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+--- Thread: sync with Audiobookshelf server (/showthread.php?tid=45)
sync with Audiobookshelf server - hildebrind - 2024-05-18
It would be pretty useful if a Tangara could synchronize progress of downloaded audiobooks with an Audiobookshelf server. I'm not sure if it would be more convenient / easier to implement over WiFi or over the USB interface with the desktop companion program.
How do you plan for Tangara to handle audiobooks? Sometimes a single audiobook may be split into multiple files, and also the reading progress needs to be saved so the user can leave the audiobook and come back to the same place (I imagine this would be the same for podcasts too).
RE: sync with Audiobookshelf server - jacqueline - 2024-05-19
Hi! We don't have any real plan yet for how audiobooks will look in terms of the interface, but I've been collecting features I want to make sure we include in a label on Codeberg: https://codeberg.org/cool-tech-zone/tangara-fw/issues?q=&type=all&sort=&labels=185822&state=open&milestone=0&project=0&assignee=0&poster=0
In general though, I think you're right that they're very similar to podcasts as a form of content; both have saved positions, sometimes include 'chapters', often need progress synced with external services, etc. There's also some overlap with folks who like to scrobble, in that fundamentally "sync your played tracks with a service so you can analyse your listening habits" isn't really a different feature from "sync your played tracks with a service so you know what you've listened to already". We're slowly working our way through features like these!
> I'm not sure if it would be more convenient / easier to implement over WiFi or over the USB interface with the desktop companion program.
The companion app (or at least the API that is makes use of) is probably going to be the main way of doing external syncing like this for a while. We'll get around to wifi syncing eventually! There's just a lot of usability stuff we want to make sure we do first.
RE: sync with Audiobookshelf server - yosthum - 2024-05-19
(2024-05-19, 07:04 AM)jacqueline Wrote: I've been collecting features I want to make sure we include in a label on Codeberg: https://codeberg.org/cool-tech-zone/tangara-fw/issues?q=&type=all&sort=&labels=185822&state=open&milestone=0&project=0&assignee=0&poster=0
FYI the scrobbling issue isn't tagged
RE: sync with Audiobookshelf server - jacqueline - 2024-05-19
Fixed that, thanks!
RE: sync with Audiobookshelf server - br_en_d_an_ - 2024-06-10
Another consideration, especially with audiobooks is that often the files are not consistent. In my library for example, I have mp3, m4a, m4b, and ogg files. Some books are multiple files in a folder, others are one large file per book. Playback information syncing and the ability to sync time spent listening would be really useful for users of Audiobookshelf. I know that iTunes supports “bookmarking” with the original iPod firmware and with the iOS Books app. It remembers where you stopped playing as do web services like Audible and many Podcasting 2.0 apps that have a mobile and desktop component.
I’m imagining an interface for Audiobookshelf on the Tangara player that can stream or match local files to files on your device (ex., if the folder structure is the same) and then it could sync playback position and time listened information based on file ID or UUID to ensure the right files are being matched. The user experience being seem-less when you want to start listening again from other device. It would also need to save that information for when you aren’t on wifi and rectify it with the server in the future. Clearly, a more technical mind could explain better than I could. I’m just so excited by the possibility!