Should I go with raspberry Pi 2 as Media center - Raspberry Pi Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have already got MK808 android stick, which is 1.2 GHz dual core with Mali 400 GPU.
After using it long as general purpose device, decided to convert it as media centric device, with 2.1 speaker setup
I am facing following limitations,
1. Not able to play HD/1080 videos smoothly
2. Tried USB sound card to connect it to 2.1 speaker, but quality is not good
So I started to look for alternate devices. I liked RPI 2 especially due to it's support, but before buy, I have some questions unanswered
1. Since I have 1.2 GHz device, I am just wondering with RPI 2 being 900 MHz, is it powerful enough device as media PC. Especially can we consider it for future proof (may be 3 years)? I am thinking because, I don't want to fall in situation to buy another device only after next 1 year due to RPI2 limitation.
2. When I add case, WiFi dongle, power cable, HDMI cable etc, it's going to about 75 USD. At this price, there are many choices like,
# Android stick MXIII, which seems more powerful with android support
# Dedicated media player like,
http://www.amazon.in/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=media+player
But I don't know, how to compare those with RPI 2 and conclude which one will be more powerful and future proof
Any suggestion?

RmatriX1218 said:
I have already got MK808 android stick, which is 1.2 GHz dual core with Mali 400 GPU.
After using it long as general purpose device, decided to convert it as media centric device, with 2.1 speaker setup
I am facing following limitations,
1. Not able to play HD/1080 videos smoothly
2. Tried USB sound card to connect it to 2.1 speaker, but quality is not good
So I started to look for alternate devices. I liked RPI 2 especially due to it's support, but before buy, I have some questions unanswered
1. Since I have 1.2 GHz device, I am just wondering with RPI 2 being 900 MHz, is it powerful enough device as media PC. Especially can we consider it for future proof (may be 3 years)? I am thinking because, I don't want to fall in situation to buy another device only after next 1 year due to RPI2 limitation.
2. When I add case, WiFi dongle, power cable, HDMI cable etc, it's going to about 75 USD. At this price, there are many choices like,
# Android stick MXIII, which seems more powerful with android support
# Dedicated media player like,
http://www.amazon.in/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=media+player
But I don't know, how to compare those with RPI 2 and conclude which one will be more powerful and future proof
Any suggestion?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using Raspberry Pi 2 B+ for a month as media center with the Rasplex OS. I have tried 1080p, 720p and a few different formats like mp4 mkv, avi etc and they all work fine, even while seeking. The main reason for this could be that the processing/trans-coding of the video is done on the server(the files are not stored on Pi, and no HDD is connected to it.) This all works on a WiFi adapter.
If You can use Plex app on Your Android Stick and use a plex server somewhere, You won't need to buy a Pi. Although You would need to buy Plex pass to come over restriction in Android app I think.

Rpi 1 can run almost limitless video bitrate via smb share. But it has issues with very heavy audio since 1 pi's processing power is not great basically. But mines 1 still run movies with 10mbps video and 5mbps audio well. Above that it starts to buffer maybe its network bottlenecking. Audio quality via hdmi is great. I got a pi 2 just a while ago looking forward to test it with openelec. I have chromecast stick too i think that i wouldn't need rpi if i didn't had media at local share. Chromecast is far more better if u use only netflix, viaplay, youtube, popcorn, etc and can use it with android device phone/tablet.

Thanks for replies.
Has anyone connected it to 2.1 speaker system?
Because, that is my one of the aim.
Can anyone tell quality if connected to AV cable/stereo jack?
And, is it possible to get video through HDMI cable and audio through AV cable to 2.1 speaker?
Can someone, who already have similar configuration, help me out to build similar one.

RmatriX1218 said:
Thanks for replies.
Has anyone connected it to 2.1 speaker system?
Because, that is my one of the aim.
Can anyone tell quality if connected to AV cable/stereo jack?
And, is it possible to get video through HDMI cable and audio through AV cable to 2.1 speaker?
Can someone, who already have similar configuration, help me out to build similar one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it can output both video through HDMI cable and audio through AV cable at the same time.

Nypan sr said:
Yes, it can output both video through HDMI cable and audio through AV cable at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you rate quality through AV cable out?
I believe, AV out doesn't give good quality as HDMI.
Through USB sound card on my MK808, I am loosing bass. Woofer doesn't give any sound.
I am worried, same should not be with RPI as I'll loose all fun of watching movies.
Anybody with 2.1 speaker setup hear?

RmatriX1218 said:
How do you rate quality through AV cable out?
I believe, AV out doesn't give good quality as HDMI.
Through USB sound card on my MK808, I am loosing bass. Woofer doesn't give any sound.
I am worried, same should not be with RPI as I'll loose all fun of watching movies.
Anybody with 2.1 speaker setup hear?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HDMI is better. My 2.1 system is connected to my LG-tv, so i dont know what quality the 3,5 mm output is.

