[size=18pt][b]Brimstone Core / Control R1 – patches and improvements this week[/b][/size]

A busy week of using the system, finding the niggles and fixing them. The main focus has been making everyday listening and ripping easier, while keeping existing Meridian / Sooloos equipment useful.

[list]
[*][b]Meridian / Sooloos control:[/b] improved discovery and speaker selection, with a speaker selector on Core's Home screen. Mac-local playback now follows the correct queue and lyrics as well.

[*][b]Simpler music browsing:[/b] Albums, Bootlegs, Playlists and Radio Recordings have their own shelves in the current Core, Mac and iOS listening updates. Bootlegs and radio recordings stay off the normal Home album shelf. Album actions are centred on Play and Add to Queue; normal Mac/iOS playback selects the best complete available edition.

[*][b]Compilations and Various Artists:[/b] repaired albums that had split into multiple entries or individual tracks, including guest-performer releases. Original performer credits are retained. Original Album Series discs can be identified as the actual artist and album rather than retaining the box-set title.

[*][b]Artwork:[/b] improved cover lookup and preview before ripping. Core's album grid now handles artwork properly when filtering, refreshing or redrawing the page, with working retry controls for missing images. Existing artwork choices are preserved; a few unmatched releases still need a suitable provider match.

[*][b]The new Rip workspace:[/b] Audio Rip, Video Rip, MiniDisc Rip, Import and Burn are grouped clearly, with Recording Studio kept separate. Improvements cover USB optical access, disc-change detection, stale metadata from the previous disc, and metadata correction before ripping. Support still depends on the drive, disc and format.

[*][b]Background ripping and imports:[/b] completed rips can upload and publish while the next disc is prepared. A finished import triggers a library update. Large transfers and albums containing one long track are supported. Concert imports prepare one verified Apple-compatible playback file.

[*][b]Radio:[/b] Mac and iOS use Core's station directory, with search and personal lists kept separate. Available station and playing metadata is displayed. Eligible non-commercial streams can be recorded through Core; paid subscription services are excluded. Saved recordings have their own shelf and a simple Delete → Yes action.

[*][b]Podcasts and audiobooks:[/b] selecting a programme queues its episodes or chapters and starts at the chosen item, then opens Playing. Podcasts play on the device being used. Audiobook preparation, resume and available metadata have also received fixes.

[*][b]Bootleg downloads:[/b] Core owns the durable queue, prevents duplicate selections, shows queued/downloading/downloaded status, and restores work after a crash or restart.

[*][b]Video playback:[/b] concert videos are grouped by band, with available artwork and metadata. Streaming, startup buffering, seeking and format handling have received updates on Mac and supported iPad video. Apple TV uses [b]HDMI audio only for R1[/b] to keep sound and picture together; alternative network audio outputs remain R2 work.

[*][b]Layouts and controls:[/b] simpler navigation, Radio within Streaming, Podcasts and Audiobooks within Spoken Word, a smaller Playing layout for an 11-inch iPad in landscape, adaptive Duo layouts and CarPlay album browsing. TV Playing controls are smaller too.

[*][b]Core maintenance:[/b] repaired Clear All Queues and added Start/Restart controls for supported Core services. Library management belongs in Core; Control stays focused on listening and the local media devices it needs.
[/list]

[b]Current builds[/b]

Debian Core R1 revision 40 is available as an update patch. iPhone/iPad Control 31 and Apple TV Control 31 are testing in TestFlight. Mac Control 40 and Mac Core 51 are going through the remaining Apple release checks. Further TV parity and the newest Windows/Android listening updates are follow-up work.

Full weekly update: [url=https://core-audio.uk/r1-weekly-2026-10-24.html]https://core-audio.uk/r1-weekly-2026-10-24.html[/url]
Downloads, build status and checksums: [url=https://core-audio.uk/downloads.html]https://core-audio.uk/downloads.html[/url]

Thanks to everyone testing and reporting problems. If something misbehaves, the app/build, device, selected output and album or programme involved are the most useful details.