Android MusicPlayer with integrated samba and UPnP-Renderer

Hi all,

I am searching an Android MusicPlayer app with integrated support for samba-shares (access to windows-shares, CIFS) and integrated support to play together with our WD SMP as a UPnP renderer.

I tried several apps from the android market, so also the app “Bubble UPnP” . With it acces to samba-shares on my SMP are not possible, because my Android (htc Desire X, 3.0.4 JB ) doesn’t has no CIFS Kernel-Files (yet ?).

Does anyone have an idea for an Android music player, with integrated acces to samba-shares and UPnP-renderer output ?

Hello,

Unfortunately, I don’t know an app that will work for you. I’m sure someone will help you to get that.

Thanks for encouraging everybody, Help4all :smiley:

My question about an app is not so easy, because the WD Live SMP has no integrated UpnP-Server.

So we all using the SMP have to use the samba-share of the SMP or install an additional NAS solution.

Since there is no music player app from WD (why not by the way? ) I tried about 20 apps from the google play marktet.

There are serveral with playing to a UpnP-Renderer , but I didn’t find any app which has access the music files on the connected USB-HDD witout a NAS …:flushed:

Some music fans out there ?

so to sum up what you want

hdd containing music is directly connected to WD

you want to control playback, from another device, like a tablet or a phone

I’ve never tried to do this

but you mention bubble upnp, I’d think that should work,

I’ve used it with a separate server, but should work with WD as well

anything that can send info to a dnla renderer should work

additionally

you might want to make your own cifs modules, if that’s the only problem from having other programs function

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1748297

I used this guide a while back, it’s about a close to copy paste as you can get for a how to on creating modules

Not exactly sure what you want, and want it for, but if you want to access music to play from the WD’s attached hard drive, I have a few iPad apps that can do it, and most of these apps come in an Android flavor, too.  The WD’s drive is a network share, so any app that can access network shared drives ought to be helpful for what you want.  I think.

Hi KAD79,

the last weeks I searched the web and squeezed out every tiny information about it …

I searched for an android rooted/moded custom kernel with  CIFS.ko for my htc desire X which can work together with cifsManager and the bubble UpnP app to play to our WD SMP.

The best information I got from an older post of you at XDA developers :slight_smile:

So I am very glad you are answering here ! :smiley:

" …own cifs modules, if that’s the only problem … " 

Yes, it is. 

And since there is no pre-provided kernel or an already compiled module it is hard for all “normal” people like me, who aren’t real freaks of tuning an OS/linux with hardly needed  features  google/htc/  have just forgotten.

So thank you very much for your link at xda.

At the moment it seems too complicated (“no newbie’s guide”, deep linux know kow seems essentially) for me to compile it myself. In addition to that htc hasn’t released the JB 4.1 sources yet (only ICS available) , well, perhaps not important.

If I find the time for learning and doing this I will try.

Hi mike27oct,

thank you for answering.

At the moment I have no iPad but with your information that may change in a few days :slight_smile:

I am searching a music app which has the two following main must-have features

(maybe also on the apple area, this subjet concentrated on android, but I don’t really care about this)

1.) File access to WD SMP’s attached USB-HDD via Samba-share (not a separated NAS, not a music Upnp Server) is needed.

2.) Support for "Playing to " WD-SMP as a UPnP-music renderer

The 1st point is important.#

On all (?) android advices this is just possible with root-access and a moded kernel containing the additional CIFS.ko modules.

Perhaps IOS has integrated samba/windows-shares/NAS-file support - well, … hard to believe for me but I don’t know.

Which music apps are you using on your ipad having the two described features ?

Do you know if the app “aceplayer” access to samba-shared music files ?