Nypan sr said:
HDMI is better. My 2.1 system is connected to my LG-tv, so i dont know what quality the 3,5 mm output is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, my LED TC has onlu audio jack. So, if I connect 2.1 system with it, I get very low volume.
So, only option to get sound from RPI AV jack.
Can you check in your system with AV jack and report the difference in output?

Any though on
RPI2 vs MXIII vs MXQ?

RmatriX1218 said:
How do you rate quality through AV cable out?
I believe, AV out doesn't give good quality as HDMI.
Through USB sound card on my MK808, I am loosing bass. Woofer doesn't give any sound.
I am worried, same should not be with RPI as I'll loose all fun of watching movies.
Anybody with 2.1 speaker setup hear?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Composite video out quality is pretty good. On OpenELEC, playing 720p live stream Russia Today. Output is classic PAL resolution. Image quality is better than 576p SD DVB-S thru SCART with good quality sat reciever. I have big old widescreen CRT Panasonic Quintrix TV.
If you play any 720p movie, quality will be comparable to DVD player with SCART.
I dont know how is your audio input for these 2.1 speakers. Just single 3 pole 3.5mm or also separate one for subwoofer? If it need 2 connectors then you need 5.1 sound card with (usually orange) center/subwoofer connector.

I think you should turn up your headphone volume on your tv
Sent from my thl T6S using XDA Free mobile app

Ideal for local media or media on a NAS but not being able to access Netflix, Hulu etc (like you can on Android) might be a bit of a put off. Shame really coz the Pi2 is more than powerful enough to support these streaming services

Related

[Q] Galaxy s as multimedia controller pc

Hi All,
Love the forum, and since I have put froyo on, galaxy s is superb.
I have an orange uk version, terrible. so much bloatware and lag. The media player quality was very poor and glitches galore.
Since the 3 button mod, voodo & froyo upgrade it been very smooth.
What i would like to know if i can use the Salaxy s as a high quality media device connected to my Hifi.
I would like to stream flac's, and HD films from a Linux DLNA server via wifi, as well as browsing the net for you tube etc.
I understand there might be a voodoo sound mod soon, I am hoping this will give a proper line out, or even better direct use of the on board DAC.
What would be the best way to achieve high quality sound output to a hifi, is there a docking unit i should be looking at?
Could i then use a blue tooth keyboard & mouse, and use the USB to a HDMI monitor or mini projector?
Overall, a silent, high quality media centre connneted to my hifi.
I have tried DLNA All share, but its buggy ATM.
Any ideas on the best way to achieve this would be greafully recieved.
Many thanks
Ian

Audio anyone? Bluetooth, USB...

