JtYXNzc3RvcmFnZWVuYWJsZXIiXQ.. It does require root, with Busy Box installed. Now the P8 recognizes the phone in seconds, and is very fast. The app is also nice for syncing content (more on that later). If your phone reboots, you will need to re-enable UMS. I handled that thru Tasker so each time the phone reboots it executes the shortcut that enables UMS. Works seamlessly.. Please note that UMS ONLY works on the S3's external micro sd card. It works great on my S3 but YMMV..
Now as far as syncing content I wanted something as close to iTunes as possible. Part of my mission was to divorce myself from all things "i"- iTunes, iPod, and of course iPhone. But iTunes has always worked well for me in terms of syncing content. Did some more research and found a nice music manager called 'MusicBee'- http://getmusicbee.com/ With UMS enabled it syncs my content very fast.. MMS not so much. On a side note, why they got rid of UMS is beyond me..
Now to handle playlists, and since I primarily use playlists in the car, I use MusicBee to sync those to a standard SD card and plug that into the slot on the P8. Don't use anything larger than 32gig as the P8 only 'sees' 500 folders. There is no limitation when using the MDI port so this limitation doesn't apply the the phone's storage.
One thing I want to mention is that if you want to be able to shuffle across all your folders you need to make sure to put a random MP3 in the root of your devices SD card. Start playing that song first, hit mix and you can shuffle across your entire library.
All browsing is done via the headunit just as you would an iPod. All tag info is displayed on the headunit as well, with the only exception being you can only browse the content of the phone's micro SD- so folder structure is important. The nice thing about this is that you can run other apps (I run Torque) since the MDI is only sees the S3 as a storage device, so hands free calling still works.
It also keeps the phone charged
Here's a few pics of my setup:
Any questions, don't hesitate to ask..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first of all, thanks a TON for the detailed reply..
based on your advice i went ahead and grabbed http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I9CXHW/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and a USB http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QE03GK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
i run a rooted rom so grabbed busybox and USB MS enabler.. we'll see how it goes! if not, im out 20 bucks.. whatever haha.. either way its very nice to here from someone with the same set up
Grabbed this too as insurance, at least it will sound better than before
i did also find a 16gb sd i had laying around so i threw that in the car yesterday, but my main device for music is my phone so it would be nice to have everything in one place. Even that is very nice to be able to navigate on the head unit as opposed to scrolling through my phone whilst bluetoothing.
if i may be so bold, are you using something like an OBD2 bluetooth adaptor for that torque app? do you have any recomendations for picking 1 vs the other? would be great to hear from a mk6 owner. there are a ton to choose from http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_11?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=bluetooth+obd2&sprefix=bluetooth+o%2Celectronics%2C253
DrKaotica said:
first of all, thanks a TON for the detailed reply..
based on your advice i went ahead and grabbed http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I9CXHW/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and a USB http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QE03GK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
i run a rooted rom so grabbed busybox and USB MS enabler.. we'll see how it goes! if not, im out 20 bucks.. whatever haha.. either way its very nice to here from someone with the same set up
Grabbed this too as insurance, at least it will sound better than before
i did also find a 16gb sd i had laying around so i threw that in the car yesterday, but my main device for music is my phone so it would be nice to have everything in one place. Even that is very nice to be able to navigate on the head unit as opposed to scrolling through my phone whilst bluetoothing.
if i may be so bold, are you using something like an OBD2 bluetooth adaptor for that torque app? do you have any recomendations for picking 1 vs the other? would be great to hear from a mk6 owner. there are a ton to choose from http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_11?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=bluetooth+obd2&sprefix=bluetooth+o%2Celectronics%2C253
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know how it goes, and don't hesitate to ask any questions..
