BBC Sounds App Out of Date [Resolved]

One of my main reasons for buying the DMP-A6 was its built in BBC Sounds app.

It was working this morning but after listening to some music from my library, when I went back to it just now, it refuses to work with the following error. The update button does not work.



Please fix this...

 

BBC is basically beginning to geo-fence their streaming services, also restricting their use through their App only (a new app, using a different technology for streaming), you can read about the thinge in the following link (I am a user of moOde player, and it is affected too):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/recent-changes-to-bbc-sounds/radio-changes

 

Thanks for the link @Nutul - I’m based in the UK so should hopefully be inside the geofence.

I’m assuming that Eversolo included an outdated version of BBC Sounds in their build for the DMP. I would hope this will be updated in an updated release soon.

 

This changes in the BBC ecosystem are relatively new; where the A6 might have been designed a few months to a year back in time... they deserve not to be blamed on.

 

BBC released the app:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/getting-started-with-bbc-sounds/use-mobile-tablet

Possibly it is / will be available for side-loading into the A6. Just check for "BBC Sounds" on the alternate APK download sites useful for the A6 mentioned along in the forum.

P.S.
You'll probably have to uninstall the current one (long-press it, then chose delete / remove / uninstall), and then install the new one.

 

I'm also in the UK, and I'm not side loading anything.

The BBC App was featured by Eversolo, and they should keep the apps up to date, or make it possible for users to do so. The BBC app has an "Update Now" option, and Eversolo should make that work correctly.

 

BBC is ought to release a new app for the public, as it's them not using traditional https streaming like the rest of internet radios.
And they did: the app is available in the relevant app services for Androis and iOS.

For the update procedure... I don't know what they are using, but I have never seen, so far, any Android or iOS app prompting me to update it; OTOH they silently update in the background.

Of course you can chose not to update it, but it will be your fault.

 

MY FAULT!!! Why are you being so protective of Eversolo?

 

I am not protective, I just use my brains and discern on which side lies the fault.
If, OTOH, you hate Eversolo so much, why did you buy their product?!? Send it back and you're good to go with something else.

 

Wow, a user has an issue with an app that used to work but is now no longer working and posts here to seek advice.
A third party comments that they are having the same problem then a mud slinging / bun fight ensues.
Accusations and assumptions are made. Seriously guys?

I can't speak for every DMP-A6 owner but I could presume we purchased the product based on its features, virtues and marketing promises.
When a product or function stops working so early in the product's life most consumers would probably get a bit frustrated and annoyed. That's completely understandable from a consumer's point of view. However, suggesting someone just sends the product back isn't IMHO a constructive way of dealing with the issue. Hopefully someone on the eversolo technical support team reads this thread tries to implement a solution or responds with a constructive suggestion.

As an owner of a DMP-A6 for a couple of months now I can attest to the fact the product isn't without its "issues", that had I known about at the time of purchase I may have very well considered another buying another product.
For instance, the marketing information says the HDMI port is for multichannel PCM and DSD. That may very well be true for some receivers but not all and eversolo never said there maybe incompatibility issues with certain brands or models of receivers, processors or DACs in their advertising, the product handbook or on their website. I have two Sony receivers that the DMP-A6 won't "talk to" over HDMI. One doesn't work with it at all causing the DMP-A6 to down-sample everything to 2 ch 44.1kHz no matter what is playing. (BTW, this receiver works perfectly well with every other product connect to it via HDMI for everything from 44.1kHz 2 channel PCM to multichannel DSD from several other SACD and DVD/BR players.) The cheaper but newer HT receiver like the former also plays well with every other source via HDMI, but won't decode multichannel DSD from the DMP-A6 even though the receiver recognises and reports the incoming stream from the DMP-A6 as DSD 5.1. It produces no audio whatsoever from the stream provided by the DMP-A6. Changing the DSD HDMI output setting in the eversolo DMP-A6 to D2P (DSD to PCM) does produce a multichannel output to the newer HT receiver but it glitches and drops the audio every so often. Yes, and before anyone comments or asks if I have tried changing HDMI cables and inputs on the receivers, the answer is yes. This is pretty disappointing and annoying. As stated earlier, both receivers work perfectly well with other sources, just not the DMP-A6.

