MOG & Squeezebox's....

EndersShadow

So now that MOG is transitioning to Beats Music and Logitech doesn't really keep up (from what I understand) with their Logitech Server software, whats going to happen when MOG officially dies in April?

Will there be another app that can allow these services to work together still?

Anyone have any idea's, heard any rumors, etc?

One of the MAIN reasons I like my Squeezebox is the MOG access, not that my library isnt large, but I dont always have lots of new stuff that I can listen to at home and work using the same program.

hochpt21

Looks like Beats will primarily be app based which is a shame because I have MOG up on my laptop browser all day at work. The nice thing about MOG is that it had a 320 bitrate regardless. Also looks like Beats is more similare to a "Super Pandora", which isn't what I am looking for.

From my limited research into other services, there are some with 320, but not for every album.

I don't know if Logitech supports Spotify or Rhapsody, but I assume so. I am planning to do a trial for Spotify and Rhapsody. There are plenty more streaming services out there, but these seem to be the most predominant one. Spotify offers 320 bitrate when available. I believe Rhapsody does not offer that at all.

hochpt21

To clarify my earlier statement, I believe Beats does offer a web based option, but I sure couldn't figure out how to find it, and all signs point towards that not being a highlight of their service.

gdpeck

Check out this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?100477-Beats-Music-to-replace-MOG-Where-does-that-leave-Squeezebox/page3

As suggested by one of the thread participants there, I emailed Beats Music Customer service and received a form letter response stating that there are no plans to support Logitech devices. Which makes sense, because Logitech no longer makes or really supports the Squeezebox line.

I'm getting updates via email about the Beats Music service, and the one I got last night was specifically targeted at MOG subscribers. The service seems interesting and according to the email will still continue to offer 320kb/s bitrate files, but lack of Squeezebox support is likely a deal killer for me. When I subscribed to MOG two years ago I also evaluated Spotify. At the time MOG was ahead of Spotify in availability of high-bitrate files and their mobile app was much better than Spotify's. I've thoroughly enjoyed the MOG service and considered the 10 bucks a month to be money well spent. It can't hurt to provide feedback requesting support for the Squeezebox to Beats Music, but I don't hold out much support that they will invest in a platform that is no longer supported by its manufacturer. In fact, I'm not even sure how much Beats Music cares about the MOG subscriber base. I don't think it is very much. There was virtually no communication to MOG subscribers prior to the announcment of the service, and to me it was pretty obvious that the update for MOG subscribers was very reactive. Beats Music didn't proactively reach out to a very loyal fan-base. They only reacted to users wondering what the heck was going on. I guess the fact that they responded to the feedback at all could be a good sign. Most likely though, I will be switching to Spotify on April 16th.

EndersShadow

^ I too think its going to kill MOG for me. I had hoped that someone might know of a plan by some folks to hack that functionality into it, but thats a super long shot if Beats has no plan to do anything on their end. The Squeezebox integration was a KEY factor in why I choose it over Spotify.

Now time to start doing some additional research on Spotify just in case. Which sucks because I REALLY enjoyed MOG.......

zane77

http://reviews.cnet.com/software/beats-music-ios/4505-3513_7-35834910.html?tag=nl.e404&s_cid=e404&ttag=e404&ftag=CAD1acfa04

This is a link to what CNET had to say about Beats, some interesting reading if you are trying to decide one way or the other.

rooftop59

Yep same here Dan. Even though I haven't used it much via SB lately, I know I will (or would have) in the future. But we SB owners knew these things were bound to happen once Logitech stopped supporting them. Does suck...

grimmace19

I'm in the same sinking ship as everyone else here. I will say however, that I switched to MOG after running with spotify for about 6 months. It worked well on the squeezebox, but with MOG you got the same library of songs and the 320 for the same 9.99/month. Unless something has changed with spotify I will likely just switch back as the squeezebox worked fine with it.

hochpt21

grimmace19 wrote: »

I'm in the same sinking ship as everyone else here. I will say however, that I switched to MOG after running with spotify for about 6 months. It worked well on the squeezebox, but with MOG you got the same library of songs and the 320 for the same 9.99/month. Unless something has changed with spotify I will likely just switch back as the squeezebox worked fine with it.

