Getting very close to canceling my Spotify act because of one very simple missing feature. I have been a Spotify premium member for several months now and I have been extremely pleased with the ease at which Spotify allows me to access music and create custom playlists to use and enjoy. However, I found it very difficult to stream this content from my pc to my home theater system.
Hey, guess what… You guys have a deal with Onkyo to support Spotify simply by using an app included in selected Onkyo hardware. Perfect! Problem solved. Based solely on this fact, I purchased the Onkyo HTS8409 Network A/V Home Theater System, and promptly linked it up with my Spotify account.
Okay, obviously this interface has been rushed out, so not everything is streamlined yet; I get that and that’s ok. The interface system is terrible-it looks like something pre windows 95, and the menus travel so slow-it takes many frustrating moments of waiting for the cursor to catch up with button presses simply to select a new playlist or song. Using this app is an exercise in patience and determination which is a complete 180 from what my experience has been using Spotify on my laptop and android phone. Secondly, there is no way to access saved radio stations , and no easy way to edit playlists-things like adding music, or creating a new playlist using selected songs from another. All of these things I can get over. Like I said, I really enjoy Spotify, I understand that with any new content provider there are bound to be hiccups, and my enjoyment of your product outweighs these negatives. However, a glaring omission in the features that should be included in this app… or rather the ONE feature that should have been included is shuffle. At first I couldn’t believe that the most common feature found in anything-device, app, media player, whatever-since the Sony Discman back in the 90’s is nowhere to be found.
Without this feature, I am forced to choose between spending several frustrating moments navigating the horribly slow menu to find a spot in a playlist not heard for a while-only to be greeted by the same line up of songs in a memorized order… or… substitute my $1,000 home audio investment for a pair of puny laptop speakers. SUFFLE??! I understand that it can be tricky negotiating with the content providers in how your customers listen to and use Spotify, but I can’t imagine that a shuffle feature is the cause of a major hang-up.
I hate to give up the benefits I see in your service over something as simple as a Shuffle feature, but without this feature, I will have to consider another streaming music source that provides more options in this area. After cruising around the message boards for a while, I see a lot of back and forth as to if this is a Spotify responsibility, or an Onkyo responsibility, but quite simply, Onkyo has my $g already-I’m not buying a new system anytime soon, so I’d bet their level of caring is pretty low. You guys are getting my $120 a year 9.99 at a time, so that’s really the only recourse I have.
Since 2011, some have been saying that this is right around the corner, but I’m gonna need a date on this to stick around any longer. To keep my service from now until the end of the internet, I would need this feature added sometime before the end of the second quarter 2013… or… or… because I like options, just throw a simple DLNA compatibility in with your premium service. Don’t care, just need some shuffle. Thanks for your time.
Also, I feel like 10 bucks a month is a good deal for your service… I’d even pay a couple bucks more for full DLNA compatibility, and I doubt I’m in the minority in this.
Staff / Moderator/ 3 years ago in Social & Random