I used this bluetooth adapter, and have had no issues.. http://www.amazon.com/Version-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Interface-Scanner/dp/B008UR7J6I/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1370656911&sr=1-3&keywords=bluetooth+obd2

[Q] sgs3 USB communication with my car stereo

I've searched around to different forums and haven't really gotten a clear answer for this. I used to be able to play my music from my iphone simply by connecting it to my usb plug in my car. the sgs3 doesn't do that. I've read it is because it uses mtp instead of ums for data transfer now because there are no partitions in the drive. Supposedly there is a way to use ums by an app that was created for the i9300, but I have the US sprint model and I wonder if that would work on my phone. Plus I would like to know if I use this app, will it even solve my problem? Will I be able to listen to my tunes in my car without connecting the audio aux plug?
Thanks in advance,
Leefordss said:
I've searched around to different forums and haven't really gotten a clear answer for this. I used to be able to play my music from my iphone simply by connecting it to my usb plug in my car. the sgs3 doesn't do that. I've read it is because it uses mtp instead of ums for data transfer now because there are no partitions in the drive. Supposedly there is a way to use ums by an app that was created for the i9300, but I have the US sprint model and I wonder if that would work on my phone. Plus I would like to know if I use this app, will it even solve my problem? Will I be able to listen to my tunes in my car without connecting the audio aux plug?
Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to know this too, My car radio doesn't have bluetooth support, so it's not an option for me and it doesn't work when I plug the phone in. This is the only thing keeping me from getting rid of my iPod!
I'm curious about this too. I just bought a Sony for its Sirius capabilities and it has Pandora support but I would like to listen to my phone's MP3 catalog too.
sent through the third galaxy
I just replaced my car stereo thinking I could use the USB in, I couldn't get it to work by default.
I'm left with using the aux in, which is nothing more than a stop gap solution.
Hoping that I can get it to work with usb too
Edit :
I forgot to try system >accessories >usb audio
I'll try when I get out of work.
2nd edit :
Didn't work
Sort of the same issue, compounded.
I have a 2012 volt and an S3/I9300 international version. I can't get it to play audio in my car for love or money. No roms, just stock...but bluetooth and auxiliary fails. Bluetooth says it doesn't recognize it, auxiliary jack says everything is hooked up but I get no sound.
I also have a bluetooth soundbar in my home; the phone connects fine but the sound comes through the phone still rather than the speakers. I feel like I'm missing something pretty basic here. Any help/guidance would be much appreciated. If there is an app that will fix this I'm totally game. Also anything to get rid of the samsun apps login that is constantly annoying me, or the German news sides that are preinstalled.
I'm a wreck lol. Love the phone otherwise though (other than ATT delivering my text messages roughly 72 hours after they were sent...all at once, from 3 to 6 am, like clockwork. I switched to t-mobile).
Wrong section dude, you want the international forums, this one is for the sprint variant only
I would suggest searching for usb input on the stereo and making sure its selected as the playback device. My ford fusion has bluetooth and usb but when i use usb i have to select it on the stereo to actually play music from my phone. Hope this helps...:good:

[Q] Sonos alternative and an important question.

Since Sonos does not support Google Music I decided to undergo my own project using my Note 2. My house is already wired for sound with multiple speakers in most rooms attached to either HTPC's or audio receivers. So my goal here was to use my Note 2 to stream Google music to the rooms that I was in and have that music follow me around similar to the Sonos setup. I have found that inexpensive Bluetooth dongles attached to my audio receivers in strategically positioned areas allow me to connect and disconnect to the appropriate speakers automatically while I am moving from room to room. For the rooms without any previous audio, I have added some small high quality speakers with a mini amplifier attached to the dongle. So for less than $100 I can have music anywhere. This is an extremely inexpensive alternative to Sonos with 80% of the Sonos functionality at a fraction of the cost. Now anything that I can play on my phone I can push to the nearby speakers. This also allows my wife and her phone to do the same thing in different parts of the house. Further customization with NFC tags and Tasker makes it a no brainer over Sonos.
That said, here is the only annoying part of this project. I have tried everything to get my Note 2 (SGH-T889) to connect to my HTPC's running Windows 7 prof edition. There seems to be a lack of drivers for this phone and I have tried all of the previous work arounds in other threads but keep getting "Bluetooth Peripheral Device driver error". I can pair the device but the lack of driver support has prevented me from streaming directly to my HTPC's. I have attached another Bluetooth dongle to the HTPC speakers as a workaround but would really like to stream directly into the computer.
