Plex on Amazon Fire HD 8

[simbun]

I'm using my NVIDIA Shield Pro as Plex server with UPNP enabled. My Wiim devices (mini, Pro and Amp) see the server. You must browse through folders it's the only thing.

Is the app called Plex Media Server? I don't see that app on my phone but I do on the shield so maybe it's limited to more capable hardware.
If it's limited to folder browsing though I'd be more inclined to use KODI.

 

[Jutriana]

Is the app called Plex Media Server? I don't see that app on my phone but I do on the shield so maybe it's limited to more capable hardware.
If it's limited to folder browsing though I'd be more inclined to use KODI.

Yes, it's Plex Media Server

 

[simbun]

Yes, it's Plex Media Server

I just tried it. It's not very intuitive as you have to configure it from the web interface.

I put some albums onto a USB key and had Plex index them. I then looked at the WiiM Home App and saw the standard Plex indexes, so I'm not sure why you say it's limited to folder browsing.

Interestingly as I browse Plex in the WiiM Home app there's a 'Find in Albums' search bar at the top, which is specific to Plex. Looks like there's some Plex specific integration there...

 

[d6jg]

I just tried it. It's not very intuitive as you have to configure it from the web interface.

I put some albums onto a USB key and had Plex index them. I then looked at the WiiM Home App and saw the standard Plex indexes, so I'm not sure why you say it's limited to folder browsing.

Interestingly as I browse Plex in the WiiM Home app there's a 'Find in Albums' search bar at the top, which is specific to Plex. Looks like there's some Plex specific integration there...

Plex is a bit of a strange beast.

In some ways it is quite good and in other ways poor.
I use it for playing ripped BluRay/DVD's but until I got hold of a WiiM I had never really used it in earnest for music. I still don't.
It is DLNA capable (needs enabling) for legacy reasons and a relatively poor implementation but using it with the Plex client gives a Roonish experience.

However only in the last few days I have been experimenting with Plexamp (free). As I use an iPhone and my car has CarPlay I recently tried Plexamp as a means of streaming my own library in the car. Although navigation of the interface is limited, playing by album works nicely in the car. The app can be configured for bitrate over 4G etc. No port forwarding required. I am not sure quite how it has been implemented - there must be some Wireguard like zero config VPN established between the server and the iPhone. Very early days though.

Overall I consider Plex to be great for Films/Movies but not for audio.

 

[CrystalGipsy]

You cannot do this, Plex requires a server setup to this you can’t run Plex server on a tablet.

 

[Rnspears]

So not sure if I should start a new thread but I will give this a try. I purchased the WiiM and it is set up and working generally. I have the Wiim Home app and it plays music on my iPhone via the WiiM to my Receiver Amp via Optical. However the Wiim Home app doesn't seem to recognize the stored files on my Fire HD 8. I am using Bubble UPnp on the Amazon Fire HD. The mConnect app on my Iphone sees the Bubble UPnp server software on the Amazon Fire HD and plays the music fine. However the WiiM Home App doesn't show the Bubble UPnp server under MyMusic where I was told it should show. I also checked under Home Music Share and still Bubble UPnp doesnt show up. I can play my music on my iPhone via Wiim Home app and plays fine on my receiver Amp.

So here is the weird thing. If I play music on my Amazon Fire HD 8 via the Bubble UPnp app it plays on the receiver amp via the WiiM Pro. But I have to select the music from the Fire HD 8 via Bubble UPnp. So I am using the WiiM Home app to configure and set up in inputs and outputs etc but it still doesnt give me access to see or play the music directly from the WiiM Home app. I have to use the Amazon Fire HD 8.

Sorry this is hard to explain. So any thoughts of why I can''t see and play my music directly from the WiiM Home App but when I play songs via the HD8 via Bubble UPnp it plays via the WiiM pro.

My point is I would like to see and control the music from WiiM Pro directly.

Thanks. Rick

 

[simbun]

If you close the BubbleUPnP app (More > Exit) on the tablet, then open the WiiM Home App on your phone and browse to the Home Music Share, and finally open the BubbleUPnP app on the tablet does it appear?

I use the BubbleUPnP Server product (not a media server) and have noticed that the WiiM Home app rarely picks it up - although of course during my testing now it's picking it up all the time - unless I enable it whilst the WiiM app is open.

 

[Rnspears]

If you close the BubbleUPnP app (More > Exit) on the tablet, then open the WiiM Home App on your phone and browse to the Home Music Share, and finally open the BubbleUPnP app on the tablet does it appear?

I use the BubbleUPnP Server product (not a media server) and have noticed that the WiiM Home app rarely picks it up - although of course during my testing now it's picking it up all the time - unless I enable it whilst the WiiM app is open.

Thanks simbun. Will try and let you know. -R

 

[Rnspears]

Thanks simbun. Will try and let you know. -R

So no it doesn't make a difference and the Fire HD (or Bubble UPnp server) doesn't show up in Home Music Share or My Music in WiiM App.
However on the other hand, as mentioned, the Fire HD tablet is aware of WiiM Pro. If I select WiiM Pro under renderer it does play on WiiM and through to my Amplifier (via Optical).

There are 2 choices for WiiM Pro under renderer. The bottom works. The other (casting?) doesn't.
See attachments.
The first shows renderer choices in Bubble UPnp on Fire HD and sees the WiiM.
The second one shows in WiiM Pro App that it does see the music from the Fire HD and plays but you cannot see or select the music from the WiiM app.

 

[simbun]

So no it doesn't make a difference and the Fire HD (or Bubble UPnp server) doesn't show up in Home Music Share or My Music in WiiM App.
However on the other hand, as mentioned, the Fire HD tablet is aware of WiiM Pro. If I select WiiM Pro under renderer it does play on WiiM and through to my Amplifier (via Optical).

There are 2 choices for WiiM Pro under renderer. The bottom works. The other (casting?) doesn't.
See attachments.
The first shows renderer choices in Bubble UPnp on Fire HD and sees the WiiM.
The second one shows in WiiM Pro App that it does see the music from the Fire HD and plays but you cannot see or select the music from the WiiM app.

I tried on my tablet last night, and starting BubbleUPnP whilst the WiiM Home App was open did work for me, but only until I restarted the BubbleUPnP app then it disappeared again. I guess I should raise a ticket about it as I've experienced this problem (not on a tablet though) for some time now.

The WiiM hardware is a renderer that can be played to using lots of different controllers and BubbleUPnP is a particularly good example of one.
You'll want to play to the blue blob that looks a little like headphones (at least that's what I think they're supposed to be) as that's the UPnP interface. The other interface is Chromecast, and should work if you've enabled it in the device settings.