Amazon Alexa Echo integration/playback?

[mjonis]

I searched and only came across 2 forum threads, which doesn't bode well, IMO.

Music is stored on my QNAP.
I want to use my Amazon Echo (via Alexa) to playback the music from the QNAP.

It seems that this is doable IF the Plex Server software was version 1.3.4.something, but it seems for QNAP it's still at like 1.1.10 or something.
I'm not sure if it's QNAP's job or Plex's job to update that.

So that's not doable.

I saw something about IFTT, but that seems to assume that you have the actual audio device hooked up to the QNAP (ie, you can use Alexa Echo to tell the Music Station to play the music, but the output is limited to USB, BT, etc. No option for Streaming).

I thought I saw somewhere that other NAS (Synology?) had an app that worked with Alexa/Echo for streaming, but I cannot seem to find anything for QNAP.

Music station seems awkward (you have to re-upload the music files even though they're already on the NAS in order to create a non-smart playlist?) But that doesn't solve the issue, unfortunately.

Are there any other apps that I can install on the QNAP that'll let me tell the Echo via Alexa to playback the music (via Echo's built-in speaker) from the QNAP?

[dolbyman]

alexa and dlna discussion

http://www.echotalk.org/index.php?topic=2766.0

[mjonis]

Thanks for the link.

Unfortunately (unless I'm reading wrong), it requires that you run this on your Windows PC.
I can do that now with the Plex App/server.

I guess I should've clarified:

Is there an App that ONLY runs/installs on the QNAP that will allow you to stream that music to the Echo? No Windows PC/Server (or Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc.) required.

I know Plex Server ( Plex Media Server version 1.5.1 or newer is required. ) can do this, but right now appears that the QNAP Plex Server is nowhere near this version, and thus, is not an option.

However, the first post (?) in the link mentioned something about jriver media center.
Looks like that requires HybridDesktop Station?

I guess I can give that a whirl and see if my puny TS-251+ can handle it (LOL).
Although means I gotta pick up an HDMI monitor for the QNAP now, so that'll be another $100.
May just as well pay Amazon for the $25 yearly storage to upload the songs at that point.

But thanks for the info. Perhaps I should've gone with the Synology NAS instead of the QNAP (since it looks like nobody will be able to convince Amazon to support DLNA natively), as it looks like there's native apps for that NAS that'll stream to the Echo.

[dolbyman]

dlna runs native on your qnap ... check the manual or download 3rd party dlna servers from the repository of your choice

[Don]

The current PLEX QPKG can be found on the PLEX website. Is that the version you are running?

[mjonis]

The current PLEX QPKG can be found on the PLEX website. Is that the version you are running?

Yes. That version is:
Version 1.12.1.4885
Right next to it, it says: "Check for Updates" (which is grayed out) because then it says: Up to date

[Don]

That is the same version across all platforms. So where is this version 1.3.4.something that you mentioned in your first post? The current Plex version is 1.12.1.4885 on the Plex website.

It seems that this is doable IF the Plex Server software was version 1.3.4.something,

[mjonis]

That is the same version across all platforms. So where is this version 1.3.4.something that you mentioned in your first post? The current Plex version is 1.12.1.4885 on the Plex website.

It seems that this is doable IF the Plex Server software was version 1.3.4.something,

Per the Plex Forums (the issue is that if you try to use the current QNAP version, Alexa will tell you that it cannot find a Plex Media Server), the Plex folks send you over to their own website:

https://support.plex.tv/articles/115000 ... e-control/

Scroll down and you'll see:

To use a Plex app with Alexa, that app must first:

Be Sign in to Your Plex Account to your Plex account
Be running and active on the device

Note: Plex Media Server version 1.5.1 or newer is required.

Otherwise, the "symptom" is that Alexa says it can't find your plex media server.

The minute you launch the Windows (or FireTV,etc) version of PMP, then the Echo will find your QNAP device.

[Don]

So you are running a version newer than 1.5.1.

[mjonis]

Well finally got it working.
Apparently Plex's instructions are a bit off if using the NAS version of their PMS.

There's a section on their Alexa/echo integration that tells you that you:

"Set the Plex Player

The last step to preparing the Plex integration with the Alexa Voice Service is to set the default Plex player. Say:

Ask Plex to change my player

Alexa will give you a list of the available players and you can choose the desired entry from the list. Similarly, you can tell Alexa to directly set or change the player using the name of the player and save the additional voice prompt. Just say:

Ask Plex to change my player to Living Room TV"


If you do this with the QNAP, it will fail. there apparently *is* no player with the PMS on QNAP.

So you can ignore that last bit (as long as you set the server) and then just do something like:
"ask plex to play music by BLAH"
and it works.

I can't believe their docs had erroneous stuff in there, let alone alone that nobody on the Plex forums seems to know this (at least still haven't gotten a response).
I found this out in some buried forum about Plex and Alexa "skipping" while playing music from Plex (like on page 9 of the thread), so obviously searching for "companion player not found" didn't find it.

[sm1957]

On my Alexa app I came across a skill called "Our Jukebox". I enabled it and installed the software on my PC to setup Our Jukebox. At first it didn't work with the default DLNA server or Music Station DNLA, so I enabled Twonky Server. Still it didn't work, so I contacted the help e-mail and after an number of tooing and froing, they sent me a new exe file specially for Twonky. I ran it and then asked Alexa to ask Our Jukebox to play some music from my QNAP and low and behold, it started playing.

You need an Our Jukebox account - which is free.
The music database is held on the Our Jukebox account BUT the music is stream directly from the QNAP internally on your internal network and not like PLEX over the internet.

I'm very pleased.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

does this help?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRwK9r6sKEc

[SouthernTeuchter]

There's now an MyMedia app in the QNAP Club site (https://www.qnapclub.eu/en/qpkg/705 - but install the QNAP Club app first on your NAS and just look for MyMedia; much easier) which can be installed directly on your NAS (no Virtulisation Station installation with another OS or Docker). Easy to set up. Works perfectly as far as I can see (I just set it up this weekend). Will be paying my $5 sub for MyMedia this week.

[mjonis]

There's now an MyMedia app in the QNAP Club site (https://www.qnapclub.eu/en/qpkg/705 - but install the QNAP Club app first on your NAS and just look for MyMedia; much easier) which can be installed directly on your NAS (no Virtulisation Station installation with another OS or Docker). Easy to set up. Works perfectly as far as I can see (I just set it up this weekend). Will be paying my $5 sub for MyMedia this week.

I've not yet installed, so pardon me, but the website says "After installing our app on your computer, My Media will index your media and let Alexa respond..."
So that seems to imply that you need to install on your PC (vs. the NAS)? Or by "your computer" they mean the NAS?
I think I looked at this back in 2018 and possibly discounted because of the "computer" part, but perhaps I was wrong.

[dolbyman]

description was copy pasted and as maintainers first language is not English (it's French) he probably missed that part

it obviously runs on the NAS, if it is offered as QPKG