Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[sarkonovich]

I've written a program to integrate JRiver Media Center with Amazon Echo. For anyone who would like to try it out, instructions are here:

http://alexatesting.elasticbeanstalk.com/house_band_beta

Obviously, you need an Amazon Echo. And you need JRiver running a music server with access outside your locale network.

Any feedback appreciated!

[milehigh]

Hi,

I was going to do this but I keep getting timed out on the last page - I am not sure if you are missing a few instructions on your page?  It seems like there are a few other blocks on this page marked as mandatory:
Does this Alexa skill collect users’ personal information? *
Export Compliance

Here are your instructions

Skip down to 'Account Linking or Creation' and click on 'Yes'

For 'Authorization URL': https://alexatesting.elasticbeanstalk.com/house_band_link

For 'Client ID': 1hiL0dwSD9yIF7CK2N2SWSxiL6zYj_AazXaEw_Q6Gck

For 'Privacy Policy': https://sarkonovich-2.elasticbeanstalk.com/privacy

Click Save. You're done!

[eezetee]

Can you advise what this is within the Intent Schema

{
      "intent": "SendCredentials",
      "slots": []
    },

[sarkonovich]

Yes.

Generally, in an Echo app, an intent schema maps user utterances to some app behavior.
Specifically, The SendCrendials intent (which is invoked telling Alexa to "update media server") will send a card to the Alexa App with a link you can click on to set your servers credentials:  6-letter code, andusername and password if you have one set up on your music server.

That information is then stored, encrypted, on an AWS server, and queried every time you run the app so that Alexa knows how to contact, and get authorized by, your music server.

[sarkonovich]

You shouldn't need to fill in all of the 'asterisked' fields. Those are necessary only if you are going to submit the app for certification - which you don't want to do!

If there's a required field missing, you should get a little red message at the bottom, informing you of what's missing.

[JimH]

Thank you very much for your work on this.

[eezetee]

Is there any chance to run a local instance of this rather than using the cloud/AWS?

I'm assuming as the Echo logic is in the cloud but this whole skynet thing concerns me

[sarkonovich]

No, sorry. The API request to your server has to come from the cloud....

[milehigh]

hi,

I am using mc18 - I have my key and the server is password protected.  When I try to enable I get the following error:  unable to link your skill

not sure what is wrong.  Any suggestions?

[QuickCarl2K1]

Went through all the setup on the Amazon Developer side and the app shows up in Alexa for me.  However, when I enable the skill in Alexa, it does nothing but show a blank page in the app.

[sarkonovich]

Thanks guys!  Obviously, something isn't right -- I've been tinkering with various things, and I'm guess I've managed to break the OAuth service I set up. (For security, the account linking between the Alexa app and JRiver requires some passing around/verifying of authorization tokens.)

I'll take a look at it tonight or tomorrow, and post back here when (hopefully) I've got it worked out.

QuickCarl2K1: I think it might be necessary to go to use a web browser for account linking (http://echo.amazon.com/), and not the app. Your browser might send you a scary message about being redirected to a non-trusted site, but you can click through to it anyway. I bet the app just gives you a white screen. (I'm using a self-signed certificate for the HTTPS, hence the scary message.)

Again, I really appreciate the help!

[sarkonovich]

Hmm. Well, it's now working for me.

I can confirm that you cannot set it up through the app (again, this is because I didn't shell out the money for a proper certificate for this test,  I just just created a self signed one.)

And again, your web browser will likely give you a message about this untrusted certificate, but you can proceed.

Thanks again,

Steve

[QuickCarl2K1]

You are correct, I was getting just a white screen in the Android app.

When I visit the link you gave with a browser, It gives me a popup, which as you guessed aroused security concerns because of the certificate.  Bypassing those yielded a 504 Gateway Time-out nginx/1.6.2 error.

Same results every time I try to enable my app.

[sarkonovich]

oops. I forgot to plug it back in. 

Should be up now.

(Feel free to send me an email, if you'd prefer: sarkonovich at gmail dot com, if you run into any more trouble.)

Steve

[QuickCarl2K1]

When I input the Media Server Access Key, I always get the message form the Alexa app that it can't link My skill.

[sarkonovich]

I see. It's another OAuth thing. The security protocols won't let me just have others try out my program the way I was hoping.
(Basically, after you enter your credentials, it's sending you to the wrong URL)

I'll have to make this program available in a different way (which doesn't really let me test out the whole linking procedure. Frustrating.)

Anyway, if you can give me the 'Redirect URL' on the Publishing Information page, I can set it up for you on a one off basis.

Best,
Steve

[QuickCarl2K1]

Sent a PM with the link.

