Audiobook Streaming on JellyBean - Solution without ROOT access - Networking

This outlines a solution to people with Android 4.1 and above who previously could stream their Audiobook collection to their Phone/Tablet using ICS or earlier.
There are a lot of threads about 'user access' to CIFS/SMB having been 'broken' in JellyBean, and giving very useful suggestions to fix this, but all seem to require a 'rooted' device. I suspect in most cases it is the inability to select and stream Audio/Video files from a networked source which is a main cause for concern.
This solution will work without root access.
Prior to JellyBean one could often point an Audio Book player to a shared folder on a computer or NAS, and access a collection of audio files from a folder on an external device. This is no longer possible for most of the players currently available.
I recently bought a Tablet running Android 4.2.2, and have tried many players, up till now, without success. Of course one can still transfer all files for a particular book to your device, and play them that way, but this is wasteful of time and device memory if you have your collection on a networked system.
Some 'File Managers' can access your networked audio/video files, but invariably will stop playing at the end of the selected file. Not much good for Audio Books.
Today I found a free App that solves this issue.
'Network Audio Player', (NAP) available free from PlayStore has built in CIFS/SMB networking capabilities.
It will identify your network WORKGROUP, and you can select/play individual files, and more importantly a whole directory for addition to the programs 'Playlist'.
The program remembers the last file and it's position, essential for listening to Audio books, and you can quickly manipulate your files. Audio files will play in the background.
The only thing it lacks is a 'sleep timer', which is very useful for book listening. All is not lost, however, there is another free application available to do this, called 'Sleep Timer'. So once your Audio Book is playing, just open 'Sleep Timer', set how long you want it to operate, and at the end of that time it automatically 'pauses' the audio play.
The 'Network Audio Player' interface is not, in my opinion, as easy to use as a dedicated Audio Book player, but not difficult. The 'trick'' is to select 'Network', then navigate to the folder containing the audio book you want to listen to , but do NOT open the folder. Highlight the entry, with a long press, then select 'Add to playlist'. Then select the Playlist option, and choose your file where you want to start. Finally select 'Playing' and all the controls you need are displayed, including volume and position sliders, plus play/pause and navigation buttons.
The above is equally applicable to music files of course.
Owners of Archos Tablets already have network (SMB) access via 'Archos Music', and this is also available as a 'paid' App. This is mostly satisfactory for Audio Books, in combination with 'Sleep Timer', but it does not remember the last track/position once it has been closed, so not ideal.
Playing video files via a Network, on JellyBean is catered for by many available standard File Apps such as Easy File Explorer, where the playing of just one file at a time is less problematic than accessing the multiple files of an Audio Book. Once Again, Archos Tablets have the Archos Video Player as standard, which allows the viewing and playing of network share files. It too can be purchased as a paid APP.
I hope this proves useful to Audio Book fans. It solved my problem very nicely.

Quick Update
The Network Audio Player now has a built in Timer.
As far as I can tell it is still the only App that has built in cifs/smb functions, which will operate on KitKat and later, allowing network access, selection and playback of Audio Book files/folders without having to download them to your device first.
Although it is still advertised only as a music player, it functions excellently with Audio Books.

Related

Audible Format Conversion Guide (Say NO! to Mono)

