Qobuz Chromecast

[Burnside]

What would you expect if on your phone you started a Qobuz playlist and used Chromecast to send to a device, then turned the phone off? Would the playlist keep playing, or would it stop after the first track?

I would have thought the former, but I’m now not so sure. I started a playlist as indicated, casting a stream to a WiiM edition a10 Mkii speaker. I then force quit the Qobuz app on my phone.

The second track started ok, but then I noticed my Android phone was showing the audio widget for Qobuz, so I then switched the phone off.

The third track started after the second finished, which I thought it would as my understanding was that one a casting session had initiated, the initial control device I.e. my phone, no longer played a part (unless I wanted to use it as remote control) and that the stream came directly from the cloud straight to the playing device, bypassing my phone.

However, when I then went to my iPad to check playback progress on the A10, I impatiently hit skip to see if it would skip to the fourth track, but it stopped and wouldn’t resume, suggesting I had killed the stream. If I hadn’t had done that, would it have kept playing?

What’s your understanding/experience - does a Chromecast stream play uninterrupted to the target device and should you be able to turn off your phone and expect it to play until completion? And does the audio stream bypass the phone once initiated?

Thanks

 

[Mr Ee]

If you look in the wiim app at the play queue what do you see?
Nothing?
(Although, tidal connect doesn't show a queue in the wiim app, yet continues to play.)

In a similar vein, I've reported the same when using bubbleupnp to cast tidal over both upnp and chromecast - I can shutdown the tablet and the current song plays to completion, but the next song doesn't start.
It seems that the queue is on the controlling device.

 

[Burnside]

If you look in the wiim app at the play queue what do you see?
Nothing?

In a similar vein, I've reported the same when using bubbleupnp to cast tidal over both upnp and chromecast - I can shutdown the tablet and the current song plays to completion, but the next song doesn't start.
It seems that the queue is on the controlling device.

There was no play queue visible in the WiiM app.

Think I’ll submit the above as a ticket and see what WiiM say. My thought was that Chromecast would have had the original play request I.e, play this playlist from this Qobuz account to this device, and that would have been enough for it to communicate with the Qobuz service and deliver the stream to the endpoint. Looks like there’s more to it…

 

[adias]

Chromecast on WiiM, even C 1.56.x is not as robust as it used to be. I use it with BBC Sounds and a couple other streams. Once casting starts I noticed that turning off the initiating app often breaks the casted link. Opening WHA and verifying the casting is key. Often after that the initiating app states something happened with casting but WHA keeps going. So works but…

With Qobuz? Chromecast had issues and it was another reason I dropped it.

 

[Burnside]

Chromecast on WiiM, even C 1.56.x is not as robust as it used to be. I use it with BBC Sounds and a couple other streams. Once casting starts I noticed that turning off the initiating app often breaks the casted link. Opening WHA and verifying the casting is key. Often after that the initiating app states something happened with casting but WHA keeps going. So works but…

With Qobuz? Chromecast had issues and it was another reason I dropped it.

Thanks, sounds ropier than I recall

 

[Burnside]

Got a response from WiiM and I think they’ve misinterpreted my question as this makes it sound as if Chromecast connection is no better than Bluetooth resolution aside): “Chromecast playback depends on the connection between your phone's local Qobuz app and your WiiM device. Once this connection is interrupted, playback will stop. If you wish to stop using your phone after starting playback, you can use the WiiM Home app to stream music directly to your WiiM device from Qobuz. This method relies on the connection between the Qobuz cloud and your WiiM device.”

Doesn’t really address whether the stream passes thru the phone and doesn’t explain why the playback went in to the third track after I’d switched my phone off.

 

[slartibartfast]

Got a response from WiiM and I think they’ve misinterpreted my question as this makes it sound as if Chromecast connection is no better than Bluetooth resolution aside): “Chromecast playback depends on the connection between your phone's local Qobuz app and your WiiM device. Once this connection is interrupted, playback will stop. If you wish to stop using your phone after starting playback, you can use the WiiM Home app to stream music directly to your WiiM device from Qobuz. This method relies on the connection between the Qobuz cloud and your WiiM device.”

Doesn’t really address whether the stream passes thru the phone and doesn’t explain why the playback went in to the third track after I’d switched my phone off.

Hmm, if I use Chromecast to send BBC iPlayer to my TV I can shut down the iPlayer app on my phone and playback continues on my TV. Are WiiM saying the opposite applies to Chromecasting from Qobuz?

 

[Burnside]

Hmm, if I use Chromecast to send BBC iPlayer to my TV I can shut down the iPlayer app on my phone and playback continues on my TV. Are WiiM saying the opposite applies to Chromecasting from Qobuz?

To be honest, I’m not sure what they’re really saying. I’ll need to play around with it a bit more.

 

[hgo58]

To be honest, I’m not sure what they’re really saying. I’ll need to play around with it a bit more.

