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Author Topic: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?  (Read 12042 times)

cal3713

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Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« on: July 30, 2013, 01:37:14 am »

Hi, I'm going to buy a tablet to use as a JRiver remote.  Has anyone directly contrasted the two primary options for doing this (i.e., Gizmo vs. JRemote)?  I will probably decide whether to buy an iOS or Android device based on which software offers the best control.

Thanks,
Chris
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InflatableMouse

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2013, 02:11:15 am »

JRemote. There is no comparison.

But, if you're going for a tablet exclusively for Remote Control, look at Eos as well, A BB Playbook can be had for cheap. I never used one, never used Eos but its supposed to be(come) similar to JRemote.
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glynor

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2013, 10:35:49 am »

For remote control only I like JRemote best.  I like the UI better.

For streaming to the device, Gizmo has the leg up because it supports video.
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cal3713

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2013, 11:16:05 am »

Ahhh... Eos does look good.  There are too many options.  I'm biased towards an android device because I'm somewhat anti-Apple (and anti-Apple pricing).  I also feel like if I start using the tablet for non-remote control functions, then android gives me more options than black berry devices.  But reading up on Eos makes it seem like it is probably going to be the best remote app across platforms (i.e., it has JRemote's nice GUI, but with more control over MC's features, including streaming to device like Gizmo).     
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Soul_Rvr911

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2013, 03:04:49 pm »

Thanks for the kind words about eos! Unfortunately, Chris, I'm going to be able to make your decision a little easier: eos is only supported on BB10, and it was recently announced that BB10 wouldn't be released for the Playbook. But I keep hearing that BB10 devices are coming down in price...  ;D

Cheers!

-L
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Check out my JRiver remote application eos, available for Android and BlackBerry 10!
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BB10: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=79677.0

cal3713

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2013, 11:58:56 pm »

Well, that's both good and bad news.  Thanks.
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Arcturus

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2013, 03:27:45 pm »

Just to chime in here. On android you have a few alternatives now to control JRiver other then Gizmo. If you do a search on the Playstore for DLNA you'll see there is starting to be a bunch of Control point and other DLNA apps that can interact with JRiver. One of which BubbleUPNP is  very good. It has lots of things JRemote has and then some. You can paste or share/open with a streaming URL also it can work with PocketCasts to send podcasts to your big screen / audio gear. Works with many cloud based storage like Google music,Drop Box so on. Great use of gestures to edit playlists or see metadata. A notification widget as well as a lockscreen widget so you can easily control it without having to switch back to the app. Great support of high resolution displays. Also seeing as its a DLNA control point it can be used to control any DLNA gear not just JRiver. I have even used it to send music/video from my home network to devices at my friends or work place.

Way too many features to mention. It is a very fleshed out app and keeps getting better. I am a bit surprised I never saw it mentioned here.

I no longer have a IOS device and wanted something closer to JRemote and that one did the trick and more. It's 4$ but well worth looking into.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp&hl=en

EDIT. Looks like it also exists for IOS. Can't say how it compares but knowing the developer it must be as good.



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Fex

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #7 on: September 06, 2013, 03:40:27 pm »

Bubble was no way to go for me a few months ago (last tried in march), it was a bit ugly, slow, no comparison to Gizmo.

Now (Gizmo don't really works (at the moment?) with MC19) and after finding your post here, I gave Bubble a second try.

First: It works.
Second: There were some steps forward in behaviour and appearance.
Last but not least: Now I'm able to control the volume over the physical buttons (tab or phone), Gizmo was first in doing this so far (for me).

What I really miss is fading in/fading out when I choose the next track. I don't know a program/app (exept Gizmo) with this possibility (don't works with Gizmo and MC19...).

Thanks for the hint, made my day.


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sunfire7

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2013, 02:00:16 am »

JRemote of course  :)
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Arcturus

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2013, 02:53:20 am »

Bubble was no way to go for me a few months ago (last tried in march), it was a bit ugly, slow, no comparison to Gizmo.

Now (Gizmo don't really works (at the moment?) with MC19) and after finding your post here, I gave Bubble a second try.

First: It works.
Second: There were some steps forward in behaviour and appearance.
Last but not least: Now I'm able to control the volume over the physical buttons (tab or phone), Gizmo was first in doing this so far (for me).

What I really miss is fading in/fading out when I choose the next track. I don't know a program/app (exept Gizmo) with this possibility (don't works with Gizmo and MC19...).

Thanks for the hint, made my day.
I find they look similar (All three are apps with a dark background that list your media with cover art and some play controls) but looks are a matter of taste anyway. As a graphic and web designer there is not much to any of them graphically. But since you mention it the play pause stop next previous buttons themselves in gizmo from a distance look like 5 white squares because there is not enough contrast between the background of the button and icon on them. If you look at how those buttons look on JRemote or Bubble you see they made them Bright on Dark so its easy to see from a distance,A few feet (or when you are a bit drunk) And then there is that black and white two fingers touching icon (sorry to say but it looks terrible especially on high res displays). These are minor issues granted but knowing a thing or 2 about android I ended up modifying those buttons and replaced the icon with the same icon that you see on your windows desktop. This is one fun thing about android when you know your way around :) Though honestly I wish they would get around to that some day, I literally did it in 10 minutes. But as my dad once said "If you want something done DO IT YOURSELF!".

As to your other issues. Gizmo works for me with MC 19, Fade between tracks also works with Gizmo (it must be your settings somewhere) I got mine set to 6 sec aggressive crossfade. I don't know why its not working for you. I'd maybe comb through your settings on JRiver and see. Gizmo also got an update and earlier today JRiver also got an update. Maybe those might help.

I use Gizmo everyday to play music at home, It's stripped down interface is perfect for this purpose.
I use Bubble to play video cause I can see the metadata and the folder view is easier to read but really its the metadata on a long press or when tapping the now playing that sold me on it. The other thing (And this is because I am lazy and forgetful) is when I start up Bubble it is where I left it. So if I was watching Breaking Bad S05E11 its right there on the Now Playing window and I can just resume it without having to remember what Episode I was on or what I was watching last.  So its like my video bookmark :)

They both have their strengths. Gizmo is not DLNA so does not require DLNA certified gear. Sometimes that can be a big hindrance with non DLNA complaint hardware (especially the router) that will slow down many DLNA control point apps or appliances to a crawl. So its great they provide a solution that will/should work for everyone no matter what you have for gear.  Bubble has some Tweaks but if your Router is DLNA complaint is should be as snappy as Gizmo. I had issues with many DLNA apps before upgrading my router to one that was and that made a world of difference.

One tip for BubbleUpNp disable the thumbnail caching. It should speed things up,Especially if you have a fast network. And if it turns out your router is not DLNA complaint it has another tweak to blast stay alive messages so it keeps the connection between it and JRiver. Checkout the network/upnp tweaks settings in Bubble. If its one thing that app doesn't lack its settings and customizations to make it look and behave as you want.

About gizmo though,I'd maybe uninstall it and reinstall if from the playstore. That at least should be working flawlessly in every way.
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uncola

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2013, 02:09:51 am »

jremote.  it's almost worth getting an ipad just for jremote
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Arindelle

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2013, 09:32:02 am »

not to put down gizmo but jremote is gorgeous and with an ipad 4 at least its fast as hell, especially with the album art
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toomanybarts

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Re: Gizmo VS. JRemote? Preferences?
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2013, 03:38:23 pm »

JRemote all the way.
Works brilliantly on my ipad1...I'm sure with all the apple fanboys wanting the latest and greatest, you can probably pick up v1 ipad super cheap...if not cheaper in a few weeks when the next ipad is announced!
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