Media Browser

Overview

The Media Browser is a dedicated application mode that lets users explore and play music content from connected audio components and from files available to Windows. It supports Search, device-library Browse, and an Explorer-style File browser for local drives and network shares.

When the user switches to the Media Browser mode the feature automatically connects to all registered audio components that support browsing and presents them in the left sidebar.

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Window Layout

The window is divided into two main areas:

• A left sidebar listing sources (Search mode) or a navigation tree (Browse mode)
• A content area showing search results, browse results, or file listings, plus a play bar

The sidebar and content area are separated by a resizable divider so the user can widen the sidebar to accommodate long device or category names. A mode toggle at the top of the sidebar switches between Search and Browse views.

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Left Sidebar

Sources List (Search mode)

When the browser is in Search mode and at least one device is available, the sidebar shows a Sources list above the mode toggle. Each entry represents one connected audio component:

Visual element	Description
Product image	The device’s registered product photo, falling back to a glyph icon when none is registered
Status badge	Colour-coded animated dot. Green = Connected, Amber = Connecting, Red = Disconnected
Primary name	The device’s display name
Brand subtitle	The brand name shown in smaller secondary text
Opacity	A source is displayed at reduced opacity when excluded from the current session

Clicking a source toggles its include/exclude state. Excluded devices are skipped in both search and browse operations. Reconnecting a disconnected device can be triggered from the source entry.

Navigation Tree (Browse mode)

When the browser switches to Browse mode, the Sources list is replaced by a hierarchical tree. Device root nodes look identical to Sources entries (same product image, status badge, display name, brand subtitle). Expanding the tree adds category and container nodes beneath each device. Device entries are sorted alphabetically by display name.

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Search Mode

Entry Point

Search is available from the Search toggle. The Media Browser opens in Browse mode; selecting Search reveals the query box at the top of the content area.

Debouncing

Every keystroke resets a short timer. The actual search only fires shortly after the user stops typing, preventing redundant round-trips to devices while a query is still being composed. Clearing the search box resets all result state immediately.

Search Type Filters

Four toggle chips below the search box control which content types are requested:

Toggle	Type
Tracks	Individual songs / radio tracks
Albums	Albums
Artists	Artists
Playlists	Playlists

Plugins can use these filters to skip API round-trips for categories the user doesn’t want, saving bandwidth and reducing latency. Filter selections are remembered and restored the next time the window opens. If all categories are unchecked, the search shows a warning instead of querying devices.

Per-Device Parallel Search

Each included, connected device is searched concurrently, with a per-device timeout of roughly 10 seconds. Results from each device are merged into the shared result groups as soon as they arrive, so faster devices appear first without waiting for slower ones. Timed-out or failed devices return an empty result silently; they do not cancel results from other devices.

Result Groups

Search results are organised into up to four groups: Artists, Albums, Tracks, and Playlists, each with a header showing the group name and result count (e.g., “20 tracks”, “1 album”). Results from multiple devices are merged into each group, and a running count is shown while results stream in.

Search Result Cards

Each result card shows a thumbnail (or type-specific glyph), the item name, an artist/album subtitle (for tracks and albums), a source platform label (e.g., “BluOS”, “HEOS”, “Tidal”), and playback action buttons:

• Play Now: replaces the current queue and starts playback
• Play Next: inserts after the currently playing track
• Add to Queue: appends to the end of the queue

Search Support by Plugin

Plugin	Search
BluOS	✅ (searches every music service exposed by the player: Tracks, Albums, Artists, Playlists, Stations, Podcasts)
HEOS	✅
Spotify	✅
Tidal	✅
MusicCast	❌
Dirac	❌

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Browse Mode

Entering Browse Mode

Browse is the initial mode when the Media Browser opens. On first use in a session, the content area gives a short welcome explaining File browser, device browsing, and Search. The view is cached, so later activations retain the user’s current selection.

Navigation Tree

The tree uses a lazy-loading hierarchy:

Device (root)
└── Category   (e.g., "Albums", "Tidal", "Radio Stations")
    └── Container   (e.g., an album, a playlist folder)
        └── Item    (track, station: a leaf, shown in the content panel)

Each level loads only when the user expands it. Loading errors show a single error node with a message instead of crashing.

Content Area – Browse Results

Browse results are displayed as either a Grid view or a List view, toggled from the content area header.

• Grid view: responsive tiles with thumbnail, name, artist/album subtitle, ecosystem badge, and a quick-play button on hover
• List view: detailed rows with thumbnail, name + subtitle, ecosystem badge, and a play button

Breadcrumb Navigation

A breadcrumb bar above the results reflects the current position in the hierarchy (e.g. Device Name / Category / Container / Current level). Clicking any earlier segment jumps back to that level. Back, Forward, Up, and Home controls sit alongside the trail.

Playing Browse Items

• Playable leaves (tracks, stations) play immediately when clicked, or via the explicit Play Now / Play Next / Add to Queue buttons
• Containers (albums, folders) drill into their contents when clicked

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File Browser

Entry Point and Start Location

Selecting File browser opens a Windows-style Desktop root, combining the user’s real Desktop contents with the familiar This PC and Network shell locations. This PC contains the standard known folders and drives. Network includes hardware components already known to HiFi Control plus a quick network discovery pass, and direct UNC navigation (e.g. \\server1\files) remains available for file servers and shares.

Folders are never registered, imported, or added to a media library; the browser can open any location the signed-in Windows user can access.

Explorer-Style Navigation

The shared toolbar provides Back/Forward (including Alt+Left/Alt+Right), Up, Home, Refresh (F5), and an editable address field for typing a path directly. Folder contents are shown as a details list with Name, Date modified, Type, and Size columns. Directories are sorted before files, and hidden/system entries follow Windows Explorer’s default behavior.

Windows Shell Icons

File, folder, and drive icons are loaded from the Windows Shell rather than application-specific glyphs, so both local and network navigation look familiar and follow the user’s Windows file associations.

Favorite Folders

Favorite folders are accessed from the Favorites dropdown next to the breadcrumb toolbar. Add to favorites stores the current folder as a shortcut without registering it as a media source.

Selection-Based Playback

Playback controls appear in the bottom action bar after selecting a file or folder. The user chooses a compatible target under Play on and selects Play:

• A supported audio file streams directly to the target player.
• A selected folder is scanned recursively for supported audio files and sent to the target player as a playlist.
• Unsupported files remain visible (so the browser behaves like Explorer) but their Play action is disabled.

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Supported Plugins

Plugin	Browse	Search
BluOS	✅	✅
HEOS	✅	✅
Spotify	✅	✅
Tidal	✅	✅
MusicCast	❌	❌
Dirac	❌	❌