For what I am reading from their answer @WiiM Support don't understand how Chromecast works. Chromecast playback do not use your phone, only control of the playing do. Any phone or PC can do that at any time as long as they have initial access to the WiiM, even in parallel.

 

[Ronnie D]

Got a response from WiiM and I think they’ve misinterpreted my question as this makes it sound as if Chromecast connection is no better than Bluetooth resolution aside): “Chromecast playback depends on the connection between your phone's local Qobuz app and your WiiM device. Once this connection is interrupted, playback will stop. If you wish to stop using your phone after starting playback, you can use the WiiM Home app to stream music directly to your WiiM device from Qobuz. This method relies on the connection between the Qobuz cloud and your WiiM device.”

Doesn’t really address whether the stream passes thru the phone and doesn’t explain why the playback went in to the third track after I’d switched my phone off.

I don't think that the stream passes through the phone as such, however I think the phone is used as a remote that can dictate what plays next. Chromecast tv is the same. If you are streaming videos from YouTube through the phone or tablet the connection will drop from time to time and the playlist will stop at the end of the current video playing. I don't think it's a fault with wiim but more with chromecast itself. Before I had the wiim I used chromecast audio puck and it was exactly the same. Some apps are better than others. I wonder at times if it is the phone or tablet changing from 2.4ghz to 5ghz that causes this.

 

[simbun]

Hmm, if I use Chromecast to send BBC iPlayer to my TV I can shut down the iPlayer app on my phone and playback continues on my TV.

Can you queue episodes on iPlayer? Does the queue progress with the app/phone closed?

Are WiiM saying the opposite applies to Chromecasting from Qobuz?

I'm sure they meant that playback is dependent on the queue progressing, which is dependent on the phone.

 

[slartibartfast]

Can you queue episodes on iPlayer? Does the queue progress with the app/phone closed?


I'm sure they meant that playback is dependent on the queue progressing, which is dependent on the phone.

I am not sure you can queue episodes. You can set a watchlist which seems to include a whole series. I've just started playing a watchlist so we will see if it continues.

 

[Wiimer]

What would you expect if on your phone you started a Qobuz playlist and used Chromecast to send to a device, then turned the phone off? Would the playlist keep playing, or would it stop after the first track?

I would have thought the former, but I’m now not so sure. I started a playlist as indicated, casting a stream to a WiiM edition a10 Mkii speaker. I then force quit the Qobuz app on my phone.

The second track started ok, but then I noticed my Android phone was showing the audio widget for Qobuz, so I then switched the phone off.

The third track started after the second finished, which I thought it would as my understanding was that one a casting session had initiated, the initial control device I.e. my phone, no longer played a part (unless I wanted to use it as remote control) and that the stream came directly from the cloud straight to the playing device, bypassing my phone.

However, when I then went to my iPad to check playback progress on the A10, I impatiently hit skip to see if it would skip to the fourth track, but it stopped and wouldn’t resume, suggesting I had killed the stream. If I hadn’t had done that, would it have kept playing?

What’s your understanding/experience - does a Chromecast stream play uninterrupted to the target device and should you be able to turn off your phone and expect it to play until completion? And does the audio stream bypass the phone once initiated?

Thanks

This happens with Amazon music as well, I have chromecast connected to Ultra on AM app, start playback, close the app and the music stops. this does not happen with Chromecast on Spotify.

 

[Ronnie D]

There is also an issue if I put my device on charge when playing something on chromecast. During the charge it will often disconnect and start playing on the phone. I have found myself switching to bt if my device needs charging.

 

[Wiimer]

Further postscript.

Tested on two Android phones.
When I start a chromecast on phone A's AM app. Next, open the AM app on tablet B, nothing is playing. Then, when I start playback on B, music plays from the tablet's speaker. (The two devices are not sync.)

Again, this does not happen with Chromecast on Spotify.

Obviously this is different behavior than AlexaCast. To me it looks like Chromecast is by way of phone A.

 

[Ronnie D]

Further postscript.

Tested on two Android phones.
When I start a chromecast on phone A's AM app. Next, open the AM app on tablet B, nothing is playing. Then, when I start playback on B, music plays from the tablet's speaker. (The two devices are not sync.)

Again, this does not happen with Chromecast on Spotify.

Obviously this is different behavior than AlexaCast. To me it looks like Chromecast is by way of phone A.

I think that spotify to the wiim uses spotify connect, not chromecast. Could this be the case? When I look at devices available when using spotify the speakers etc are listed with Google cast below the speakers etc. whereas the wiim has nothing listed below it.

 

[Wiimer]

I think that spotify to the wiim uses spotify connect, not chromecast. Could this be the case? When I look at devices available when using spotify the speakers etc are listed with Google cast below the speakers etc. whereas the wiim has nothing listed below it.View attachment 16443

Tap the three-dot icon on the right and you should be able to choose Google Cast or Spotify Connect.

 

[Ronnie D]

Tap the three-dot icon on the right and you should be able to choose Google Cast or Spotify Connect.

View attachment 16444

You are correct! I just wondered if you were connecting with spotify connect.