n-Stream App problem ?

Posted by: Mr Paws on 22 July 2014

Hi to all. 

 

I hope someone can shed a little light on my problem using the n-Stream app which I have on my iPhone 4s.

 

Last night I settled down to listen to some music so I tapped on Artist / Album which in this case was a Paul McCartney Album but for some reason I was getting the 'Can't Play' on the display on my UQ1 so I tried some other Albums but the same problem again. Only a few albums would play going to Artist so I tried tapping on Album and the McCartney Album started paying with no problems at all ! 

 

So far I have switched the UQ1 off then back on but not reset it and I've turned my NAS off then did a reboot but the same problem still persists. I deleted the nStream app from my iphone then re-installed it but to no avail.

 

Has anyone had this issue before and if so how can I fix the problem.

 

Thanks in advance Guys..

Posted on: 22 July 2014 by ChrisSU
There are a multitude of stability, connectivity and functionality problems with the n-stream app, many of them discussed on this forum. The only hope seems to be that a completely revamped version is rumoured to be due out soon (September?) sorry this doesn't help with your particular issue, but fingers crossed the new app will be up to scratch.
Posted on: 22 July 2014 by Mr Paws
Originally Posted by ChrisSU:
There are a multitude of stability, connectivity and functionality problems with the n-stream app, many of them discussed on this forum. The only hope seems to be that a completely revamped version is rumoured to be due out soon (September?) sorry this doesn't help with your particular issue, but fingers crossed the new app will be up to scratch.

 

Thanks for your reply ChrisSU, 

 

It just seems strange I'm having this particular problem now as it's never cropped up before. Sure I've had to reinstall the app a few times bit I'm not too bothered a about doing that bit I suppose the revamped app will address my issue and others mentioned on here as you say. 

 

I may do a complete reset on my UQ1 and see how that goes even though it's a pain :-(

 

Regards..

Posted on: 22 July 2014 by Bart

I believe that the 'can't play' message has more to do with the server than the player, at least in my experience.

 

The 'Connecting' message that won't go away usually is fixed by restarting the player, however.

Posted on: 22 July 2014 by PG

I used to have that issue and traced it down to files that the system could not play. I trawled 7000+ songs to ensure they were all valid files and now, no issue. Would suggest you look at that particular track and see what file type it is.......unless of course it has played previously, in which case I have no idea.

Posted on: 22 July 2014 by Bart

'Can't play' can seem to happen when a file has been very recently added.  Some servers seem to add the info to the database before everything is fully fully indexed and ready to go.  Thus n-Stream sees the file(s) but it/they are not really ready to play.   (Sorry, not a very technical description.)  A re-index after a short wait can fix this issue sometimes, as well.

Posted on: 22 July 2014 by sjbabbey

Hi Mr Paws

 

I think it might help if we had a bit more info about your setup.

 

Is your UQ connected to your network via Ethernet cable or wi-fi?

What NAS drive(s) are you using and what UPnP server software is installed on them?

Are your NAS drives allowed to go into sleep mode if not used for a period of time?

 

The problem you describe could be down to a hardware issue; namely a lag in the NAS responding to the n-stream app following a period of inactivity. You mention that it occurred after settling down to start listening so the NAS may just have gone into sleep mode.

 

The other issue you mention could be a tagging issue. Not sure which tag or combination of tags are used by your UPnP server to differentiate between Artist/Album and Artist and Album views. i do know that there are separate tags of "Artist" and "Album artist" in mp3tag which is what I use to tag my files. Perhaps if you ensure that both these fields are completed with the same value it might solve this. You can do this for all files in one go using mp3tag.

Posted on: 22 July 2014 by ChrisSU
I think the broader issue here is that Naim need to improve all their software, and possibly also their network hardware. They can't blame all these issues on third party networks if those networks function flawlessly with other devices but badly with theirs.
Posted on: 22 July 2014 by Mr Paws
Originally Posted by sjbabbey:

Hi Mr Paws

 

I think it might help if we had a bit more info about your setup.

 

Is your UQ connected to your network via Ethernet cable or wi-fi?

What NAS drive(s) are you using and what UPnP server software is installed on them?

Are your NAS drives allowed to go into sleep mode if not used for a period of time?

 

The problem you describe could be down to a hardware issue; namely a lag in the NAS responding to the n-stream app following a period of inactivity. You mention that it occurred after settling down to start listening so the NAS may just have gone into sleep mode.

 

The other issue you mention could be a tagging issue. Not sure which tag or combination of tags are used by your UPnP server to differentiate between Artist/Album and Artist and Album views. i do know that there are separate tags of "Artist" and "Album artist" in mp3tag which is what I use to tag my files. Perhaps if you ensure that both these fields are completed with the same value it might solve this. You can do this for all files in one go using mp3tag.

Hi, I've got a ReadyNAS Duo in Wired configuration to a Netgear Router which is connected to a VM SuperHub in Modem Mode. Recently I've been leaving the NAS switched on and I've moved it downstairs so now it sits next to my Qute. I think you may have point regarding the NAS going to sleep mode but it seems to start up ok when needed. 

 

Today I've changed the network to Wireless and the same problem persists so it's back to wired. I've been thinking of changing my router to give me more ports and perhaps fit a switch too but I'm not that technically minded so I go on what advice I read so I'm open to any advice. As has been mentioned here maybe Naim could help with a new more updated app ?

 

Thanks to all who have contributed and given advice it's greatly appreciated.

 

 

Posted on: 23 July 2014 by Fredrik A

I've had this issue a few times with my Unities. Resetting the UPnP Cache under settings in the N-stream app has solved it for me.

Posted on: 23 July 2014 by Mike-B

+1 on clearing both caches

when I get "can't play" it's either the NAS has not come out of hibernation quickly enough &/or the cache(s) needs clearing - clearing the cache does that & also wakes up the NAS.

(My Synology NAS takes about 30 secs to wake up) 

 

Re: changing my router to give me more ports and perhaps fit a switch too but I'm not that technically minded

Thats easy,  you just need a real switch between the UQ & NAS & a branch off to  whatever router/modem you choose.  I say "real" switch because routers are not always true switches. OK for games & stuff  but some are not suitable for continuous packets of audio traffic.  

Posted on: 23 July 2014 by Harry

I got "Can't Play" last week after a storm power down. Turned out that the NAS needed to be shut down and restarted for a second time. I don't immediately see (although I stand to be corrected) how one can blame this on nServe by default. But it is an awfully clunky app to use and it can't be replaced soon enough. Let's hope that the September revision is worth the wait.

Posted on: 24 July 2014 by charlesphoto

Whenever there's a problem with nStream, first:

 

clear cache

clear image cache

rescan NAS (I use minimserver on Vortexbox)

repeat first two after a rescan

restart NAS and/or modem and then repeat above steps

 

Doubt it's the UQ. Only time I need to restart it is if somethings been unplugged within the network leading up to the UQ (i.e. the ethernet cords). 

Posted on: 24 July 2014 by ChrisSU
It's great to know that solutions like this are possible, but when you have to faff around like that every other time you want just to relax and listen to some music.....come on Naim, sort it out!
Posted on: 24 July 2014 by Mike-B
Originally Posted by ChrisSU:
..............  when you have to faff around like that every other time you want just to relax and listen to some music.....

Not so ChrisSU,  my (& many other users) system starts up perfectly most all times. On the rare occasions it shows "can't play", its up & running a few moments later.  I take the can't play show as a hint that its time to clear the cache's. 

If your system really does have a problem "every other time",  you have a problem that needs sorting.