Wifi Remote Play

Wifi Remote Play is a free Open Source remote control app for Android and Windows, allowing you to control Media Player Classic (MPC) or VideoLan Client (VLC) (Android version only) over a wireless network. Please see Instructions below for details on setting it up to work. Older versions are also available for Symbian smartphones

Android: Wifi Remote Play is available on F-Droid. The APK files are also available from https://sourceforge.net/projects/wifiremoteplay/files/.

Nokia Symbian: Download from Opera Mobile! - Downloaded over 2.5 million times since 25 January 2012! (Note the download count now only shows those since migrating to Opera in 2015.) The latest Symbian version is 1.7; Symbian is no longer supported on newer versions.

Features

Play, pause, skip forwards/backwards through a track, jump to any point in the track, and jump to previous/next track.
Status shows current track, position, and length.
Volume control, and mute.
File browser to select new tracks or playlists (Media Player Classic only).
Toggle between windowed and full screen mode.
Controls for DVD interface (Media Player Classic only; Android version only).

Wifi Remote Play Blog ~ Discussion Forums ~ Code Repository (Git)

System requirements

For Android, this requires Android 2.3.3 or better.

For Windows, this requires Windows 10.

For Nokia/Symbian, this should work on any device running Symbian S60 5th edition (Symbian ^1) or better, and I've tested this on the Nokia 5800.

I've tested it with Media Player Classic version 1.7.11, and VLC version 2.2.4. Note that in old versions of Media Player Classic, the Previous/Next Track buttons won't work correctly - please upgrade to the latest version of MPC if you have this problem.

Note that the Symbian version will only work with VLC versions earlier than 2.1.0! This is because VLC broke compatibility with older versions (a password is now required), and the Symbian version is no longer supported. Either use a version of VLC earlier than 2.1.0, or use MPC.

Instructions

To set up Media Player Classic, go to menu View/Options, then under Player/Web Interface, tick "Listen on port". (Also explained in the instructions for the Android MPC app.)

To set up VLC, go to menu Tools/Preferences, then select "All" under "Show settings" (bottom left). Then go to Interface/Main interfaces, and tick "Web" (or "HTTP remote control interface" in versions prior to 2.0.0). If using VLC 2.1.0 or later, you must also set a password - go to Interface/ Main interfaces/Lua then under Lua Http enter a password. This must not be empty. Then restart VLC. (See https://wiki.videolan.org/Documentation:Modules/http_intf/ for more info.)

Note that whilst Wifi Remote Play for Android works with both Media Player Classic and VLC, there are more features available when used with Media Player Classic (browser to select new files, and DVD control). Wifi Remote Play for Windows currently only supports Media Player Classic.

When Media Player Classic or VLC is running, start Wifi Remote Play. The first time you run it, you'll be taken to the Settings page. On Android, you should click on "IP Address" to set it, and (for Android) "Player" to choose the player (defaults to MPC). If using VLC 2.1.0 or later, you must also enter the password that you previously set in the VLC options. On Symbian, you'll be asked to choose whether you are using it with Media Player Classic or VLC; then you'll be asked to enter the IP Address of the machine running Media Player Classic / VLC.

On Windows PCs, you can find out the IP Address by doing the following on the PC running Media Player Classic / VLC:

Go to Start/Run (type "Run", or go to All Programs/Accessories/Run). Or simply press the Windows key + "R" together.
Type cmd [and press enter].
Type ipconfig [and press enter].
You'll see a load of info - you're looking for "IPv4 Address" (usually listed under a category talking about LAN or Wireless adapter). It will be a string of 4 numbers separated by dots (e.g.,: 192.168.1.1). You should type this into Wifi Remote Play for "IP Address" (including the dots).
For more advice, see here or here.
Note that web pages that show you your IP address may not show you the address that you actually need (if you access the Internet through a router, as is common for wireless modems these days).
Note that although Wifi Remote Play saves the IP Address, if your PC's IP Address changes, you'll need to update it in Wifi Remote Play (press "Options", then "Settings"). Note that some routers/modems may mean the IP Address changes everytime your PC is rebooted, but there is usually an option to reserve an IP Address or keep them fixed - please consult your router or modem manual for information.
If things aren't working, make sure that Media Player Classic or VLC isn't being blocked by any Firewall software. One thing to try is to (after closing the settings window) click "Options" then "Web interface". This opens up the player's web interface in the device's web browser. If this doesn't appear, or it doesn't work, then there's something wrong with getting a connection to your PC, and not with Wifi Remote Play :) To be sure, you can also try loading the page yourself in the phone/tablet's browser, going to the URL: http://[IP-Address]]:13579/ for MPC, or http://[IP-Address]]:8080/ for VLC (e.g., http://192.168.1.1:13579/ ).
Also if you're using VLC, it may be required to edit the .hosts file:
- On Windows: the file is c:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\http\.hosts or c:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\lua\http\.hosts (or if you're on 64 bit Windows, it might be c:\Program Files (x86)\...). On Windows Vista onwards, you'll need admin permissions to edit the file. One way is to copy/paste the file to the desktop, edit it there, then cut/paste it back into the VLC folder.
- On Linux: the file is /usr/share/vlc/http/.hosts or /usr/share/vlc/lua/http/.hosts .
- On Mac OS X: the file is VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/http/.hosts or VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/http/.hosts .
- To edit, find the bit after "# private addresses", and uncomment (remove the #) of the line relevant for your subnet. Most the time, it will work to remove the "#" character from line 192.168.0.0/16 or 192.168.1.0/16. You may need to restart VLC after changing the .hosts file. If you can't get any of this working, I recommend using Media Player Classic instead of VLC, as it's easier to set up.