When I reported this on another forum I did receive a DM from a member whom I'm led to believe is part of the eversolo technical support team, but after replying with a lot of details of the issues I was having with the DMP-A6, that was the first and last time I ever heard from them. Pity, as this product launched onto the market with a lot of fanfare, anticipation and promise but it appears the oven to bake this to perfection has somewhat cooled.

So here's a suggestion for the eversolo DMP-A6 product development team. I believe the HDMI incompatibility issue lays with the EDID detection on the HDMI port of the DMP-A6. Disable this in software by adding an option in the settings menu to ignore EDID handshaking sent from the sink (receiver /DAC) and just output everything natively via the port and let the receiver or DAC sort it out.

 

I contacted Eversolo/Zidoo support who gave no indication if/when an updated version of BBC Sounds would be included in any upcoming FW update.

They pointed my in the direction of trying to find an APK myself that would work, which I had kind of expected.

I've had to come into the office 2 days this week so far but will have a play tomorrow when I'm working from home again.

I'll remove the built in version and start with the latest APK version and work backwards if the latest does not work.

 

I'll reply to the APP thing first:

Actually, the BBC service is provided by BBC itself. Their API is not public, hence they (some sw house on their behalf, most probably) produced an APP to connect and stream their content.
Such APP is made available in the Google Play Store / Apple Store for everybody to download and enjoy. No producer of Android devices / Apple needs to do anything; the APP meets the OS requirements and just "works". They may decide to include it in some of their dedicated products, read: Eversolo had it installed by default in their A6.

Now, BBC decides that it is not fair to have everybody around the world to use their streams, and with some "bla-bla-bla" argue that in order for the service to be good, they have to a) geographically restrict it to the UK, and b) make it subscription-based, in order to gain payments from their users. All of which is - to a certain extent - if not understandable - legitimate.

This renders the old APPs already installed on a myriad of devices useless; requiring such APP to be updated to the newest version, which is what normally happens - and is meant to happen - for every APP in your phone / tablet.

Eversolo is not to be blamed upon if somebody decides to change the behavior of some APP, as Eversolo DID NOT develop it; and the OS is meant to not even care about it, allowing the end-user to do whatever is necessary to resolve the issue, read: install the new APP.

NOW, it is true that the version of Android used in the Eversolo A6 is a stripped-down one - as Android is a sucker of resources, and we want our music to play as flawless;y as possible, we want to get rid of resource-hungry services... - hence does not have the ordinary Google Services installed; but this does not prevent you from downloading an APP and installing it, right?

So, in the end, if somebody changes the terms and regulations of a service they provide and renders it unusable in your environment, then IT is the only one to blame for you to be able, no matter what it takes, to have it working again: install the new BBC APP. It's out there, you can.


Now, for the HDMI thing:

1. it is proven working, at least when the playback is originated from the A6 itself (it being not a USB-hub, nor an audio-router, does its job as advertised, and should not be expected to route a multichannel stream to your AVR)
2. compatibility issues among different brands could be a thing, but then we need to be sure such devices implement the standards for multichannel transmission over HDMI (and so far few of them do, few others not, and the standard, IM|HO, is not even there... but this is another story)

In this case, Everolo could make some effort to expand the compatibility of its HDMI transport, based on what some of the major brands out there use. This yes. Although there are standards which Everolo might already be following, while some already-on-the-market products may not, just because by the time they got out, such standards were not in force, and everybody did their best hoping the thing would take the direction they embraced. But, again, yes, in this regards maybe the manufacturers should gather together and clarify what is, and what is not, to be used from now on.