Has anyone successfully connected the Note 2 (SGH-T889) to a Windows 7 64bit machine and streamed audio over Bluetooth to the pc???
32str8 said:
Since Sonos does not support Google Music I decided to undergo my own project using my Note 2. My house is already wired for sound with multiple speakers in most rooms attached to either HTPC's or audio receivers. So my goal here was to use my Note 2 to stream Google music to the rooms that I was in and have that music follow me around similar to the Sonos setup. I have found that inexpensive Bluetooth dongles attached to my audio receivers in strategically positioned areas allow me to connect and disconnect to the appropriate speakers automatically while I am moving from room to room. For the rooms without any previous audio, I have added some small high quality speakers with a mini amplifier attached to the dongle. So for less than $100 I can have music anywhere. This is an extremely inexpensive alternative to Sonos with 80% of the Sonos functionality at a fraction of the cost. Now anything that I can play on my phone I can push to the nearby speakers. This also allows my wife and her phone to do the same thing in different parts of the house. Further customization with NFC tags and Tasker makes it a no brainer over Sonos.
That said, here is the only annoying part of this project. I have tried everything to get my Note 2 (SGH-T889) to connect to my HTPC's running Windows 7 prof edition. There seems to be a lack of drivers for this phone and I have tried all of the previous work arounds in other threads but keep getting "Bluetooth Peripheral Device driver error". I can pair the device but the lack of driver support has prevented me from streaming directly to my HTPC's. I have attached another Bluetooth dongle to the HTPC speakers as a workaround but would really like to stream directly into the computer.
Has anyone successfully connected the Note 2 (SGH-T889) to a Windows 7 64bit machine and streamed audio over Bluetooth to the pc???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I have not tried connecting the note 2 to a windows 7 desktop. I am using the squeezebox system to connect the entire house sound system. I am not familiar with the sonos, The cost of the sonos made not to venture into this system. I have a squeezebox duet system in the garage, I got just squeezebox duet receivers in 2 rooms and the music room has the squeezebox touch system. The home server has all the music serving the different squeezebox system. the note 2 has the squeezebox controller app in it. It has also the squeezeplayer app in the note2, this app makes the note 2 of any android device act as player. This allows you to stream the music directly into your note 2. The squeezebox system has the wire and wireless option to connect. I prefer the wired connection inside the house. while the squeezebox in the garage is connected wirelessly.
tomasitoc said:
Although I have not tried connecting the note 2 to a windows 7 desktop. I am using the squeezebox system to connect the entire house sound system. I am not familiar with the sonos, The cost of the sonos made not to venture into this system. I have a squeezebox duet system in the garage, I got just squeezebox duet receivers in 2 rooms and the music room has the squeezebox touch system. The home server has all the music serving the different squeezebox system. the note 2 has the squeezebox controller app in it. It has also the squeezeplayer app in the note2, this app makes the note 2 of any android device act as player. This allows you to stream the music directly into your note 2. The squeezebox system has the wire and wireless option to connect. I prefer the wired connection inside the house. while the squeezebox in the garage is connected wirelessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is that Squeezebox like Sonos is not Google music compatible yet. I can already access my music via a NAS but my goal with this system is to be able to stream all my music via the Google music app on my phone thus making my phone the data source. Since bluetooth is ubiquitous, making my phone the source allows me greater flexibility and portability. By bringing a simple bluetooth dongle and a 3" cable I can connect the dongle to any aux port on any music setup (home, car, radio) and stream my music. This also makes it exceptionally easy to listen to friends music collections by having them pair up their phones to the dongle.
Still wondering if anyone has been able to connect the Note 2 to a windows 7 64 bit pc via bluetooth. This is the last piece of the puzzle and I'm hoping someone finally finds a workaround or the the appropriate drivers. The generic windows drivers don't seem to work and the manual alternatives that have been posted to work with other phones have not worked either.
