Customisation Of Bluetooth AVRCP Media Controls

[marc3]

Thanks for a superb music player - I think its the best one I have tried, and the only one that can handle very large numbers of files without any fuss - and gapless too - great!

This is the first of two requests I would like to make. (Other posted separately in this Forum)

I would like to see a feature to allow the user to modify bluetooth playback AVRCP media control assignments - e.g. when using GMMP with a car stereo.

At the moment bluetooth playback and control operates exactly as intended, with the car stalk controls through AVRCP 1.0+ giving the following functions:

MEDIA_PLAY
MEDIA_PAUSE
MEDIA_STOP
MEDIA_NEXT_TRACK
MEDIA_PREVIOUS_TRACK
MEDIA_REWIND
MEDIA_FAST_FORWARD

However would it be possible to allow the user to reassign AVRCP controls in preferences so that MEDIA_REWIND for instance can be assigned to perform a different function in GMMP such as PLAY_RANDOM_ALBUM or PLAY_NEXT_ALBUM or PLAY_PREVIOUS_ALBUM, etc, e.g.


PREFERENCES->NOW PLAYING->AVRCP MEDIA CONTROLS:

MEDIA_NEXT_TRACK
Play Next Track

MEDIA_PREVIOUS_TRACK
Play Previous Track

MEDIA_REWIND
Play Next Folder

MEDIA_FAST_FORWARD
Play Random Album


This could give a similar functionality to the 'Customize Gestures' section in 'Now Playing' for the AVRCP controls, in particular FAST_FORWARD and REWIND which I find are of little use for listening to music and thus are wasted AVRCP functionality which could be put to better use. In practical use in a car I have found the current AVRCP next/previous track/stop/start functionality is not enough to navigate a large collection if the android device screen is not accessible - e.g. device is in a pocket, glove box, sat nav app is running, etc. Could also help with safer driving.

Is this technically possible?

Thanks

[GoneMAD]

yea that should be relatively straight forward to implement. There is already something pretty similar for single button headset controls that lets you assign actions to single double triple press etc.

[marc3]

Thanks. I didn't understand what the single button headset control option was for.

Have now tried it out on my car stereo and it works well, giving access to track, folder, random album selection, etc. from a single button and without having to use the android device screen.

Unfortunately using this option means that the steering wheel/stalk controls (and forward/reverse buttons on the headunit) are disabled - it seems one must choose between single and multi-button use, with only the single having the option to assign actions.

So it would be great if it were possible to either have both control options available simultaneously, with each having assignable actions, or of course, again as suggested above an option to assign different actions to the standard multi-button AVRCP setup.

Hope you like this idea. For now though I'm sure I'll manage with the single button option.

Thanks again for a fantastic app!

[GoneMAD]

yup im going to make it separate for AVRCP controls.. i was just using the single button mode as an example since most of the code would be very similar

[marc3]

Fantastic - look forward to it. Thank You!

[GoneMAD]

1.4 beta 4 will allow you to assign next track, prev track, fast forward, rewind, and stop to a custom action (the same actions assignable in single button mode)

I just got done coding it

[teorouge]

This is great, will I be able to double click on bt volume up to skip track and by volume down to get back? Maybe triple to play/pause as well? New Logitech mobile BOOMBOX doesn't offer real track control, only volume. That would be a huge workaround for the problem.

[GoneMAD]

i didnt add anything for multiple presses on any of the button, just to customize the single presses.. could probably add support for multi presses in the future tho

[teorouge]

Really hope you can do that, you'd fix one of the greatest shortcomings of an otherwise great device, even if that isn't even yours.

[marc3]

Thank you for the new 'Media Button Actions' option implemented in v.1.4 Beta4b to enhance the AVRCP functionality. Works great in my car setup - having the use of the single and multi button actions at the same time gives great potential to control the player whilst driving.

However would it be possible to add the action 'Play Random (Track)' to the list of available actions that can be assigned to each of the single/multi button slots - this would allow the 'on demand' random track feature I requested in another thread when using AVRCP controls in a vehicle. You have previously said this is already implemented in the 'On Queue Completion' option and the code already exists so I'm hoping you could add this quite easily.


EXAMPLE. If I set up the following options:

On Queue Completion -> Play Next File

Media Button Actions (Fast Forward Button) -> Play Random Album

Media Button Actions (Rewind Button) -> Play Random (Track)

Shuffle Queue/Collection -> OFF


Player could be then controlled as follows:
---------------------------------------------

User is in "Now Playing" listening to current queue/playlist...on completion playback will continue sequentially through whole collection...(i.e. options 'play next file'/'shuffle=off' active)

then...

user activates Rewind Button on car stalk...

a single random track from whole collection is played...if user wants to listen to the album track belongs to they need do nothing - playback will continue sequentially...

however...if they don't want to listen to the rest of that album, they just activate Rewind Button on car stalk again...until they like something...

(Alternatively of course, they could play a random album from the start as currently implemented by using the Fast Forward Button.)


Of course it would be possible to achieve a similar effect by using a combination of the existing shuffle and play next track functions already implemented, but trying to toggle shuffle states whilst driving and not being able to see the player screen is very difficult as you have scroll through the three shuffle states blind - gets very confusing and almost impossible to use effectively. This is also very distracting whilst driving.


If you could add this option to the single/multi media button actions slots (and why not to the gesture action options on the 'Now Playing' screen as well!) I would be very grateful. Thanks again.

[GoneMAD]

odd.. i thought play random was already one of the actions.. i shall add it

[marc3]

Excellent! Are you also going to add this option to the 'Now Playing' gesture actions as well? Would be really useful. Thanks.

[GoneMAD]

yea i'll add it to all the action lists

[marc3]

Hi. Thanks for latest version - working very well so far - looks great with skins back - however, noticed that 1.4 RC1 does not include the random track feature yet. Will it be included the final version of 1.4?

[GoneMAD]

yeah.. i forgot to add it.. thanks for reminding me