Current iOS App (iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad) controlled receivers? - Page 6

In NrControl when a radio station change is being initiated I'm sending a calculated number of "!1NTCRETURN" commands to ensure "my" menu and the "receiver" menu are in sync, or basically both go back to the first radio station in the list and from there on I can control "my" display in sync with the "receiver" display. Not perfect but works. But another complication are the highly fluctating reaction times of the Onkyo when you "walk" through parts of the iRadio menu structure. Walking fast can mean the Onkyo misses a command, that stupid thing'n.

100ms is the magic number is seems for back-to-back commands.

I thought of that approach too, but doesn't that kill playback?

My app can pretty much determine what is going on when it starts up cold and doesn't know the status of the AVR. It then fixes itself. The only catch to that is if the app starts up while a menu is displayed. Then things get dicey - but it's easy for the end user to recognize that and correct the issue.

How are you tracking all of the states? I'm making the best progress just polling - so I'm constantly checking the status of the AVR and updating based on a round-robin list of commands depending on what mode it's in.

So the reaction times are seen by you too? Usually updates come pretty quickly, but there are times where there are several second pauses where there are no responses. Then the responses come in a rush. Looking at the TV while running my app, I can see it always gets the commands near instantly. The only saving grace is that I don't see missed/dropped responses.

I saw my 807 working very reliable down to 120msec with back to back commands. With 100msec I had occasional drop outs. Not very often but sometimes. NTCSELECT can take anything between 100msec and 7seconds to see the "completed" reaction from the Onkyo. While the Onkyo is doing the "connecting.." it definitily drops commands, i.e. NTCDOWN on my 807. When navigating through the Last.fm menu structure I can send NTCDOWN comands with 100msec gaps as long as the Onkyo is not busy with the "execution" of an NTCSELECT command.
In respect to state tracking I'm just reacting to messages from Onkyo. I.e. when the input source is changed I'm asking "QSTN"s specific for that input for updating the GUI and then that's it. Basically all my questions are triggered by an Onkyo message. The exception is the iPod via the Universal port. There I'm asking gently in 1.1seconds intervall for artist, album ,and titel, one after the other. That the only way I can get more or less reliable answers from the iPod/UP.

Yes, I do know about the connecting messages. You are right on those. Though I don't get quite what you mean on the QSTN's. Successful and unsuccessful commands are followed by an echo of that command (or another type of response like N/A or a menu). I did see Onkyo wanted to spice things up a bit and some commands return nothing at all. This is usually when sending RI commands or audio commands specific to the 1008, 3008, and 5008.

***MAJOR UPDATE*** With iOS 4.2 brings a fix to the iPhone and iPod Touch running iOS 4.0 and higher that introduces static when playing through a USB cable to speakers. After updating, the music sounds much clearer (for compressed audio on the iPod) than before (I have the Pioneer VSX-1120 as an fyi). Highly recommend you update.

I'm awaiting the update for other reasons. Watching the app status changes on iTunes is like watching ice melt.

4.2 apps are starting to roll out, though all I've seen so far are Apple's offerings.

I saw this iOS announcement this morning, hopefully your app will be out soon!

Curious, not being an Apple guy, is the price fixing always so stringent, it would appear that all iPad prices are set in stone?

Also, any rumor about a hardware update for the iPad, I know that there are 4(?) versions of the iPhone...

The app was released last night. I have a new version being tested that will be submitted today for an update next week or so. New features and a couple of bug fixes.

Apple likes to protect their brand image, part of that is strict price controls. There are 6 iPad models, ranging from approximately $500 to $850. For my app's purposes, all will work. From my experience, the price ranges stay about the same and the features get better when new models come out. Occasionally, there are price drops.

Rumors say a new iPad is already in the works, possibly for an April release. Apple so far updates their iDevices on an annual basis. iPods in September, iPhone in June or July. They've done this for years now. iPad was released in April, so...