32str8 said:
My understanding is that Squeezebox like Sonos is not Google music compatible yet. I can already access my music via a NAS but my goal with this system is to be able to stream all my music via the Google music app on my phone thus making my phone the data source. Since bluetooth is ubiquitous, making my phone the source allows me greater flexibility and portability. By bringing a simple bluetooth dongle and a 3" cable I can connect the dongle to any aux port on any music setup (home, car, radio) and stream my music. This also makes it exceptionally easy to listen to friends music collections by having them pair up their phones to the dongle.
Still wondering if anyone has been able to connect the Note 2 to a windows 7 64 bit pc via bluetooth. This is the last piece of the puzzle and I'm hoping someone finally finds a workaround or the the appropriate drivers. The generic windows drivers don't seem to work and the manual alternatives that have been posted to work with other phones have not worked either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried bubblesoft's Bubble uPnP on android market. Google music does work with it and it costs $5 or so. However, it was having trouble playing songs from playlist that were added from sdcard. I am in touch with the developer and am going to ask for a refund if he can't make this basic functionality work. It could have to do something with his latest release.
gaurav_verma22 said:
Have you tried bubblesoft's Bubble uPnP on android market. Google music does work with it and it costs $5 or so. However, it was having trouble playing songs from playlist that were added from sdcard. I am in touch with the developer and am going to ask for a refund if he can't make this basic functionality work. It could have to do something with his latest release.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chromcast has solved my google music to mediacenter/HTPC issue. I still use the bluetooth dongle for stand alone audio situations like a car or portable radio system due to the ease of connection through an input jack. You can also use this with a chromecast for audio only: http://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digita...IQER0E/ref=pd_sim_e_3?tag=androidcentral00-20

Controlling music playback on my home stereo (Bluetooth or Wifi solutions)

Hi all,
I'm thinking about buying a cheap Bluetooth audio receiver to hook up to my home stereo. I'd like to be able to play music files on my Nexus and have them play on my stereo via Bluetooth but I'm concerned about range.
Is the Nexus Bluetooth class 1, 2, or 3? I'd like to be able to queue up music from anywhere in my house, but typically Bluetooth range is pathetic.
Wifi would be a great option for good range, but I know of no Wifi audio receivers except Apple Airport, and that only works with specific apps. (I'd like all Android OS audio to be transmitted to the receiver).
Another option I suppose would to be to buy a media player box running something like XBMC, and just use the Nexus as an XBMC remote control. but this seems like an expensive option just to play music.
Bluetooth range is good, but not the best I have seen.
I use mine as a telemetry display for a Quadcopter.
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ezio.multiwii)
If I fly down the street, I loose connection sooner than I did with my Archos 80 9G (Which was a pretty lousy tablet in most other ways), but the N7 (2013) has better range than other devices I have tried.
The play store states that it has Bluetooth 4.0:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb_2013
scroll to Technical specifications
Thanks for the reply. Does your telemetry app only receive telemetry from the copter? Or can it also transmit to copter (control). I'm concerned with the transmit power, not it's receive sensitivity.
Bluetooth 4.0 indicates the version number but not the class. It's the class number that details the forward power of the transmitter. I can't find that spec anywhere.
Obveron said:
Thanks for the reply. Does your telemetry app only receive telemetry from the copter? Or can it also transmit to copter (control). I'm concerned with the transmit power, not it's receive sensitivity.
Bluetooth 4.0 indicates the version number but not the class. It's the class number that details the forward power of the transmitter. I can't find that spec anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus 7 is a Bluetooth class 2 device. Class 2 Bluetooth, as I'm sure you know, has a range of ~10 meters, or ~30 feet.
EDIT:
Hold on, don't quote me on the class. I'm pretty sure, but can't find a reliable source.
Johmama said:
The Nexus 7 is a Bluetooth class 2 device. Class 2 Bluetooth, as I'm sure you know, has a range of ~10 meters, or ~30 feet.
