Streaming audio fails in Android < 4.1

[seanthegeek]

Streaming audio (i.e. an Icecast stream) fails on the stock browser for Android < 4.1. The documented Android Fix does not work for streaming audio. I doubt jPlayer can do anything to fix this, but I figured the issue should be documented anyway. As a workaround, I am advising users of the older versions to use Firefox mobile.

Android is the bane of my life. I can't even look at an Android device without sighing, which is a shame really. Apart from the specific issue with media in a web page they seem fine.

As for the Android fix... I would have expected that to work. The Chrome browser on Android generates progress events during stream playback, the connection progress event should happen to kick things off.

You were not trying to combine the stream demo with the android fix where you?
I ask since it is important that Android has the preload set to "metadata" (or "auto") for that fix to work.
The stream demo has preload="none" since you do not want to download data only to throw it away when you want to start playback.

Actually... Now I think of it... I have been working with a few streams lately and that stream demo is not homogeneous... (I thin that is the work - lol.) On ready the stream is setup ready to play on the play button, but when you stop playback, it is disconnected. I might change that so that the stream demo would not be connected on ready event, but connect through the error event each time as currently happens for the 2nd+ time you press play.

The point being, that then the pllayer can use the default preload="metadata" option and it should not make any difference data wise, but it might allow Android to work.

Bah... There is still the problem of the media SRC being set and then the play command immediately afterwards. That is what really causes the problem.. Android needs to have a friggin' tea break between setMedia and play otherwise it sulks in the corner and refuses to do anything.

[seanthegeek]

No. The only thing I changed from the android fix demo was the source URL...change it back, and it works fine. Chrome for Android works fine with or without the fix (with the exception of play on ready; that's failed on every Android browser I've tried). It's the stock browser that's giving me all the trouble

Turns out, Android doesn't trigger the error events either. Right now, I'm using this hack:

var android = navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Android") !== -1
$("#jquery_jplayer_1").bind($.jPlayer.event.play, function(event) {
                    setTimeout(function() {
                        var time = $("#jquery_jplayer_1").data("jPlayer").status.currentTime
                        if (android && time === 0) {
                            // If playback didn't start by now, it's probably a stock browser on Android < 4.1
                            $("#jquery_jplayer_1").jPlayer("stop");
                           // Display a message suggesting the use of Firefox for Android, which works  
                        }
                    }, 6000)
                });

Despite the risk for false positives due to a bad connection, I figure it's better than no feedback at all :)

[lustremedia]

Any progress on the streaming issue. I have not yet succeeded to get any stream playing on Android devices, using .mp3. FF does not play .mp3 streams without flash and Chrome will start playing the stream after waiting for several minutes and seems to download rather than to stream right away. Standard Android Browser will also start playing after a while, but you'll have to wait at least 2 minutes. So somehow it works, but not properly. (using 2.6.0)