How to convert Audible Format 4 (.aa) to .mp3
Let me be clear, this is not a piracy technique, this is a way to use content you already purchased on Windows Mobile based phones/devices in the way you want to use it.
Do Not Steal Software or Content – it’s theft stupid.
This guide will NOT CONTAIN ANY LINKS
Audible “Support” claims that only format 2, and 3 work on Windows Mobile 5/6 Devices, keep in mind that this is because they lock down their format to their player. Format 2, and 3 are low quality MONO audio formats. Format 4 which is the closest to .mp3 and happens to be stereo is not supported…. That really sucks, nothing like listening to 24 hours of mono audio. I pay for their “service” which entitles me to 1 credit every 30 days, in my case 1 audio book. Who cares what device I play it on Audible, my media card is agnostic and does not have hardware limitations. DRM in general really honks me off, so with that in mind I went all google nuts and put together a way that works for me from a few different sources. A small guide on how to do this below:
Step 1 – Gather Resources
You will need to get the following software/stuff to make this work
1. Current paid for Audible Account
2. AudibleManager Software
3. AudibleMediaPlayerFilter.exe (Used to be available from Audible, but sadly they don’t offer it anymore)
4. Goldwave 5.0.6 (Pay, buy it, it is very good)
5. Lame .mp3 encoder (Free)
6. mp3split (Open Source)
7. A beefy Storage Card (8gb MicroSD in my case)
Step 2 – Uninstall/Install/Select/Convert/Split
1. This assumes that you have already downloaded your audio book/books and that you have installed AudibleManager. If you have not done so, install AudibleManager and download your media. Make sure it is format 4.
2. Shut Down AudibleManager
3. Move your freshly downloaded book to a different directory than the current directory I suggest C:\Audiobooks. In Vista the files will be located in C:\Username\My Douments\Audible\Downloads or something close to that. In XP they will be in C:\Documents And Settings\Username\My Documents\Audible\Downloads.
4. Important – UNINSTALL AUDIBLEMANAGER
5. Install AudibleMediaPlayerFilter.exe, in both Vista and XP you will receive 1 or more .dll errors. No worries here, just Google the .dll files you need, they are freely available. Put them in C:\Windows\System32. Then re-install again and repeat until you have no more errors.
6. Install Goldwave, it will complain that there is no encoder present for mp3, that’s ok, just install it. Now go to the program directory that contains Goldwave, it’s in C:\Program Files\Goldwave. Copy the Lame Encoder files to the Goldwave directory. Now go back to your desktop and run the install again, don’t worry just run it, it will not complain about the encoder this time, if it does, try a different directory inside Goldwave.
7. That was the hard part, fire up Gold Wave. It is a really great piece of software, problem is the newest version no longer supports this feature, so you have to use an older version. I would suggest that you register it, I did. I now use it for all my conversion needs.
8. Go to settings and configure your default audio format, don’t get too crazy here Chief, these files are going to be huge, so set a reasonable bit-rate. The quality of format 4 is not that great to begin with. I use a variable bit rate up to 192kbps. That gives me a file size of around 900mb’s per 8 hours of audio.
9. Select Batch from the toolbar\menu, then add the files you downloaded, remember they are in C:\Audiobooks or wherever you put them.
10. Wait a minute home-skillet, there are no files in that directory, change the selection to “all files” and there you go all your files should be there ready for you to select.
11. At this point it will ask you to enter your Audible account information, once it “authorizes” you can proceed.
12. Once you have selected the files, go ahead and start the processing, it will take quite a while to finish. 8 hours of audio takes about 3 minutes for it to initially read and about 25 minutes for it to convert to .mp3. I have a Quad Core (Q6600) with 4gb of ram and the software will use about 1.5gb of memory and all 4 cores. I also did this same process on a Core2 Duo (2.13Ghz) machine with 2gb of ram, it took the same amount of time.
13. Ok, processing is done, install mp3split. I suggest you split the files into 30min segments, it’s pretty straight forward, if you need help there are tons people using this program, just go to Sourceforge and look around.
14. That’s it you are done, you just have to move the files to your device of choice. FYI it will take forever if you are going to do this via Activesync (40-50min). I suggest a card reader.
It seems more complicated than it really is, once you have it up and running it’s pretty painless, just takes a while
Other Method -- The Analog Hole
*Disclaimer* this takes forever, it’s one to one, so 8 hours of audio will take 8 hours to record, plus conversion time.
Programs like Tunebite don’t do anything special that you can’t emulate with open source software like Audacity. It is very much like the olden days of yore where you had to tape stuff off the radio.
1. Download and install Audacity, Lame Mp3 Encoder, AudibleManager and your Audiobooks.
2. Start Audacity, for source select “what you hear” then hit the record button.