The music files are *not* stored on the ipad or any cloud, they are stored on the USB HDD connected to WD SMP.

it actually disappoints me that over at xda 

so many dev’s don’t include cifs in there kernels

if they are already building a kernel,

it’s litterly like, check 2 boxes, then cifs works

that’s why I actually built my own for the asus TF300

but I can understand, compling kernel modules is not for everyone

and to use the modules does require root access

I’ve actually got to do it all again, everytime the kernel changes,

so like going from ICS to JB, you have to rebuild new modules

I haven’t done it yet for the new rom I’m on

ok back to main topic, doesn’t WD have some sort of app

I’m never used it, but maybe others can comment, does it allow you to start playback from a phone/tablet

Sure… it’s called WD 2go.  Works pretty well on my TF700T.

@KAD79:

Thanks your information KAD79, I think I will ask some of the developers at XDA if they could

implement the needed two CIFS.KO files in a future version of their custom kernels for htc Desire X.

It is good to know that this is not a very complicated coding operation.

@TonyPh12345:

Thanks for your info about the WD 2go app.

I installed it (again, I think I already had it serveral weeks before) from the google Play store.

So the app WD 2go doesn’t fit the requrements at all …

  • It is not possbile to “play to” my WD SMP as a UPnP-renderer, I hear the music (it sounds more like noise with the little speakers) on my smartphone instead of my stereo.
  • It makes a download (for “to-go”) of my connected USB-Hdd files to my SD-card. I just want to play the music to my stereo.

just to be clear, as I did not already mention, but any of the devs will already know this

working cifs requires

cifs.ko

md4.ko

so yeah 2 check boxes

one for cifs

one for md4

an m entry creates .ko files

devs also have the option, instead of creating .ko files

to just include support already in the kernel, if they are building one

@Steffen

I have these seven iPad/iPhone apps installed for accessing the network data (i.e. media player so they can play on my iPad or WD player or Roku and be directed from the iPad./iPhone. (Most  of the apps are also in Android versions.)

1.  Pogoplug app – specific for using with a Pogoplug device; enables access from anywhere on the internet. for streaming; not just within local network.

2.  VLC Streamer app – streams movies; i.e. ISO, MKV files; even DVDs within local network. CPU intensive,

3.  WDTVMedia HD – streams DLNA compatible files (music, movies, photos) to/from media player to iThings; for local network use only.

4.  FileBrowser – access your local network like you can from your PC and play stuff on iPad. Can be setup for outside network access, too.

5.  AiCloud – specific to my ASUS router; similar features as FileBrowser, enables access from anywhere on the internet.; not just within local network.

6.   MyMedia & PlayOn combo – Similar in some ways to VLC Streamer.   MyMedia is a new app made especially for a Roku, but it works with any DLNA device.

7.  Twonky Beam – One of my favorite apps that enables playing audio/video/photo media to/from iPad, WDTV, Roku, etc. I like that it enables iTunes playlists to play music from my iTunes folder on my PC to the iPad or WDTV, Roku, etc. Only app I have found that can deal with playlists, and it does very well. Easy to watch YouTube videos beamed to WDTV, etc.

Search this forum for the names of these apps, as I (and others) have written something here about all of them.

A gigabit network and wireless N w/5G connection really helps these apps to work well. A fairly fast PC does too.

@Mike27oct,

wunderful list of apps for our WD SMP.

I also tried about 20 music-media players form the play-store market.

The subjet here and what I am seaching is a  musicPlayer (on a tablet/smartphone)

with integrated samba and UPnP-Renderer.

The setup on my side is *only* a SMP with directly connected USB-HDD.

So there is no separate Server/PC/media-NAS in permanent operation.

That is the reason for the feature/requirement access (of the music app) to “Samba-shares”, not a UPnP Server (there is none in the SMP)

Comments and feedback about your apps, thanks for sharing …

1.  Pogoplug app – specific for using with a Pogoplug device; (…)

Interessting only for owner of pogoply I guess 

2.  VLC Streamer app – streams movies; i.e. ISO, MKV files; even DVDs within local network. CPU intensive,

Found and installed it from the Play Store. Focus seems to be on movies, not music. Tries to connect to a computer on LAN, but fails in my setup since there is no PC permanently running.

