ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
If you have something playing on the analog inputs and start streaming via airplay, the "airplay will take over".
But what happens when you stop streaming? Will the analog input resume playback, or do you have to start/stop the analog source to get it going?
Thanks.
Never tried that before, but I can confirm that it does play on immidiately after turning off the AirPlay connection at the source.
But why - why did you want to know that?
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
The reason I'm wondering is, I'm going to use it as both an airplay device but also a preamp for my TV via the TV:s headphone out. I already have a beocenter connected to the tv this way and an airport express, but I feel the Playmaker would be a much simpler thing to use, since it's auto switching.
To clarify things a bit. I'm thinking:
I'm watching TV with the sound going through the Playmaker. Then, I stream some music from my iPhone, with the TV still on. The Playmaker would then auto switch to airplay. Then, after a while, I turn of the streaming.The Playmaker would then resume playing the analog TV sound?
The way I do this today is similar but I have to change the source manually.
May I ask - what is connected where at the moment?
Edit! Did not see your latest post.
That means you want to watch tv (without sound) and listen to music at the same time?
Well, if that is what you want
That would work!
You don't need the APE and you get a better AirPlay-receiver with the Playmaker - and if you don't need the other sources of the BeoCenter....
Only problem will be volumen control - you would have to let the Playmaker have an appropriate constant volumen level, and control the volumen via the tv and the iDevice.
At the moment:
TV headphone out connected to Beocenter AUX in. Airport Express connected to Beocenter tape in.
The volume on the Beocenter is usually set at about 50%, so I do most volume adjustments on the TV or the iDevice I'm using for streaming music at that moment. The Beocenter doesn't really do anything at all 99% of the time. I very rarely listen to radio or CD on it, maybe never when I really think about it... :)
Ok - let us hear, what you think, when you have it set up!
Should you decide to keep the BC, just connect the Playmaker to the 'Tape-in' and the tv to the 'line-in' of the Playmaker.
I'll let you know if I decide to to buy one. It seems to be one of B&O's most useful but still most underappreciated products. Depending on how you use it, it's a lot more than just an overpriced Airport Express.
Also, I think it's one of their coolest designs in recent time. I'm a bit tired of all the steel and glass doors etc...
OK, so I went out and got the Playmaker. But I seem to have more or less the exact problem I feared. The Playmaker will autoswitch from line-in to Airplay just fine. The other way around is not working though... To get the sound playing again after turning off Airplay I need to adjust the volume, either on the Beo 4 or directly on the touch control.
Starting, stoping or event turning off/on the analog line-in source does not have any effect at all. The Playmaker will not make a sound until I touch the volume controls.
Is there any solution to this?
Now I've tried connecting them to the all inputs and also directly to the Beolabs. Same result.
I suppose you run the Playmaker with the BL's direct connected!
Don't know if it is different then - I have mine connected to my BeoMaster/A-Aux (it is set to 'Fixed Line-out and is in Option 0).
I have no problem (not at all) with the autoswitching.
Activating AirPlay on the iPad makes it switch to the AirPlay 'port' (DLNA as well). If AirPlay (or DLNA) is deactivated and the source on the Line-in is activated, it just playes on without further controlling. My Line-in source has a 'fixed line output as well. All volumen is controlled via Beo4/ through the AudioMaster.
If the source at the Line-in is still active, and AirPlay is activated, it (of cource) switches to AirPlay with the same sound level. If the Lie-in source is still active after the AirPlay is deactivated, it/the Line-in source immidiatedly comes on again.
Be sure that the output level of the Line-in source is high enough - must be at the same level approx as the AirPlay - and that you only will have to control the volumen through the Playmaker (direct or via Beo4).
Thinking back - I remember that you want to control the sound through iDevice/tv and that you wanted the Playmaker 'untouched'.
Your line-in source is the tv's headphone connection, right? Are you sure you have the volumen high enough to let the Playmaker 'sense' the connection?
N.B. My Playmaker is a MK1 - I don't know if anything was changed in the MK2.
robaer: Now I've tried connecting them to the all inputs and also directly to the Beolabs. Same result.
