As for a now playing display there is a very easy solution that I use myself at the moment.
First step is to have or create a LastFM account. Then goto your profile picture in Roon, click on edit and login your LastFM account from there to start scrobbling your plaback to Last FM.
Then goto any device wich can run a webbrowser and go to https://wagnaria.xyz/… (fill in your lastfm accountname instead of the dots) Set the browser to fullscreen and e voila, a very nice now playing display.
I’m using it with my old blackberry playbook in a charger stand but it could be any old phone, tablet, raspi etc. as long as it can run a browser and has a display. Very nice for old android/ios/blackberry etc devices wich cannot run the Roon remote software
True for the Touch. However, the green matrix display from the first generation Squeezebox (at that time still from Slimdevices) was very good to read from a distance.
So no touch screen for me as well, but a nice, good readable display would be great.
I’ve owned a Touch for years, and in that time the touchscreen has had zero utility for me.
(But then, I also use a Chromebook Pixel when settled in for a stretch of purely browser-based work, it has a touch screen, and I’ve never once wanted to reach up and smear that beautiful display with my nasty greasy fingers - the keyboard is so much faster to use than pointing, and if I really really want to do something pointy there’s a fine trackpad.)
I bought the Touch because it was the only Slim thing cheaper than a Transporter which supported sampling rates up to 96k, not because I wanted to touch its screen.
Yeah. I think in general the ‘Touch’ was already a sign of Logitech not understanding the customer. Such a shame, because Slim Devices I consider them ‘the Roon of that timeframe’
Well let’s hope the Roon folk take this on board. I’ve often thought my Raspberry Pi endpoint has native HDMI and that could be used for something. Not exactly the use case here, but integrated with HDMI-CEC could be interesting.
Availability: No need to unlock, to click on the app icon etc …
If you have a jailbroken iDevice, there is an app in cydia called Appbox that will solve this problem. I have it on my iPhone and iPad for this very reason.
Ok new to Roon just trying it out at the moment. I currently have a squeezebox setup in my house which works well but I do like what Roon is doing with the UI and metadata etc. However until there is a way to get a UI and endpoint on a Raspberry Pi i’ll be sticking with Squeezebox.
I have a number of Pi’s around the house with touchscreens so the kids or anyone can use them. Roon currently is locked to using either a pc, tablet or a phone to operate any endpoints. As we don’t let our kids have their own tablet, pc or phone yet this proves to be difficult and as others have said using another device to operate your music is not always convenient. Having it available at the end point such as a pi with touchscreen is, its always on and always operating to do what its supposed to.
I and my misses use out phones to control most of it but even I find it easier sometimes if I am near to the listening zones to do it via touchscreen, especially when my phone is charging in another room.
So my pennies worth is get an API that allows a nice UI and act as an endpoint to play the music and you on to a winner and will gain a new customer, Until that day I will stay with the system that gives me more freedom. I know Roon is failry new so llets hope given time this will happen.
Have you considered running Android on the RPi then run the Roon Android app? Looks like “RTAndroid” works with a touchscreen. I’ve only looked online, never tried it myself.
I’ve not but I very much doubt the i2s devices are supported under the OS, these are essential for a hifi experience on the pi. The Pi has a very large userbase for this type of thing most of the squeezebox community is using them these days. It needs the support to do this pure and simple.
But … not so easy when using headless endpoint (MicroRendu for example). I know it is possible to use on the same zone an Android (or IOS) tablet on a support (grouped with main audio endpoint). However i would prefer a cheaper solution and form factor like Squeeze Box Touch. Perhaps emerging Roon API would permits such devices to be available.
Just a heads up for those interested in displays on Roon Bridge devices. The Roon API has been released and folks are building with it over in the Tinkering section of the Forum.
My point is, there is no concept of “same” endpoint.
You can have a headless endpoint playing, like a mR. You can have a GUI remote looking at that endpoint. They are associated only because you decide that they are.
What i would like is a cheap GUI hardware, used at fixed location, with a form factor like SBTouch or just a lille bit taller. All remote GUI functions not needed only “Now Playing” and eventually basic transport (play/pause …).
Some Android tablet on a stand with a setup to avoid unlocking the display may be OK (pointed to the zone audio endpoint) but seems quite expensive and not optimal for the functions required. Perhaps a DIY HW display using Roon API as an alternative ?
I also hate having to dive for a phone/tablet/computer whenever the phone rings or the doorbell goes to pause playback.
I’ve implemented a bit of what people are requesting here - not the display part, but the physical remote play/pause part - via an NodeJS extension I’ve written. This can be installed on Raspberry Pi (and probably other single-board computers) running DietPi. Any RF, IR, or Bluetooth keyboard - or remote that generates keypresses - can then be used to control basic transport , e.g. play/pause, next track, previous track.
It is also possible (albeit a little fiddly) to connect a Harmony Hub as a Bluetooth keyboard, which then allows control from a Harmony activity. I’ve done this, and it’s nice as I can control my amp as well as my Pi/iQaudIO DAC+ Roon endpoint from one ‘Music’ activity.
This is what RoPieee (www.ropieee.org) can offer you.
We’ve been testing with a Raspberry Pi and 7 inch touchscreen, and I’m about to release this to stable. If you want you can play around with the beta version. It’s very easy to setup (it has a web page for it’s configuration) and provides indeed the SBTouch functionality.
Yes Harry, that’s exactly UI and form factor i’m looking for, congrats !
i’m following your great work with attention.
Only drawbacks with my setup are:
I’m mainly using NAA (HQPlayer on the signal path).
For SQ reasons i would prefer no TouchScreen on my audio endpoint device HW (to avoid interferences).
So my projected setup is with 2 dedicated and dissociated devices:
AUDIO DEVICE: Allo Sparky + USBridge with DietPi as headless audio endpoint (or, even better, with Ropiee if and when NAA and Sparky SBC are supported).
COMMAND and CONTROL DEVICE: RPI + “official” Touchscreen as Roon web controller only (out of the audio path). Currently i’ve tried “Roon web controller extension” via a web browser but glad to use a “muted” Ropiee if possible.
that’s also what i have myself. One ropieee just for command and control. it can control any zone in your system, so no problem you have a separate endpoint for your audio.