Running CM7 in EMMC nightly 177, all is well. Had the nook about a month. Amazed at what a cool little tablet this is after reflashing. My only lament is I wish the audio out the headset jack was at least decent. I do understand, this was built to be a reader, not an audio-anything. And I'm thinking more and more that's just how it is, forget Pandora, etc.
But I still have scant hopes of alternatives. I've read about host mode in Nook Tweaks, and that folks have at least powered or maybe recognized a FiiO E7 headphone amp/DAC, but I doubt that I can use any app to play high quality audio thru the usb....yet.
What about Bluetooth? Does the Audio sound any better?
First post, hope it gets some interest!
I can never get the audio out via bluetooth.
I've tried 3 different bluetooth headsets.
All have a common issue "paired but not connected"
There were a few threads about it, but I couldn't just get it through.
Some other members do have no problem though.
votinh said:
I can never get the audio out via bluetooth.
I've tried 3 different bluetooth headsets.
All have a common issue "paired but not connected"
There were a few threads about it, but I couldn't just get it through.
Some other members do have no problem though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I paired a Samsung HM3500 ($6 after rebate) which is an bluetooth
earpiece with a usb connection to stereo in-ear phones with a microphone.
Worked great until the battery went low, then the CM7 nook started
freezing the audio as the connection was lost and remade. This is on
a Color Nook booting CM7 nightly 177 off a SanDisk 4Gb class 4 uSD disk.
I have a generic bestbuy BT headset and the sound is great out of it! Not sure why I was able to get the sound, it's been working for me since nightly 38 or so, but I have NOT tried any of the recent nightlies or the RC for 7.1. As for the volume level, after I got Volume++ I thought it got pretty good sound. Of course other devices sound better, but like you said it' kind of a built in problem with the nook.
I did buy a Plantronics BT headset yesterday and haven't tried it with the nook. I'll try it later and post here if it works,
For some reason, I thought it's brand-dependent.
Pls try your Plantronics and let me know how it goes.
I just tried the Plantronics Voyager 520 2 days ago, didn't work
22jjones said:
Running CM7 in EMMC nightly 177, all is well. Had the nook about a month. Amazed at what a cool little tablet this is after reflashing. My only lament is I wish the audio out the headset jack was at least decent. I do understand, this was built to be a reader, not an audio-anything. And I'm thinking more and more that's just how it is, forget Pandora, etc.
But I still have scant hopes of alternatives. I've read about host mode in Nook Tweaks, and that folks have at least powered or maybe recognized a FiiO E7 headphone amp/DAC, but I doubt that I can use any app to play high quality audio thru the usb....yet.
What about Bluetooth? Does the Audio sound any better?
First post, hope it gets some interest!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm the one that connected the Fiio E7+L7 and another home dac
I tested the E7+L7 in my car and in first impression it sounded almost as good as my E-MU 0404 PCI card I have on my CAR-PC ( will do extensive testing when I'll install the nook )
You want better quality? get a better DAC
I don't see why BT will give better SQ , I think it will be way worse
As far as apps , PowerAmp seems to be doing it's job and playing FLAC's without any issues so I don't see the problem here
It's hard to even talk about audio quality (or video quality, food quality, film quality, book quality) without getting a baseline for what a person considers satisfactory, unsatisfactory, great or awful. Some people--possibly most people--are all but oblivious to most of their senses, but then there are some few aficionados of anything and everything under the sun.
I'm not much of an audiophile--Apple stock earbuds do not meet my standards, but most $20 in-ear phones (Skull Candy, Sony, loving my JVC Air Cushions) + iPod + mp3s do meet my standards. From that perspective, I find that adjusting DAC and headphone gain in Nook Tweaks brings the NC up to satisfactory performance for headphones (I can get reasonable fidelity at minor-hearing-damage volume levles), but still weak for line-out.
I've really used the NC a lot less for music than audiobooks, though, where sound quality is less of a concern.
Plantronics 320 does not connect.
Thanks for replies! I'm going to try PowerAmp and flacs. I guess one of my let downs was streaming Pandora or Naptser, but I realize now that even with wifi these are lower bit rate than from a PC. However, with Nook Tweaks and DSP Manager, I can get to a point that is ok.
You might want to stick to just Nook Tweaks for boosting gain. DSP Manager is still useful for equalizing, but layering PowerAmp's boost on top of DSP's boost on top of Nook Tweaks' boost may not be a good idea.
@Taosaur, I tried PowerAmp with flac and ape files last night, and ended up doing exactly as you recommended. DSP ended up turned off. This was my first look at PowerAmp, pretty sweet app. So I had just a little dac and headset gain increase on nook tweaks, and pretty high pre-amp along with eq in PowerAmp. Using a decent set of noise-cancelling buds from Audio Technica. Result is pretty nice! I was looping one song for about an hour while I tried different settings, Pink Floyd - Brain Damage. Now I can't get it out of my head. Not such a bad thing..
**New Info*** I went ahead and bought a refurb FiiO E7 for 69 bux. Charged it up and plugged it in the Nook usb and Viola! Pretty sweet improvement over headphone jack. So, yes, you get a USB DAC, plug it in, and usb audio out comes to life. The FiiO E7 is ideal for this because it is a DAC and Amp in one small package. So virtually no annoying hiss, plenty of gain without distortion, much fuller overall sound, and way more total volume than you can handle. Only prob is at times the audio gets little skips/clicks when the Nook display is busy, I think. Either that or my sd card reading is causing it. I'm on a 16GB class 10, and I read somewhere the higher class cards can be troublesome compared to class 4's.
To recap setup, CM7 recent nightly+Nook Tweaks USB Host Mode.
I'm guessing you need to route that through a powered hub, right? Does it work if the hub is not plugged into the wall?
If you haven't moved any apps to SD and aren't running your OS from SD, I'd be surprised if it's causing you any problems.
No hub! The E7 has it's own battery power, lasts forever. Just a cable with an adapter. I'm running in emmc, build 206. I'll check sdcard, i think i may have put an app on it at one point.
usb "sound cards"
There are a whole raft of cheap usb sound interfaces - equivalent to a sound card on a desktop machine. I got one on ebay for 7$, stereo headphone output is pretty good with the nook. There are 5.1 and 7.1 devices advertised too.
Unfortunately, the sample rate used for the mic differs from that used for playback, so whatever I record via mic plays back in very slo-mo.
I understand that somebody has found a device whose mic input works with the nook, but I had no luck finding exactly what he described.
I'm very interested in the voice input side, both for speech-to-text and for comms, especially skype. Anybody have any new info?
Is there a way to use the Fiio e7 and continue to power the Nook using the stock USB cable?
I am using the NC as a headunit in my car and i would love to have the e7 as my DAC, but I would need to have continuous power for the NC.
Any Ideas?
I can only suggest you plug the NC in when you park the car. I'd say an hour or two per day would be MORE than sufficient to run off the battery the rest of the time. Inconvenient yes but I think all tablets will suffer from this problem (sucky internal codecs and only one power connection which is also shared with any usb host).
22jjones said:
No hub! The E7 has it's own battery power, lasts forever. Just a cable with an adapter. I'm running in emmc, build 206. I'll check sdcard, i think i may have put an app on it at one point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excuse my ignorance...what kind of adapter do you need for this?
Thanks!
Double C said:
Excuse my ignorance...what kind of adapter do you need for this?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either microUSB male to full USB female to plug straight into the NC, or full USB female-to-female to put on the end of the cord.
Double C said:
Excuse my ignorance...what kind of adapter do you need for this?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my case, the FiiO has a mini usb port, and i use adapter on the FiiO. So I have FiiO > mini usb to full usb female adapter > full male to micro usb cable > Nook.