Therefore deinstalled it.

3.  WDTVMedia HD – streams DLNA compatible files (music, movies, photos) (…)

Found it for Android and installed it from the Play Store. Works with well SMP, but is no 100% music-app and needs a TV the see and select the music files and the navigation. Similar to the original WD remote

Therefore deinstalled it. 

4.  FileBrowser – access your local network like you can from your PC and play stuff on iPad. Can be setup for outside network access, too.

Yes , a good point. On Android the filebrowser ES file-explorer enables built-in samba access and with “play-to” it is possible to play to a (customizable) music-app like Bubble-UPnP which can render to SMP. Possible just with *ONE* music file after another, so no folder playing, no music enqueing.

Is it possible to play a complete folder (for example an album) from the iPad FileBrowser directly to the SMP renderer ?

5.  AiCloud – specific to my ASUS router; similar features as FileBrowser, (…)

Only for ASUS routers I guess.

6.   MyMedia & PlayOn combo – Similar in some ways to VLC Streamer.   (…)

Didn’t find it for Android …

7.  Twonky Beam – One of my favorite apps that enables playing audio/video/photo media to/from iPad, WDTV, (…) 

Installed it a week ago and it seems to need a twonky server.

The SMP has no runnning media-server/twonky server, so no functionality.

If there is no other way and if I don’t manage the CIFS.ko access perhaps I will have to buy a separate NAS with a twonky server on. This would be one of the favourity apps then :smiley:

In addition to these apps I want to mention the DICE-player for Android.

This app has a wonderful *integrated* samba-access .

But is only for watching movies on tablets, so it can not play MP3s to our SMP-renderer.

Perhaps something for the movie fans here …

If someone knows other good music apps working with integrated samba-access and the feature of playing to SMP (UPnP-renderer) please let me know !

Steffen,

Thanks for the feedback regarding my fav list of mobile device apps useful with WD media player drives and other networked drives.  As you pointed out not all deal with music, but then, it is a list of media apps, not just exclusively for music only.

Some comments on your comments:

FIleBrowser.  It a pretty involved app that just keeps being upgraded to do all sorts of things, not all I have explored or used.  Your comment about playing only one track of music prompted me to check things on my end.  Long story short, sometimes I saw and played one track and sometimes all the tracks.  That is NOT how it had been working, so there was an upgrade the other day that I got, but when these apps start acting up I often just uninstall them and start over and I did that with FB.  Then, things started working the way I remembered they did; I could have a whole album play through.  I went to an album folder, opened it and tapped on a track, it started playing and all the other tracks were queued up to play, too.  I could not even get just one track to show up all alone as it did before the uninstall.  Anyway, suggest you uninstall/reinstall and try again.  It seems to be working right for me now.

AiCloud for my Asus router:  Sure it is exclusive to the Asus, but all kinds of newer routers allow one to create a cloud – with or without a disk connected to the router.  I first set my router for a cloud without a disk attached, and like FB, I could see the shared drives on the network and access them via the AiCloud app.  Then, I added a drive, and now see it, too.

An added bonus, once a drive with media was connected to router, SMB was set up on router and the router took over the permanent job of being the Windows master browser, so no more of those kinds of conflicts anymore for me.

Twonky Beam:  can do more than one thinks it can.  It has a Twonky Server inside.  It can serve up music on my PC (in iTunes) to the WD player or Roku.  TB users know that, but do they know that the Twonky server can be accessed on the PC?  It can.  Here’s how and what I have been able to do with this capability.

This discussion is all about using Windows 7 to do this, and Twonky Beam needs to be running on the iPad.:

– Open My Computer

– Click on Network (the word, not the little arrow)

–  If Twonky Beam is running, you will see it on the list of Media Devices,  (Open if necessary to see devices.)

– Right click on it and select “view device webpage”

– Your browser will open up the Twonky Server of Twonky Beam. 

