Dedicated controller

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  • jrobson
    Junior Member
    • Mar 2013
    • 6

    Dedicated controller

    Hi

    Seems I'm one of few who doesn't like using touch devices as controllers.
    I am looking but I can't find anything, does anyone know of a dedicated controller available similar to the DUET model?

    I like the physical buttons, the wheel is great, but it has it's issues and since everything is discontinued.... Is there an alternative?
  • toby10
    Senior Member
    • Jul 2007
    • 9329

    #2
    Buy a used Controller? Beyond that your likely options are smart phone, tablet, or web UI from your computer (no touch screen ).

    Comment

    • garym
      Senior Member
      • May 2008
      • 13396

      #3
      Originally posted by toby10
      Buy a used Controller? Beyond that your likely options are smart phone, tablet, or web UI from your computer (no touch screen ).
      Yes, a CONTROLLER (from a duet) will control a TOUCH or any other squeezebox. I've picked up a couple used/new in box from ebay at cheap prices. (My wife prefers the controller).
      Home: Pi4B-8GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Transporter, Touch, Boom, Radio (all ethernet)
      Cottage: rPi4B-4GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Touch>Benchmark DAC I, Boom, Radio w/Battery (Radio WIFI)
      Office: Win11(64)>foobar2000
      The Wild: rPi3B+/pCP7.x/4TB>LMS 8.1.x>hifiberry Dac+Pro (LMS & Squeezelite)
      Controllers: Material Skin, iPhone14Pro & iPadAir5 (iPeng), or CONTROLLER
      Files: Ripping: dBpoweramp > FLAC; Post-rip: mp3tag, PerfectTunes, TuneFusion; Streaming: Spotify

      Comment

      • jrobson
        Junior Member
        • Mar 2013
        • 6

        #4
        Originally posted by toby10
        Buy a used Controller? Beyond that your likely options are smart phone, tablet, or web UI from your computer (no touch screen ).
        Well I did mention the controller has it's issues...

        Comment

        • garym
          Senior Member
          • May 2008
          • 13396

          #5
          Originally posted by jrobson
          Well I did mention the controller has it's issues...
          can you just use the IR remote that comes with the touch. Of course this requires line of sight. For me, I mostly use SqueezePlay running on my laptop to control my various SB players. Because I'm often sitting in front of my laptop!
          Home: Pi4B-8GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Transporter, Touch, Boom, Radio (all ethernet)
          Cottage: rPi4B-4GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Touch>Benchmark DAC I, Boom, Radio w/Battery (Radio WIFI)
          Office: Win11(64)>foobar2000
          The Wild: rPi3B+/pCP7.x/4TB>LMS 8.1.x>hifiberry Dac+Pro (LMS & Squeezelite)
          Controllers: Material Skin, iPhone14Pro & iPadAir5 (iPeng), or CONTROLLER
          Files: Ripping: dBpoweramp > FLAC; Post-rip: mp3tag, PerfectTunes, TuneFusion; Streaming: Spotify

          Comment

          • jrobson
            Junior Member
            • Mar 2013
            • 6

            #6
            Originally posted by garym
            can you just use the IR remote that comes with the touch. Of course this requires line of sight. For me, I mostly use SqueezePlay running on my laptop to control my various SB players. Because I'm often sitting in front of my laptop!
            Hi

            I wasn't clear enough, I don't have a touch, I have the Duet Controller, two of them, but they won't last forever, and like I say they have issues, poor screen resolution(not a big deal, just makes it look a bit old), losing wifi when conserving battery which sometimes takes a while to wake up, random crashes(fixed by reboot but still), short battery life, product end of life...

            I see lots of development on players and server hardware/software but none on controller hardware side.
            I've tried Android, IOS and WinPhone controller and they just aren't as efficient or good as the Duet controller.

            Comment

            • aubuti
              Senior Member
              • Oct 2005
              • 8878

              #7
              Originally posted by jrobson
              I wasn't clear enough, I don't have a touch, I have the Duet Controller, two of them, but they won't last forever, and like I say they have issues, poor screen resolution(not a big deal, just makes it look a bit old), losing wifi when conserving battery which sometimes takes a while to wake up, random crashes(fixed by reboot but still), short battery life, product end of life...

              I see lots of development on players and server hardware/software but none on controller hardware side.
              I've tried Android, IOS and WinPhone controller and they just aren't as efficient or good as the Duet controller.
              What type of player(s) do you have? You still haven't said. Other than the Duet Receiver, they all work with infrared remotes.