EDIT:
Hold on, don't quote me on the class. I'm pretty sure, but can't find a reliable source.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply Johmama. I also can't find on a source on that, but I agree Class 2 is good bet. Alas, that's not enough range for my purposes. Looks like I'll be looking for another solution.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
If the Nexus is generating the audio and streaming it to a receiver, the only thing I know that can do that over Wifi is Apple Airport or Google Chromecast, both are limited to working on specific apps (unlike bluetooth audio that is intergrated into the system audio driver).
If the nexus is merely acting as a Wifi remote control to a set top box playing music, I'd need the nexus to be able to view and manage the library, and playlist. I think XBMC remote can do this.
I also think there are tablet remotes for WDTV live. Although I don't think you can manage the library from the tablet.
BTW my music library is on my NAS, accessible through SMB shares.
There are a bazillion plugins for android for most media players/suites from VLC to Windows Media centre to XBMC to spotify etc. just check whether there's one that works with whatever software you're running.
I've also done the bluetooth streaming to PC trick before but found it an inferior solution as I can hold a much larger music library on the PC, and for some reason I couldn't get it to auto pair, had to manually connect each time. Since I can run any choice of media player + spotify on the loungeroom PC it was a no brainer, I much prefer the nexus as a remote control than actually the one doing the streaming (also saves battery). Finally using it as a remote means you can setup the same solution from your phone, partner's devices etc.
Just get a cheap bluetooth dongle and enjoy. I destroyed the headphone jack in my razr maxx hd and use bluetooth exclusively for any audio connections.
yeah, you're limited to about 30ft, but so what? If ya gotta be 30+ft from the stereo, you're likely doing something that won't have you interacting with the tablet anyway.
if worse comes to worse, use a cat-5 audio extender balun and add jacks in your house for the bluetooth dongle.
either that or buy an old WDTV box, use its optical digital audio output and remotely control it from the web interface (after installing WDlxTV firmware)
that stupid little $79 box is the greatest piece of home entertainment hardware I've ever purchased. not only can it stream 1080p over my network, but it also downloads and seeds torrents, runs a fileserver and SSH remote access so I can tap into it anywhere on the freakin planet (provided I have a decent internet connection at the other end)
You've got a problem? there is ALWAYS some hackable embedded linux device that can provide a cheap solution.
Thanks for the replies. 30ft bluetooth range is not enough. I have my audio system powering speakers all over the house and backyard.
wintermute000 said:
There are a bazillion plugins for android for most media players/suites from VLC to Windows Media centre to XBMC to spotify etc. just check whether there's one that works with whatever software you're running.
I've also done the bluetooth streaming to PC trick before but found it an inferior solution as I can hold a much larger music library on the PC, and for some reason I couldn't get it to auto pair, had to manually connect each time. Since I can run any choice of media player + spotify on the loungeroom PC it was a no brainer, I much prefer the nexus as a remote control than actually the one doing the streaming (also saves battery). Finally using it as a remote means you can setup the same solution from your phone, partner's devices etc.
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Click to collapse
Hi wintermute000, thanks for the suggestion. I currently don't have a HTPC hooked up to my home stereo, but that might be my best option. Do any music players for PC allow complete library browsing completely from their associated apps, or do the remotes only control playback?
I was hoping to attach a cheap box like wdtv or something that could access my music on the SMB shares on my NAS, While using an Android remote control for that device that can browse and queue songs from the library on the NAS. I've read that the XBMC remote app has the ability to browse the library, but I've heard its library browsing is buggy and I don't know if the app will see my SMB shares on the NAS.
Cheapxj said:
either that or buy an old WDTV box, use its optical digital audio output and remotely control it from the web interface (after installing WDlxTV firmware)
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Click to collapse
Cheapxj, I did some digging and discovered that the smartphone app for WDTV cannot navigate through my music library (stored on my NAS). It can control playback but I can't browse and queue songs and albums directly from the app (needs the help of the TV).
Is this also the case with the WDLxTV firmware. and the web interface?
Obveron said:
Thanks for the replies. 30ft bluetooth range is not enough. I have my audio system powering speakers all over the house and backyard.
