Beta Test: Plex

[vdp]

Not sure if anyone paying attention to the opening post edits?

Which seems bad news as the thing most people want (plexamp endpoint) is not in the next sprint..

@WiiM Team , @WiiM Support : possible to comment clearly about ability to see WiiM as endpoint from Plexamp app?

September 5, 2024 Updates:

- The iOS app has been uploaded to the App Store today.
- Beta firmware for all WiiM products, supporting Plex, will also be released tomorrow.

September 6, 2024 Updates:

- The iOS app (Version 2.11.5) and beta firmware are now available on the App Store.
- The Android app will be released next week, so stay tuned!
- In two weeks, the next development stage for Plex will include:
1. Support for Preset, Alarm, Search, and Recently Played.
2. Full display of Plex content on the Plex Home page.

 

[pieterv1]

Not sure if anyone paying attention to the opening post edits?

Which seems bad news as the thing most people want (plexamp endpoint) is not in the next sprint..

@WiiM Team , @WiiM Support : possible to comment clearly about ability to see WiiM as endpoint from Plexamp app?

Not the worst news of course.. I still see some value in the way they implemented it. All the indexing work is already done by Plex on the server side. If the WiiM app is an easy way to access this library with the same search categories and auto-generated playlists + do gapless & bit-perfect playback of the files, that's still a win to me. Endpoint functionality would be a great bonus of course.

 

[carldickson]

Not the worst news of course.. I still see some value in the way they implemented it. All the indexing work is already done by Plex on the server side. If the WiiM app is an easy way to access this library with the same search categories and auto-generated playlists + do gapless & bit-perfect playback of the files, that's still a win to me. Endpoint functionality would be a great bonus of course.

Yes, its good to have plex in their app, but I purchased these as an endpoint devices not a content managers. I would of prefered to only have plex as a endpoint like roon and LMS.

Hopefully this is coming soon.

 

[Burnside]

Yes, its good to have plex in their app, but I purchased these as an endpoint devices not a content managers. I would of prefered to only have plex as a endpoint like roon and LMS.

Hopefully this is coming soon.

Tbh, I would see that as a separate development from what they appear to be implementing

 

[vdp]

Not the worst news of course.. I still see some value in the way they implemented it. All the indexing work is already done by Plex on the server side. If the WiiM app is an easy way to access this library with the same search categories and auto-generated playlists + do gapless & bit-perfect playback of the files, that's still a win to me. Endpoint functionality would be a great bonus of course.

Respect that view. And having it on top of an endpoint for sure brings value to some market/audience.

Personally don't see a reason then to buy a WiiM.

I can use Plexamp now at home, in the car. I just did a 10h drive home in somebody else his car and Plexamp/my library created the shuffled playlist. So I don't want to duplicate players depending on the situation/location if it could all be handled by one app. I don't see why someone would want to use WiiM app to manage their Plex library neither.

I do agree that it will depend on how many options/features from Plexamp the WiiM app will support:
- To show, set/change song ratings?
- To show the waveform?
- Add/delete songs to playlists/collections?
- Add songs to "play next" (in all the well implemented options Plexamp has like next, up to next, end of queue...)
- Show lyrics?
- Show sonically similar songs as next recommendation?
- Toggle the various dj options?

The problem with this strategy of offering only the WiiM app is that everybody uses different functionalities and each one considers something else as a deal breaker in regards to Plexamp functionalities coverage in the WiiM app. Missing covering one becomes real annoying really fast if it forces you to switch between apps.

Maybe endpoint is still coming. Maybe not..
So would love to hear @WiiM Team , @WiiM Support argumentation.

If a hobby project like Ropiee xl can support it, I doubt it is resource or technical issue? Is it Plex being difficult to implement it with?

With Spotify/Tidal Connect WiiM would never get away with this approach and they already support the exact same user experience case ("endpoint like" from streaming service app, even if from integration/technical point of view potentially different).

 

[vdp]

Tbh, I would see that as a separate development from what they appear to be implementing

Fair enough.

So WiiM:
- Is Plexamp endpoint coming in current plex development/roadmap plan?
- Or in some future development/roadmap plan? If yes, when? This year?
- Or not at all? Why?

 

[morrisjazz]

Please post in English.

How do I see the interface of plex? There's already an update, thanks!

 

[Burnside]

With Spotify/Tidal Connect WiiM would never get away with this approach…

Spotify’s not a great example as I’m not aware of many non-endpoint/ non-Connect implementations, while for Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Deezer et al WiiM have got “away with this approach” as they have implemented interfaces within the WiiM app that some users prefer over the endpoint approach, even where such also exist for WiiM devices.

There is a conflict between those who would to see the WiiM app as a universal front end to all supported services versus those who prefer the native services apps and using the WiiM purely as an endpoint. WiiM may be trying to achieve the impossible by trying to please both camps equally.