Audio Extractor for $ OR Is it possible ROOT for simultaneous cast?

My friend from South Korea sent me an early birthday gift and low and behold it was a cool Chromecast key :victory::laugh: WOW THANKS but... I have a unique setup a 180" screen and Projector. This AMAZING projector (W7000) has no audio out and no way to utilize audio from Chromecast :crying: How sad... Well I discovered these audio extractors to get audio out but frankly I would love to retain max color, 3d, and 7.1 on DD+ this is not going to be easy. Then I got to thinking how come no one has developed an app which can sync the 2 outputs (multicast) from DDWRT or other at the router / gateway. Or in another way perhaps.
Two questions remain
1) Audio extractor where can I get a cheap but good one ? (seen them exceeding 200 dollars common)
THE BIG QUESTION IS
anyone know how to do this yet or perhaps if I should sell the thing and get a different setup for these projectors I have 3. (kinda committed to the output device already hehe.):cyclops:
This is what I used because the Chromecast wasn't compatible with my TV. (I had video but no audio)
www,ebay,com/itm/291119088532 $29 - has optical audio out.
Impossible to sync audio to two separate sources that are networked...
What you really want to do is get yourself a good AV Amplifier (with HDMI Inputs), not an Audio Breakout.
You will get full Surround support and would plug the CCast into the Amp and send the video from the amp to the Projector.
To answer the second question in your subject, root won't help you here. As @Asphyx said, it's near-impossible to accurately maintain A/V sync between separate networked devices. It requires sub-second synchronization and without some other constant reference not subject to network transmission delay it's very prone to failure.
funkypc said:
This is what I used because the Chromecast wasn't compatible with my TV. (I had video but no audio)
www,ebay,com/itm/291119088532 $29 - has optical audio out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't want to loose the 3d though and according to Wiki (not their ad on ebay) there is no 3d until 1.4 : so how come they are advertising 1.3 with 3d ?
Ohh btw does this device work 1:1 for lag or is there a few ms' wait ?
Thanks guys this really helps
futiless said:
Don't want to loose the 3d though and according to Wiki (not their ad on ebay) there is no 3d until 1.4 : so how come they are advertising 1.3 with 3d ?
Ohh btw does this device work 1:1 for lag or is there a few ms' wait ?
Thanks guys this really helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK Chromecast doesn't support 120 Hz output (so no full-res 3D), though side-by-side 3D should work on pre-HDMI 1.4 as it's not doubling the rate to get L/R.
There shouldn't be any noticeable lag introduced as it's simply a de-embed at the endpoint.

