trackbeo wrote:

Minor app bug: Product Settings/About still reports the old 1.11 software version #, even though Product Settings/Software shows the new 1.12 version #.  App must be storing it somewhere, because the device's webserver reports the correct new # too.

Strange. For me the app "about" page show the correct SW version for the Beosound 1 GVA.

I'm a bit confused.

The Spotify connect functionality works on my M3's. I received the updates yesterday.

As it appears, Spotify does not allow you to play to more than one device simultaneously (which is apparently standard behavior). That was previously possible if I selected airplay from my phone, but that required the phone app to be running and draining battery. Also L/R channel separation was impossible. Then came the Chromecast stereo pairing, which allowed to use my pair as a stereo pair. I thought that this also required my phone to be actually streaming constantly, but as I tested today, I can shut down all my devices running Spotify (phone and computer) and my stereo pair keeps playing uninterrupted!
I can also use my BeoRemote One, the B&O app, or any other way to skip tracks, play/pause, volume control etc.

Makes me think, what were we waiting for? Where is the added value of Spotify Connect if it already worked through the Chromecast built-in?

Chromecast works differently to Airplay.

With Airplay you are streaming (from the cloud) to your phone and your phone sends that on to the Airplay speaker. So yes, reliant on the phone being up and running.

With Chromecast your phone is just acting as a remote (i.e prompt) to tell the CC speaker to get the music itself from the cloud. So once you have done that, you can shut your phone down if you want.

Apologies if you knew all of that.

As for the differences between Spotify Connect and Chromecast, I'm not sure.  Of course Spotify Connect speakers dont need setting up in the Google Home app, as they identify themselves to the Spotify app on your phone automatically.  

There also be a benefit when it comes to gapless playback - Spotify Connect streams will do gapless I think, whereas Chromecast streams do not.  Other forum members may confirm, or not, but I believe that to be the case.

But otherwise, yes I dont have a substantive reason why Spotify Connect is that different to Chromecasting.

crossbytje wrote:

Where is the added value of Spotify Connect if it already worked through the Chromecast built-in?

The b&o 'touch to join' feature for multiroom playback works with spotify connect and doesn't with chromecast.

crossbytje wrote:

I'm a bit confused.

The Spotify connect functionality works on my M3's. I received the updates yesterday.

As it appears, Spotify does not allow you to play to more than one device simultaneously (which is apparently standard behavior). That was previously possible if I selected airplay from my phone, but that required the phone app to be running and draining battery. Also L/R channel separation was impossible. Then came the Chromecast stereo pairing, which allowed to use my pair as a stereo pair. I thought that this also required my phone to be actually streaming constantly, but as I tested today, I can shut down all my devices running Spotify (phone and computer) and my stereo pair keeps playing uninterrupted!
I can also use my BeoRemote One, the B&O app, or any other way to skip tracks, play/pause, volume control etc.

Makes me think, what were we waiting for? Where is the added value of Spotify Connect if it already worked through the Chromecast built-in?

What you describe as the behaviour for using AP2 or CC with the B&O (and other non-B&O) devices is correct - as also Sandyb writes.

This is well-known and used amongst B&O-users.

What makes the use of Spotify Connect (with the supported B&O devices…..which seems to be all now) different, is the possibility to multiroom the stream via Beolink.

Whereas you - with CC - will have to make static groups in order to have multiroom and - with AP2 - will have to add and disconnect the devices outside the Bang & Olufsen app, you can do this within the Bang & Olufsen app, via the beoremote or directly on the devices (Join). And you can add/disconnect the devices ad libitum rather easy, if you need to. 
Yes, you can do beolink-multiroom Spotify using AP. But at least in my setup it does not work as well as with the Connect version - and Android users can not use AirPlay. I wonder if there is metadata/cover showing on a Harmony/Eclipse (?).

The only thing you must do - which is the difference to using the built-in Deezer - is that you will have to choose your music in the Spotify app……once that is done you have the full beolink experience just like with radio listening etc.

In case you - like me - have one or more BV’s from the BV11/AVANT 1. Gen/V1 generation, these also can be a part of the listening experience….just like with e.g. an A9.

Some people like the UI of Spotify more than the UI of the built-in Dezzer (in the B&O app) - however, that may seem a personal choice.

 

AND - if that is as important for you as for me - Spotify Connect (and Spotfy Connect/NL) allows for gapless playback.

Sandyb already mentioned that - for me that has always been a main reason to stick to Spotify (try listening to a Pink Floyd album from Spotify either via AP or CC….that is not what was meant with these album).

So the added value is, that you can stay within the Bang & Olufsen experience  -  this might be trivial to some users, but it certainly matters to those users, who use beolink multiroom……and prefer Spotify as their music streaming service.

(Looking forward to the day, when Spotify starts their long anounced HIFI/lossless version).

All in all….there is not really anything new about it - apart from the fact that now a lot more B&O devices have support for Spotify Connect built-in.

Whether someone will benifit or not, will heavily depend on his/her setup and his/her user behaviour….maybe that someone likes to engage Hey Siri or Hey Goole when listening to music!

 

To showcase what the difference is (when you prefer the B&O experience) please look at this picture from my setup.

One showing a Spotify stream via Connect and the options to add/disconnect my devices - the other showing the same Spotify stream via CC….no possibility to add the devices directly there.

Very well written MM. Its for sure very clear for me now.

Aha, that makes it very clear, thank you for explaining!

In my setup, I simply don't have enough Beolink devices to notice the difference, or benefit from this added functionality. But if you do, well, it clearly makes life easier to get hassle-free multiroom sound. (That join button on the device is key!)

I kind of have to rely on AirPlay, as that's the only thing my old Beolit 12 accepts. 

Hiort wrote:

trackbeo wrote:

Minor app bug: Product Settings/About still reports the old 1.11 software version #, even though Product Settings/Software shows the new 1.12 version #.  App must be storing it somewhere, because the device's webserver reports the correct new # too.

Strange. For me the app "about" page show the correct SW version for the Beosound 1 GVA.

Aaaand... a couple days later it's up-to-date!  Many days of DLNA play/pause (and trying out Spotify Connect of course!!! :-) and hard app-exit and iPad power-down made no change.  But just recently I switched sound profiles, created a new sound profile, and deleted it.  So some data storage got re-cached/cleared probably.  

Also the app has race conditions with this device, where if you switch states too fast,  it starts playing but the right-pointing triangle/arrow icon stays an arrow.  So now you press the play button to *pause*!  Press it again to play, and like normal it switches to the two-bars pause icon, as it should. Staying in sync is unrelated to the version # bug, of course, but there are multiple little mistakes in the way the app interacts with this particular device's post-1.7 firmware's status reports.  The DLNA play counter failing to update from 0:00 still ticks me off the worst...  I am really pleased that Spotify Connect is working now -- when B&O finally breaks DLNA playback completely, I will be able to rely on a Spotify auto-playlist of my choosing/shaping.  A good 21st-century work-around to maintaining a 20th-century music library!

I posted this in another thread, but it may be better suited here.

 

Can I make "permanent" groups within the B&O APP. And then use spotifyconnect to play to any of the speakers within this group to play to the group.

 

And is it possible to distribute a GVA Spotify stream to other NL speakers?

steve1977 wrote:

Can I make "permanent" groups within the B&O APP. And then use spotifyconnect to play to any of the speakers within this group to play to the group.

Currently you can only do this if you have the Beoliving Intelligence hub. I agree that it would be nice to have a speakers group functionality natively in the B&O app, also to have volume control via the BR One or Halo for multiple speakers together.

I don't think so.