Question

The Skill My Media for Alexa does not work with a default Sonos speaker system

C
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Please find here under the description of the issue I have with the incorrect behavior of the app Mymedia for Alexa used in an Amazon Echo 8 configured with a default Sonos system:
Description here under is based on an Echo 8 with my Sonos Port but is also valid with any of my Sonos equipments ( I have a PLAYBAR + bass + 2 Sonos 1, a Sonos 5, and a Sonos 3)

First of all a quick sum up of my configuration:
I use the last version of mymedia inside a docker of my Synology NAS
The version is currently 1.3.133.0
All my music is also in the NAS and except a very few exceptions uses the m4a format
I have a Amazon echo 8 configured to use a SONOS PORT as the default speaker system. 
I also have a Amazon Firestick 4 K configured to use the HDMI in pasthrough toward the TV set linked to a SONOS PLAYBAR via optical.

Both systems Echo/Port and Firestick/TV/PLAYBAR don’t work 
“Don’t work” means that when I ask to play an album, I have the first track only of the album, the picture of the album only a few seconds on the screen then picture goes away . 
Please note that even long time after I can say “Alexa suivant” ( means Next) and it plays the next ones. So it seems some process is hung.

On the contrary when I use Alexa with the IPhone ( alone), IPad (alone) or the embedded Alexa of my OLED LG TV ( linked through optical cable to the SONOS PLAYBAR, it works
“It works” means that I have the picture of the album during all the time and system changes itself track to next tracks as it should work.
Please note that some times it plays 2 times the same first track of the album then stops.

I have a contact with the develop team of mymedia for Alexa and their analysis thanks to traces I sent them is that this issue is on the Sonos side that obviously requests inconsistent to play several times the same track.
I cannot understand all their explanations but they asked me that they should be very happy to enter in contact with your team for fixing that issue .
Finally please not that Mymedia for Alexa is a very interesting program to use with Alexa as in France Amazon does not provide neither the Plex support or the Audio station skill

Thank you very much

Regards

 

 


 

Envoyé de mon iPad

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32 replies

K

Phil,

Yes, it is wired, and this is because in my case, for different reasons, Sonos can’t be bothered about my requests dating back to October 2017. So one has to find other ways and not be at their mercy; my way was coax wires.

The music from the NAS into the Show comes via voice commands from a My Media instance sitting on a Raspberry PI in another room, so there is no need for a PC kind of computer. The Raspberry is ethernet wire connected to another Sonos unit, and using a combination of wires, Sonos net, and WiFi, music can be played on Echo Shows in different rooms, some of which are wired to Sonos speakers.

I know you responded to my suggestion earlier that you prefer wireless solutions - in my case I have found that a mix of wired+wireless works best for me. Including the use of non Sonos components in the solution.

If the Sonos unit is too far away for coaxial wires, perhaps bluetooth will work for you by connecting the Show to a bluetooth receiver physically connected to Sonos.

Or, you can wait, perhaps forever, for Sonos to help you. I did not have the time or the patience to wait.

And as it so happened, these strategies are also saving me from all the S1/S2 nonsense that Sonos imposed on us.

C
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While at my end, thanks to @castalla , a photo of my media on Alexa in my balcony, echo show 5 wired to Sonos Connect. Brilliant, simple.

 

Hi Kumar

how is it wired ? With coaxial cables ? In this case it works because it does not use the Sonos Ethernet protocols 

phil

K

While at my end, thanks to @castalla , a photo of my media on Alexa in my balcony, echo show 5 wired to Sonos Connect. Brilliant, simple.

 

K

I am willing to bet that nothing will happen. This is a niche of niche for Sonos.

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

Do you have another non-Sonos speaker you could make as Alexa default speaker?  If it works with that, then you’d have a stronger argument to show the Sonos side is probably at fault.

Seems to me that you are getting the classic ‘run-around’ - I hope I’m wrong but passing on to the development team probably means nothing.

C
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Hi Krishma,

i agree with you and I will ask again to the Alexa team.

in the meantime as Mymedia for Alexa seems to be the sole “French “ solution, please push your Sonos development team to contact the Mymedia team for fixing together your bug

Regards

Philippe

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi, @Colette Morice! In regards to the skill with Amazon Alexa, you may need to check that with them as it’s outside of the Sonos stuff and we’ll surely pass along your interest to the team. 

It is our pleasure. We and the community are always here to help.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
C
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Hi @Colette Morice, thanks for your response. Just to let you know that it’s a skill from Amazon Alexa and it’s not yet supported with Sonos. As I’ve promised, I’ve forwarded this to the designated team as a feature request. You can control playback when music is initiated from the Sonos app or through Alexa. The name of the Sonos room needs to be mentioned in the voice command. Please remember, that despite some music services not working with certain voice assistants, a user can start playback in the Sonos app and a user can control that music service's playback via voice with commands like play, pause, mute, skip, next, stop, resume, etc.

Please let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with. We and the community are always here.