Chromecast with Projector and Audio Extractor...no audio

I have a home cinema projector with no audio out, so in order to make my chromecast work I bought the J Tech DHDMI Audio Extractor. I've seen this exact model discussed elsewhere online, so as far as I know, others have used it successfully with Chromecast.
So my setup is - Chromecast into the IN of the HDMI Audio Extractor. HDMI cable OUT to my projector. And Optical Audio OUT to my sound system.
The problem? No audio.
I tried the exact same setup with my PS3 instead of the chromecast, and it worked - video and audio, with the exact same hookup. So the extractor works and the cords are fine.
I've tried all 3 audio toggles on the Audio Extractor (Pass-through/2.1/5.1) and none work for this.
I've tried multiple reboots and factory resets to no success.
I have heard that the ChromeCast tries to be smart about it's A/V capabilities, and there is a chance it may be looking at the HDMI connection, seeing that the projector has no Audio capabilities, and giving up, but I don't know how to attempt to reconfigure that, and there are certainly other people out there who have made my exact setup work, and I can't imagine what they are doing differently...
This theory does have additional evidence: When setting up my PS3 I had to set the sound set up to "Manual" rather than "Automatic" - in automatic mode, the PS3 said the HDMI connection had no audio capabilities. However in Manual mode it seemed to pass through audio just fine. I wonder if the same is happening with the Chromecast, only it's too "smart" to just push the audio through?
To test that theory I used an HDMI to VGA adapter to try to get VGA into my projector, but had the exact same result.
Finally, I tried to configure the Chromecast with JUST the optical audio out from the extractor without video so that it wouldn't try to guess what the audio was, and then hooking up the video after. Same result. Tried turning the projector/audio extractor on and off a bunch of times too..
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated
deanCommie said:
This theory does have additional evidence: When setting up my PS3 I had to set the sound set up to "Manual" rather than "Automatic" - in automatic mode, the PS3 said the HDMI connection had no audio capabilities. However in Manual mode it seemed to pass through audio just fine. I wonder if the same is happening with the Chromecast, only it's too "smart" to just push the audio through?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can borrow an HDMI display/TV that has audio, you can try hooking that up first, booting the Chromecast to get audio, then do a hot-swap. That might work, but if it does, it's only a temporary solution and proves your theory that Chromecast is inspecting the audio capabilities on the HDMI side.
HDfury2 works well for me with its built in audio breakout.
bhiga said:
If you can borrow an HDMI display/TV that has audio, you can try hooking that up first, booting the Chromecast to get audio, then do a hot-swap. That might work, but if it does, it's only a temporary solution and proves your theory that Chromecast is inspecting the audio capabilities on the HDMI side.
HDfury2 works well for me with its built in audio breakout.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I think that's got to be my next move if only to make sure the Chromecast is not a lemon.
In case you don't end up getting yours to work. This is what I use to split the audio and use the chromecast on my projector. and it works flawlessly.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECTHIKK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The latest:
* Confirmed Chromecast sends audio by hooking it up to a regular TV
* Tried to hook it up to projector through HDMI->VGA connection and still no audio
* Found out that I'm not the only one having Projector-Chromecast-HDMI splitter problems: (I can't post links but go to the AMazon page for the product)
Ugh. Who wants a free Chromecast? I just don't see this working out for me...
So whatever adapter is used must report audio capabilities. Like I mentioned, I have HDfury2 and get audio fine. The one @Znomon mentioned is cheaper though. Then again, it's still close to the cost of a Chromecast, so...
The latest:
* Confirmed Chromecast sends audio by hooking it up to a regular TV
* Tried to hook it up to projector through HDMI->VGA connection and still no audio
* Found out that I'm not the only one having Projector-Chromecast-HDMI splitter problems: (I can't post links but go to the AMazon page for the product)
Ugh. Who wants a free Chromecast? I just don't see this working out for me.../QUOTE]
Sorry u can't get it to work if u really want to give the chromecast away I'll take it been wanting to try one out.
Hi. I just registered to this forum to say that I am able to do EXACTLY what you trying to do.
But the trick is the "guy" i'm using. It's a chinese cheap HD Converter that splits hdmi audio into RCA output and hdmi video. I know that I have not that special audio since it is turned on a rca output, but it works.
I bought from a local tech market. And the first one I bought did not work and the difference between them is energy source (the first had not).
Good luck and keep persistent.
PS: If you really want, i can buy one for you here in Brazil and send you by mail... but the postage will cost more than the converter!
b3ltazar said:
The latest:
* Confirmed Chromecast sends audio by hooking it up to a regular TV
* Tried to hook it up to projector through HDMI->VGA connection and still no audio
* Found out that I'm not the only one having Projector-Chromecast-HDMI splitter problems: (I can't post links but go to the AMazon page for the product)
Ugh. Who wants a free Chromecast? I just don't see this working out for me.../QUOTE]
Sorry u can't get it to work if u really want to give the chromecast away I'll take it been wanting to try one out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So there is no way to hack the audio without other hardware (splitter)? I was hoping maybe bluetooth can be a solution?
goprojojo said:
So there is no way to hack the audio without other hardware (splitter)? I was hoping maybe bluetooth can be a solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, need hardware to extract it.
Bluetooth, even if you managed to get Chromecast's Bluetooth enabled, paired and sending audio, wouldn't be good because the audio stream would be delayed, unless it also delayed the video stream too but even that would probably not guarantee lip sync.
I'll take it
Deancommie, I'll take it off your hands. I'm a school teacher, so free is the best price.
deanCommie said:
The latest:
* Confirmed Chromecast sends audio by hooking it up to a regular TV
* Tried to hook it up to projector through HDMI->VGA connection and still no audio
* Found out that I'm not the only one having Projector-Chromecast-HDMI splitter problems: (I can't post links but go to the AMazon page for the product)
Ugh. Who wants a free Chromecast? I just don't see this working out for me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Time to upgrade to an Av receiver with hdmi input me thinks. Chromecast works flawlessly with my home pj setup.

Head units with android USB Audio!