3. Start AudibleManager, and play your Audiobook.
4. Go back to Audacity and check your levels, make sure you are not clipping. If the audio goes into the red too often your recording will sound like doggie poop. You may have to start over a few times to get it right.
5. I suggest you unplug your speakers and go take a nap, play some 360, whatever, just make sure you come back by the end of the book.
6. Save the file you recorded as a .mp3 file, wait for it to finish (it will take a while), then split the files if you so desire.
7. Transfer the files to your device.
Pro’s
*The files you end up with are DRM Free and can be played back on anything capable playing .mp3 files.
*You don’t have to use .mp3 if you don’t want to, you could use ogg for example.
*You can pick any splitting point you like to save space on your device.
*You don’t have to use their player, which saves memory.
Con’s
*The difference in file size between .aa and .mp3 is significant, .aa is around 100mb for 8 hrs of audio, while the mp3’s are about 700-900mb. Hopefully Audible will change their mind and add format 4 to Windows Mobile devices, until then this is what I have to do to listen to stereo audio books on my AT$T Tilt.
*It takes some mucking around with .dll files, google, and reading skills, I know some people want an all inclusive piece of software that does this.
You loose the book art and the book-marking feature of the Audible Player. (use your favorite media application to add any art you want)
Bonus Tip#1 – Install software like File Renamer and cut down the filename length and remove your username from the file name, it will make it much easier to read on your device.
Bonus Tip#2 – Use different media players for different things, I use HTC Audio Manager for audio books and S2P for regular .mp3 files.
Bonus Tip#3 – Put your music in a different folder than your audio books, it helps keep everything organized.
Bonus Tip#4 – Keep your purchases DRM FREE, use Amazon for music instead of iTunes. Support the EFF, and don’t steal music/content/software.
This is in no way my work, just a compilation of other techniques I found using Google. Wait, what’s a Google? Seriously, how did you get here without using Google? I know Live Search and Yahoo are very “neat” looking, but for serious searching please use Google.
what a great help
I got to say i was kinda hesitant but made a stab at it anyway. I have the tilt also bought bluetooth headset for audio books. Went to audible paid subscription set it up downloaded it and F#[email protected][email protected] only receive book in mono. Listening to an eight hour book on headset with one speaker working is a joke. I followed your instructions all the way to the lame encoder. got a little lost just converted file to wma which i hope will work on mobile 6 i have a 8g card so if i have a problem i will split it with suggested software. Just want to take the time to thank you for the thoughtful insight on this subject. What a joke having paid for the audio book and have to listen to it in mono. The instructions were extremely easy to follow and well thought out. Except the part of mp3 encoder from lame to goldwave cant get it to work but nonetheless a great help to me and i am writing just to say thanks...............keep up the good work.............
Or you can just wait for the next Audilble Player to come out... which will have BT stereo and level 4. The closed beta is being worked on already.
I am plannng on a quick rewrite of the guide soon, I can,t wait till Audible releases a new player. I love the service, but I really hate the current player.
Well it's been years. I think this post should be deleted as the information is pretty much irrelevant. I hope it helped someone in it's day.
Thanks!
itrooper
aa to mp3
personally I think, that TuneConverter is a better software for this purpose. First of all it converts without quality loss, it supports all the most popular formats like aa, aac, m4a, wma and it can easily strip iTunes, Zune or Wal-Mart...
This is why I advice just to give it a try.
Do you have a link for TuneConverter?
I usually go the complicated way of:
- download as Format "4"
- write to CD (virtual CD), which includes the titles as CD Text
- rip CD(s), converting tracks to titles from CD Text
Audio quality is just bearable with format "4" (I guess ~32k mp3), but the path of ripping to CD is the only one if you don't want to have iTunes installed.
To deal with the Audible AA to MP3 conversion, you can use TuneFab Apple Music Converter. As an excellent audio DRM removal, it has the ability to remove DRM from the AA audiobooks and convert protected AA to MP3, FLAC, M4A, etc. for making AA files available on any media player and device. Better still, the original ID Tags and chapter info will be preserved in output MP3 or M4A files while converting.
What I used to convert Audible audiobooks is this one, but it is not a freeware. If necessary, you can try it from it's website.
T
I have tried the software, but most of them can't keep the original quality of Audible files.
Currently, I used the DRmare Audiobook Converter for Mac. It seems it the software that is most closest to it.
I will give a try soon my friend also recommend me another one calls Tunelf Audible Audiobook Converter ,seems have similar function.