[QuickCarl2K1]

Steve, wondering if you got my PM?

[sarkonovich]

I did. Sorry, I thought I PM'ed you back right away.

You should give it a go now!

[cgott42]

The link in the OP isn't working.
thx
Is this just to play music, or can we use the Alexa Echo to control playback of video shown on JRiver?

[sarkonovich]

Hello!

Yeah, I pulled down the link. It turns out, given the security protocol, there is no way to test this the way I wanted.

However, the app is in the process of being certified by Amazon. I had a talk with them last week, and it shouldn't be too long until it's officially released. (I hope.)

Right now, it's just for music. It allows you to play music, create play doctor playlists, add songs to the playing now queue, and voice search your library. So, you can say for example, "What do I have by Bob Dylan," and the Echo will tell you. It's pretty cool, actually!

Steve

[cgott42]

Great to hear.
When you ask Alexa to play a song from your JRiver library - does she respond verbally or does she just play it.
I'm trying to use IFTTT w/Harmony to tell Alexa to FF/Rew, etc my JRiver video playback - but it's annoying that she verbally repeats my request before doing it

[sarkonovich]

It depends. If you ask it to play something, it will repeat what you asked for. This way, at least, you can tell if it heard you correctly.

If you say "next track", or "pause", or "turn up the volume," she just says, "Okay."

Steve

[johnso515]

What is the status of this?  I can no longer access the http://alexatesting.elasticbeanstalk.com/house_band links.  I had the skill mostly defined but have not been able to complete it.  Really looking forward to this and willing to help however I can.  Thanks
-jss

[sarkonovich]

Sorry. I took down that information. Turns out, I couldn't beta test the way I'd like given certain security constraints.

The app is (still) being certified by Amazon. I'm hoping it will be out within the month. They tell me they're working on it!

Here's a short demo of it in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqBOaoEssN0

Best,
Steve

[HTPC4ME]

excited to see what comes of this.

[sarkonovich]

Me too!

After a rather prolonged discussion/certification process, it was kicked back to me. (Given how new Alexa is, they are getting clearer on the rules as they go along.) They decided that 3rd party developers are not allowed to store user credentials directly. All authentication has to use OAuth2 (fair enough.)

So, I've sent it back to them *without* provding for authentication...i.e., when it comes out it won't immediately work with password protected servers. But, I'm working in implementing the OAuth requirement as well.

I'll let you know...

Steve

[sarkonovich]

Well, that was quick...

It should be released within the week. Just check the "Skills" section of the Alexa app.

Although it's soon to be released, I'm still actively improving it. In the end, I think there are just limits (mine, for sure, and the Echo's) to voice searching a music library. For example, it can find the band Sigur Ros by name, but getting at their album,

Meš suš ķ eyrum viš spilum endalaust

is tricky   

Steve

[imugli]

Anyone else thinking zone control here?

[sarkonovich]

That's a good idea. But I didn't think of it!

Right now, you cannot change zones via Alexa. But depending on the interest in the project, I'd be happy to look into adding that feature.

Steve

[sarkonovich]

House Band for JRiver is now available in the skills tab of the Alexa app.

There's a little more information here:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=15326.msg717359#msg717359


Please feel free to write me directly with suggestions/bugs, etc.

Thanks,
Steve

[fchaffin]

I use Media Center to manage my 700+ CD collection.  I purchased an Amazon Echo a few months ago when I heard about House Band.  I really like the idea of being able to control Media Center via voice.

Is there a dedicated thread in the JRiver Media Center forum for House Band but did not find it?  Can you create one?

Is there a list of all the commands the House Supports? 

I worked repairing and programming computers from 1982 till I retired in 2006.  if I can help you refine House Band in any way let me know. 

[sarkonovich]

Hello.

This seems to be the de facto House Band thread:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=102709

If you go to the Alexa app (or web page) and look at  "about this skill" under HouseBand, that gives a pretty complete list of commands.

The basic trick to searching with house band is that it supports the following search tags (with examples):


[Album Artist (auto)]=talking heads  ("Play songs by talking heads")
[Album]=harvest  ("Play the album harvest")
[name]=yellow moon ("Play the song yellow moon")

If you don't use "song", "by", "album" in your searches, you can do a straight string search:

"Play yellow moon" will match queue up everything matching those words. (As opposed to, "play the song yellow moon" or "play the album yellow moon."

I keep saying that I am actively working on House Band, and I am -- it's sort of 3/4 of the way through a complete re-write, but time is short until December/January....

I'm glad you like it!

Steve

[JimH]

Please use this thread:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=102709