TL;DR Auxillary and bluetooth have much lesser quality than USB. Video links below show stereo head units that support Android USB audio with app control for the best quality connection (Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music via USB in your car!) These are single DIN head units without AA.
For audiophiles such as myself, auxiliary cables or Bluetooth is unacceptable when connecting to my car audio system. With these methods, the phone acts as the digital to audio converter instead of the head unit thus greatly reducing sound quality on a high end system. With a USB connection, the phone only acts as storage and a music player while the head unit acts as the DCA.
Finding head units that have a compatible USB connection to android devices has been very difficult in the past. I resorted to storing all my music on an old iPod touch to get Spotify working with my car through USB. The new Android Open Accessory 2.0 is changing that.
I have found a few of youtube videos demonstrating Android USB plug and play connection with two different modes:
App control: Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Google Play Music ect. (Yes SPOTIFY!!!)
MTP: browse local music files.
- supports basic functions such as play/pause/next/prev
- should work with android version 4.1+
- beware: some head unit models require a software update which can be installed through usb.
- warning: these videos only show connection to nexus phones, meaning if your phone isn't running google edition AOSP, it could cause problems.
- note: AOA 2.0 is different than the android audio update with lollipop, which was meant to allow connection to a separate external DCA via USB OTG.
- more info about the 3 types of android USB connection found in this thread: http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...3-will-android-l-allow-usb-audio-out-car.html
Videos with demonstration:
Pioneer DEH-X2800UI
https://youtu.be/gssbmXJ2pzw
Pioneer DEH-X3800UI
https://youtu.be/dztgOvrUnSE
Pioneer DEH-X5800HD
https://youtu.be/kReFemy4UmU
JVC KW-R910BT
https://youtu.be/h1n6WVefhKc
There are undoubtedly many other head units that support AOA 2.0, but these have video proof!
I have a Nexus 5x, I just ordered the Pioneer DEH-X3800UI for $75 on Amazon.
Ill have the head unit installed within the next week, and will give an update.
Hello Android USB Audio! Goodbye and good riddance iPod touch!
I'm hoping somebody has bought one of these headunits & can confirm how well it works.
Does it essentially work like a USB DAC would & all audio including waze, Poweramp youtube all play through the headunit and speakers?
edit: I found the answer, yes ALL audio goes through the headunit. See here:
go to 5:15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyOh32a-cY8
TL;DR probably All head units with AOA 2.0 support that on the market right now have a clicking/micro pausing problem.
Sorry for a late response, I had to do some research, as explained below.
Now its time for the good, the bad, and the ugly!
The Good: The head unit preformed as promised, it was simple plug and play to rout all audio from the phone to the car speakers, matching Ipod via USB quality. Spotify, Youtube, Soundcloud, and even Maps navigation all worked.
The Bad: Every 5-30 seconds there is a quick high pitch clicking sound accompanied by a micro pause of the audio of about a quarter of a second. This clicking only happens with a constant audio stream such as a song, not with something brief such as a Maps navigation direction, nor when the phone is plugged in without any audio being streamed. Sometimes I would get lucky and the audio would be perfect for a couple minutes, once even for a couple songs. But when it does happen, the clicking is quite loud and high pitch and with micro pause it is easily noticeable during a normal song. I had 3 friends come listen to my "new setup" to ask them how it sounds, and all 3 of them noticed it. Unacceptable for an audiophile such as myself, so i did some research and conducted some experiments.
The Ugly: I devised a way to easily notice and keep track of the clicks. I played a low constant tone of a 40hz sine wave at high volume which made the abrupt high pitch clicks very loud (and annoying) in contrast to the low constant tone, and it made the micro pauses very obvious due to the interruption of the bass. With my phone I would hear random clicks every 5-30 seconds. I then tested 5 different android phones with various ROMs and about 10 different usb cords and many combinations of them. Clicking was reliably random. I changed kernel settings on some of the phones to see if the cpu performance was effecting it. I tried various apps such as sound about and the pioneer music app. Nothing changed.
I then went to an electronics store that had 8 head units available in store that supported Android Open Accessory 2.0. all hooked up for listening and ready for testing. There were 3 Pioneers, 2 JVC's, and 3 Kenwoods. ALL of them had the clicking problem. The Pioneers were the worst: the most frequent and loud clicks, followed closely behind by the JVC's. The Kenwoods, had clicks every 30 seconds to 2 minutes, and were about 40% less loud. I suspect that with the Kenwood head unit the average person might not be able to detect the clicking and micro pauses during a normal song, but I know i could in my high end system, especially after all this nonsense i would be passively listening for it.
Conclusion: I suspect that there is either a fundamental problem with Android Open Accessory 2.0 that causes the clicking, or the stereo manufacturers are cutting corners somewhere, or maybe some incompatibility issue with the software. I just don't know. I tried to do more research but I have found nothing online about this specific issue.
ibCurlyFry said:
TL;DR probably All head units with AOA 2.0 support that on the market right now have a clicking/micro pausing problem.
Sorry for a late response, I had to do some research, as explained below.
Now its time for the good, the bad, and the ugly!
The Good: The head unit preformed as promised, it was simple plug and play to rout all audio from the phone to the car speakers, matching Ipod via USB quality. Spotify, Youtube, Soundcloud, and even Maps navigation all worked.