Sorry, I don't understand what that means,
i'm sorry if I was being unclear. I meant, I've tried all the inputs on the Beocenter, AUX, Tape etc with the same result: No autoswitching back to line-in. Then I tried connecting them to the speakers directly, without the Beocenter. Still no autoswitching back to line-in.
Everything else seems to be working as expected. I got it up and running within minutes. Touch control is fine, control with Beo 4 is fine, sound is fine. But the autoswitching of sources is the single most important reason for me wanting to replace the Airport Express with a Playmaker. I was planning on running the Playmaker as my only music/sound system, with no Beomaster or Beocenter connected.
Maybe another Playmaker user with the same constallation as you, has some comments.
As already stated - the source switching works perfect in my case.
I don't think my setup is that strange. One line-in source and connected to a Beocenter or a pair of Beolabs.
I just tried setting the Playmaker to option 0. Now I need to get up and swipe the volume control on the Playmaker to "wake it up" after stopping an Airplay stream.
It seems no matter what I do the playmaker won't autoswitch until I manually change the volume.
I have my PM set to ignore all IR cmds, can't recall what option number that is, and set to a fixed volume. I connect my turntable thru a phono preamp and into the line input on the PM. I haven't had any problems like you describe. The only thing I could think of would be if for some reason your airplay device wasn't releasing from the PM when you stop it playing. But I'd have thought that absent any streaming data the PM would do that regardless.
Sorry I don't have any ideas. I don't think your setup is odd either.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Thanks. Option 0 will ignore ir commands from the Beo remotes. I tried it just to make sure. I'll call the dealer and see if they have any ideas. It's good to know that it's working well for you. I
Jeff, are you using the MK1 or MK2 Playmaker?
I called my dealer today and they said that the MK2 perhaps doesn't autswitch to line-in, but that they weren't 100% sure. They would investigate this further and get back to me.
All this is very annoying for me. I told them when I bought it that I did it specifficly for the convenience of the line-in and autoswitching feature. I already had an airport express connected to the system...
If that really should be so, ask them to find a MK1 for you - that should be possible.
And do ask them (I would be very interested in knowing that), if the Essence-box supports the auto-switching!
In case the MK2 doesn't and the Essence-box does, that might be a work-around.
My PM is a Mk 2. When I get time this weekend I'll play around with it some more to verify things, but I've not had a problem yet with going from streaming to aux in.
Only Jeff and MM replied so far, confirming streaming to aux in, works. Both have it in option 0, and a fixed volume.
@ robaer, you did try to put your PM in option 0, but I didn't see a post you set it to a fixed volume too. Putting a PM in option 0, without setting it to a fixed volume makes no sense, So did you?
After this procedure put the PM in Option 0
Thanks. I already tried that. I hope I did it right (no display on the device!) Even if that would have worked it wouldn't be a good solution for me. The volume control and autoswitch are the main reasons I'm interested in the Playmaker.
I asked my dealer to see if he could get a MK1 for me if I don't find a solution. I just forgot to ask If he knew anything about autoswitching on the Essence. I'll ask them when they get back to me
OK, I just did an experiment. I turned on the stereo, a BS9000 with the PM connected to Aux In, and started a record on my Beogram. Sounds good too. I started streaming from my iTunes on my PC (Win 7), the sound from the turntable stops and the streaming starts. Then I stopped the song on iTunes, in a few seconds sound from the turntable starts up again, no issues. Turntable connects thru a phono preamp and into the PM line inputs.
My PM is a Mk 2.
Im wondering, what is the level of the signal into the line in on your setup? Maybe if it's not high enough the PM doesn't switch back? I would think it would default to line in whether there's a signal there or not though when there's no streaming.
BTW, since I have removed the offending network application from my PC I have had absolutely no dropouts with my PM, not even one, over the past couple of weeks. Rock stable.
Thank you for testing. Your setup seems to work exactly the way I'm after.