– Once here, you can view the listings of Video, Music and Photo from the tabs at the top. 

At this point, I will use Video as an example to continue this guide, but the other two work the same.

–  Click Video tab, then “All Videos” and you see all the videos in your TB “Downloaded” folder on the iPad.

In my case,  I see videos I downloaded from YouTube, etc. and ones I downloaded with TB from my PC.

Now this is where this procedure is REALLY handy.  I can now save any videos in my TB folder to my PC  This is the ONLY way I know of to save videos I download from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. with Twonky Beam.  If they could not be saved from the TB folder to the PC, they would just be stuck inside the iPad.

–  To save a video to your PC from the Twonky Server you are in, hover cursor over the video name, right-click and choose “save target as…”  and you know the rest.  You will notice the file name that downloads is a number; no problem, copy the file’s name from the Twonky Server screen and rename your new file on the PC.

Now you know how to save stuff you have accumulated in your TB Downloads.

OK, that covers the first advantage of the TB Twonky server, now for the next nice and handy trick.  Hmmm, I’ll save it for next time I come into this thread; I’m tired of typing.  :wink:

Hi mike27oct,

yes , for regarding the complete area we have also to look at videos (over NAS ).

My main focus for using a tablet or smartphoneis is for music.

I want to switch off the TV, to be more exactly … I even don’t want turn on the TV for  listening to music.

All navigation within the music folders should be on the tablet . The music should be played from the SMP to my stero.

About your apps for the ipad … 

FileBrowser  Fine it works now (again) as you want it to. Reading and regarding the screenshots about this app I think it is quit e good for network things. So it fulfills the requirement of accessing the SMPs samba share. One question I did’t find out is: Can this app play to SMP as a device (UPnP-renderer) or do you hear the music on the tablet speaker ?

 

Twonky  The twonky-server (media-server UPNP) is definitly on of the best things any home-network can have.

Very fine for people who have a separated NAS, PC, file-server runing with it.

The SMP has no twonky server and in my setup there is no additional NAS, permanent running PC or file-server  … perhaps I don’t understand it yet … How are you running a Twonky server ? Is it possible directly on the SMP (like on the WD hub)  … well, because of the cryped firmware I think this modification is not possible.

With a twonky server the music-app feature with mandatory samba access is not so important any more. Also the twonkyBeam app makes sense …

Well, what is the best way to  get a Twony Server  (well performing with > 50.000 music files) ?

Simply buying the WD Hub (slower and older chip, has a noisy integrated ventilation with about 1,2 sone) ?

Switching the external USB-HDD to a WD myBook Live network HDD (enough performance of the media server ) ? 

Steffen:

 My main focus for using a tablet or smartphoneis is for music.

Me, too. more precisely to stream media, be it music or video, and also look at photos on the Pad or big screen.

  I want to switch off the TV, to be more exactly … I even don’t want turn on the TV for  listening to music.

Easy to do. Here’s how:

I have a Live Plus, you have an SMP; no matter, they both have the analog A/V out.  So although all HDMI outputs from devices are to my TV, the audio output of some of the devices (incl the TV, WD player and Roku) also go to an audio switchbox.  Output of the audio switchbox goes to stereo amp.  I can listen to the WD or Roku either via the TV audio out, OR via the A/V outputs of the devices.  So, the only time for the TV to be on to listen to a 100-song playlist being played by the WD, is to select one of the playlists, get it started, switch the switchbox to the WD’s A/V output (instead of the TV’s.) Now, I am listening to WD directly and not from TV.  So, turn of TV.  BTW, the music I am playing (and playlists) reside on the WD’s attached drive in this example.

I have noticed that some of the newer devices (like newest Roku) have now eliminated the A/V out and are HDMI only.  This **bleep** for my purposes, as you can see.  Sometimes products “improve” for the worst; not better.

