Using BB1 and NAS function in a car

[and yet]

I’ve been experimenting for several months with using my BB1 in my car, a 2020 Volvo.  The car doesn’t have an aux port, so connecting it with a DAC doesn’t work.  I’ve been trying different approaches to using Bluetooth and have made some interesting discoveries:

-       Initially, I tried the direct Bluetooth connection from the BB1 to the car, but discovered that this disables the wifi, so you can’t use the app or web UI to control the unit with your phone.

-       Next, I tried using a DAC and a Bluetooth transmitter, but found that the sound was not as good.  

-       Lately, I have been experimenting with NAS apps on my phone and discovered one called FileBrowser that provides some excellent functionality.  If I connect both the BB1 and the phone to the car’s wifi, and then connect the phone to Apple CarPlay, the car’s touchscreen displays the track info and album art and allows me to pause playback and jump from track to track using the screen.  I have to use the phone, however, to move within a track, but it’s nice to have that capability since the BB1 itself does not.  I also need to use the phone to move between albums.  

-       The only drawback is that the NAS inserts gaps between tracks, so if I am listening to, for example, Dark Side of the Moon or Götterdämmerung, I have to revert to connecting the BB1 directly to the car’s Bluetooth.

-       Is anyone aware of a different NAS app that allows gapless playback? 

-       When I stop driving, I can use the NAS to make a note of where I left off in an album, and then can use the NAS to return to that precise point when I start driving again.  When I connect the BB1 directly to the car’s Bluetooth, the BB1 will remember which track I was listening to, but always starts up again at the beginning of that track.  Is it possible that a future software upgrade will allow the BB1 to resume playback at the spot within a track where playback ended?

[JFBUK]

Hi

this might fit your needs

"Is anyone aware of a different NAS app that allows gapless playback? "

https://www.stratospherix.com/products/musicstreamer/userguide.php

[J Rathbone]

“When I connect the BB1 directly to the car’s Bluetooth, the BB1 will remember which track I was listening to, but always starts up again at the beginning of that track”

The same thing happens if you switch off the BB1 and completely power down (eg remove the batteries) - when you later switch back on and press “Play” the unit will resume from the beginning of that track. 

If you don’t power down (clock remains displayed) then “Play” resumes from the exact point where playback ended i.e. it works as a “pause” function.

Question - is there a technical reason why this pause / resume function doesn’t work with Youtubes?

[and yet]

Thanks very much.  The MusicStreamer app from Stratospherix is absolutely brilliant.  With all due respect to the Brennan team, this app really makes the BB1 and B2 come alive.  In my car, it pairs with the BB1 almost instantly and provides complete control of the BB1 through CarPlay and the car's touchscreen.  You can move between albums, move between tracks, and scroll within a track.  And the sound is amazing.

But...  according to Stratospherix support, there is currently an unresolved bug with the app and iOS 15 that impairs the gapless play feature.  If they manage to fix it, it will be perfect.  

[and yet]

Thanks.  You're right about the BB1 keeping its place if you don't power it down, but I am powering it through a car plug, so it powers down when you shut off the car.  I thought about putting batteries in it too, but it powers down after a few minutes anyway to conserve the batteries, so unless you're just making a quick stop to buy gas, it will go back to the beginning of the track when you start again.  If your commute isn't very long, you could be listening toThick as a Brick side 1 or the first movement of a Bruckner symphony for all eternity!  

[J Rathbone]

One solution would be to add user configurable power saving to include the ability to disable shutdown while on batteries. Most operating systems seem to offer this and presumably Linux includes this option. 

Alternatively, and assuming you power your BB1 from a car socket, you could connect it to a fused supply point that isn’t switched off with the car ignition? 

Jim