Just my 2c on the issue, hoping not to have been too harsh; having been on the software scene for the past 40+ years give me the authority to argue in the context, I believe.


P.S.
I am not an affiliate to Eversolo, nor I am in any way involved in the development of the device, nor a distributor / promoter. Just a user of Eversolo products, like the majority of us around here.

 

Thanks for your detailed reply.

It's interesting with the DMP-A6 because in the case of the older AVR it (the DMP-A6) is behaving as though there's no HDMI cable connected to it. If I play any DSD, DSF, DFF or DST file it outputs the signal via HDMI as 2 channel 44.1kHz irrespective of the number of actual channels the source file has (2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, 4.1, 5.0 or 5.1). Connect the DMP-A6 to the newer AVR and it only plays DSD stereo files as 2 channel (as to be expected) with the AVR reporting the appropriate incoming stream as DSD 2.0. However if the source file played on the DMP-A6 is multichannel DSD the AVR reports it as DSD 5.1 but produces no audio output on any channel. This only happens with the DMP-A6. All other sources no matter what the brand or model function perfectly with DSD playback, both stereo and multichannel.

Now here's an interesting part. If I playback a multichannel DSD file from the DMP-A6 to the newer AVR even though no audio can be heard, if I unplug the HDMI cable from that AVR and plug it into an active HDMI port on the old AVR the AVR detects the incoming stream as DSD 5.1 and decodes it correctly. This works just fine until the track playing ends after which it all falls into a hole and the DMP-A6 switches its output to 2 channel 44.1kHz PCM. This suggests to me that the DMP-A6 is requesting EDID at the beginning of each track and if it doesn't receive an appropriate response from the sink (AVR) it defaults back to the lowest common stream which is 44.1kHz PCM. This behaviour is also the case with multichannel PCM via HDMI.

I'm no HDMI expert and I'm certainly not going to go out and purchase an expensive HDMI analyser to work out what signals are being exchanged between the AVRs and the DMP-A6 but to me I think the "fix" is simple. Disable the DMP-A6's requirement to interrogate the sink's (AVR's) EDID. It seems every other SACD and SACD capable BR player can successfully transmit DSD over HDMI to any DSD capable AVR on the market no matter what the brand or model is without a problem. It therefore raises the question as to why eversolo decided to implement EDID on a device which essentially an audio device with no way to disable it.

At his point in time I'm very tempted to open up my DMP-A6 to find out what HDMI chip it uses and them examine the manufacturer's data sheet to see if there is a hardware mod that can be easily done to disable EDID detection. Months down the track eversolo don't seem too interested in looking for or implementing a solution to this problem.

 

Now this is weird... extremely weird. You may partly right with the EDID thing; thou it looks to me some negotiation too, like a mess with old and new protocols...
Do both AVR report the correct samplerate? Are they both capable of playing, no matter shrinked down to how many channels, DSD at theit resolution? Are you sure there is no DoP / D2P conversion when things "seem" to work?
Anyway, weird, especially the plug switching thing... :-O

 

OK, so I contacted Eversolo/Zidoo support and they first just said to try to sideload a new version using the APK.

Got a follow up email pointing me in the right direction. The BBC Sounds app shows up in the apps folder on the DMP which is where I've been launching it from.



It also appears in the streaming folder on the DMP and was showing an update.



I just pressed the top right and it updated and is now working again.

 

Wow.
Unexpected, but let's say it all: f***ing amazing.
Happy to hear there is a solution, and let's be honest, the most obvious one.

 

Yes, I'm very happy! As I don't use any other streaming apps, I hadn't clocked the icon in the streaming folder as that hasn't been where I was launching BBC Sounds.

 

Thanks Arcticpollen.

For other's benefit and clarity, the "top right" referred to in Arcticpollen's reply above refers to the top right of the icon; whereupon the app starts the update.

I'd mistakenly just hit the icon in dead centre which didn't do anything.