Caching & More Robust Loading

[dcvz]

Wanted to bring this to your attention: https://github.com/neekeetab/CachingPlayerItem

I've done some basic test integrating into the library and it's interesting.

In a library I would expect a track should play ASAP - and caching in queued mode to automatically download the next track when the current one is fully loaded.

This doesn't provide all of that but it has some nice ideas.

[jorgenhenrichsen]

Nice!

Yeah, I have thought about the same thing and it is definitely something that should be added 👍

[murad1981]

yes the library is so clean, a small suggestion is to use the same mentioned custom AVPlayerItem in SwiftAudio.

[JhonnyTawk]

@dcvz Hey, I am trying to add caching to SwiftAudio using https://github.com/neekeetab/CachingPlayerItem

but the func add and load take AudioItem add(items: [AudioItem], playWhenReady: Bool = true)

and in the caching library AVPlayer take CachingPlayerItem so how to integrate it?

Thank in Advance

[nishanBende]

@dcvz We could also add a preloading functionality. Ideas: https://github.com/delannoyk/AudioPlayer/issues/36#issuecomment-198806154

Thanks @dcvz for react-native-track-player. I came looking if the underlying SwiftAudio provides a preloading functionality. I am not an iOS developer but will try to implement this feature in a fork. I'll let you know if I come up with something. This is a must-have to built apps with awesome feeds (Instagram e.g.) with almost 0 load time.

[nishanBende]

@dcvz I have attempted a preload functionality in SwiftAudio and tested with react-native-track-player. The playing becomes as fast as a downloaded asset. I have been testing this for a few days. https://github.com/nishanBende/SwiftAudio/commit/41e5564c4f604c86a5c8802eab627c887c2b8d80

P.S. I am not sure about the implications it can bring, I took the implementation idea from this comment. https://github.com/delannoyk/AudioPlayer/issues/36#issuecomment-198806154

[nishanBende]

@dcvz I am managing the queue in JavaScript because the underneath QueueAudioPlayer is not preloading the next track, so, I have exported the preload function to RNTrackPlayer with preload/cancelPreload implementation in this commit. https://github.com/nishanBende/SwiftAudio/commit/41e5564c4f604c86a5c8802eab627c887c2b8d80

I feel we should split it into 2 separate features.

1. Caching while Playing. Similar to https://github.com/neekeetab/CachingPlayerItem.
2. Preloading any asset programmatically.

Can we also let AVQueuePlayer handle the queue for us? There's some discussion that it internally preloads the next track but I cannot confirm. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avqueueplayer

[whsmacon]

I also come from react-native-track-player and would love to see gapless queues implemented.