Having not used this app prior to the 3.3.3 Bridge II update, I don’t have a lot of history with this app. But, in the short time of its use, I can see it has some “issues” - at least the iOS version. Tonight I am getting this popup error titled, “Notice”. Is reads, “Delay in streaming or unsupported file format.” I am uncertain as to its cause but I am not doing anything differently than the days prior with the app. I am having a heck of a time keeping an uninterrupted flow of music with this app.
The other MAJOR annoyance with the app has to do with pausing the current album/track/playlist for a period of time. If paused too long, it ends up disappearing and bringing you back to the main menu where you have to go find what you were playing prior as if you just started. Short pauses, with the playback starting in a minute or two later, seems fin. However, when I have to pause the song on the phone and tend to something for several minutes, when I come back to Mconnect, it kicks me back to the main menu where I have to select Tidal as my source in Mconnect and then search for the music that was playing prior. It happens frequently and it’s very frustrating. I don’t close the app, I simply hit pause on my iPhone in hopes of simply pressing play when I am ready to listen again. Seems simple enough right? Apparently it is not.
My gripes so far relate to functionality. Seems the code needs some debugging in the Mconnect Control app. I’m certainly not hating on it - just disappointed. But these issues really should not be occurring.
Any ideas what is causing that error message above?
Please add to this discussion anything good, bad, or indifferent pertaining to the Mconnect Control app.
Having not used this app prior to the 3.3.3 Bridge II update, I don’t have a lot of history with this app. But, in the short time of its use, I can see it has some “issues” - at least the iOS version. Tonight I am getting this popup error titled, “Notice”. Is reads, “Delay in streaming or unsupported file format.” I am uncertain as to its cause but I am not doing anything differently than the days prior with the app. I am having a heck of a time keeping an uninterrupted flow of music with this app.
Yes I've had that notice rather often, it comes and goes, have never figured out why, mine of late has been working though. I would agree it's not a very user friendly app.
I used mControl on an iPad for a long time, ending about 18 months ago, and it had the same problems Jeff describes. So these are not new issues and no one seems to focus on fixing them.
After having issues with the iOS version of mconnectControl on my long-in-the-tooth iPad2 running iOS 9, I side-loaded the Android mconnectControl (v2.3.4) .apk file onto my Kindle Fire HD6 (4th Gen.) and it works like a charm. The Android version of mconnectControl (v2.3.4) also works very well on my 2014-era Motorola Droid Turbo smartphone. So from my vantage point, there is either something wrong with the iOS version that does not affect the Android version or my old iPad2 just isn’t up to the task of running the app correctly.
UPDATE on July 24th: Yesterday, I ran into some issues with mconnectControl for Android including stalled playback in the middle of an MQA album and, in one instance, a "delay in streaming or unsupported file format” error message during MQA playback. So it ain’t perfect … but at least the price is right!
This is why I exclusively use JRemote. IMHO it’s the absolute best control app out there. It’s super fast compared with mcontrol too. I suppose a downside is you have to use JRiver but I’m a big JRiver fan. mcontrol does work well with JRiver. I will use mcontrol if I ever create a Tidal account. I would use it only to stream Tidal. I would stick with JRemote for streaming my hard drive sourced music.
JRiver gets knocked due to it’s perceived complexity. I don’t see it that way. You have to crawl into it a bit but that’s true with any feature laden software program. The flexibility to make things look and operate like you want them to is outstanding.
My big complaint is their cavalier attitude towards iOS updates: “We don’t make changes to solve problems with beta versions of an OS. Usually they find the problem and fix it. You could report it to Apple.” This was posted in response to a beta release of iOS 11 crashing JRemote. The quote is from JimH the owner! It’s not true they (Apple) usually find the problem and fix it. The last two iOS updates have crashed JRemote. The JRiver team eventually fixes JRemote but it can take over a month. I’m relatively certain that the final version of iOS 11 will crash JRemote and it won’t be fixed for weeks.
Sorry for the poorly put together ramble. Problems remain with remote streaming (and the companies writing the software); however, for my money, nothing beats the JRiver/JRemote combination (excluding Tidal access).
I’ve had little luck with Mconnect on Android with Tidal - it stalls and stops playing frequently.
If I skip to the next track it resumes, but then stops again some random time later. Not reliable enough for my purposes. I can wait for Roon support to experience MQA.
I’ve had little luck with Mconnect on Android with Tidal - it stalls and stops playing frequently. If I skip to the next track it resumes, but then stops again some random time later. Not reliable enough for my purposes. I can wait for Roon support to experience MQA.
EldRick, this same issue happens on my iOS version of Control - I forget to mention this in my original post. A song will just randomly stop, not merely skip along. And like you, I have to skip forward to the next song in order to get it to resume playing. Bizarre problem.
I may still download the Android version onto my Onkyo DP-X1 and see if it performs any better than my iOS on the other issues.
So, I downloaded the Android version of the Control app on my Onkyo DP-X1 to give it a whirl. Got the same “Notice” complaining that there is a “Delay in streaming or unsupported file format” causing the music to halt. Sooooo… This problem is certainly not isolated to iOS devices.
Hello I have returned to using the MConnect suite of apps to “control” the passing of TIDAL MQA tracks to my now Huron updated DS with Bridge II running 3.3.3 update.
Following Paul McGowan’s recommendation I started with the paid ($6 or £6) for MConnect Player but following a correction from him moved to the free MConnect Control app. I am using IOS on iPhone 7 and iPad.
This simple sounding move needs a little more inspection as both apps do not seem to me, to treat the TIDAL files in exactly the same way.
The 'Control app seems to change the presentation of files sent to the DS so that it does not seem to register the fact that they are MQA. I think I have also seen some mismatching of file type on the app and a different set of characteristics at the DS screen.
