last played source line-in

  • 19 February 2022
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R
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  • RNewf
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I have an HD radio tuner connected to a Sonos Five, and set to auto play, so I can use without ever going to the Sonos App. I also play this source to speakers in another room. The speakers in the other room remember last played source, so I can simply play radio by touching play button on speaker in other room. However, if I play an airplay source in between, the speaker forgets the airplay source after it ends (as it should). But it does not revert back to the previous played source  (line-in source), unlike it does if I had played any other network source (eg, Amazon music radio station) within the Sonos App before playing from airplay. My question:  is there a setting to make a line-in source to have the same “last-played” behavior as other network sources played from the Sonos app? If not, I would ask Sonos to include this feature in the next update.

 

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28 replies

R
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Just saw your response Corey P. I was in the middle of typing the above.

 

Thanks, I understand and appreciate your answers!

R
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Corey P, can you pass on my request?


John B., You misunderstand me. Of course, I always have to start the Line-in source manually! I know that Sonos can never start it. My point is that once the line-in source has started it should be treated and remembered like any other source - it is after all a streaming source to speakers in other rooms! As I’ve said several times, the line-in source behaves like other sources EXCEPT after an airplay source has finished and timed out! 

You’re right - this is of no consequence in room with the Five directly connected to HD Radio. It does matter in the other rooms, where for some others in the household, it would be beneficial to just hit the play button to stream the HD Radio there after pausing it on Five, and not have to open the app to redirect the stream from the Sonos Five room.

Corey P. did provide a solution by long pressing and grouping but that plays the stream in both rooms. I am looking for “a more ideal” solution, perhaps not doable but worth asking for!

Corry P
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Hi @RNewf 

I am by no means an expert, but as I understand it this change would require a not-unsubstantial re-write of some base programming in the player firmware due to the reasons mentioned above (rather than, for example, the recent addition of the EQ button to the volume control in the app). I have marked this thread so your suggestion will be seen by the right people, but without significant interest from other users for this exact feature I would not expect to see a change any time soon, if at all.

However, please don’t be dissuaded from making more suggestions - we value all of your input! And, I could be wrong.

Thanks again!

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
J

HD Radio source is higher resolution and more reliable as a source. To end this discussion, I have 2 requests to send on to your engineers:

I shall regard this as addressed to @Corry P,  I am just a fellow user, and I am not employed by Sonos.  

I don’t think you have really understood how line in is different.  Even if the line in source is remembered, you would still have to walk over to the speaker and restart the stream on the external device, over which Sonos has no control.   Which is exactly what you have to do when it isn’t remembered.  It is therefore, IMO, a change of no value.

But I am sure it will be passed on to the development for consideration.

. 

 

R
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HD Radio source is higher resolution and more reliable as a source. To end this discussion, I have 2 requests to send on to your engineers:

  1. Program line-in to behave like other network sources after playing an airplay source. Line-in source is currently remembered as last-played source like other network sources so line-in is in a queue of sorts. But line-in source is forgotten in the queue after an airplay source stops, unlike other network sources.
  2. Program so that users can choose to have a default source first in the queue to be played.

Thanks for your help.

 

J

That does not surprise me at all. Line in is different.

I never actually use line in. Perhaps you could use Internet radio instead?

R
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John B wrote: You can also transfer audio by stopping it in one room (e.g. tap on the Five) and then a long press on the One to pick up the stream.

This does not work with the line-in source. Once the stream is stopped on the Five, then it is not picked up on the One!

R
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Got it. Thanks to all responders. 

J

Although a named group is not needed and is of doubtful value for two speakers. The principle is sound though.

jgatie

Yes, Five is set as Autoplay room. Yes, start with Five and then add Dining. I did in the App, System Tab, use + sign to create the group, which by the way works fine, if I select in the app as a destination.

 

As stated, that just saves the group.  You need to then group by going into the grouping section and choosing that group.

Use a saved group

  1. From the  System tab, tap the  group button on any room.
  2. Tap the group name.
  3. Tap Done.
J

That explains it. It sounds like you haven't grouped the speakers. You have merely created a shortcut way of selecting the speakers. You have to actually group them by selecting the radio buttons  and tapping Done. You don't use the plus sign.

R
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Yes, Five is set as Autoplay room. Yes, start with Five and then add Dining. I did in the App, System Tab, use + sign to create the group, which by the way works fine, if I select in the app as a destination.

J

Is the Five 'room' set as the Autoplay room?

Did you form the group by  starting with the Five and adding Dining Room?

Where / how are you creating the group?

J

Have you actually grouped the speakers?