Port should be left at the default, unless you've changed it in Media Player Classic / VLC. Click Okay (on Windows or Symbian) or the Back button (on Android), and you'll be presented with an interface:

<< - Previous track.
< - Skip backwards 5 seconds.
Play/Pause - Toggle between playing and paused.
> - Skip forwards 5 seconds.
>> - Next track.
-/+ - Change volume.
mute - Mute/unmute volume. Note that on VLC, this only mutes volume; use the + to increase the volume again.
DVD - (Media Player Classic only.) Opens up the DVD interface, allowing you to control DVD menu screens.

At the top of the screen will be displayed the name of the current track, the current position, and total length. The slider shows the current position, and allows you to jump to any position in the track. The user interface should work in both portrait and landscape orientations, though on many devices tends to look better in landscape mode.

Note that the displayed current time is an estimate, updated every 5 seconds, so it won't always be exactly accurate (there also seems to be an issue in Media Player Classic which means the status of playing or paused isn't returned correctly in full screen mode, meaning the app has to estimate this). Similarly, when changing tracks it may take a few seconds for the status to update.

The following menu options are available (on Symbian press "Option"; on Android, they are available from the Action Bar at the top of the screen):

Settings - Open the settings window, to change the IP address or port; on Android this is also where you choose between using Media Player Classic or VLC, and can set the password for VLC.
Toggle full screen - Switch between windowed and full screen mode.
Open file browser - (Media Player Classic only.) Allows you to browse the computer's hard disk and select a file to open. Click the Back button (on Windows or Android) or "Close" (on Symbian) to go back to the main interface (whether or not you've selected a new file).
Choose player (Symbian only) - Choose between using Media Player Classic or VLC (on Android, this is available via Settings).
Online help - Loads this web page in the device's browser.
Web interface - Opens up the Media Player Classic or VLC web interface. This gives the full range of options (though doesn't fit so well on a phone or small tablet... but still useful for testing, or for features not yet supported natively in Wifi Remote Play). If using VLC 2.1.0 or later, you'll be asked for a username and password - leave the username blank, and enter the password that you set in the VLC options.
About - Displays basic information about the program.

On Android, you can also change the volume of MPC/VLC by using your phone/tablet's volume keys.

On Android, the screen display is kept on when Wifi Remote Play is running as the foreground app (if you want to switch off the display, do so on your device manually - or if you don't like this behaviour, disable "Keep display on" under Settings).

Privacy policy

Wifi Remote Play does not collect personal data from users.

This website uses Google Analytics which uses cookies, please see their Privacy Policy for more details.

Also see "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services".

History

Windows Version 1.0 (Work in progress)

First release for Windows UWP.

Version 1.13 (2017/05/07)

ADDED   Option "Keep display on", you can turn this off to disable the
        behaviour where the display remains on.
UPDATED Online help URL for moved webpage.
UPDATED Updated style for more recent Android versions.
UPDATED Now targetting Android 7.1.
UPDATED Now compiled with Android Studio instead of Eclipse.

Version 1.12 (2013/12/18)

FIXED   Add password support for VLC 2.1.0 or later - if you are using VLC
        2.1.0 or later, you must set a password in VLC (under Tools/
        Preferences/All/Interfaces/Main Interfaces/Lua/Lua Http/Password);
        then set the same password in the Wifi Remote Play settings.
FIXED   Potential crashes on errors from network commands.
UPDATED Symbian port now officially dropped (Nokia Store no longer allow
        updates!)

