iPod Questions about Remote.app...

[Baron58]

I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch handy to test this, so please help me out with some info if you can.

The setup would be:
- iTunes running on a MacBook
- an AirPort Express conneced to the stereo amp
- Remote.app on an iPhone


1. Does the Mac have to be awake, or will Remote.app trigger a 'wake-on-LAN' event to wake it up if it's asleep?

2. Does iTunes have to be open already, or will Remote.app launch it automatically?

3. Does Remote.app let you control more than one iTunes library? For example, can my g/f use her iPhone to control her Macbook's music or my Macbook's music, whichever she prefers to listen to at the time?

4. Do you have to have the AirTunes speakers already selected in iTunes, or can you pick where you want the output to go from Remote.app on the iPhone? For example, we usually don't have either of our computers set to use the AirTunes speakers, so it would be cool if she could pick that from Remote.app without having to run upstairs and change the setting.


Best-case scenario: She opens up Remote.app, picks her computer (which is asleep upstairs). Her computer wakes up, launches iTunes, and she uses Remote.app to select that she wants the output to go only to the remote speakers in the living room.

Is that possible?

 

[fireshot91]

I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch handy to test this, so please help me out with some info if you can.

The setup would be:
- iTunes running on a MacBook
- an AirPort Express conneced to the stereo amp
- Remote.app on an iPhone


1. Does the Mac have to be awake, or will Remote.app trigger a 'wake-on-LAN' event to wake it up if it's asleep?

2. Does iTunes have to be open already, or will Remote.app launch it automatically?

3. Does Remote.app let you control more than one iTunes library? For example, can my g/f use her iPhone to control her Macbook's music or my Macbook's music, whichever she prefers to listen to at the time?

4. Do you have to have the AirTunes speakers already selected in iTunes, or can you pick where you want the output to go from Remote.app on the iPhone? For example, we usually don't have either of our computers set to use the AirTunes speakers, so it would be cool if she could pick that from Remote.app without having to run upstairs and change the setting.


Best-case scenario: She opens up Remote.app, picks her computer (which is asleep upstairs). Her computer wakes up, launches iTunes, and she uses Remote.app to select that she wants the output to go only to the remote speakers in the living room.

Is that possible?

1) the mac does not have to be awake
2)iTunes does have to be open, it can be paused on a song though
3)It can control more than 1 iTunes library, when you start it, it shows you the options
4)You have to have the speaker already set up in iTunes.

 

[sandman42]

4)You have to have the speaker already set up in iTunes.

I don't think this is the right answer for the question the OP was asking. You can change the speaker setting from the Remote app without having to go to the computer.

You do have to initially configure iTunes to recognize that the AirTunes speakers are available on your network, but once you do that you can use the Remote app to remotely select which speakers play the music. While music is playing, single tap the screen on the Remote App and you'll get a 'Speakers' button. Tap that, and you can individually turn on and off any speakers that are available to the iTunes library you're controlling, including the speakers on the computer itself.

In my house I have two computers with iTunes libraries, an Airport Express (connected to speakers) and an TV. I can start the Remote app, select a library on either computer, start some music playing, and then select (on the remote) whether the music comes out of the computer, the TV, the Airport Express or any combination of the three. They all play in sync, and I can change the speaker configuration on the fly. If I select the TV's library I can also play music, but I can only play it back on the TV or the Express -- I can't also send it to one of the computers.

I can't verify either way whether the Remote app can wake the computer (I leave mine on), but I do know it won't launch iTunes if it's not already running. I leave my 'main' computer on all the time as it serves as the music and video 'server' for the house. If you were to do that, I think you'd be very happy with how the Remote app works on your system.

 

[Baron58]

1) the mac does not have to be awake
2)iTunes does have to be open, it can be paused on a song though
3)It can control more than 1 iTunes library, when you start it, it shows you the options
4)You have to have the speaker already set up in iTunes.

I don't think this is the right answer for the question the OP was asking. You can change the speaker setting from the Remote app without having to go to the computer.

You do have to initially configure iTunes to recognize that the AirTunes speakers are available on your network, but once you do that you can use the Remote app to remotely select which speakers play the music. While music is playing, single tap the screen on the Remote App and you'll get a 'Speakers' button. Tap that, and you can individually turn on and off any speakers that are available to the iTunes library you're controlling, including the speakers on the computer itself.

Thank you both. It looks like the only thing it won't do is launch iTunes (WTF? Hey Apple, how about using your own "remote apple events" API to launch the app?!?) To get around that, I'll just have to include MochaVNC Lite into the mix so she can connect to her machine and launch iTunes before using Remote.app. If we both share our libraries, then either one of us can have access to all of our music from either computer. The iTunes/Airport Express part is already set up. I'll set up her iPhone tonight.

Thanks again.

 

[sandman42]

This may already be what you mean, but you don't have to share the libraries so that each computer can access the other computer's library -- if you have both computers on and running iTunes (which would be necessary for sharing anyway), you can use the Remote app to directly control each computer and its own library. You would select each library within the Remote app.

Using a VNC to launch iTunes should work well, as long as the Touch/iPhone can in fact wake the computer. I'm still not sure of that part. I just tried using Mocha VNC Lite to wake my MacBook, and it didn't work. Please let us know if/how you get it working. Good luck!

 

[Baron58]

This may already be what you mean, but you don't have to share the libraries so that each computer can access the other computer's library -- if you have both computers on and running iTunes (which would be necessary for sharing anyway), you can use the Remote app to directly control each computer and its own library. You would select each library within the Remote app.

Right, but if she can connect to my iTunes shared library, and play it via her computer, then she only needs to connect to one machine with MochaVNC Lite (hers). And doesn't need my account password.

 

[sandman42]

Right, but if she can connect to my iTunes shared library, and play it via her computer, then she only needs to connect to one machine with MochaVNC Lite (hers).

I see what you're trying to do, but now that I think about it (and I just checked with my Touch and my MacBook), there doesn't seem to be a way to access a shared library on one computer (e.g. yours) when controlling another computer (e.g. hers) using the Remote app. Not that it couldn't be done, but I think it's just too convoluted for the interface in the Remote app.

To test, here's what I did: I launched the Remote app on my Touch, selected my MacBook's library, then tried to access the shared library on my other (desktop) computer. Couldn't do it. I could have, however, used the Remote app to control my desktop's library directly, which may be what you'll need to have her do. In other words, you may have to set up the Remote app so that it can access iTunes on either her computer or yours, and run the music directly on the selected computer. I'm pretty sure you can do this without having to permit any other access to your computer. That is to say she wouldn't need to VNC or otherwise log in to your computer in any other way, but she could send commands to iTunes on it. iTunes would have to be running on your computer already, but that would also be necessary for her to have access to your library if you shared it.

Hope that's all helpful and makes some kind of sense. You may just need to fire it all up and see what you can do. It's a pretty capable system, but it does seem to have a shortcoming in the shared library department. Let us know how it works out for you. Best of luck.

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

I hope on the next version of remote and/or iTunes, Apple will incorporate a remote wake up facility for iTunes library. It somewhat negates the advantage of having a remote facility for the library if you physically have to go and open it on the remote Mac first. Apart from that - what a great App it is.

I hardly ever use my Musical Fidelity CD player now, although when I do, I can notice that the quality is better than sending the uncompressed digital files from my iMac to a Time Capsule via Ethernet cables and from there wirelessly to an Airport Express. It leaves the Airport Express on a S/PDIF optical cable to a heavily modified Audio Alchemy DAC and thence to my audio system. Too many stages I suspect.

Wilson