Edit OK you have confirmed that 

R
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Sorry to keep going at this. I formed a group with the Five and Dining Room. But in Autoplay for the Five, if  “Include grouped rooms” is on, then no speakers broadcast when I turn on the line-in source. Works perfectly if I turn it off - Five starts playing as soon as line-in source is turned on! Furthermore, Autoplay volume control doesn’t work. Bug in my software? - I do have the latest updates.

J

Follow up: If I pause stream on the Five (tap), then the One will not form a group with it. When I begin play on the Five, there is no trouble forming a group by the long pause on the One!

I think that is what I said and how it is supposed to be. Pause (or think of it as stop) one room by a tap, transfer the audio to another room by a long press. Grouping is only intended to happen when there is a stream actively playing. These are different options and both are useful.

Also, once the group is broken by long pressing on the One, then there is no memory of having played the line-in source. I guess because it’s not really paused?

Line in is a different animal. 

R
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Follow up: If I pause stream on the Five (tap), then the One will not form a group with it. When I begin play on the Five, there is no trouble forming a group by the long pause on the One!

Also, once the group is broken by long pressing on the One, then there is no memory of having played the line-in source. I guess because it’s not really paused?

J

Glad to have contributed.  I find the long press to group and ungroup useful.  You can also transfer audio by stopping it in one room (e.g. tap on the Five) and then a long press on the One to pick up the stream.

R
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Thanks very much. Very thorough answers - I appreciate it!

J

Even more!

The real question is why the speaker treats the line-in source differently than other network sources. As I mentioned before, other network sources become the last played after airplay source times out. Shouldn’t the line-in source do the same?

Thanks.

 

Line in is different and I would not expect it to behave the same.  It is just playing whatever it is fed as an analog stream from an external device.  The only way to genuinely stop and start the stream is on the external device.  How could it be otherwise?

Grouped speakers does work.  You would set the Five as Autoplay Room, enable Include Grouped Rooms, and group the One to the Five.  It still isn’t going to do what you want though.

You can stop individual speakers rather than all speakers by using long presses rather than taps.  This actually groups and ungroups.

Corry P
Userlevel 7
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Hi @RNewf 

I think when you group, pausing one speaker also pauses the other. Correct? 

Correct.

Grouping in auto play doesn’t work! But I have grouped otherwise, and I cannot pause just one speaker if I do that?

If there’s a playing group, holding Play button for one second in one room will stop playback in that room only. It’s not really paused, as it’s removed from the group, but that’s effectively what happens. Hold for one second again to get it to play with the other room again.

Related question. Is there a way to set a default network source for a speaker? That way I could set the line- source as the default.

No, there’s no way to do this.

The real question is why the speaker treats the line-in source differently than other network sources. As I mentioned before, other network sources become the last played after airplay source times out. Shouldn’t the line-in source do the same?

Line-In isn’t seen by the software as a queued-up item - more of an input selection or mode, so it cannot be restored to the queue once AirPlay has finished. However, I will mark this thread as a feature request and it will be seen by the relevant teams for consideration - perhaps the behaviour can be changed.

 

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
R
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Even more!

The real question is why the speaker treats the line-in source differently than other network sources. As I mentioned before, other network sources become the last played after airplay source times out. Shouldn’t the line-in source do the same?

Thanks.

 

R
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Grouping in auto play doesn’t work! But I have grouped otherwise, and I cannot pause just one speaker if I do that?

 

Related question. Is there a way to set a default network source for a speaker? That way I could set the line- source as the default.

 

 

R
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I play to the Five first and then switch to the One. I want to have separate control, so I can pause the One for example but keep the Five going. I think when you group, pausing one speaker also pauses the other. Correct? 
 

I stop airplay in the app. I tried also pausing with button on speaker. Doesn’t matter except it takes longer to time out if you pause on the speaker.
 

Thanks, very helpful!

J

A further thought.  Airplay doesn’t really use the Sonos system.  You are really just using an Airplay-compatible speaker with a Sonos badge on it.  So Sonos just carries on where it left off after you Airplay to a single speaker. 

However, one way to Airplay to multiple speakers is to group them in the Sonos app. 

Are you playing the line in on the One by specifying it as the Autoplay Room or by grouping and setting “including grouped rooms”?

I think when you Airplay directly to just the One you may be breaking the group that the line-in depends on to play on the One.  Or somehow breaking the link.  This would not be relevant for other sources.

So I suspect everything is working consistently already.

I haven’t played around with this, so not totally sure.

Edit: I don’t think I am totally clear on whether you are using the line in to play just on the One in the first place, or to the Five and One.  Nor am i clear how you are stopping the music before you switch to Airplay.

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