              You may have seen that development of the Squeezebox line has come to the proverbial end of the road. It's finished. Logitech made only one dedicated Controller (the Duet Controller), and then basically saw that that they couldn't compete against the iThings and Android devices. So if you want a dedicated SB controller, then your only option is another Duet Controller.
              Main system: SB3 > Emotiva XDA-1 > NAD C 325BEE > Vandersteen 1
              Living room: SB2 > Audioengine HD6
              Kitchen/dining: SB2 > AudioSource AMP 100 > 2-pairs of Polk Audio RC60i in-ceiling speakers
              Deck/patio: SB Receiver > AudioSource AMP 100 > Polk Atrium 45
              Study: SB Radio
              Quiet time: Hifiman Sundara headphones plugged into NAD amp or iPhone + AudioQuest Dragonfly Red DAC/amp
              LMS 8.3 running on a Raspberry Pi3 (piCore), controlled using iPeng, SB Controllers and Squeezepad

              Comment

              • garym
                Senior Member
                • May 2008
                • 13396

                #8
                Originally posted by jrobson
                Hi

                I wasn't clear enough, I don't have a touch, I have the Duet Controller, two of them, but they won't last forever, and like I say they have issues, poor screen resolution(not a big deal, just makes it look a bit old), losing wifi when conserving battery which sometimes takes a while to wake up, random crashes(fixed by reboot but still), short battery life, product end of life...

                I see lots of development on players and server hardware/software but none on controller hardware side.
                I've tried Android, IOS and WinPhone controller and they just aren't as efficient or good as the Duet controller.
                I'd be surprised to see any hardware development on something like a CONTROLLER for only controlling the SB players given the high quality of the various apps that can be used wih smartphones and tablets. You say you've tried iOS controllers and didn't like them. Have you tried iPeng? It is much, much better than the free logitech iOS controller app. And iPeng for iPad is very good as is SqueezePad for iPad. These do everything the CONTROLLER does and a lot more. The only thing they don't do is work for setting up a duet receiver, but there is Net: UDAP for that purpose. (and in terms of dedicated, you can pick up an older iphone or ipad cheap and use them at home ONLY as a controller)
                Home: Pi4B-8GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Transporter, Touch, Boom, Radio (all ethernet)
                Cottage: rPi4B-4GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Touch>Benchmark DAC I, Boom, Radio w/Battery (Radio WIFI)
                Office: Win11(64)>foobar2000
                The Wild: rPi3B+/pCP7.x/4TB>LMS 8.1.x>hifiberry Dac+Pro (LMS & Squeezelite)
                Controllers: Material Skin, iPhone14Pro & iPadAir5 (iPeng), or CONTROLLER
                Files: Ripping: dBpoweramp > FLAC; Post-rip: mp3tag, PerfectTunes, TuneFusion; Streaming: Spotify

                Comment

                • jrobson
                  Junior Member
                  • Mar 2013
                  • 6

                  #9
                  Originally posted by aubuti
                  What type of player(s) do you have? You still haven't said. Other than the Duet Receiver, they all work with infrared remotes.

                  You may have seen that development of the Squeezebox line has come to the proverbial end of the road. It's finished. Logitech made only one dedicated Controller (the Duet Controller), and then basically saw that that they couldn't compete against the iThings and Android devices. So if you want a dedicated SB controller, then your only option is another Duet Controller.
                  PC -> USB -> i2S -> DAC

                  But I don't follow your logic about androids and iPhones being used on these and this being the reason for no more controllers. Perhaps on SB3's/Touch's/Transports.
                  Looks like the SB Touch was the product which caused the problem.

                  I am on WinPhone now so no iPeng, I'll try it on my wife's iPhone, but nevertheless that won't be a solution in the long term. I'm actually more wondering along the lines of wireless controllers in use for other products that can be hacked to work on squeezebox's...

                  Comment

                  • garym
                    Senior Member
                    • May 2008
                    • 13396

                    #10
                    Originally posted by jrobson
                    PC -> USB -> i2S -> DAC

                    But I don't follow your logic about androids and iPhones being used on these and this being the reason for no more controllers. Perhaps on SB3's/Touch's/Transports.
                    Looks like the SB Touch was the product which caused the problem..
                    Huh? Sorry, none of that makes any sense. What problem are you referring to? The logic is that available apps were better than the controller and only $10 instead of $200.