Adding Multiple Songs to Playlist

...Is there any easy way???
Depends what you are using. If you are using HTC Audio Manager the quickest way I have found is to select all music from the library and then deselect the ones you don't want - if you have a lot of music tracks to select that is.
Even better is to use PlaylistMgr which you can use independetly of any music playing software and select folders or individual tracks. You can save playlists in many formats as well as HTC Audio Manager formats.
I wouldn't rely on any Microsoft WMP ways of doing it as it is so laborious and takes forever unless you do it on the PC which is quicker.

DLNA apps

I was trying out some DLNA apps the other day, as I have a DLNA server (Buffalo NAS) with some 9,000 songs and 30,000 photos. All of the computers/laptops use iTunes to access the server.
I was pretty interested that the NAS's DLNA seemed to categorize all the songs in a number of ways, and that the different players seem to handle it well.
Most of the apps seem to be capable of letting you use your phone as a controller to output to another DLNA capable device, e.g., a TV.
Some of the apps are only good for selecting and downloading a file directly to your SD card.
2Player DLNA Music Player was good at playing music files. Can output to another DLNA client. Simple interface, and allows selection of source and output via drop lists. Hit and Miss on iTunes album art, seems to be setup to not get art unless you are playing the song/album. Very quick to play, allows you to build playlists of songs and stays active in background. Only for audio/music files. Simple widget with 'now playing' and start/stop and next track control or just the controls I did get it to hang on a FLAC file. FREE and donate for karma-ware versions
UpnP DLNA Media Downloader: excellent at finding all types of files and only downloads to phone or output client prior to playing. I don't want to do this, I want to play from the server via a cache/buffer. If I want to download or sync (which is one of the functions), I can get WinAmp for Android which syncs, and has a really nice widget to play.
iMediaShare - automatic DLNA client, finds server(s) by self, needs time to populate lists and doesn't seem to cache much stuff in an intellegent manner (such as those lists) on your phone. Great match-up with iTunes album art. So, selecting an album via the Menu/Play All causes it to scan. Asks each time which device to output, recognizes Rockplayer and generic Android Music players. Asks too often and where. Should have a 'Settings' page to store/select these defaults. Doesn't stay active unless on main screen. Didn't find my DLNA photos, but did have a main page with iPod-like media on the web, YouTube, Picassa, TED, etc. I only played with free version.
Winamp Since there is a desktop version that syncs to the itunes or DLNA server, the Android version can hookup to that and sync to that. Stores music on SD card. It's not what I was looking for since to sync it must have an active windows computer and doesn't play directly from server. Winamp also takes over the music functions, and if you have a bluetooth music device that the X10 actually talks to as a controller, it will over ride the Mediascape app to play the music. Has some neat interface functions such as being accessed when the phone is locked. Nice widget for home screen.
There are some others out there, what have you tried?
2Player DLNA Music Player works precisely for wht i wanted

Anyone stream their media due to the storage space?