Does spotify have a decent browser interface??

grimmace19

I rarely used it, but it was fine when I did. My main purpose is just using it in the car via bluetooth and through the squeezebox through the logitech app.

rooftop59

Spotify does now claim 320kbps resolution but doesn't say if that applies to the entire catalogue. I recal tat either not but the case before pr at least them refusing to stipulate a bitrate. So that seems promising...

hochpt21

Awesome...Spotify and Rhapsody are blocked at work...MOG wasn't...

EndersShadow

hochpt21 wrote: »

Awesome...Spotify and Rhapsody are blocked at work...MOG wasn't...

Do you have a laptop that can connect to some sort of free wi-fi so your outside their firewall filters?

rooftop59

Update on this thread: So mog was giving me trouble on my home computer, since the end is near I decided it was time to make the (for me) dreaded move. I signed up for a free month trial of spotify premium and canceled mog. I unlocked 3rd party apps on mysb.com and selected the 3rd party spotify app (the official logitech app will only work on touches and radios I think, I have two duets and one radio). Well all I can say is so far so good, but this is literally day one so we will see. I haven't even changed the apps on my phone yet. I like the desktop app, and the sound quality seems basically the same - they seemed to have upped their game as most tracks are in 320. So anyway for those still waiting there is a very brief review.

tonyb

What bitrate does Spotify use for streaming?



Spotify uses 3 quality ratings for streaming, all in the Ogg Vorbis format.
◾ ~96 kbps ◾ Normal quality on mobile.

◾ ~160 kbps ◾ Desktop and web player standard quality.
◾ High quality on mobile.

◾ ~320 kbps (only available to Premium subscribers) ◾ Desktop high quality.
◾ Extreme quality on mobile.

Spotify in their disclaimer says that not all songs are 320 kbps. Question is, how many are ? They don't say.

Rhapsody sits at I believe 192 kbps. Honestly though, if your using a music service just for casual back ground playing you'd be hard pressed to tell that difference. Rhapsody wins in all other categories but this one, and only losing slightly to sound quality since we don't even know how many choices are available at 320 from Spotify. For all we know the majority is the same as Rhapsody. I've used both services, and Rhapsody was far and away the better service for me.

rromeo923

Just the other day I turned on my Squeezebox which I use regularly and there was a software update. I thought Logitech was done with that. I didnt give it too much thought but then I started reading this thread. Hmmm....

rooftop59

Yea they are still doing updates which is good and a little surprising, but I would doubt if this included adding new apps. But who knows I would love to be wrong! I would be willing to try beats given the intro offer to mog users with att phones (which is me), but not if I can't use it on my sb.

FYI if you want beats to support the squeezebox go here and vote: http://support.beatsmusic.com/hc/communities/public/questions/200316125-Squeezebox-support

It doesn't seem like there are very many of us...

hochpt21

I finally got Spotify unblocked at work and am using the free version. It takes a little getting used to, but I am starting to like it quite a bit.

The desktop free version lets you pick albums and specific songs just like MOG. The only difference is the streaming quality.

The mobile free version lets you pick specific albums and playlists, but will only play random, you can't pick specific songs when you want them.

So for free I can get the desktop version at work, which is most of what I use it for.

In order to use my squeezebox products, get higher quality streaming, download songs for offline use and pick specific songs on mobile....I would need to upgrade to premium for $10/month.

They also have a free trial for premium (i think most of the other sites do as well).

So for now, I'm checking out the free version until MOG runs out, and then will likely switch to Spotify.

hochpt21

Just received this e-mail the other day. MOG was supposed to shut down in April, but apparently not not.

Hello Moggers,

Sorry for being so quiet lately. We’ve been heads-down building some features specifically for you. They’ll help make your transition to Beats Music as smooth and seamless as possible.
WHAT'S NEW

We completed work on the playlist conversion tool.
Transfer your MOG playlists to Beats Music >

MOG will not shut down on April 15th.
There’s still some work ahead of us. So we’ll keep the MOG service active for a little while longer.

Monthly billing will remain active for now.
Don’t worry. We’ll give you a 30-day heads up on the new transition date. AND you’ll still get your first month of Beats Music on the house. Just keep an eye out for an email update.

Thanks for sticking with us. Your loyalty and feedback over the last two months has meant the world to us. We hear you.

rooftop59

yea I got that email as well and it made me pause for a minute but it ultimately doesn't help SB users unless the more work ahead of us includes a SB app for beats music, in which case I might have to reopen my account to get everything moved over...but I am not hopeful...