Hi wintermute000, thanks for the suggestion. I currently don't have a HTPC hooked up to my home stereo, but that might be my best option. Do any music players for PC allow complete library browsing completely from their associated apps, or do the remotes only control playback?
I was hoping to attach a cheap box like wdtv or something that could access my music on the SMB shares on my NAS, While using an Android remote control for that device that can browse and queue songs from the library on the NAS. I've read that the XBMC remote app has the ability to browse the library, but I've heard its library browsing is buggy and I don't know if the app will see my SMB shares on the NAS.
Cheapxj, I did some digging and discovered that the smartphone app for WDTV cannot navigate through my music library (stored on my NAS). It can control playback but I can't browse and queue songs and albums directly from the app (needs the help of the TV).
Is this also the case with the WDLxTV firmware. and the web interface?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've run the itunes plugin for mediamonkey and it behaves exactly like itunes including library.
Spotimote lets me browse my spotify playlists normally too.
finally there is always itunes

Can't skip songs on alpine car stereo and no metadata...UPDATE: RESOLVED

Just realized on my note 4 I can't skip songs or rewind when I am connected to my alpine stereo. I had no issues with my note 3, s3, and even friends iPhones.
This phine has sooo many glitches it's driving me crazy! Also who decided to put the speaker on the back instead of the bottom! So now I can't hear ringtones or music unless my phone is speaker side up. Argh...I think this is going back and I'm staying with my note 3 until the note 5 I guess.
Resolved by updating the firmware on alpine using mac since my PC laptop wouldn't cooperate. More info below...
Weird man mines been working okay on my kenwood BT it just has random song lag. My meta data was coming up though. What app are you using to play music? Im using poweramp
I'm using Google music and if i play an album the data displayed stays as the first songs name but the time works. if its a random playlist the song names update normally. weird
I am using Google music but also tried Samsung music player same thing, couldn't skip. I also tried friends note 4 with spotifa and also didn't skip. Argh. Moved back to my note 3 until an update comes out to fix it or I might sell it and get nexus 6, this is a huge problem.
use Power Amp. the stock apps suck.
Solid Explorer for files, QuickPic for pics, Nova for launcher, MX Player for videos, and you'll figure out your own preferences from there. iphone to Android must be foreign experience stepping out of the walled garden. we've all been there.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
I am using Google play music, power amp doesn't stream music and can't read the downloaded Google files. It's just a glitch in the note 4 software
Just wanted to update.... after installing the firmware update for alpine stereos, my note was able to work fine with the stereo, song info shows up and I can skip and fast forward again.
The link is here: http://www.alpine-usa.com/feeds/promo/13hubtupdate
But funny enough my pc laptop would not display the file browser for doing the update but on my MacBook, there was an option to browse files which allowed me to do the update.kinda funny since I am a PC person and bought the mac on a whim and it saved my butt with this update!
Saknice20 said:
Just wanted to update.... after installing the firmware update for alpine stereos, my note was able to work fine with the stereo, song info shows up and I can skip and fast forward again.
The link is here: http://www.alpine-usa.com/feeds/promo/13hubtupdate
But funny enough my pc laptop would not display the file browser for doing the update but on my MacBook, there was an option to browse files which allowed me to do the update.kinda funny since I am a PC person and bought the mac on a whim and it saved my butt with this update!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It must be nice to have a head unit that the manufacturer hasn't forgotten that it once made. Pioneer tends to drop support for units it's no longer selling.
This issue doesn't seem to have any real logic to it. While my Note pairs with the Pioneer and the steering controls work fine, there's no metadata displayed. Paired to my sister in law's 2013 Enclave, everything works. In my brother's 2014 Lacrosse, it works the same as on my Pioneer... pairing and steering wheel controls with no metadata.
I've read that there are a bunch of changes in how Lollipop handles Bluetooth. I hope the fix lies there.
From what I know..the note 4 uses a newer version of bluetooth, 1.4 or something like that. The note 3 uses 1.3. That update I installed on my stereo had 1.4 support so that's why it worked. I don't think an update to the phone will fix it, the stereo needs the update

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