Just to say I have some python code to control Apple Music if you are able to capture the input from ML. I’ve used it with the mlgw and blgw but it could be adapted for other devices. You can get the relevant code (ASBridge.py) on my GitHub here:

For years I used a Mac Mini (purposefully with no updates beyond 10.6.8) with LinkPlayer 1.1.  The Mac Mini was in the same room as a BL3500; other devices were elsewhere in the house, Master Linked.

The pleasant surprise with LinkPlayer were the display screens on the BL3500 and the BS3000... where those under B&O PC software simply displayed "N.Music" or N.Radio"... under LinkPlayer, the radio station name or the song's title were displayed.  If I recall correctly, the BL3500 simply showed the first few letters, whereas the BS3000 continually scrolled thru the entire name.

Also, while the N.Radio was buffering up —this back then took a second or two longer than it does now—, the B&O screens displayed "LOADING"!

I bring this up because now that I have a BS5, the BS3000 sits there, pathetically displaying a static "N.Music" or "N.Radio", and makes one think that if an independent developer was able to exploit the network to its full potential, why didn't B&O do it?

Of course the downside is that for some reason my Mac forgot it had a paid license to LinkPlayer (the battery died during the 8 long years of storage, so on restart it thought we were in 2000, and then jumped to 2023)... and now the required esellerate.net servers don't work, so I can't activate my LinkPlayer copy even though I have the original receipt with a code —this limits functionality to one hour.

Yes, I am not likely to ever use that setup again, but makes one pause and think that Phil moved on (I don't blame him)... and yet the PC version of the software by B&O still works (most radio stations excepted).

One cheer, therefore for corporate products, at least for as long as the company doesn't go bankrupt!

Good morning Guys,

Still no Beoport around, it happens more difficult than I thought to get the one I saw.

Anyway, I'm still playing with LinkPlayer, since there is not much you can do with BM-link alone and because BM-link needs an Audiomaster which make it (nowadays) not very useful outside an extended Masterlink network.

First: registration.
Linkplayer 1 was a paid product that needed a registration through the eSellerate (won't comment on the meaning of this in French…) process. Today eSellerate servers are down or not working and you can not register the app anymore. LP1 still launch and work but I read that after an hour it stops working. I didn't go that far so I can't tell.
At a certain point, LP1 became free, you just needed to ask for a free license activation.
So I think sharing it would not be piracy. In any cas you can't because the registration process is down and it rely on an unique installation ID linked with the machine you install it on. In a nutshell, as far as I know, LP1 can not be used anymore.

LP2 was launched as a Beta and never make it to release. It works and the registration part is greyed out. You'll find plenty on intel on BW2 in which this extensive feedback thread.

Let's play now:
LP2 is an old software and lots of things have moved on aesthetically since then. It is also an amazing piece of software and I suppose PhilLondon (thank you Phil, if you're around…) had more to work on than concentrate on graphics.
Anyway, I pimped it up to my tastes:

Program icon: Login to view image

N.RADIO graphic:

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A.AUX graphic:

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CD graphic:

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I may need to adjust some designs, but it looks better.

Usage:
LP2 is remote controlled with the Apple remote. There is no control on volume (it always stays at 00, but I can hear music through the Mac speaker. The sound is not chopped anymore. I hope than with a Beoport connected, I will gain volume control and volume display.

I have set up 4 sources:
CD (as shown above): it works and load album and track names. Problem is that I dont know how to eject the CD after playing it. Even if I go on the computer desktop to eject it manually computer refuses because it is "used by Linkplayer". Not a big deal.

A.AUX (as shown above): from the sound input of the Mac mini. I believe you can set it up to any sound input card handled by the system, like maybe USB RIAA preamp.

N.RADIO (as shown above): it relies on a playlist in iTunes. Unless I didnt' did it well, it can be a little confusing because if you have other playlist based on music files (like Christmas songs, cocktail time music, etc…) they are considered as radios. I've also to entries that are IP adresses I can't get rid of, are not on iTunes and are silent.
Biggest problem with radios is that sometimes (I haven't be able to make it consistent), channels dont stop when your going from one to the other, they just stack up on each other creating a slowly increasing mix of echoes and you have to quit and relaunch to stop this.

N.MUSIC (as shown above): It reads your iTune library. When you launch LP2 it launch iTunes and scan the library.

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Then if you hit play, it starts to play the first album of your playlist but I can't really tell based on what: artist name, album name, song name.
Data is correctly displayed in a very well chosen font (actually well ahead of B&O itself since it his very close to the Gotham font the brand use now).

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You can choose red/blue/yellow/green mode which allows you to respectively browse  Genres/Playlists/Albums/Artists. With the Apple remote it's a sequence of key, hopefully direct access from the beo4.

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In the preference you affect the virtual sources to the real things that are connected to your system.

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You can also choose "menu" like in for the PC entry at the bottom of the window.
That will open a window to choose other options:

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These options will the appear to control iTunes directly from LP2.
I think playing through LP or remote controlling iTunes is related with DRM but I can't say.

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Web allows to browse the web, but the computer being old and safari as well, you're not gonna go very far! (That iTunes icon need to be pimped too.)

Bottom line for today:
This is quite fun to play with this but I don't know if it is really useful. It is unusable without screen and even as a standalone system like I planned to use it (Mac mini+Beoport+BL3500), that would mean powering a little of stuff to do what a bluetooth speaker and a phone do, or for Masterlink users, a single wireless receiver on AUX.IN.

Anyway, I will still looking for a tiny, 7" or 10" screen for the Mac mini.

Not sure it will happen something new until I get a Beoport.

Hope this useless yougtimer review will be useful for someone and again, thank you Phil wherever you are!

 

 

Nice modding of the Linkplayer interface :-)

Ive, got my hands on the linkplayer software and have used both it and BM link a little with the Beoport.

There are a lot more settings in the Linkplayer interface and I am not sure if I am getting it all right yet. I had some situations where the Beoport wouldn't react, but when I started the BMlink software first and the the Linkplayer afterwards it will work. Have to see if I can figure that out.

When it's working I can control the Itunes music fine

Also when I connect to BC6 with ML nothing seems to work, on the Beoport and the TV wil not respond to N.music and N.Radio or other Audio sorces,  so I have to work out if my option setting are correct for that.

Unfortunately I don't have a place where I can have the setup connected all the time (small kids), so it will be a little on/off with my trials

I did not have the time yet to read the whole threat, but want to mention that i have a PC2-link setup on a windows10 PC with Beoplayer Software. Connected to the PC2 is a BL2000 by masterlink . This is my PC sound setup.

IR Eye disconnected, Beolab back, still nothing
If I press N.Source it displays it for 1 second on the BL3500 screen and the speaker turns itself off immediately.

I have tried also LP1 that clearly allows to put the PC2 in OPT.0 (Same configuration as with the 1611, I guess) but also nothing at all.

I've used this for the IR eye wiring. Its a square IR eye (MCL I think) that works with the Beolink Passive. Anyway, I'd like to use it without IR eye, through the 3500 IR receiver…

I'va done some reading i the linkplayer threads in the old forums, and this page has a lot of explanation on how things are supposed to work

/forum/other/linkplayer-feedback#post-1950459

Note i have not read the thread to the end yet, so there might be updates to it