Version 1.11 (2013/10/17) (Only released for Android)

FIXED   Crash (NumberFormatException) if port number couldn't be parsed (e.g.,
        doesn't fit into 32-bit integer).
FIXED   Crash with MPC when sending commands if IP address was invalid.
UPDATED Volume keys of device now change volume on MPC/VLC.
UPDATED Display message if port number can't be parsed.

Version 1.10 (2013/09/04) (Only released for Android)

FIXED   Crash on exit on Android.
FIXED   File browser was showing ".." instead of "Parent Directory" on newer
        versions of MPC.
UPDATED Now rewritten 100% for Android. No longer requires the Qt Ministro app.
        Now has native Android "look and feel" user interface. Please note that
        if you are upgrading from a previous version of Wifi Remote Play,
        you'll have to re-enter your settings (IP address etc). You will be
        taken to the Settings page when first running the app, or otherwise,
        select "Settings" from the Action Bar.
UPDATED Intel x86 Android devices now supported.
UPDATED Only scroll filename text if it's too long to fit.
UPDATED Name widget now states when IP Address needs to be set up, or when
        waiting for information from MPC/VLC.

Version 1.9 (2013/06/28) (Only released for Android)

FIXED   Menu wasn't available on "tablet" Android displays in v1.8.

Version 1.8 (2013/06/26) (Only released for Android)

FIXED   Screen on Android wasn't being kept awake (bug in v1.7).
FIXED   Problem on Android with user interface of DVD window when in portrait
        mode.
UPDATED Android "back" button now works properly.
UPDATED More efficient battery usage when idle now implemented for Android as
        well as Symbian.
UPDATED Android version now supports large "tablet" displays in Google Play.

Version 1.7 (2012/10/26)

FIXED   Name string wasn't reported properly in latest versions of MPC (e.g.,
        version 1.6.3.5818). Now fixed to work with both new and old versions.
UPDATED Android version now has proper Android UI look-and-feel.
UPDATED Android version now compiled with Necessitas Alpha 4.

Version 1.6 (2012/04/01)

FIXED   Memory leak when switching between players.
ADDED   Ported to Android.
UPDATED Improved method to show/modify progress - using progress bar instead of
        slider. Also displays percentage of progress.
UPDATED File browser now scrolls with touch-swipe.
UPDATED Added zoom in/out buttons for file browser.
UPDATED Improved help text for settings window (gives an example of an IP
        address).

Version 1.5 (2012/02/24)

ADDED   Support for VLC (DVD interface and file browser not supported for
        VLC).
INFO    Version 1.5 has a new "UID" value, which means if upgrading from
        earlier versions, the old version will not be uninstalled - please
        uninstall the old version manually. Settings data should still be
        preserved, however. This is due to a fault by Nokia Store, and not
        me!

Version 1.4 (2012/02/04)

FIXED   Displayed track name now works properly with Unicode characters.
FIXED   Annoying flash of phone's home screen when opening/closing the
        sub-windows, in some circumstances.
UPDATED Updated Previous/Next Track to work with latest MPC (if they now
        don't work properly, please upgrade to latest MPC version).
ADDED   Slider to allow easy jumping to any part of the track.
ADDED   Option to mute/unmute volume.
ADDED   Controls for DVD interface.
ADDED   Option to open MPC Web Interface.

Version 1.3 (2012/01/31)

FIXED   Track name wasn't showing in latest version of Media Player Classic.
FIXED   \' characters now correctly converted to ' in track name.
FIXED   Online help didn't work if browser already open.
UPDATED Settings window now has help information, and link to this web page.

Version 1.2 (2012/01/17)

UPDATED More efficient battery usage when idle (timers disabled).

Version 1.1 (2011/12/21)

FIXED   Now using properly allocated UIDs on Symbian, not development ones.
FIXED   Don't show annoying "Bad file descriptor" error message.
UPDATED Error window now gives number of error code.

Version 1.0 (2010/07/23)

First release.

Source code

The source code is available from https://sourceforge.net/projects/wifiremoteplay/files/, released under the GPL v3 or later.

Contacting me (bugs etc)

Please contact me at mark DOT harman DOT apps AT gmail DOT com .

Additional credits

The application icon is derived from a public domain image, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikipedia_images_015.jpg.

Wifi Remote Play on Sourceforge.

More of my Free software.