Sunday, 18 June 2006

Remote Speakers Output Plug-In 0.9

The work to add a submenu to Winamp's context menu that allows quick selection of an AirPort Express is complete. Thanks to Ioannis Epaminonda for sending me some example code to start me off and answering several questions along the way. I have not added the submenu to any of the modern skin menu bar menus, since I don't use a modern skin. But that could be done rather easily if someone out there has a strong desire to choose their AirPort Express from there. Also, MediaMonkey doesn't seem to support this behavior; I don't think it implements the full set of IPC calls that Winamp does. I may be wrong... Anyways, here is a screen capture from my instance of Winamp so you can see what the new submenu looks like.

So, go get the laterst version of the Remote Speakers output plug-in, try the new submenu out and as always let me know if anything is broken. And don't forget, those of you who are interested in playing tracks on your computer speakers and remote speakers simultaneously, take a look at Ioannis' multiple output plug-in. He and I have worked hard to ensure both plug-ins can be used in concert.

Posted by emilles at 1:23 PM in Software

Responses (5)

Thursday, 15 June 2006

Update on status of Remote Speakers Output Plug-In

Well, the latest version of the plug-in has been out for over a week, and so far no new stability issues have been reported. This leaves me with a warm and tingly feeling as the march toward 1.0 continues along smoothly. Remember, if you have experienced any problems with the plug-in—even if you have reported it in the past—please drop me a line.

And to give you a little taste of what is to come, one of my most personally desired features is almost complete. I have received some help from the maker of the multiple output plug-in, and I have added a submenu to Winamp's main menu that allows quick selection of an AirPort Express. This reduces the time to switch between remote speakers—I often go from upstairs to downstairs and this little menu allows me to keep the music going without a lot of fiddiling around. Of course, outputting to both AirPort Expresses simultaneously would be even better. But any progress is a good thing. Keep an eye on the site; I should have a version with the quick-access 'Remote Speakers' submenu by the end of the week.

Posted by emilles at 3:36 PM in Software

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Sunday, 4 June 2006

Remote Speakers Output Plug-In 0.8

As I close in on a "final" version of my Apple AirPort Express audio streaming plug-in for Nullsoft Winamp or Ventis Media MediaMonkey, it has come time to release another pre-1.0 version. The changes in this build are focused on stability. A number of users have raised issues and I have done my best to respond; thank you all for that. Please download the most recent version of the plug-in and forward me the details of any problems you encounter. Even if you have submitted an issue for a previous version, please submit the problem again—I have no bug tracking system...for better or worse.

I was never expecting this project to have been such the undertaking it has become. The plug-in is being used in all kinds of scenarios that I never anticipated. And with the scarce API documentation provided for Winamp, it is difficult at times to keep everything flying straight and true. But I soldier on and things are improving—just think about how long the direct sound or wave output plug-ins have been around to have all their little kinks worked out...

As always, new feature requests are welcome, but be patient as I am not planning on adding any new features until after release 1.0 is cut and I can take a break to think about the future direction of the plug-in.

Posted by emilles at 10:48 AM in Software