When there are multiple zones, the queue view has a “transfer to” dropdown list where you can choose to play the currently playing track/queue to a different zone (btw you hid that one pretty well ).
I tried going back and forth between 2 zones and I noticed two things:
First issue is a bug. After going back and forth a few times, all of a sudden the playback jumped to the middle of a totally different track that wasn’t originally in the queue/radio of either zones. It was pretty weird, and I was able to reproduce it again.
Second issue might just be a “feature”, but I’m not sure it’s the best behavior. When in radio/shuffle mode, the queue is empty and there’s a suggestion for the next song on the right hand side. When transferring to a different zone, the suggestion changes i.e. it’s refreshed and not saved between the 2 zones. I would expect everything to remain the same and only have the output change instead of a full refresh.
I really don’t understand the concept of “Transfer to”! Is it actually is the best way to handle multiple zones? Should it be “Listen to” instead? I.e. should the stream/queues control the zones or should the zones control what they listen to? Or should we see it as a number of streams and a number of zones where Roon is the switch matrix and I can freely connect any stream with any zone simultaneously? Who is in control?
What should for instance happen to my currently active zone when I transfer to another? Should it continue to play, mute, pause, stop or even clear the queue? Once transferred, should the previously actively zone be available for another stream of music?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I really don’t know, but to me the current implementation is confusing.
Perhaps it would be easier to understand the concept if there was a stricter server/client/control architecture.
One server which 1. runs the meta database and 2. sends audio streams to the clients (RoonSpeakers), which in turn only “play the music”, all controlled by dumb remotes. A self contained Roon system on one computer would hence require 3 separate program which some might oppose heavily to but todays concept with one single program for every thing without clear boundaries makes at least my head spin!
(If someone thinks my post is confusing, it is just an expression of how confused I am about “Transfer to”… and the Roon architecture)
Transferring the Play Queue from one zone to another is something that has existed for the longest time in Sonos, Squeezebox and Sooloos [to name a few]
So personally, I think the concept of Play Queue Transfer will be familiar to many who may be trying Roon
And certainly, it’s a feature that I think many will expect given their experiences with other players
).