Is the Wiim Home for Windows App ultimately a 'zombie app'?

[HarounHaroun]

Hi there,

Is the WiimHome for windows App/Server ultimately a Zombie app that will never get beyond Beta stage? Is there any development data about where it is at re development??

I run it on my Win11 desktop as a server/bridge between my Wiim and my NAS. Thing is. it always says 'App Busy' and seems to constantly be scanning my network drives and subsequently freezes and has to be killed via process manager.

I use a Plex server instead, does this interfere with the Wiim App, which actually doesn't run as a process/server like Plex?

 

[cherroip]

LOL, is it still in beta?
I developed a Wiim Remote control 1 year ago and pretty much stop supporting it because they announced their own Windows Client...

I guess it could be my xmas project

 

[HarounHaroun]

LOL, is it still in beta?
I developed a Wiim Remote control 1 year ago and pretty much stop supporting it because they announced their own Windows Client...

I guess it could be my xmas project

this is their 'desktop' app to compete with Plex, I suppose. I ended up buy a Plex lifetime during Black Friday sale! Maybe Wiim will develop it more, who knows?

 

[cherroip]

In my mind trying to compete with Plex is a very wrong strategy .
The whole WiiM product/philosopy is a bit confusing.
How to handle sources (streaming services/local files/whatever you feed into line in or optical) should be completely separated from application control the actual hardware.
Their HUGE advantage and strenghts are that they have strong audiophyle roots (the LinkPlay hardware/software infrastructure of their parent company) and their hyper simple API local access (not focusing on any cloud/subscription non sense).

I think they are really doing a bad job of communicating what they are about, what their products actually are, and their use cases

 

[harkpabst]

The whole WiiM product/philosopy is a bit confusing.
How to handle sources (streaming services/local files/whatever you feed into line in or optical) should be completely separated from application control the actual hardware.

You mean two apps instead of one? I'm not convinced.

The case is pretty clear to me: Smartphones always come first, desktop operating systems are not in focus. End of story.

I don't see no attempts to compete with Plex at all.

 

[slartibartfast]

You mean two aps instead of one? I'm not convinced.

The case is pretty clear to me: Smartphones always come first, desktop operating systems are not in focus. End of story.

I don't see no attempts to compete with Plex at all.

The only mention of competing with Plex in the whole forum is in post 3 of this thread

 

[AudioPervert]

yes it is

 

[harkpabst]

The only mention of competing with Plex in the whole forum is in post 3 of this thread

Yes, it is.

 

[cherroip]

You mean two aps instead of one? I'm not convinced.

The case is pretty clear to me: Smartphones always come first, desktop operating systems are not in focus. End of story.

I don't see no attempts to compete with Plex at all.

I really have no idea how people use their WiiM devices or for what purposes.
The emphasis should be on the device itself and not the streaming service.

The application and marketing strategy should focus on the things that can be done exclusively with a WiiM device.

Every basic "dumb" smart speaker can stream from the internet, but WiiM should stand out.

I want my app to be straightforward, showing what is currently playing

Switch between different inputs.
Input switching should only push integration with streaming services if I’m on a WiFi input.

Switch between different outputs.

It should also support switching between different outputs, give more visibility to the device as a DLNA service (targeting the Plex and home automation communities), and directly display features like the equalizer and the alarms.


Additionally, I want a lightweight remote/monitor app available on every device I own. Writing such apps is trivial. I want to control my WiiM ecosystem from platforms like Siri, Google Assistant, LG, Samsung, Xbox, and Apple TV.

I don’t care at all about the app trying to act as a centralized hub for all my music services or indexing music stored on my phone.


I know that the app can already do all those things but I feel the priorities are all wrong and a lot of actual or potential customers don't know how use the thing.

You mean two aps instead of one? I'm not convinced.

The case is pretty clear to me: Smartphones always come first, desktop operating systems are not in focus. End of story.

I don't see no attempts to compete with Plex at all.

 

[harkpabst]

If there's a message in all that I admittedly don't get it. The WiiM Home app won't try to index music stored on your phone.

 

[cherroip]

The only mention of competing with Plex in the whole forum is in post 3 of this thread

if the app try to index local or network files, or try to centralize the interface for multiple streaming service mean that it try to be plex.

The idea is that people should be able to use the full UI/interface/application of the service they already use while also being able to access the WiiM from there.

WiiM should encourage developers to create plugins or integrate the WiiM API into their applications—not the other way around.

 

[cherroip]

If there's a message in all that I admittedly don't get it. The WiiM Home app won't try to index music stored on your phone.

No idea, I didn't open the app in a while.
I don't think anybody expect the Windows App to index music on the phone (for whoever still use their phone like ipod I guess).
Plex generally run on a local NAS. Soome kind of storage unit, synology or similar or for the ubernerds a dedicated linux server.
Some of WiiM target user are people that still store their music locally so that they dont have to worry about straming quality or having to subscribe for loseless tier.

I'm pretty sure that few years back the app was trying to act like a dlna server.
The concept isn't even too wrong but again, I think it focus and prioritize on wrong thing.

 

[harkpabst]

I'm pretty sure that few years back the app was trying to act like a dlna server.
The concept isn't even too wrong but again, I think it focus and prioritize on wrong thing.

The concept of the WiiM Home app for Windows is that it has low priority. And rightly so.

 

[slartibartfast]

No idea, I didn't open the app in a while.
I don't think anybody expect the Windows App to index music on the phone (for whoever still use their phone like ipod I guess).
Plex generally run on a local NAS. Soome kind of storage unit, synology or similar or for the ubernerds a dedicated linux server.
Some of WiiM target user are people that still store their music locally so that they dont have to worry about straming quality or having to subscribe for loseless tier.

I'm pretty sure that few years back the app was trying to act like a dlna server.
The concept isn't even too wrong but again, I think it focus and prioritize on wrong thing.

A few years back? How many years have WiiM products been available?

 

[Burnside]

A few years back? How many years have WiiM products been available?

Three years tops I think. I bought my Mini in Feb 2022 soon after it became available in the UK I think. I don’t think I recall the WiiM app ever trying to be a DLNA server either…

 

[harkpabst]

Three years tops I think. I bought my Mini in Feb 2022 soon after it became available in the UK I think. I don’t think I recall the WiiM app ever trying to be a DLNA server either…

The Windows beta app does start a DLNA server for local contents. I still don't get the point of criticism, though.

 

[Burnside]

The Windows beta app does start a DLNA server for local contents. I still don't get the point of criticism, though.

Thanks, never noticed that as I seldom use it. My iPad is surgically sewn to my side

 

[Burnside]

Also, I get the feeling that the desktop app isn’t developed by the same group as the mobile apps, and almost has a “something I do in my spare time” vibe to it. I know that sounds a bit derogatory but it’s not meant to be

 

[Burnside]

Thinking about it more (it’s late here), I guess what the desktop app does isn’t too different to what the mobile apps do with usb attached storage, in that that is also visible as a DLNA server, but that is a relatively new thing for the mobile apps.

 

[harkpabst]

Thinking about it more (it’s late here), I guess what the desktop app does isn’t too different to what the mobile apps do with usb attached storage, in that that is also visible as a DLNA server, but that is a relatively new thing for the mobile apps.

I know, it's late here too, but the DLNA server runs on the WiiM device (Amp, Ultra, Amp Pro), not on the WiiM Home app for Android or iOS. That's more of a difference than a similarity with the beta app for Windows.