Track Time Bar inconsistency

[Andy Branch]

Hi Group

 

I have noticed recently that on the Web UI the track elapsed time bar only shows when using the Brennan Speaker option and not the Sonos speakers. Why is there a difference between the different speaker options?

Also the App does not have any time bar at all. Is that something that is in the pipeline to rectify?

Thanks 

Andy

 

[Mark Fishman]

Because when the music comes out of the Sonos speakers, it's the Sonos system that is playing, not the Brennan, so the Brennan has no idea how far through the track Sonos has gone.

[Andy Branch]

Thanks Mark. Somewhat surprised as the B2 is the device that is playing the music, therefore is in control of the music, the SONOS is just receiving the signal. Every other App that I stream to Sonos speakers tracks time. Thanks anyway. 

[Mark Fishman]

I'm not sure that's how it works. There are apparently two ways that a B2 and a Sonos system can interact, and the B2 isn't actually playing the music in either method.

The traditional way is for the Sonos to see the B2's music folder as a Network Attached Storage, anduse it as a music library. The newer way is for the B2 to see the Sonos zones and send the files to the Sonos queue.

If the B2 were playing and sending the audio to the Sonos speakers, you'd expect the music to stop if you changed to the radio, for example. Other folks here have said that it doesn't, that files queued up for Sonos playback continue playing.

I realy think the B2 sends the files to the queue, and doesn't send music in real-time.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi All,

Mark is correct.  The B2 is not streaming to the Sonos speakers; rather it uploads the selected tracks to the Sonos and from that point on, the Sonos is in control of playing the selected music until another command is sent from the B2 to the Sonos.

You can see this for yourself if you select a Sonos speaker from the B2 and then select and play a complete album.  While it is playing, open up the Sonos app on a PC/Mac and you will see the complete album listed in the 'Playing' queue.

Then switch the B2 off and you will find that the Sonos speaker will continue to play the selected album until the last track is complete.

That is why the 'time bar' is not displayed while the Sonos speakers are selected.

Regards,

Peter.

[Steve Woolaway]

What everyone says above is spot on, and there is another factor to bear in mind. You can send different output from B2 to each of your Sonos devices if you want to, and it works a treat, plus also you can ‘in flight’ create and amend groupings of those devices from the SONOS app. Each device or group has its own queue of music to be played by it which has been sent there by B2. It’s not difficult to then understand that the B2 has long since relinquished control of when a track gets played by the receiving device,let alone how far it has progressed. How B2 relates to SONOS in the implementation that does not involve NAS that we have had for a year or two, is one of the real game-changing brilliant enhancements we have been treated to by Martin Brennan. Not having a track timer is a very small price to pay.

[Andy Branch]

Many thanks for all your comments.

Makes perfect sense to me now. 

Andy