One of the most difficult things to convince someone that an iPad is a neat device (or a useful device, and not a toy) is how it really replaces a notebook. That is, if that someone realizes that if the vast majority of their Internet use is web and email, then the iPad fits perfectly. In my case, it replaced my having to carry a work notebook computer when I travel. My only other accessory is a keyboard dock in case I need to do a lot of typing. One thing it isn't is a big iPod touch, though I admit it looks like one.

thank you for the candid response, I figured that there may be an update soon. I am always hesitant to by the first generation of a product, small issues are always resolved in the next generation.

I hope to try your app on the kids iPhone as soon as she gets iOS 4.2 installed... eventually I can get an iPad and go from there.

cheers,

The app is iPad only right now. I have an iPhone version about half finished or so. I tend to work on that one when things are stable on the iPad version. It unfortunately works out that way because it's actually easier to work on the iPad trying new things out. Shoehorning stuff into the smaller iPhone screen takes quite a bit of effort.

I just purchased your app for my integra dhc-40.1. It doesn't find me pre/pro on the network and asks me to manually enter the ip address. It then closes, not ever allowing me to do so.

I do have network control enabled, and can control it via irule.

So far, I'm disappointed.

Did you go to settings? Non-Apple apps cannot open the settings page themselves, so go to settings (the icon with the gears on it), scroll down and you should see the oRemote App icon. Enter your IP there. I know the solution is ugly, but it's an Apple restriction. The app closing when it doesn't find anything is normal, but it should detect Integra devices.

If that doesn't work, contact me via PM or via the iTunes support link. If necessary I'll add you to the beta list and make sure you get a working copy ASAP and bypass the Appstore wait for updates.

Thanks, that did it. Any chance of the end user changing the input labels?

Glad to hear it. If you check your PM, you could help by getting me your AVR's upnp manufacturer's ID string.

You can change your input labels, they are also under the settings under "customize inputs" tap on the name and go.
You can disable unused ones as well.

It is becoming obvious that I do need a manual for this. I was considering how to do it when your post showed up and caused a panic over here.

Still, my offer stands on getting you a custom build to tide you over until the update comes out. i just need the requested info.

Edit:
I got the proper string. I'll be submitting a revised version to Apple shortly.

I get home in another day or two and will finally get a chance to play with my 807 that has been sitting in it's box waiting for me to get home for the last 6 months.

I've subscribed to this thread as means of tracking when the iphone/touch version of oremote is available. I plan on using it for controlling zone 2 when I'm on the back porch and need to adjust volume or skip a song track. Thanks for the hard work.

Updates coming.

The soon-to-be-submitted update to the App Store how has the following new features/fixes:

1. Fix for the Integra detection
2. In-app settings: the app now forces the user to go to settings via a lovely framework another developer released - if an AVR is not detected and without ever exiting the App. Once the changes are made, the App quits, and upon restart, should be operational. This actually uses what's in settings, and changes can now be made for most things without having to switch out of the app (except for IP address changes).
3. Better descriptions of what the settings do.
4. Speaker layout (like on the Onkyo VFD) is now displayed on the App in all tabs. You can change these in the audio settings
5. Control of HDMI CEC Bluray and DVD players, provided they play nice with Onkyo's RIHD implementation.
6. Auto switch between iPod and HDRadio for dock displays, alas, Onkyo won't allow switching between the sources via network, but the button is there if they fix it in a firmware update.
7. Fix for HD Radio data display on Universal Port tab.

OK, I guess it is time to consider my own iPad then, wished there was some idea of what enhancements might come to the next hardware version of the iPad...

Or wait a few more weeks, or join the beta for the iPhone/iPod touch version and run it that way. Beta users get an official special build they can install via iTunes. No hacking or jailbreaking. I'll be working on that again after this iPad update is submitted in the next few days.

The iPhone beta already does a lot, but the audio settings and zone screens haven't been finished yet. It also runs on all hardware, including the 1st gen phone & touch. Lots more of these will be sold than the iPad version, so I have a lot of incentive to get this one out the door.