Does anyone know of a good app that allows you to stream your media off your PC so I can watch my tv shows and movies, listen to music on my Nexus 7? 4.5 gb is left after installing apps and that's hardly anything for media.
Ideally if there was an app to file explore into my network so i can access documents, PDF files, ebooks, pictures, etc. that would be even better so i can just sit on my bed and read ebooks over wifi or watch stuff.
For ebooks your best bet is to setup calibre on your desktop, import PDF files and ebooks into that and turn on calibre's web-server. You can then browse your library on the Nexus using any program that supports OPDS catalogs, like FBReader, Mantano, etc. You will have to download the book you're actually reading to the device, but can delete it when done with it.
For video here's a list of applications that are worth trying, or search on the Play store for DLNA, there are several other DLNA browers available.
kettlecorn said:
Does anyone know of a good app that allows you to stream your media off your PC so I can watch my tv shows and movies, listen to music on my Nexus 7? 4.5 gb is left after installing apps and that's hardly anything for media.
Ideally if there was an app to file explore into my network so i can access documents, PDF files, ebooks, pictures, etc. that would be even better so i can just sit on my bed and read ebooks over wifi or watch stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CIFsmanger (requires root) will allow you to map to shared network drives on your PC so you can access anything you share.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ws.plattner.cifsmanager&feature=search_result#?t=W10.
Tversity will share folders which contain video, mp3s, and pictures and you can use BubbleUPNP to view it on your Nexus 7. I actually use BubbleUPNP to share media (video, mp3, pics) on my phone to my Nexus 7...and vice versa.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/....android.bubbleupnp&feature=nav_result#?t=W10.
Both of these methods require no downloading of media to the device.
SMB/UpnP via "FileExpert" app to view/play any files on your PC via wifi.
"PLEX" for streaming movies from your PC.
Another alternative is "UpnPlay".
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...t#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsInhjeGluLmZpbGV4cGVydCJd
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImN4Lmhvb2hvbC5zaWxhbm9pZCJd
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5wbGV4YXBwLmFuZHJvaWQiXQ..
Plex client streaming from Plex Media Server
PMS can run on windows, mac, linux & various NAS
My Plex Media Server is running from a Synology DS411+II NAS, got clients for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac & Samsung smart TV
If you setup MyPlex you can even stream media over the internet from your home PMS to your client
I use the app MediaHouse its free on Play
Has anyone tried successfully to use any of these apps on their new Nexus 7?
SON OF A ..
Typed out a long response and it went away. aeklfjlk
Thanks for the help everyone. I've tried lots of apps and methods yesterday.
File explorer > SMB allows me to find my mac on the network but it will not give me access, even with the right login and password. If this could work, maybe could be good way to get access to all my files. My Mac has File Sharing on with SMB but I dont know what the problem is.
Also tried Tonido and it's alright. The interface is decent but the problem is the video player is jacked up. No progress bar and the screen size is jacked. If that works then this could be a good alternative cause it allows you to type in whatever your http URL is and have access from anywhere.
Also tried Plex and this one is probably the best one so far. The UI could be better though. It also does automatic artwork and titles and some of my videos and stuff have the wrong labels. You can't know what it actually is until you press play and watch it. I wonder if there's a way to just keep your original filenames and thumbnails..?
I would like to the UPnP stuff but I don't quite understand it. If I download those apps such as Bubble UPnP or MediaHouse, what do I have to do on my computer (Mac) to allow for the app to see the files? Do I have to install a server side software like Plex? In all honesty I would prefer to install a server program and just leave it and not tinker with IP, port and all that stuff.
Any ideas?
kettlecorn said:
Thanks for the help everyone. I've tried lots of apps and methods yesterday.
File explorer > SMB allows me to find my mac on the network but it will not give me access, even with the right login and password. If this could work, maybe could be good way to get access to all my files. My Mac has File Sharing on with SMB but I dont know what the problem is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you mention file explorers, have you given ES File Explorer a try? I use it constantly on all my Android devices for its good interfaces with SMB, FTP, GDrive/Dropbox, and a lot of other cloud/server options. It works great on my Win7 box's SMB share (under its LAN share option), and it has the ability to connect to FTP servers as well, which should be relatively easy to find step-by-step guides on setting up on a Mac. ES -can- stream files and play them with either its built-in media player or any other on your tablet, but I find it more useful for quick and easy copying media to my tablet for watching/listening then deleting.
With respect to the Plex metadata being incorrect, according to the plex wiki you can get it to use "local media assets".
Again according to the wiki, you do have the ability to edit the metadata yourself, something I wasn't aware of, got lots of updates to do on my library now!
I just found an app last night that I really liked using on my N7. It's called aVia media player. It was easy to set up and I haven't found a movie I can't play using it on my tablet. I use Plex to stream throughout the house and also have it on my N7, but I set up multiple user accts for the tablet and didn't want to have to buy Plex app again so i found this instead. It found my Plex MS from my WHS2011 box and connected using dlna no probs. Might be what you're looking for. It'll find any device on your network and stream from it provided you have everything configured properly.
I've had excellent success streaming HD movies from my home network to my n7 using as file explorer to navigate to my windows 7 share d network drive and MX player to open the files and stream. I also have wireless streaming working from my phones sd card to my n7. Need a rooted phone...1. connect n7 to WiFi hotspot on phone 2. On phone open es role manager go to settings>remote Settings> check remote manage and ,make phone ftp server 3. Es file explorer on n7 and select connect to ftp server, enter server address that is displayed on phone, navigate to movie files on phone sd card, play, stream to N7 begins.
One app I use is PlayOn. You do have to pay for it, but you can get a free trial for a couple of weeks I think.
It will stream video, pics, and music. After you connect once from your home WiFi, it will then connect from the Internet thereafter - Almost no set up required. A bonus is you can stream REGULAR Hulu. You can use it with PS3, Xbox, and Roku to your TV as well.
They have a lifetime subscription available, and often put it on sale

Downloading Files Through The Browser/Apps On WP8?

I remember reading a article that windows phone 8 has a new api out that for example would let u download a mp3 through the browser and add it to your media library on the device without needing to sync w/ a computer to do this.
has anyone tested this out yet? is it possible?
also if this is possible would i be possible for us to have a winrar/winzip app on wp8 now and download those file types and add the contents to our media library all on the device? or even a file explorer of some sorts since we are now able to send/receive music files from what ive been reading
heres a article on apps adding music/media into the music hub
Windows Phone 8 has new API for loading music from Apps into the Music Hub | WMPoweruser
"Winphoneviet, who leaked the most recent Windows Phone 8 SDK, reports that the SDK has new APIs, including one called SaveSongOperation which allows one to load music into the Xbox Music Library, just like developers can now save pictures to the Picture Hub.
The freedom would for example allow developers to download music from the internet and add it to the music bug, or transfer music via Bluetooth and do the same."
I tried to download an MP3 from sound cloud trought Internet explorer on my lumia and it only streamed the file,it wouldn't let me download it in order to save it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Indeed...
I just did a standard "press and hold" and there was no download option (open in a new tab, copy link, and share link).
That is very disappointing.
JJ

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