Hi Krishma,

thank you for taking into account this issus. I hope that Sonos engineers will contact soon Mymedia for Alexa engineers and fix this bug together.

 

In order to clearly understand your last answer, please clarify which skill I must install in my Echo 8 to control the music that is in my Synology NAS 

Until now, in France I did not find any but the Mymedia one

thanks

regards

philippe 

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi @Colette Morice, thanks for your response. Just to let you know that it’s a skill from Amazon Alexa and it’s not yet supported with Sonos. As I’ve promised, I’ve forwarded this to the designated team as a feature request. You can control playback when music is initiated from the Sonos app or through Alexa. The name of the Sonos room needs to be mentioned in the voice command. Please remember, that despite some music services not working with certain voice assistants, a user can start playback in the Sonos app and a user can control that music service's playback via voice with commands like play, pause, mute, skip, next, stop, resume, etc.

Please let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with. We and the community are always here.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
C
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Hi folks. We greatly appreciate you being a part of the Sonos family. It is our pleasure.

As of the moment here’s the link that I can share for you about controlling Sonos with Amazon Alexa and we'd be happy to share your interest with the team.

Please let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with. We and the community are always here.

Hi Krishma,

thank you for your help but I do know that

the issue I have is to control my music that is in my Synology NAS thanks to the Echo ( or any other solution using Alexa) toward a Sonos speaker 

as you probably surely know, there is no support of PLEX or Synology Audio skills in France. So we do not have any solution in France except with Mymedia for Alexa.

but it does not work as ( according to Mymedia for Alexa development team) there is a bug in the Sonos behavior.

Mymedia for Alexa team would be very glad to work with the Sonos team to help and fix this bug or to find a workaround but they never succeeded to have any answer from Sonos 

so please help France !

regards

philippe 

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi folks. We greatly appreciate you being a part of the Sonos family. It is our pleasure.

As of the moment here’s the link that I can share for you about controlling Sonos with Amazon Alexa and we'd be happy to share your interest with the team.

Please let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with. We and the community are always here.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
C
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Hi Sonos staff

would it be possible to get any answer from Sonos ?

phil

C
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I never said it could, I said to wire it! Very simple, very reliable.

Yes Kamar

but Echo is not against my Port so it would not some wire 

furthermore I am pro wireless solutions !

 

bockersjv
Userlevel 7
Badge +21

You could add a bluetooth receiving dongle to the port?

K

I never said it could, I said to wire it! Very simple, very reliable.

C
Badge +1

 

the issue is now how to make and speak together Sonos and mymedia !  …. knowing that mymedia team is willing to cooperate with Sonos but never had any answer from Sonos 

That will almost certainly never happen.

One solution that may work for you is to wire the Echo Show to the line in jacks on the Port and set that for autoplay. This works fine for me. The only downside is that all Echo responses will be via the Port and will need to have the Port zone powered on to be heard.

Yes this could be a solution .

or via Bluetooth as I think Port support Bluetooth 

Not a gold solution ! Echo cannot be linked to Port via Bluetooth 

🤬🤬🤬🤬

C
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the issue is now how to make and speak together Sonos and mymedia !  …. knowing that mymedia team is willing to cooperate with Sonos but never had any answer from Sonos 

That will almost certainly never happen.

One solution that may work for you is to wire the Echo Show to the line in jacks on the Port and set that for autoplay. This works fine for me. The only downside is that all Echo responses will be via the Port and will need to have the Port zone powered on to be heard.

Yes this could be a solution .

or via Bluetooth as I think Port support Bluetooth 

C
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Hi 
who knows how to contact Sonos ? I can’t find any mail details on their web site 

thn’s

phil

K

Send an email to Sonos Support; but my guess is that they will reply that they have added this to their list of things to be done in future, and good luck in ever see it coming to the top of the list. 

C
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Sure 

withboth the logs from Sonos and mymedia, they should find a solution

who knows how to create an official ticket on Sonos side ?

K

And, by the way, I suspect that this also may be an Amazon issue.

K

 

the issue is now how to make and speak together Sonos and mymedia !  …. knowing that mymedia team is willing to cooperate with Sonos but never had any answer from Sonos 

That will almost certainly never happen.

One solution that may work for you is to wire the Echo Show to the line in jacks on the Port and set that for autoplay. This works fine for me. The only downside is that all Echo responses will be via the Port and will need to have the Port zone powered on to be heard.

C
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Yep

this was as well the conclusion of the développer of my media for Alexa.

the issue is now how to make and speak together Sonos and mymedia !  …. knowing that mymedia team is willing to cooperate with Sonos but never had any answer from Sonos 

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

So, at least we know it;s an Echo-Sonos issue … 

Hope you can get it sorted.

C
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I already tried the echo configured with its loudspeaker ( by removing the Sonos Port as default speaker) and it works perfectly.

in fact the issue is only when using a Sonos equipment behind the Echo

See attached the configuration to attach the port as default speaker for the Echo

 

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