metro background audio c# (consumer preview)

Peter Daukintis

Some changes occurred in the consumer preview release of Windows 8 regarding background audio; the steps required to get it working are outlined in this forum post

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-AU/winappswithcsharp/thread/2d3496df-a145-4d87-be08-aadd5a8098e2

The steps are

• Create a MediaElement and set it’s AudioCategory property to ‘BackgroundCapableMedia’
  <MediaElement x:Name="myMedia"
                Source="/Assets/Sleep Away.mp3"
                AudioCategory="BackgroundCapableMedia"/>

• Update the app manifest to declare Background Tasks of types ‘Audio’ and ‘Control Channel’
• Implement event handlers for
  • MediaControl.PlayPressed
  • MediaControl.PausePressed
  • MediaControl.PlayPauseTogglePressed
  • MediaControl.StopPressed

 

public BlankPage()
{
    this.InitializeComponent();
    MediaControl.PlayPressed += MediaControl_PlayPressed;
    MediaControl.PausePressed += MediaControl_PausePressed;
    MediaControl.PlayPauseTogglePressed += MediaControl_PlayPauseTogglePressed;
    MediaControl.StopPressed += MediaControl_StopPressed;
}

private void MediaControl_StopPressed(object sender, object e)
{
    myMedia.Stop();
}

private void MediaControl_PlayPauseTogglePressed(object sender, object e)
{
}

private void MediaControl_PausePressed(object sender, object e)
{
    myMedia.Pause();
}

private void MediaControl_PlayPressed(object sender, object e)
{
    myMedia.Play();
}

The media transport event handlers which need to be implemented are detailed here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/hh833781.aspx

 

Here’s a working sample project.

https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=4f1b7368284539e5&resid=4F1B7368284539E5!440&parid=4F1B7368284539E5!123‏

UPDATE: I have updated this for the Release Preview (see http://babaandthepigman.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/metro-background-audio-c-release-preview/)