As far as I know, FileBrowser cannot directly play to anything but the tablet/phone, but Twonky Beam can!

Here’s how.  Open TB, select device to play to (e.g. WD player or Roku – any DLNA device. Roku needs an app installed in Roku channels for it to work as DLNA; WD is alrady for DMNA, so it just works).

Tap the “Home” icon at top-right of TB screen  Now, you are looking at your home servers.  I see my Win 7 PC that has iTunes installed.  tap to go to PC, find my iTunes Playlists, select one and turn on Beam queue, select “Beam All” and it begins playing a 100 song playlist to WD player (or Roku).  Don’t want TV on?  Refer to paragraph above.

I do not have a Twonky server installed on my PC (Heck, the “Play To” feature of Win 7 seems to get the job done if I need a server, but don’t use it much.)  The Twonky server software is not very expensive.  Have you been to their website?  http://twonky.com/products/

@steffan_2009

my android build environment is up and running again

I’m done building for my tablet

well … for now

so if you still need cifs.ko and md4.ko

I’ll build for you, but you need to provide me with 1 file

connect your phone/tablet to a pc - yes windows or mac is fine

what you probably already have done

you need drivers for your device

you need ADB (android debug bridge)

then do

adb pull /proc/config.gz

upload the file to some hoster, mediafire, rapidshare, etc …

also just for confirmation

tell me the following

the device name

device carrier

and nation

kernal version

offical rom version or custom rom name and version

i.e. htc desire x AT&T US JB kernel 3.4.0 official

once I have that file, build should only take me 5 minutes

I said above I would share another cool trick with Twonky Beam’s Twonky server, so here goes:

Two people sitting side by side on the couch, each with a tablet, or phone, etc running Twonky Beam app.  One taps on the Home icon in the upper right screen.  They may see the various servers on the home network (e.g. a Win 7 PC) and they also see something else; they see a server called Twonky Beam – it’s the other person’s media device running TB.  They can beam anything in the other person’s “Downloaded” folder to their device.

Example:   When my adult daughter and I were last together, we put Twonky Beam on her iPad, and I gave her the tour.  Then, with both of us running TB on our iPads, instead of beaming a file to her device from mine to watch, she downloaded a few files to store in her iPad, e.g. some videos I had downloaded with TB from Vimeo, and a m4v movie or two I had made from my DVDs for playing on the iPad. 

So, this is how folks can share stuff the easy wireless way.  Also, one can download files from their own networked PC to the Twonky Beam download folder.  About to go on a trip?  Need some of your movies to take along on the iPad?  Just download them from your PC with TB and stick 'em into your TB downloaded folder.  No wires needed.

Hi Mike29oct,

thank you for your detailled descriptions and help.

So for a short summery abould iPad apps:

With TwonkyBeam a lot of opportiunities to integrate the WD live.

As far as I know, TwonkyBeams needs a Twonky Server  software somewhere in the home-network.

So you  " … do not have a Twonky server installed on my PC…" , well then TwonkyServer it is running on your NAS (a QNAS or something), right ? I have been to the twonky website … but without a separate NAS I have no place to install it. Or did you install twonkyServer software on your lan router ?

I had a mediaServer running on a FritzBox router, well the perfomance was too slow for my music archive.

Hi Kad79,

woww - what your are writting is the best news I heard the last weeks !

Thanks for offering to build the files …

I will post the needed information as soon as possible … well dont’ have it at the moment …

You can use twonky beam with the live streaming, it does not need any other software. The live streaming is a dlna device and that’s all that is required. Fire up the app with the live streaming on and beam it to the player which you should see in the app.

@richUK,

yes, I had installed TwonkyBeam serveral weeks and I installed it again.

It is possible to play youtube, vimeo and lots of other web services and “beam” to WD TV SMP.

Perfect so far …

… but … (that was not really required :smiley: )

How do I play my local  music files (on a directly connected USB-HDD)  to the WD TV SMP with TwonkyBeam ?