                    And are you saying you don't have any SB hardware players but are using something like squeezeplay on your PC? The smart phone controllers will control software SB players too.
                    Home: Pi4B-8GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Transporter, Touch, Boom, Radio (all ethernet)
                    Cottage: rPi4B-4GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB>LMS 8.5.x>Touch>Benchmark DAC I, Boom, Radio w/Battery (Radio WIFI)
                    Office: Win11(64)>foobar2000
                    The Wild: rPi3B+/pCP7.x/4TB>LMS 8.1.x>hifiberry Dac+Pro (LMS & Squeezelite)
                    Controllers: Material Skin, iPhone14Pro & iPadAir5 (iPeng), or CONTROLLER
                    Files: Ripping: dBpoweramp > FLAC; Post-rip: mp3tag, PerfectTunes, TuneFusion; Streaming: Spotify

                    Comment

                    • aubuti
                      Senior Member
                      • Oct 2005
                      • 8878

                      #11
                      Originally posted by jrobson
                      PC -> USB -> i2S -> DAC

                      But I don't follow your logic about androids and iPhones being used on these and this being the reason for no more controllers. Perhaps on SB3's/Touch's/Transports.
                      Looks like the SB Touch was the product which caused the problem.

                      I am on WinPhone now so no iPeng, I'll try it on my wife's iPhone, but nevertheless that won't be a solution in the long term. I'm actually more wondering along the lines of wireless controllers in use for other products that can be hacked to work on squeezebox's...
                      So you don't have any Squeezeboxes, but you're looking for a dedicated SB controller? I guess the inability to follow logic is mutual. How on earth is the Touch "the product which caused the problem", whatever "the problem" is?

                      There's an app for WinPhones now, so maybe you could try that. Search for it on these forums.
                      Main system: SB3 > Emotiva XDA-1 > NAD C 325BEE > Vandersteen 1
                      Living room: SB2 > Audioengine HD6
                      Kitchen/dining: SB2 > AudioSource AMP 100 > 2-pairs of Polk Audio RC60i in-ceiling speakers
                      Deck/patio: SB Receiver > AudioSource AMP 100 > Polk Atrium 45
                      Study: SB Radio
                      Quiet time: Hifiman Sundara headphones plugged into NAD amp or iPhone + AudioQuest Dragonfly Red DAC/amp
                      LMS 8.3 running on a Raspberry Pi3 (piCore), controlled using iPeng, SB Controllers and Squeezepad

                      Comment

                      • jrobson
                        Junior Member
                        • Mar 2013
                        • 6

                        #12
                        Originally posted by aubuti
                        So you don't have any Squeezeboxes, but you're looking for a dedicated SB controller? I guess the inability to follow logic is mutual. How on earth is the Touch "the product which caused the problem", whatever "the problem" is?

                        There's an app for WinPhones now, so maybe you could try that. Search for it on these forums.
                        The touch didn't sell well, there were many "deals" with lower pricing to try and improve sales.

                        Yeah the winphone app works "ok", in some ways better, some things are missing, also had an issue with it corrupting the queued play list, never had the problem with the controller, in fact the controller continued working just fine. Of course when the phone rings there is no way to pause the music. Yes I have Squeezeboxe receivers, 2 of them, one I no longer use, only the controller since I play directly off PC, at the bottom I still have the DUET receiver and controller. But the controller is EOL, sooner or later it will stop working.

                        Please see first post, I'm asking a question about an alternative, not about how to convince me to use current solutions, I think long term this would be a mini 4/5" tablet and accepting the touch interface.
                        Last edited by jrobson; 2013-04-03, 08:22.

                        Comment

                        • aubuti
                          Senior Member
                          • Oct 2005
                          • 8878

                          #13
                          Originally posted by jrobson
                          Please see first post, I'm asking a question about an alternative, not about how to convince me to use current solutions, I think long term this would be a mini 4/5" tablet and accepting the touch interface.
                          Yeah, I read that:
                          Originally posted by jrobson
                          Seems I'm one of few who doesn't like using touch devices as controllers.
                          I am looking but I can't find anything, does anyone know of a dedicated controller available similar to the DUET model?

                          I like the physical buttons, the wheel is great, but it has it's issues and since everything is discontinued.... Is there an alternative?
                          So you don't like touch devices and you want physical buttons. But you think the long term solution is a mini tablet with a touch interface? Sorry, you lost me there.

                          Look into running Squeezeplay on a tablet, or perhaps better yet, on a netbook, where you can use the keyboard's keys instead of a touch interface.

