Buy This - Remote Media Player

With the security wipe and the installation of the new OS, I needed to reinstall my apps. Remote Media Player has a new version, 1.0.9. I don't know what the older version was. I knew a new version was out there, but it didn't install until I got the new OS. The app developer, Jesus Inglesia, had commented in this blog about the update, just couldn't install until now. What he has down is put more controls on the touch screen.

Now, when playing videos, you can control volume on the screen. He also now let's you forward or reverse 30 seconds of the video. In the screen capture above, you can see the arrows and the volume control. It has made my PlayBook a better device. I really enjoy all the control when watching videos. And the resume feature is great. Now, I don't have to try to get to the spot on the video I last watched. This is what the native video player should be.

Searching App World is not easy, so below is the link to Jesus Inglesia's webpage, xApps.es. It will take you to App World if you want to get Remote Media Player or any of his other apps. Or if want the Android version of the remote control. I also bought Uncompressed, which will extract rar files on the PlayBook.

xApps.es

Remote Media Player Update 2.0

Been using "Remote Media Player " for most of my videos needs. I have used the "PB Remote Control" app to advance or reverse in 30 second increments. It is awkward have both apps on the same PlayBook, but it works and I find it handy.

After a video has started playing, swiping from the top bezel will pause the video and take the screen to the menu page. Swiping from the top again, will bring you back to the paused video. Now to resume play, you need to touch the start/pause button twice.

Now, I have mentioned this before, top is whichever part of the bezel is facing up when holding the PlayBook. With the native video player, the video will play in landscape or portrait mode, so that would give you 4 choices. "Remote Media Player " will only play in landscape mode, giving you 2 choices.

I like this app because it will let you resume from last point played and I like the remote option. But now I find more options to play your videos in App World.

Remote Media Player and the Remote Update 1.0

Have been using "Remote Media Player" for a couple of days now. Always at home, where my PlayBook has been connected to wifi. At work today, where I have no access to wifi, I was using the player and I wanted to go back 30 seconds, because you can with the remote. But I could not.  I could not use the remote app for the player. When I got home, I tried the remote for "Remote Media Player " and it worked. WiFi is needed for the remote app to access "Remote Media Player ". I should get a cheap Android phone to test how that would work as the remote. Now I'm thinking of getting a BB10 phone when they come out.

Also, "Remote Media Player " needs to be closed, or it will run in the background. Not like the native video player, which will stop playing if you go to the browser. Still, I really like the player. And the remote has can in handy, if I want to go back in 30 second intervals or forward in 30 second intervals.  And, it remembers last point played.

Remote Media Player

A bad name for a good app. "Remote Media Player" is an app in App World, by Jesus Iglesias and xApps.es. It plays audio and video files. It says it can play SRT subtitles. But what I like about this player is that it can remember last point played in a video. So I bought it for $1.99. I think I will be using this as my main video player.

Biggest failing is that you can't control the volume on the touch screen. You do have the option to control the volume using the physical volume control, but I would like to control it using a touch screen.

You can get a free remote for the player. In Google Play, there is PBRemoteDroid for Android devices. In App World, the is "Remote Control for Media Player " for PlayBooks and BB10 devices. I have only my one PlayBook, so I installed the remote and the player to it. It can use the remote to control the player, but I can see only the remote or the player, not both at the same time. But it works, as I can fast forward or reverse in 30 second intervals. XApps.es list an iOS app, but I couldn't find one at this point.

I say it has a bad name because it is confusing. It is a media player that you can get remotes for. I think people will get the remotes and not know what they are for and give them bad reviews. At least the remotes are free.

This is a screen shot from Google Play of the remote

Upon Further Investigation

xApps website listed other apps available for the BlackBerry PlayBook. There is an ebook reader, something for syncing with Firefox on your PC, a file explorer, something about bike stations in Valencia, Spain and something about a remote media player.

Remote Media Player is a bad name. It is media player for the PlayBook. I think it uses the native video player of the PlayBook, as it will play anything that the native player will play. The site states it is a native app that can be paired with a free app for Android phones that will allow you to use an Android phone as a remote for the media player. This is similar to using a BlackBerry phone as a remote using BlackBerry Bridge. So really not that interesting. It also says it will play subtitles. 

Searching in App World, using the terms media remote brings up Media Remote Player. It again states that you need to pair the app with a free Android phone app. But the player will act as a stand alone player. But then, something caught my eye - it remembers last position played. What I always dreamed about. Yes, I don't have grand dreams. It does cost $1.99, but if it works ....