Apple TV - any experiences?

[rkrug]

Hi

is anybody using an Apple TV (the 4K ?) as a LMS player? Any experiences? Are you using AirPlay or an app (http://slimlibrary.matglo.com/apple-tv-screenshots/, or are there others as well?)
Any suggestions?

I am asking, because I am thinking of buying an Apple TV and to retire my Pi to become the LMS server (older model - does it work?). The price difference is bearable, and it will also function as a plex client.

Suggestions?

Thanks,

Rainer

[bernt]

With Airplay bridge you can use it as a player and control it with iPeng or similar.

[epoch1970]

I have the previous model. I don’t use it much, tbh.
In my opinion the touch interface, say like iPeng, is so much more practical than the cursor (remote control) interface that an SB tv app isn’t really necessary.
I have Airplay Bridge installed on LMS, and I could control the atv4 from iPeng. Right now I can’t get audio out of it, I suppose an update broke the bridge.
If iPeng for tvOS existed I guess I would have it installed, but I’m really not sure I would use it..

The atv Plex client is ok, but I’m not sure it is any better than the tablet app. I select movies from the tablet and play it on the atv. Easier to browse this way.

My advice would be for you to shell some money at getting a Pi 3. It will act as server and you can keep your current SB player as it is.

[pippin]

Apple TV - any experiences?

Just for m 2cts
I do have a beta version of iPeng for AppleTV but it’s been a low priority for me and with the iPhone X and the redesign it requires for the main App I don’t believe it will be ready this year.
This might be somewhat personal but for me, I consider the whole AppleTV a bit of a usability challenge.
The cursory interface really isn’t that nice and it’s a lot of work to port iPeng to that. I will do it, but only when I have the time.
Using iPeng as a player sounds tempting but you can’t run audio apps permanently in the background on AppleTV so whenever you have done something else on the device, like watching a movie, you will then have to start iPeng again before you can even remotely control it. It can play on in the background but not stay available over an extended time without playing.

Due to this I actually feel you get a BETTER player experience using AirPlay on the AppleTV and the AirPlay bridge to interface with LMS, simply because then you can start playback whenever you want.

And I just don’t find it very motivating to work on an App of which I feel it will be a big compromise and other solutions for the same hardware already work better (AirPlay)

[d6jg]

Just for m 2cts
I do have a beta version of iPeng for AppleTV but it’s been a low priority for me and with the iPhone X and the redesign it requires for the main App I don’t believe it will be ready this year.
This might be somewhat personal but for me, I consider the whole AppleTV a bit of a usability challenge.
The cursory interface really isn’t that nice and it’s a lot of work to port iPeng to that. I will do it, but only when I have the time.
Using iPeng as a player sounds tempting but you can’t run audio apps permanently in the background on AppleTV so whenever you have done something else on the device, like watching a movie, you will then have to start iPeng again before you can even remotely control it. It can play on in the background but not stay available over an extended time without playing.

Due to this I actually feel you get a BETTER player experience using AirPlay on the AppleTV and the AirPlay bridge to interface with LMS, simply because then you can start playback whenever you want.

And I just don’t find it very motivating to work on an App of which I feel it will be a big compromise and other solutions for the same hardware already work better (AirPlay)

Slightly OT but do you have a timescale for iPeng Party upgrade yet Pippin?

And back on topic. I have an old Apple TV but only use it occasionally. I don't like the wifi overhead that AirPlay causes so prefer the AirPlay bridge & iPeng route

[pippin]

Slightly OT but do you have a timescale for iPeng Party upgrade yet Pippin?

I hope to have it ready still in October.

And back on topic. I have an old Apple TV but only use it occasionally. I don't like the wifi overhead that AirPlay causes so prefer the AirPlay bridge & iPeng route

That’s what I meant. I don’t really use AirPlay from iOS devices but AirPlay bridge is quite nice and works almost as well as a real Squeezebox player.

[d6jg]

There is a bug in the iPeng AirPlay (iOS) implementation actually which I should mention to you. Track time gets screwed up some times.


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[pippin]

There is a bug in the iPeng AirPlay (iOS) implementation actually which I should mention to you. Track time gets screwed up some times.


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Can’t be because there is no such thing as an iPeng AirPlay implementation.
AirPlay is entirely handled by iOS, iPeng doesn’t really know it’s sending data to AirPlay instead of a speaker or headphones (ok, it can check the route and it does see the latency).

What do you mean by „wrong track time“ and where does it show the wrong time?

[d6jg]

I mean on the now playing screen on TV. The track timer is frequently wrong showing the total duration time of a previous track and not the one actually playing. Either the data being sent is wrong on iOS has a bug in it.


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[d6jg]

I don’t use it very often though but notice it every time (no pun intended). It does not affect playback.


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[pippin]

I’ll have to check but that’s probably because iPeng is running in the background and only updating the data periodically and not permanently to save battery power. That information is updated separately from the player.

You are right, that should probably work better if iPeng is the player since then the App is running full time anyway but I’m a bit reluctant to leave the server connection open, it’s so verbose ...

[d6jg]

It is a minor issue Pippin. I am not sure but I don’t think AirBridge is 100% right in that area either. I’d need to check.


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[philippe_44]

I have Airplay Bridge installed on LMS, and I could control the atv4 from iPeng. Right now I can’t get audio out of it, I suppose an update broke the bridge.

I just saw that, a small change in tvOS that created a wrinkle on the AirPlay handshake ... that's the problem when you never know exactly what's mandatory vs optional. It's fixed in 0.3.1.2

My advice would be for you to shell some money at getting a Pi 3. It will act as server and you can keep your current SB player as it is.

Agreed totally - even I, a shameless Windows user, have migrated my main LMS system on a pi (well, a cubie2 to be precise)