The Bad: Every 5-30 seconds there is a quick high pitch clicking sound accompanied by a micro pause of the audio of about a quarter of a second. This clicking only happens with a constant audio stream such as a song, not with something brief such as a Maps navigation direction, nor when the phone is plugged in without any audio being streamed. Sometimes I would get lucky and the audio would be perfect for a couple minutes, once even for a couple songs. But when it does happen, the clicking is quite loud and high pitch and with micro pause it is easily noticeable during a normal song. I had 3 friends come listen to my "new setup" to ask them how it sounds, and all 3 of them noticed it. Unacceptable for an audiophile such as myself, so i did some research and conducted some experiments.
The Ugly: I devised a way to easily notice and keep track of the clicks. I played a low constant tone of a 40hz sine wave at high volume which made the abrupt high pitch clicks very loud (and annoying) in contrast to the low constant tone, and it made the micro pauses very obvious due to the interruption of the bass. With my phone I would hear random clicks every 5-30 seconds. I then tested 5 different android phones with various ROMs and about 10 different usb cords and many combinations of them. Clicking was reliably random. I changed kernel settings on some of the phones to see if the cpu performance was effecting it. I tried various apps such as sound about and the pioneer music app. Nothing changed.
I then went to an electronics store that had 8 head units available in store that supported Android Open Accessory 2.0. all hooked up for listening and ready for testing. There were 3 Pioneers, 2 JVC's, and 3 Kenwoods. ALL of them had the clicking problem. The Pioneers were the worst: the most frequent and loud clicks, followed closely behind by the JVC's. The Kenwoods, had clicks every 30 seconds to 2 minutes, and were about 40% less loud. I suspect that with the Kenwood head unit the average person might not be able to detect the clicking and micro pauses during a normal song, but I know i could in my high end system, especially after all this nonsense i would be passively listening for it.
Conclusion: I suspect that there is either a fundamental problem with Android Open Accessory 2.0 that causes the clicking, or the stereo manufacturers are cutting corners somewhere, or maybe some incompatibility issue with the software. I just don't know. I tried to do more research but I have found nothing online about this specific issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok wow, I'll try to get to a shop soon& test my tablet.
I'm really hoping I can use an OTG cable + hub & then go into one of these headunits. I need the hub in my car for rear camera & SSD media drive.
s2g-unit said:
ok wow, I'll try to get to a shop soon& test my tablet.
I'm really hoping I can use an OTG cable + hub & then go into one of these headunits. I need the hub in my car for rear camera & SSD media drive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah OTG >> USB DAC is what im going to have to do too, unless i find a fix for the clicks.
This post could help: http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/5430#post_10929191
ibCurlyFry said:
Yeah OTG >> USB DAC is what im going to have to do too, unless i find a fix for the clicks.
This post could help: http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/5430#post_10929191
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do actually have a Hifimediy u2 USB DAC.
I'm hoping to go from nexus 7>otg>hub>straight into the AOA 2.0 receiver.
If not my backup will be the USB DAC into a Pioneer 80prs.
Anybody have input?
What would be better in terms of sound quality?
-The aoa 2.0 allows me USB streaming digital into HU
vs
-USB DAC (by passing internal DAC) into Pioneer 80PRS (Amazing Sound quality HU for 250$) but this will have to be done via AUX.
Does the fact I have to use AUX even matter? will it degrade the quality?
s2g-unit said:
I do actually have a Hifimediy u2 USB DAC.
I'm hoping to go from nexus 7>otg>hub>straight into the AOA 2.0 receiver.
If not my backup will be the USB DAC into a Pioneer 80prs.
Anybody have input?
What would be better in terms of sound quality?
-The aoa 2.0 allows me USB streaming digital into HU
vs
-USB DAC (by passing internal DAC) into Pioneer 80PRS (Amazing Sound quality HU for 250$) but this will have to be done via AUX.
Does the fact I have to use AUX even matter? will it degrade the quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know using straight AUX from the device tremendously reduces sound quality due to the device acting as a crappy DAC, then sending the audio signal through the AUX to the unit.
But if it goes to a separate DAC then through AUX, i dont know. I would like to find out also
ibCurlyFry said:
I know using straight AUX from the device tremendously reduces sound quality due to the device acting as a crappy DAC, then sending the audio signal through the AUX to the unit.
But if it goes to a separate DAC then through AUX, i dont know. I would like to find out also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've posted on a few car audio boards. Nobody seems to ask this in the past becasue everybody in the past used ipod via usb. Bluetooth if they dont care about quality.
I think in most cases like you said, the response was negative to using AUX but thats because of the headphone jack / internal DAC as you know.
I'm just curious like you to know how much we would loose by using AUX. Maybe some will say it's because of another D/A conversion but can anybody really tell? I'll wait for some answers.
In regards to the OP, if you have a high end car system, why not shell out for an Android Auto head unit? The data for music is sent via USB I'm pretty sure as I can tell a clear difference between my Kenwood's BT vs AA.
(I suppose flac files are an issue but you mentioned spotify, which does have AA support)
Soul0Reaper said:
In regards to the OP, if you have a high end car system, why not shell out for an Android Auto head unit? The data for music is sent via USB I'm pretty sure as I can tell a clear difference between my Kenwood's BT vs AA.
(I suppose flac files are an issue but you mentioned spotify, which does have AA support)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't get why you think he needs an Android Auto Setup?
Double DIN radio are more for toys. They don't have the EQ or processing power of single DIN's.
s2g-unit said:
I don't get why you think he needs an Android Auto Setup?
Double DIN radio are more for toys. They don't have the EQ or processing power of single DIN's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh... I never said that he "needed" AA. I am certainly not an expert on head units and am not a claimed audiophile but based on what the requirements were, I don't see a reason why AA can't work. It is simpler to setup, includes spotify support, as well as a more cohesive and unified interface. Based on the issues getting audio over USB to work I think AA is a good alternative.
