james0666/MediaHop-Releases v0.1.15

MediaHop v0.1.15 - Public Test

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MediaHop 0.1.15 - Public Test

MediaHop 0.1.15 is a substantial update to the original 0.1.11 public test build.

This release focuses on playback control, TV compatibility, playlist usability, server authentication, Recently Watched, browser improvements, and support for homes with multiple TVs.

What's New Since 0.1.11

Multiple TV Support

MediaHop can now discover and work with more than one compatible DLNA / UPnP TV on the same network.

• Single-TV homes continue to work automatically
• Multiple discovered TVs can be selected from the Active Device area
• Phone remains selected until the user chooses a TV when multiple TVs are available
• The selected TV becomes the active playback target
• TV selection can be changed again without restarting MediaHop

Recently Watched

MediaHop now keeps a rolling Recently Watched history for completed server media.

• Stores up to 14 completed items
• Items are added only after natural playback completion
• Stopping, backing out, or switching away early does not add an item
• Recently Watched rows can be tapped to replay media
• Older entries automatically roll off the list

Improved Playlist Playback

Playlist interaction has been expanded.

• Tap any playlist row to begin playback from that item
• Automatic progression continues from the selected item
• Previous / Next remain available
• Playlist playback works on both Phone and TV
• Phone ↔ TV handoff keeps the current playlist item
• Remaining playlist items continue on the newly selected playback target

Main-Screen TV Controls

MediaHop now includes TV playback controls directly on the main screen.

• Current playback position
• Duration
• Seek slider
• Play / Pause
• Stop
• Previous
• Next

Compatible TVs can therefore be controlled without needing the physical TV remote for normal playback.

Server Authentication

MediaHop now supports protected server setups.

• MediaHop username/password login
• Signed authentication tokens
• Token reuse and re-authentication
• HTTP Basic Authentication
• Separate Server Login support
• Combined HTTP Basic + MediaHop authentication
• Authenticated Phone playback
• Authenticated TV playback through PhoneMediaProxy
• Authentication continues through Phone ↔ TV handoff

Passwords are not written to the normal MediaHop server settings file.

Server Browser Improvements

The Server browser has received several navigation and usability improvements.

• Per-folder scroll-position memory
• New folders open at the top
• Back restores the previous folder position
• Back rows at both the top and bottom of long folders
• Immediate playlist add/remove state refresh
• Improved long-folder navigation
• Consistent row interaction across Server, Playlist, and Recently Watched

Phone / TV Target Improvements

Playback-target behaviour has been refined.

• Sticky Phone / TV selection during the current app session
• Clearer active target highlighting
• Active device identity shown in the main UI
• Quiet startup TV discovery
• Improved manual Find TV feedback
• Background TV availability checks while Media3 remains playing
• Known TVs can become available or unavailable without interrupting Phone playback

TV Playback & Compatibility Improvements

Additional DLNA compatibility work has been added.

• Improved Phone → TV handoff
• Improved TV → Phone handoff
• Normal-file playback position remains preserved during handoff
• Improved handling of TV playback state
• Additional Samsung DLNA compatibility handling
• Conditional cleanup for MKV files with embedded subtitles on affected TVs

Server Helper Improvements

The included media.php helper has also been substantially updated.

• Optional MediaHop username/password authentication
• Signed authentication tokens for protected browsing and playback
• Compatible with HTTP Basic Authentication configured by the web host
• Direct progressive streaming remains lightweight
• Improved support for long-running media streams
• HTTP GET, HEAD, Range, and seek support
• Optional per-file TV metadata through ffprobe
• Configurable folder exclusions
• Sample folders are excluded by default
• No server-side transcoding
• No stream diagnostic log files are created

Current Features

MediaHop currently supports:

• Browse media from a configured server
• Folder and nested-folder navigation
• Server-wide search
• Open and browse M3U playlists
• Play media directly on Android through Media3
• Stream media to compatible TVs using DLNA / UPnP
• Discover compatible TVs on the local network
• Select between multiple discovered TVs
• Phone / TV playback target selection
• Switch playback from Phone → TV
• Switch playback from TV → Phone
• Resume normal files from the current playback position
• Persistent playlist playback
• Tap playlist rows to start from a selected item
• Previous / Next
• Automatic playlist progression
• Recently Watched history
• Replay Recently Watched items
• Main-screen TV playback controls
• TV playback position and duration
• TV seeking
• Fullscreen Android playback
• Seek and scrub controls
• 15-second skip controls
• Screen rotation
• Multiple aspect-ratio options
• Background TV streaming
• Background TV availability detection
• Protected server authentication
• Stop all active playback

Server Setup

The Server browser uses the included MediaHop media.php helper.

Setup instructions and the PHP file are available in the MediaHop_Server folder of this repository.

You will need a web server with PHP enabled and an HTTP or HTTPS URL that your phone can access.

MediaHop does not require Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, Docker, a database, or server-side transcoding.

Testing

MediaHop is still in active development and compatibility testing.

One of the main goals of this release is testing MediaHop on hardware and networks outside the development environment.

I am especially interested in testing on different:

• Android phones
• Android versions
• Home networks and routers
• TV brands and models
• DLNA / UPnP compatible TVs
• Homes with multiple compatible TVs

Useful Basic Test

1. Install MediaHop
2. Find your TV
3. Select a TV if more than one is available
4. Open the Server browser
5. Select an episode or movie
6. Watch the complete file normally
7. Confirm playback remains smooth
8. Confirm playback finishes normally
9. Confirm the completed item appears in Recently Watched

Playlist auto-advance, pause/resume, seeking, and Phone ↔ TV switching are also useful to test.

If something breaks, please report it through the Issues section of this repository.

Useful information includes:

• Phone model
• Android version
• TV brand and model
• What you were trying to play
• Whether playback was on Phone or TV
• What happened
• What you expected to happen
• Whether the problem happens every time

Screenshots are also helpful when relevant.

Installation

Download the APK attached to this release.

Android may warn that the app is being installed from an external source because MediaHop is not currently distributed through the Google Play Store.

Only install builds downloaded directly from the official MediaHop repository.