The advantage of doing the iPad version first is minimizing making all the controls and sub-menus - the extra screen real-estate is a bonus here. Also, there is a limited customer base, so I can mitigate any crisis that develops like the Integra issue that cropped up. In that case, I have quite a few slots left to distribute custom builds to anyone who has a showstopper bug. The Integra issue was more of a user annoyance than a showstopper.

The first day sales figures came in too. They say I should not quit my day job. The intersection of the sets of Onkyo/Integra users with iPad owners is a very small subset indeed.

Pushed out an update to the App store tonight. It should be out late next week if things work out the way the last app did.

Here's some screenshots:

The screen shots look awesome!

I was playing with an iPad yesterday at BB, very nice images and very smooth, I just wished that the platform was more open, Apple really locks things down...

I work in the IT industry and almost nothing is Apple, everything is either Windows, Linux (or some variant). The tools are all PC based as is most of the communications tools and processes, an iPad just doesn't live there.

If I buy one, it will be as an email reader, web surfer and an Onkyo remote.

Working on minor GUI enhancements for the next oRemote iPad release that is about two weeks out.

Someone emailed me about localizations. I didn't want to work on that at this point, but I could see the concern non-English speakers would have with the app. So I worked on adding transport control images to some of the buttons.

You would not believe the crap I had to go through to get these working. Needless to say, it involved rolling my own TTF font.

With this, the app now uses universal (or near-universal symbols) much like the iPod and your typical remote.

The big question is whether these can me used in the iPhone/iPod version. Loading non-system fonts in iOS 3.1.3 is not trivial and is fraught with peril.

EDIT:

I found a non-functional button on the RI screen testing 1.1.1, and found out this bug was in 1.1.0. So I rejected my binary and now 1.1.1 will be the next release. This is for the better, 1.1.1 looks much nicer.

Things are quiet on the iPad and iPhone app front as I do some background work optimizing and rearranging the classes and waiting for the update to be approved.

But I have something cool in the works... Hope to get started on it real soon now.

I am looking forward to the Iphone app! My 80.2 is waiting to be controlled

May be a few more weeks. The update due out later this month, probably right before Christmas will have something everyone wants: iPhone/iPod touch compatibility.

Yes, the next-next release will be a universal app. I have a test version already out to the iPad beta group. For those that already bought the iPad version, it's a free update.

The only caveat is that you will need a 4.2 capable iDevice.

Sounds good, I am looking forward to it. OS 4.2 is not a problem

v.1.1.1 was just approved a few seconds ago. The update should be on the App Store in a few hours.

I hope everyone likes this update. If you are using HDMI CEC, or RIHD to control a DVD/BD player, please give feedback to me as to what brand you are using and whether it works or not.

Note that the RIHD support is dependent on Onkyo. If it works for you via the Onkyo IR remote, it should work with the app which does the same functions via the network interface.

Also making a debut are speaker layout displays and in-app settings as well as some bug fixes. Yet somehow the developer rejected 1.1.0 screenshots are there... hmmm I'll have to see if I can change them later. The only difference is "PLAY" "STOP" and such are replaced by universal icons.

EDIT: It looks like Apple speeds things up for updates. It only took 5-10 mintes for the update to hit the store.

More app updates. The Audio Video screen is now fully populated. It auto-detects the model and displays the appropriate sliders and a few extra buttons.

The app is now no longer doing "round robin" polling for status, except on the A/V screen where it can't be helped - if the source changes resolution, the AVR does not send out notification, you have to nag its status instead.

Some minor networking bugs were addressed, hopefully to get older models like the 905 and 906 working. Models on the supported list work fine.

What is this APP under I cannot find it in the APP store ??

iPhone version is nearly ready for submission. It's done, but I need to poke at it a bit and make sure everything's working. The 1.0.0 release generated a few questions/complaints about how to use it. The 1.1.0 update sold nearly the same amount by now and generated zero questions and complaints. I don't want the 1.2.0 to go backwards

oRemote version 1.2.1 was submitted a few minutes ago. If/when it is approved, it will work on both iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch.

My beta testers can find it in the normal location.