Set Windows/macos/iOS/Android app as endpoint
Answered
Hi.
Is there any way to set a controller app (any platform: Windows, macos, iOS or Android) as a device/endpoint?
For example, to write this message I am currentluy using my PC, which in a room where I have no Bluesound/NAD/PSB device. It would be very nice if the controller app allowed me to stream to my PC (or my smartphone) the music I was listening to in my living-room with my NAD C700 (fetching music from my NAS or from Internet), just as if the controller app was an actual Bluesound/NAD/PSB device.
Just found a close topic : https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/5437028640663-BlueOS-Controller-and-PC-headphone-jack. But the answer seems to say: "this is not possible, you have to purchase a device costing several hundreds €/$/£", which is very disappointing (to say the least).
I know that controller apps currently only behave like a remote control.
Could this feature be added in a new release?
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Official comment
The post you linked to is correct and a “software” end point won’t be built.
You have to think of the BluOS app as a remote control, it tells the player what to do. The players in the BluOS ecosystem are hardware devices. There are add in cards for some hifi amplifiers / AV devices such as NAD but not one for a PC or Mac.
Sonos is another multiroom streaming music system and again the app is only a controller and you need physical hardware to playback.
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Why should I "have to" think that it cannot be implemented?
You don't need to tell me what I already know very well, i.e., that Bluesound intentionally built its controller app as being only a remote control and nothing more. This is by design, I get it.
But as a user of this app, I think that it is a mistake.
Because of this design choice the app lacks features that customers (at least me) would find really nice to have.I understand that Bluesound/NAD/PSB builds its software as an incentive to sell hardware. But I already bought such hardware (NAD C700). My PC already has good enough amplified stereo speakers (wired), and I won't buy 2 x FLEX 2i (600€) or a Node (550€) just to be able to use the Bluesound controller app to listen to music on my PC.
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Would you expect this functionality to be free or happy to pay a monthly / yearly subscription to cover the ongoing cost of development and support?
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Of course not, and you already know that very well.
However, if Bluesound made a small and inexpensive device which single purpose was to connect an existing stereo system to the Bluesound ecosystem (like a Bluesound version of the WiiM Mini), I may consider purchasing it.
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The Logitech Media Server system offers two ways to provide software endpoints (squeezelite for Windows and Linux Os; there are also 2 android apps which act as endpoints).
While I appreciate the need to protect hardware sales, would it not be possible to provide a software endpoint linked to a registered hardware device?
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