 

[jxrxme]

Wow, just received a reply from my feedback/ticket. Apparently the support isn’t aware that there is a Plex Beta and gave me a bullshit response about correctly setting up DLNA with Plex….

@WiiM Support

 

[slartibartfast]

Wow, just received a reply from my feedback/ticket. Apparently the support isn’t aware that there is a Plex Beta and gave me a bullshit response about correctly setting up DLNA with Plex….

@WiiM Support

You can reply to them on the same ticket.

 

[musig]

Although I see the Plexamp end point as my favorite interaction between WiiM and Plex, I would already be glad to have a working integration with WiiM Home as browser. For the time being I am one of the unlucky ones that get the error "Plex is unavailable" on connection. Ticket opened two days ago, no answer.

 

[WiiM Team]

Same problem here as well. I am able to log into Plex and select the local library but then I get the error <Plex server name> is not available.
No change even after updating Plex to the latest version. Feedback ticket opened.

Hi Musig,

Our engineers have reviewed the issue and made some changes, including adding additional logs to assist with debugging. A new beta app has been released via TestFlight today and is currently under review. We will send you the download link tomorrow.

 

[jxrxme]

Hi Musig,

Our engineers have reviewed the issue and made some changes, including adding additional logs to assist with debugging. A new beta app has been released via TestFlight today and is currently under review. We will send you the download link tomorrow.

I‘m really looking forward to the solution of this problem since I‘m also affected.

 

[Burnside]

Anyone got the Plex beta for their Mini yet? I’ll maybe just need to be patient as I hear they roll out these gradually over a period of a few days

@WiiM Team , @WiiM Support - has the beta firmware been released for the WiiM Mini yet? No sign here yet...

 

[vdp]

Spotify’s not a great example as I’m not aware of many non-endpoint/ non-Connect implementations, while for Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Deezer et al WiiM have got “away with this approach” as they have implemented interfaces within the WiiM app that some users prefer over the endpoint approach, even where such also exist for WiiM devices.

Roon? LMS?
What drives the decision here against plexamp endpoint? Is it a mandatory plex pass? Why then Roon?

There is a conflict between those who would to see the WiiM app as a universal front end to all supported services versus those who prefer the native services apps and using the WiiM purely as an endpoint. WiiM may be trying to achieve the impossible by trying to please both camps equally.

Agree there are obviously always differences in preferences. Don't get me wrong, I respect that, but I'm trying to voice here the plexamp endpoint position. Maybe a poll would be interesting

Let's wait and see for a bit longer. But some communication/transparency from WiiM would be nice.

I totally get they have now released this and want to make this beta work first.

 

[Burnside]

Roon? LMS?

Obvious issue with those is that I'm not aware of a third party API for either that would allow them to be implemented from within the WiiM Home app.

What drives the decision here against plexamp endpoint? Is it a mandatory plex pass? Why then Roon?

As I posted earlier, the fact that the Mini is included in the beta was a very strong indicator to me that it wouldn't be implemented as an endpoint given its lack of power/memory that previously prevented Squeezelite and Roon being implemented. Of course, that doesn't say they couldn't implement it later as an endpoint for the larger WiiM models.

 

[musig]

Hi Musig,

Our engineers have reviewed the issue and made some changes, including adding additional logs to assist with debugging. A new beta app has been released via TestFlight today and is currently under review. We will send you the download link tomorrow.

Thank you @WiiM Team , will be happy to test it and report back to you.
In the meanwhile I have investigated a bit on the network exchange between the app and the Plex server, and the HTTP trace clearly shows the error being reported by the Plex server

 

[pieterv1]

As I posted earlier, the fact that the Mini is included in the beta was a very strong indicator to me that it wouldn't be implemented as an endpoint given its lack of power/memory that previously prevented Squeezelite and Roon being implemented. Of course, that doesn't say they couldn't implement it later as an endpoint for the larger WiiM models.

Yes it would be a shame to actually limit functionality of the more expensive models because the small Mini doesn't support it.

@WiiM Support @WiiM Team here's one more vote to get Plex endpoint functionality please!

 

[jxrxme]

Isn’t „If you want LMS or PlexAmp endpoints buy the more expensive models“ what the marketing department wants as upsell arguments?

 

[meltapple]

Accepting that this isn't going to be the Plexamp endpoint that some of us were hoping for, I was hoping that the implementation would at least allow me to scrobble to last.fm and listenbrainz, but based on some of the initial responses, it doesn't even register plays with Plex for whatever reason, so the server-side scrobbler I've got running seemingly won't be able to get any scrobble info out of this implementation. I'm somewhat disappointed to say the last, but will wait until I get access to the beta and/or final release before passing judgement