I'm not sure how DDs have less processing power but if you need such a thing, just add a DSP. I personally am fine with just an amp. Seems very extreme to claim them as toys. I wouldn't be so prejudiced...
Soul0Reaper said:
In regards to the OP, if you have a high end car system, why not shell out for an Android Auto head unit? The data for music is sent via USB I'm pretty sure as I can tell a clear difference between my Kenwood's BT vs AA.
(I suppose flac files are an issue but you mentioned spotify, which does have AA support)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Main reasons:
-Touch screens are difficult to operate while driving
-My car would need modifications to install a double din
-And of course the price. I do have a quite high end system, but It is extremely cost efficient.
I believe AA is a waste of money if all you care about is sound quality because the cheapest solution for usb quality app radio is still just a $70 head unit and a used ipod touch for $50.
This is what I had before I heard about these new head units that still cost $70 but allow usb connection to android with aoa so I could potentially get rid of the ipod and just use my phone, but it hasn't worked out so far lol.
ibCurlyFry said:
Conclusion: I suspect that there is either a fundamental problem with Android Open Accessory 2.0 that causes the clicking, or the stereo manufacturers are cutting corners somewhere, or maybe some incompatibility issue with the software. I just don't know. I tried to do more research but I have found nothing online about this specific issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOA only supports 44.1 KHz sampling rate. Maybe a re-sampling issue.
To test I'd try 44.1 source material on a device that is native 44.1.
Note also that Google considers AOA deprecated and discourages it's further use. Very few people used it so Google may not bother fixing bugs, and it may not be a part of their Compatibility Test Suite..
mikereidis said:
AOA only supports 44.1 KHz sampling rate. Maybe a re-sampling issue.
To test I'd try 44.1 source material on a device that is native 44.1.
Note also that Google considers AOA deprecated and discourages it's further use. Very few people used it so Google may not bother fixing bugs, and it may not be a part of their Compatibility Test Suite..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, ill test the sampling rate theory
And its crazy that these head units that support aoa didnt come out until mid-late last year... The stereo companies need to get on track with google and take a break from suckling the teet of Apple
ibCurlyFry said:
Thanks for the info, ill test the sampling rate theory
And its crazy that these head units that support aoa didn't come out until mid-late last year... The stereo companies need to get on track with google and take a break from suckling the teet of Apple
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the shops near me have any of these HU's setup. I'll wait a 1-2 weeks for other peoples developments. If its still the same , I'll just buy a Pioneer 80PRS.
s2g-unit said:
None of the shops near me have any of these HU's setup. I'll wait a 1-2 weeks for other peoples developments. If its still the same , I'll just buy a Pioneer 80PRS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres actually alot more than i thought, heres a more complete list:
JVC models: http://www.jvc.net/cs/car/firmware/2014/aoa/
Kenwood models: http://www.kenwood.com/cs/ce/aoa2/
Pioneer models: DEH X2800UI, X32800UI, X3800S, X4800BT, X5800HD, X6800BT, MVH X380BT
ibCurlyFry said:
Main reasons:
-Touch screens are difficult to operate while driving
-My car would need modifications to install a double din
-And of course the price. I do have a quite high end system, but It is extremely cost efficient.
I believe AA is a waste of money if all you care about is sound quality because the cheapest solution for usb quality app radio is still just a $70 head unit and a used ipod touch for $50.
This is what I had before I heard about these new head units that still cost $70 but allow usb connection to android with aoa so I could potentially get rid of the ipod and just use my phone, but it hasn't worked out so far lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed that is a good point. My unit basically cost the same as what I paid for my speakers and amp. I wish you luck on finding a solution!
With more research i concluded that in the following connection:
Device > USB OTG > DAC > AUX > Head Unit
The aux will not effect the sound quality, but this connection will only be on par with USB if the external DAC is capable of grater or equal sound quality of the Head Unit DAC, AND if the AUX cable is of good quality as well.
That being said, i also concluded that depending on the bit rate of the audio, and the quality of your hardware, bluetooth quality might be indistinguishable from USB, especially in the sound environment of a car. But you would have to test that yourself.
I will be going for the external DAC
ibCurlyFry said:
With more research i concluded that in the following connection:
Device > USB OTG > DAC > AUX > Head Unit
The aux will not effect the sound quality, but this connection will only be on par with USB if the external DAC is capable of grater or equal sound quality of the Head Unit DAC, AND if the AUX cable is of good quality as well.
That being said, i also concluded that depending on the bit rate of the audio, and the quality of your hardware, bluetooth quality might be indistinguishable from USB, especially in the sound environment of a car. But you would have to test that yourself.
I will be going for the external DAC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have one more shop to check out this week hopefully. I want to test these AOA 2.0 headunits myself with otg cable + usb hub to see if I can still control the tabelt via headunit + test for the problems you had.
s2g-unit said:
I have one more shop to check out this week hopefully. I want to test these AOA 2.0 headunits myself with otg cable + usb hub to see if I can still control the tabelt via headunit + test for the problems you had.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds good
Just note the problems i had were occurring when i connected to a AOA 2.0 compatible head unit only via USB (USB A to micro USB).
Not with USB OTG or a USB hub. Idk if it works that way, but let me know

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