Transform Your Windows PC into a Home Assistant Media Player with HASS.Agent

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HASS.Agent is steadily closing the feature gap with other applications that integrate Home Assistant with Windows PCs, notebooks, or tablets. The latest release introduces the capability to turn your Windows device into a Home Assistant controllable media player. This article provides an overview of this new functionality, including its limitations and additional features.

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Limitations of HASS.Agent Integration

It's important to note that this integration does not support all Windows applications. Specifically, the VLC media player is incompatible. To work with HASS.Agent, the application must utilize the Windows.Media APIs. Fortunately, popular applications such as Spotify for Windows and even YouTube in a Chrome browser are supported.

However, there is a limitation regarding cover art. While you can see the currently playing track and artist, the media player interface in your Home Assistant Dashboard lacks cover art. For instance, when playing a YouTube video in Chrome, the channel's name and video title are displayed instead of cover art.

Screenshot of the HASS.Agent media player interface in Home Assistant. The interface is split into two sections. The top section is labelled “Laptop Liam Legion Media Player” and shows the currently playing track “Oliver Tree — Hurt.” It includes playback controls for previous track, play/pause, and next track, but lacks cover art. The bottom section mirrors the same information with playback controls for previous track, play/pause, next track, and volume, showing that the track is “Playing.” Both sections have a simple, minimalistic design.
Screenshot of the HASS.Agent media player interface in Home Assistant. The interface is divided into two sections. The top section is labeled “Laptop Liam Legion Media Player” and shows the currently playing track “- Everything I Know About Love.” It includes playback controls for previous track, play/pause, and next track, but lacks cover art. The bottom section mirrors the same information with playback controls for previous track, play/pause, next track, and volume, showing that the track is “Playing.” Both sections feature a simple, minimalistic design.
Screenshot of the HASS.Agent media player interface in Home Assistant. The interface is divided into two sections. The top section is labelled “Laptop Liam Legion Media Player” and shows the currently playing track “ShortCircuit — Have they finally won me over?” It includes playback controls for previous track, play/pause, and next track, but lacks cover art. The bottom section mirrors the same information with playback controls for previous track, play/pause, next track, and volume, showing that the track is “Playing.” Both sections feature a simple, minimalistic design.

Remote Website Access with WebView Command

The HASS.Agent 2022.12 update also introduces the WebView command, enabling you to open websites remotely on your Windows PC via Home Assistant. This feature uses Microsoft Edge's core to display sites without launching a full browser.

While this feature is promising, its practical use may vary. Some users, including myself, have experienced issues with multiple monitors, where the command does not function as intended.

Screenshot of the HASS.Agent WebView command setup window. The URL field contains “https://home-assistant-guide.com.” The window has options to set the size and location of the WebView. Location coordinates are set to 599 (horizontal) and 192 (vertical). Size dimensions are set to 2862 pixels wide and 1699 pixels high. Options include “always show centred in screen,” “show the window's title bar,” and “set window as always on top,” with the first and last options checked. A tip at the bottom indicates that pressing 'esc' will close the WebView.
A portrait photo oif Liam Alexander Colman, the author, creator, and owner of Home Assistant Guide wearing a suit.

About Liam Alexander Colman

is an experienced Home Assistant user who has been utilizing the platform for a variety of projects over an extended period. His journey began with a Raspberry Pi, which quickly grew to three Raspberry Pis and eventually a full-fledged server. Liam's current operating system of choice is Unraid, with Home Assistant comfortably running in a Docker container.
With a deep understanding of the intricacies of Home Assistant, Liam has an impressive setup, consisting of various Zigbee devices, and seamless integrations with existing products such as his Android TV box. For those interested in learning more about Liam's experience with Home Assistant, he shares his insights on how he first started using the platform and his subsequent journey.

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