Automating BBC Sounds channels from Home Assistant

[dunxd]

Now BBC Sounds is a Music Source in MA, I no longer need to rely on the Radio Station method to listen to BBC radio stations.

However, I had created some scripts in Home Assistant for starting the stations. I am unsure how to reference the streams in Home Assistant.

With Radio Stations i can reference a station that is set up in a script YAML like this:

data:
  media_type: radio
  media_id: BBC Radio 6

What media_type is used and how do I determine the media_id to achieve the same thing with the BBC Sounds music source?

[OzGav]

Have a look here https://www.music-assistant.io/faq/massplaymedia/

[dunxd]

I had already reviewed that page and it does not answer the question of how to play a specific BBC Sounds station or help me figure out how to do it.

• What media_type if any? There is no "BBC Sounds" in the picker.
• How do I figure out the media_id to use for a station e.g. Radio 6 Music or Radio 4? These are not exposed in the UI anywhere I can find.

It would be helpful if this info was added to the BBC Sounds Media Player documentation. I'd happily contribute that if I knew the answer.

[OzGav]

It is not something specific to the BBC provider. If the station is in the library you just use the station name

[dunxd]

If I do a search in Music Assistant for "BBC 6 Music", I get results from multiple music sources - BBC Sounds (which I want, as it includes "Now Playing" info), plus several entries with exactly the same name from RadioBrowser.

How can I specify the one I want in my automations if they are all named the same?

[OzGav]

I don’t think you can but why are you searching. If you have just one in your library then just play that.

[dunxd]

I am searching to illustrate that there are multiple stations with the same name in Music Assistant, and I want to have my automations play a specific one from a specific player.

I didn't put the stations in Music Assistant. Radio Browser has many duplicate entries, particularly for all BBC radio stations.

Music Assistant must be capable of addressing each version otherwise the UI would not play the specific item chosen if there were duplicates. I am just looking for a way to get the same precision from automations.

[OzGav]

As I said you just need to use the play_media action with the name of the station in the library. If you dont have it in the library then add it. If you have added multiple to the library then you need to reduce it to just one.

[dunxd]

I think you are completely misunderstanding me.

If you have Radio Browser installed you have at least 4 stations all named "BBC Radio 6 Music". That isn't user choice - that comes with Radio Browser. Try it. You will see. LOTS of duplication for many stations - not just BBC.

So then if you intall BBC Sounds you have another, better, version of Radio 6 Music with exactly the same name but with "now playing" support.

So to clear out the additional copies of Radio 6 Music you have to delete Radio Browser, and then lose all the other stations that are available in that but not in BBC Sounds.

I hope that clarifies things. I just want my automation to play the right version of the radio station.

[OzGav]

I understand there are lots of versions of a given channel when you search. What I don’t understand is why you aren’t just adding ONE station from BBC Sounds for BBC Radio 6 from the BBC Sounds provider and then using the exact name of that station in the play_media command.