                          EDIT: I'm not trying to convince you to use anything. But you may have to live with "current solutions" because no one -- and I mean no one -- is ever going to produce another "dedicated controller ... similar to the Duet model." That was a one-and-done.
                          Last edited by aubuti; 2013-04-03, 13:50.
                          Main system: SB3 > Emotiva XDA-1 > NAD C 325BEE > Vandersteen 1
                          Living room: SB2 > Audioengine HD6
                          Kitchen/dining: SB2 > AudioSource AMP 100 > 2-pairs of Polk Audio RC60i in-ceiling speakers
                          Deck/patio: SB Receiver > AudioSource AMP 100 > Polk Atrium 45
                          Study: SB Radio
                          Quiet time: Hifiman Sundara headphones plugged into NAD amp or iPhone + AudioQuest Dragonfly Red DAC/amp
                          LMS 8.3 running on a Raspberry Pi3 (piCore), controlled using iPeng, SB Controllers and Squeezepad

                          Comment

                          • jrobson
                            Junior Member
                            • Mar 2013
                            • 6

                            #14
                            Originally posted by aubuti
                            Yeah, I read that:

                            So you don't like touch devices and you want physical buttons. But you think the long term solution is a mini tablet with a touch interface? Sorry, you lost me there.
                            Due to the fact that there doesn't seem to be a physical button alternative available(Actually I think it's the wheel thats awesome, not so much physical buttons), and probably won't ever be, but it's preferable to have a dedicated touch device rather than use my phone...

                            Look into running Squeezeplay on a tablet, or perhaps better yet, on a netbook, where you can use the keyboard's keys instead of a touch interface.

                            EDIT: I'm not trying to convince you to use anything. But you may have to live with "current solutions" because no one -- and I mean no one -- is ever going to produce another "dedicated controller ... similar to the Duet model." That was a one-and-done.
                            Yeah you are right, that appears to be the case, it's a pity because it really is a comfortable device to use. It's kind of strange though there is a lot of development on HTPC controllers, both IR and Wireless (remotes/keyboards/air mouse etc) but nothing recently that has a built in screen.

                            Comment

                            • pippin
                              Senior Member
                              • Oct 2007
                              • 14809

                              #15
                              Hm, I feel like I have to add my two cents here because, ironically, I believe that dedicated controllers WILL come back

                              1. You like the scroll wheel? Ok, I reckon you are pretty much alone with that one so I'd risk a guess at saying: nope, that's never coming back.

                              2. Dedicated controllers with touch screens I'm not so sure about. Logitech has tried this a bit with the harmony line but my impression was that they were focusing on the wrong market so far, which is replacing simple button remotes which doesn't work because a grave full of physical buttons can never be matched in speed-of-use by any touchscreen device. But for complex tasks, I'd bet it will eventually come back, as a universal remote.

                              3. Me thinks this will be something like an Android tablet with some additional buttons giving you quick access to play, pause, skip, volume, power. Actually I believe it will probably be EXACTLY an Android tablet with these buttons. And the actual controllers will just be Apps.

                              4. Why? Because you want a motion sensor instead of a screen lock and you want the buttons, everything else gets into the way of quick use. But for complex UI interactions like content search and browsing you need the touch screen, that scroll wheel just sucked (sorry)

                              5. When? Something like 3 years from now when Android has finally settled on some stable API version and you can't make money on phones anymore so that vendors try to diversify. The platforms will be cheap because an off-the-shelf hardware produced in xx million quantities for phones will easily justify being used as a building block for appliances.

                              6. Why not now? Market's not mature enough and you want to be able to use it with more than one client device. And you need to allow the platform you are using to still be like 3 generations behind because you don't want to replace this thing twice a year like your garden-variety Android phone because it just became totally outdated plus you want it to be three generations behind so that with a current architecture it can consume REALLY little power because you want the battery to last for two days or so and not only half a day as it is today.

                              7. Why Android? What else? Windows? Nah, not going to be around for tablets three years from now anymore. iOS? Good luck asking Apple for industrialization.

                              8. What to use until then? Apps that support the use of hardware volume buttons and lock screen access on your phone or tablet like iPeng or some of the Android ones do because that already gives you 75% of what you really need buttons for.
                              ---
                              learn more about iPeng, the iPhone and iPad remote for the Squeezebox and
                              Logitech UE Smart Radio as well as iPeng Party, the free Party-App,
                              at penguinlovesmusic.com
                              New: iPeng 9, the Universal App for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch

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