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#368512 - 24/03/2017 16:15 Empeg-like player for iOS?
BartDG
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Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
I've been using my iPhone for a while now as my source of music inside my car, but it's hardly comparable to my Empeg. Unfortunately I cannot install my Empeg in my current car anymore. (no DIN slot anymore, like most modern cars...)

That's why I was wondering if there is some kind of iOS audio player out there which at least can do some stuff the Empeg can.

Things I miss the most:
- decent shuffle play. I have playlists with up to 500 tracks per list. But it seems the iPhone favors some tracks, and discriminates others. It's always the same tracks that get played.
- The thingie where a certain track would play, and I would press a button and another track by the same artist or album got added into the playlist as the next track to play. That is one of the best features of the Empeg I think, and I still have never seem any other player do it.
- Wendy filters... Oh yes!

I also hate it that my iPhone sometimes skips a beat in the middle of the track, or even refuses to play the beginning of the track and starts mid-track. And I'm absolutely sure nothing is wrong with the mp3 files themselves, because they play fine on my PC, Empeg and every other device except for my iPhone 6s.

I would love it if somebody could point me towards an alternative player app which does a better job at playing tracks than the stock player does. Thanks!
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#368515 - 25/03/2017 02:46 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
gbeer
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Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
I think it sometimes remembers the point where a song had previously paused. And the next play it picks up where it left off.
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#368517 - 25/03/2017 13:28 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tanstaafl.
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Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5539
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
Originally Posted By: Archeon
I would love it if somebody could point me towards an alternative player app
Don't hold your breath. Keep in mind that hardware-wise, the empeg is nothing special. It's the software that that makes it what it is, and that software required about four man-years to produce.

Would the market for such a product be enough to make it financially viable?

tanstaafl.
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#368518 - 25/03/2017 20:01 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tfabris
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Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Financially viable? No. But might be a fun project for someone who wants to learn Swift coding. Hmmm.
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#368519 - 25/03/2017 20:04 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tfabris
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Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Some google searches say that there are a lot of alternative IOS music player apps out there:

http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/best-ios-music-app-replacement/
http://www.imore.com/best-third-party-music-player-apps-iphone
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#368522 - 27/03/2017 10:24 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tahir
pooh-bah

Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
I've tried a few but none seem to be better than the standard app. All I want are:

1. The ability to bookmark (like the Karma)
2. A display that shows where you are in a playlist, e.g. track 1 of 399
3. Something that reliably remembers the last played position in a playlist. Sometimes it re,members, other times it starts at the beginning, a proper pain in the middle of a 90 minute podcast.
4. Talking of podcasts the ability to play podcasts through a playlist, I generally download podcasts and sync to my phone as a playlist.

If anyone finds something that does the above I'd be happy to pay for it.

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#368523 - 27/03/2017 11:55 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: tahir]
andy
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Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
If you want to listen to podcasts, use a podcast app.

My favourite is Overcast

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/overcast-podcast-player/id888422857?mt=8

(iOS only, Android was not well served by quality podcast apps last time I looked)


Edited by andy (27/03/2017 11:58)
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#368524 - 27/03/2017 13:49 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tahir
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Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
I tried a couple if podcast players but they didn't support playlists. I might sync a playlist of 500 (already downloaded) podcasts that I want played in playlist order. If this does that then I will give it a go.

Good reviews, I'll try and give it a go before we go away.


Edited by tahir (27/03/2017 13:56)

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#368525 - 27/03/2017 17:37 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: tanstaafl.]
canuckInOR
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Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
Originally Posted By: tanstaafl.
hardware-wise, the empeg is nothing special. It's the software that that makes it what it is, and that software required about four man-years to produce.

Yes, but those four man-years also include a lot of stuff that could be considered either "solved", or "not applicable" for an empeg-ish iOS app. I don't need FlanceDoor or a custom EQ in my player, but empeg's playlist-manipulation capabilities are still miles ahead of mobile apps.
Quote:
Would the market for such a product be enough to make it financially viable?
If I didn't have small children, I'd write one myself, just to scratch the itch. Financial viability would just be an unexpected bonus.

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#368527 - 27/03/2017 20:44 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: tahir]
andy
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Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
I don't think there is a way you can sync a pre existing playlist into Overcast and I'd be surprised if you could with most other podcast apps.

Some of them certainly have support for importing podcast subscriptions, but I've not used any that can import existing playlists.
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#368528 - 28/03/2017 10:53 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: andy]
tahir
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Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
Originally Posted By: andy
I don't think there is a way you can sync a pre existing playlist into Overcast and I'd be surprised if you could with most other podcast apps.

Some of them certainly have support for importing podcast subscriptions, but I've not used any that can import existing playlists.


Ahh, that won't help then. I download to my PC then sync to the phone. One the way home from work the 90 minute play that I was halfway into restarted from the beginning. mad

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#368529 - 28/03/2017 11:10 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: tahir]
andy
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Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Can I ask why you do that and not just leave it to the podcast app to download on the phone ?
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#368530 - 28/03/2017 11:21 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tahir
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Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
Because some of the stuff I listen to isn't available as a podcast (I record using GetiPlayer), and I always have a backlog, I'm currently listening to October 2016. And I like to keep hold of my media too, I still have a lot of ISIHAC episodes with Humph as the chair for example.

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#368531 - 28/03/2017 11:30 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: tahir]
andy
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Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
I see, Overcast provides a possible solution then.

If you pay for the Overcast Premium subscription (£8.99 a year) it gives you the extra facility to upload podcasts to their service and then play them back in the app. It is limited to 2GB of storage, but it might work for you.

When you've uploaded them they appear in an "Uploads" playlist in the app.
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#368532 - 28/03/2017 13:26 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tahir
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Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
Do they get stored on the device or in the cloud?

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#368533 - 28/03/2017 14:06 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: tahir]
andy
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Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Both. They give you a page on their site to upload with.

Then in the app you either have the choice to download or stream.

That does mean though that you'll be uploading them just for the app to then download then wink
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#368534 - 28/03/2017 14:09 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: andy]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
There are also some other ways to achieve this in any podcast app. There are a number of services that make it quick and easy to create your own personal podcast feeds from your own files. Then just add the feed to you chosen app:

http://thesweetsetup.com/quick-tip-create-a-personal-podcast-feed-from-dropbox-with-justcast/
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#368535 - 28/03/2017 15:16 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
tahir
pooh-bah

Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
Thanks Andy, off on hols tomorrow will try when I get back

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#368536 - 28/03/2017 17:38 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: tahir]
BartDG
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
Thanks for all the replies guys! After reading the links Tony provided, I went with the "Listen" app. This is already an improvement over the standard music app, but it still uses the same decoder, so the files still have the same errors. Though I can imagine that's because Apple doesn't allow for other decoders to be used, same as they require every competing browser app to use the Safari engine.
That said, this is already a big improvement for in-car use, since it uses gestures exclusively and not button presses. It doesn't have any of the smart Empeg features though.

I very much hope for somebody to write an Empeg like app. I would pay money for that. smile It's a shame that Raspberry Pi Empeg project never was released. frown
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#368537 - 28/03/2017 18:02 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: BartDG]
andy
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Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Apple don't restrict what decoders apps can use. You can find apps that use all sorts of other decoders for audio and video.
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#368539 - 28/03/2017 19:24 Re: Empeg-like player for iOS? [Re: andy]
BartDG
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Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
That's good to know! Thanks Andy!
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