how long will YOUR control app last?????

[Leeps]

I've owned the Pioneer VSX-2021 AV receiver since August 2012 and have been very impressed with its sound & features, until now at least.

And this fault raises a question about the longevity and life-expectancy of any AV receiver, or indeed any hifi component that's highly dependant on a control app.

Since iOS 8's release, my Pioneer iControl AV2 app doesn't work, it won't even open. According to Apple's app store, there is a comment that Pioneer are investigating the problem.

In the meantime, internet radio is virtually off the menu due to the very badly designed remote (the Pioneer's major negative that's so far been counterbalanced by the excellent app). Also I can't use a fader of any kind which I used to use in Extended Stereo for a fair bit of music listening. And no, I don't want to switch on my (plasma) TV just to listen to the radio.

So, to my point.

I appreciate that everything has a lifespan, HDMI 1 to 2, 5.1 to 7.1 to (the here we go again) Dolby Atmos, but surely a question we ought to be asking before we lavish wads of cash on a new hifi component or AV receiver, is "HOW LONG IS THE MANUFACTURER GOING TO SUPPORT THE APP THAT CONTROLS THIS PRODUCT AND IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ITS USE?"

Because if they don't support it, we could be stuck with outmoded lifeless hunks of metal with a spectacularly severe depreciation rate and a life expectancy of no more than a couple of years (or a small handful of iOS / Android updates). I do hope Pioneer sort out the control app for my Pioneer VSX-2021 or the idea of going back to a conventional stereo CD & amp with a standard remote control seems suddenly very appealing. At least it would work!

Any of you out there found their apps unsupported following updates?

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

I do have a AV (yamaha rx v775) that i can controle with a app, but i won't, it doesn't work properly, never did!

I'm going to stick with the remote and change the batteries time to time... *biggrin*

 

[chebby]

In the meantime, internet radio is virtually off the menu due to the very badly designed remote (the Pioneer's major negative that's so far been counterbalanced by the excellent app). Also I can't use a fader of any kind which I used to use in Extended Stereo for a fair bit of music listening. And no, I don't want to switch on my (plasma) TV just to listen to the radio.

The Pioneer has AirPlay so load up something like the TuneIn Radio Pro app and stream it from your iThing.

If you are listening to BBC radio then use their iPlayer Radio app. (Again, via AirPlay.)

This is what I do with my system. I have never needed - or used - the onboard internet tuner (or even the Marantz control app) in over three and a half years.

I control volume via AirPlay too. The BBC iPlayer Radio and TuneIn apps have better sound quality (AAC) and utilise the highest bitrates available for each channel (unlike the onbard vTuner where it won't let you use 320K on Radio 3 for instance and only goes up to 192k).

The user interface is much better too.

 

[Leeps]

The BBC iPlayer Radio and TuneIn apps have better sound quality (AAC) and utilise the highest bitrates available for each channel (unlike the onbard vTuner where it won't let you use 320K on Radio 3 for instance and only goes up to 192k).

The user interface is much better too.

Interesting and helpful Chebby. Thank you, I'll give that a go. Although I had quite a few international stations saved as favourites, I did still listen to the Beeb most of the time.

 

[pantechnicon]

You raise a very valid point, the frequent updates to Android/iOS, plus the devices that they run on, mean that any app will require updates during its lifetime to continue working.

Given that most manufacturers release a new version of AVR annually, it's difficult to imagine that they'll be keen to invest in these fixes for a model that they consider long outdated, but which is still in widespread use (I'd guess most people look for at least 5 years out of an amp).

 

[Frank Harvey]

This is why some manufacturers are reluctant to get into the whole Apple thing. Apple can change their IOS whenever they want, leaving companies to face ongoing maintenance for their existing apps. It's only a matter of time before this becomes a drain on resources.

 

[Leeps]

This is why some manufacturers are reluctant to get into the whole Apple thing. Apple can change their IOS whenever they want, leaving companies to face ongoing maintenance for their existing apps. It's only a matter of time before this becomes a drain on resources.

Do Android devices not have updates then? (Not had any experience with Android or others - I've just assumed they're as much subject to updates as other operating systems).

 

[cheeseboy]

This is why some manufacturers are reluctant to get into the whole Apple thing. Apple can change their IOS whenever they want, leaving companies to face ongoing maintenance for their existing apps. It's only a matter of time before this becomes a drain on resources.

Do Android devices not have updates then? (Not had any experience with Android or others - I've just assumed they're as much subject to updates as other operating systems).

they do but you don't have to update. Apple pretty much force you to update nowadays. Plus with Android you can install older versions by just having the install file, whereas on iDevices you have to download from the app store unless it's jailbroken. Plus with the apple thing, it also means that there's also a bigger chance that if a company moves to a newer version of the app, it may not then be compatible with the older version of ios, thus forcing you to purchase a new idevice as well. Hmmmm, it's almost as if somebody planned the built in obsolescence

 

[Leeps]

I know I moaned quite a bit about Pioneer's lack of support for its AV receiver app post iOS 8 update.

Well, thanks to page 90 of April 2015's What Hifi and obviously to Pioneer's software developers, I downloaded Pioneer's 2015 iControlAV5 app. And it works my ageing VSX-2021 AVR...just beautifully thank you very much.

So credit where it's due: thank you Pioneer for updating this. It may not seem much to you, but it's gone some way to restoring my confidence in the brand. I've got my internet radio back, quick and easy adjustment of centre channel and/or LFE and now, crucially, I can operate my main music source Tidal AND my AVR and oft-used volume control from the one device.

My row of remote controls can happily make their way off the sofa again.

 

[Paul.]

Plus with Android you can install older versions by just having the install file, whereas on iDevices you have to download from the app store unless it's jailbroken.

In itunes, plug in your phone and hold down command when pressing the update button (or ctrl on pc, i think) and it will prompt you for an install location and allow you to install different versions of iOS. Sure sometimes downgrading is blocked (usualy on incremental upgrades) But when big updates come out there is usually a grace period to roll back.