I tried both the TV's line level signal and headphone signal with different volume settings to the line-in on the Playmaker. I'll see if i can dig out an old cd-player or something similar to test if it works better with it's line-out. I doesn't bode well that my dealer couldn't get autoswitching to work either.
I'd be really happy to get this working. The Playmaker is such a cool simple device. I got it up and running within minutes, the sound is good, and I can even change the tracks I'm streaming with the Beo4. So the "integration" goes both ways.
Your dealer couldn't get it to work, was that with your PM or one of his?
Make sure you verify that the line out of your TV and the headphone out actually have a signal. You probably have already, but if you haven't...being the engineer I am I often jump immediately to thinking it's something complicated when the reason it doesn't work is it's not plugged in. Always verify the simple stuff first.
After that, given how mine works, I'm at a loss as to what's causing it. What are you streaming to it from again?
My dealer tried with the Playmaker they had on display in the store.
I get signal from both the line-out and headphone out to the Playmaker. It plays just fine until I start streaming from my iphone, then it won't switch back after I stop the stream(I've even tried turning the iphone completely off). I can usually get it to switch back again, after a bit of fiddeling with the volume control, either on the Playmaker itself or on a Beo4. It's also possible to manually switch back to line-in by pressing A.AUX on the Beo4.
robaer: I just forgot to ask If he knew anything about autoswitching on the Essence. I'll ask them when they get back to me
I just forgot to ask If he knew anything about autoswitching on the Essence. I'll ask them when they get back to me
You don't need to ask anymore - in the latest specs I have read, it says 'Line-in with sense'. Means: the Essence does auto switching.
By the way, not getting stuff to work, only to find they're not plugged in? I do that all the time.
Unless it's the electrical wiring in the house I'm working with. Then it's often plugged in when I thought it wasn't. I usually notice the moment I touch the cords though...
robaer: By the way, not getting stuff to work, only to find they're not plugged in? I do that all the time. Unless it's the electrical wiring in the house I'm working with. Then it's often plugged in when I thought it wasn't. I usually notice the moment I touch the cords though...
Ah, we are brothers then! I've learned, on house wiring, to never, ever take the word of what's written on the breaker box as to which room is which breaker. I remember turning off all power to the bedroom, then pulling the wires to put up a ceiling fan. I looked at them, and thought well, just to be sure I better check. Put a meter on them and they were still hot. I had to wind up turning off the breaker for a room on the other end of the house to turn them off!
Given the performance of my PM, and the performance of yours and the one in the dealer, I'm perplexed! And not even releasing even when you turned the phone off, wow. There goes my idea that the source device wasn't releasing, besides, it should be a case of the PM sensing no input.
I also can't imagine why, if it was a PM version issue, Mk 1 would do it and MK 2 wouldn't, that doesn't even make sense from a design standpoint unless they did something odd and messed something up. Have you updated the PM to the latest firmware? I did mine a couple of weeks ago when trying to diagnose my dropout issue, which was entirely related to something else not the PM. I have no idea if a firmware update will help, but it's the go to answer when you have no idea why something doesn't work, at least that's what every help desk does...
Millemissen:You don't need to ask anymore - in the latest specs I have read, it says 'Line-in with sense'. Means: the Essence does auto switching. MM There is a tv - and there is a BV.
'.....a delay' - to what?
Millemissen:' .....a delay ' - to what? MM There is a tv - and there is a BV.
Have you finished your analysis....?
Millemissen:Have you finished your analysis....? M M There is a tv - and there is a BV.
Thanks for all the input, I have tried everything now. I've decided to return it to the store again. If I'm lucky they'll find a MK1 for me. For now it's back to the Airport Express and manual switching... But I can live with that if I really must.
Do not give up - it is possible!
As I said, I've tried everything. It's up to the store to find a solution if they want me to keep it. And also, a product like this shouldn't need a "solution", it's supposed to be plug and play.
Does it work for you even without option 0 and no fixed volume level?
I really think the Playmaker is one of B&O's coolest products in a recent time, and a fully working one would make me 110% happy.