Whilst the 'Player app does pass the MQA info across so the DS registers the file with a small font size MQA sign in the top centre of the DS screen. The file specs also seem to exactly match between the app and the DS screen all of the time.
I also “seem” to be getting better sound quality by using the 'Player app.
In short…in my mind Paul may well have been correct on his initial recommendation of using the MConnect Player after all.
I am prepared to be found wrong/wanting/absurd in this matter…
The ‘Control app seems to change the presentation of files sent to the DS so that it does not seem to register the fact that they are MQA. I think I have also seen some mismatching of file type on the app and a different set of characteristics at the DS screen.
I guess Ill have to pay closer attention to how the tracks are presented, information-wise, on the DS display as I have not seen any mismatch issues from Control app and the DS on my system. Everything I have noticed so far has been correct with the app and DS.
Whilst the 'Player app does pass the MQA info across so the DS registers the file with a small font size MQA sign in the top centre of the DS screen. The file specs also seem to exactly match between the app and the DS screen all of the time.
Sean
Sean,
I tried the Player HD app on my iPad ver 3.0.2. The first issue is that in Tidal, the Player app doesn’t show the Masters files as a option for albums or tracks, so I’m not sure how you got it to stream MQA to the DS, much less actually get the DS to recognize and decode them.
I tried a work-around of going into the Tidal desktop app and creating some Favorites from the Masters albums but the Player app does not send these as MQA either. Instead it lists them in the Player as m4a files and sends them in 16/44.1 to the DS.where they show as 24/44.1 and type is AAC.
Of course, the Mconnect Control HD app is acting the same way, so it’s possible there is something wrong with my Bridge.
I have used Mconnect control app (android) since bridge mqa update and I like Tidal “side” of the app. It is organized same way as Tidal desktop app. I like that you can organize your favorites “day added” way. Then it is easier to find new albums what I added to list. I didn’t find solution to this at Bubbleupnp app.
Only issues I have found so far are quite long pause between songs (even when I have chosen gapless playback) and If I turn off tablets display it doesn’t play next song.
My favorite control point is Linn’s Kazoo, which requires an OpenHome renderer to work. So I have installed BubbleUPnP Server on my Synology NAS. I noticed yesterday that the Bubble server limits Tidal to 44/16.
My assumption was that this did not affect playback when using mControl, since it does not need the OpenHome services. However, I have no real understanding of how all this stuff works under the hood. Is it possible that there is some interaction going on between the two that might account for problems such as the “delay in streaming or unsupported format” message or skips/stops in playback that a few of us have been getting? I am just putting this out here for whatever it’s worth (maybe nothing).
I tried the Player HD app on my iPad ver 3.0.2. The first issue is that in Tidal, the Player app doesn’t show the Masters files as a option for albums or tracks, so I’m not sure how you got it to stream MQA to the DS, much less actually get the DS to recognize and decode them.
I tried a work-around of going into the Tidal desktop app and creating some Favorites from the Masters albums but the Player app does not send these as MQA either. Instead it lists them in the Player as m4a files and sends them in 16/44.1 to the DS.where they show as 24/44.1 and type is AAC.
@kslano: sounds like you may still need to go into the TIDAL setup portion of the mconnect apps and set your subscription type to HiFi/Masters.
Mconnect ain’t perfect, and especially after getting used to a Roon interface it’s less elegant – but what I want to know is how is it that this app is on my phone and iPad at no cost to me?
Jeff of Arabica said
Having not used this app prior to the 3.3.3 Bridge II update, I don't have a lot of history with this app. But, in the short time of its use, I can see it has some "issues" - at least the iOS version. Tonight I am getting this popup error titled, "Notice". Is reads, "Delay in streaming or unsupported file format." I am uncertain as to its cause but I am not doing anything differently than the days prior with the app. I am having a heck of a time keeping an uninterrupted flow of music with this app.
Yes I've had that notice rather often, it comes and goes, have never figured out why, mine of late has been working though. I would agree it's not a very user friendly app.
for me it is not intermittent, it is with every song after it tries for 10 seconds or so, will not play at all. For example, Coldplay Kaleidoscope, lists itself as flac 24bit 48khz 1729kbps. Bridge FW is 3.3.3, Huron, mconnectControl 2.3.4, running from an Androd Samsung TabA 10.1" tablet with Android 7.0.
I tried the Player HD app on my iPad ver 3.0.2. The first issue is that in Tidal, the Player app doesn’t show the Masters files as a option for albums or tracks, so I’m not sure how you got it to stream MQA to the DS, much less actually get the DS to recognize and decode them.
I tried a work-around of going into the Tidal desktop app and creating some Favorites from the Masters albums but the Player app does not send these as MQA either. Instead it lists them in the Player as m4a files and sends them in 16/44.1 to the DS.where they show as 24/44.1 and type is AAC.
Of course, the Mconnect Control HD app is acting the same way, so it’s possible there is something wrong with my Bridge.
Karl,
Sorry for the delay in responding, (I do not get a email when there is one!), I can see you have had a number of responses that might assist you. I also see you have been a member of this forum for a similar length of time as me too, I guess you will have been through all the upgrades as Ted and Paul craft them out of digital neurones and what have you. The latest upgrades do indeed work but I have had to reload MControl a few times and re-initiate the DS perhaps 2 times to get everything to “catch”.
In my view you will know it is working when the Control app shows MQA and the bitrate etc at the top of the track playing on the Control IOS screen and the exact matching data on the DS screen with the small MQA text in the centre top. I am sure you are there by now…
Thank you to everyone from PS Audio - So I’m ready for Ast Demostors Ps audio guided over Tidal tomorrow to our PS audio in Nordjylland Denmark in mature. More love from Denmark.
Here is the case with iphone 6s.
