New n-Stream app is here
Posted by: LeeTom on 22 September 2014
Dear Phil, TJ and the whole team,
A quick line to offer a pat on the back to the development team on the first release of the new naim app upgrade to nStream. Amidst the forum flames, some kind words. I'm not one to treat a new UI like a new product...hence why I like the new number for iOS 8 with more new under the covers than new, well, covers. Feels like you've done the same - new multi-platform code base, new interactive commands, new off-line functionality. Nice work. Flowery bits, like resizing icons and fonts in lists, stubs to notify for and install firmware updates, and improved multi-room, are also lovely.
Lots of stuff I don't get, one of many reasons I couldn't do your job... Like folks not understanding that nobody releases a roadmap, that glitches in interfaces are just glitches, that it's easier to spot a missing favourite feature and ignore a thousand functional details than remember all thousand-and-one things, that not liking a colour choice doesn't make it sensible to trash a team who've been elbows deep for months... There's more, you've seen it all and it's not worthy to repeat.
Feel good. Attack the change list. Get 1.1 out within a week of Android 1.0. Keep being pros and treat all this passion as the most intense use case testing and feedback you could ever imagine (and could never afford!) Feel good.
Regards, alan
ps - To let you know I'm not all Pollyanna here, fire the useless hack who used the Analog icon on the FM "now playing" screen. Kudos if you read this far and make that change!
It's clear that it's not just me that is having problems with the new Nstream app. It will not control UPnP on my Uniti or Qute.
We have a *SMALL* number (currently less than a dozen) of users who have contacted me with a UPnP playback issue - I have emailed all of those users that I am aware of with a list of information that we need to get to try to bottom this issue out.
If you have not contacted support@naimaudio.com with this issue then you might be holding the magic bit of info that we need to fix the issue and we'll never know so if you haven't mailed me then please do so...
Cheers
Phil
I installed by mistake, when I select Digital input it crashes, have to manually change input on 172-XS to anything but Digital and then restart the program. I am running "Niam" on iPad mini with OS 8. Anyone know where to download the old n-Stream. PS, I do like the new volume control, when you can find it...
Stu, you got system automation enabled on that digital input?
"NDX/NDS/ND5. Digital input configured to have CD automation enabled. Temporary work around, on the front panel setup on your product "System automation > CD Player > Enabled" set this to NO. Switch it on again when the next version of n-stream comes out"
thanks TJ, that did the trick. Would still like to roll back to n-Stream, wife had just got used to it.
I can't find it in the Apple Store, any ideas?
thanks for the quick follow up.
Jan. Once you have the genres listed, press the 3 dots on the right hand side of the screen and your tracks are then added to the play queue. (This seems to be easier from the alphabetic list). Then find the play queue and you can select random. Nice and straight forward!
Also available by press-and-holding the "Genre" (or any other...) icon and selecting play from the pop up menu. The first 500 tracks will be added to the queue and playing will automagically commence. Voila!
Regards, alan
Press and Hold worked with NSteam but doesn't work for me with the New App. Using the '3 dots method' only loads 250 tracks.
@daveas. The play queue size is set by the product,not the app. From memory older Uniti versions were limited to 250 and more recent models had a little more memory and can handle 500 tracks. The app will queue the maximum amount of track allowed by the product
I really don't like - I keep not being able to find my CDs to choose what to listen to. I don't know if its me being stupid, the app being inconsistent or just unintuitive. Never had these problems with previous version - just so frustrating. Just tried again and it took me about six goes to find the album list. Hate!
On the plus side being able to control more than one device from one iPhone / iPad is an improvement - had to have iPhone linked to UQ in loft and ND5 in living room before - now (if the UQ can be persuaded to work again) I can use either in either. Before, if I had left the iPad in the bedroom I ended up not listening to music downstairs...
But my qute is not working at all - no idea if anything to do with the app, my network (been having some issues with the ISP and the router they supplied) or the UQ itself
RE UPnP,
Would like to echo Phil's request for more detail on UPnP problems. I have been trying to reproduce the issues with what I have on my desk (Naim HDX, ReadyNAS, Asset, Minim, QNAP) and on various different bits of Apple hardware and navigation and playback works on all the Naim devices I can find. QA guys are looking into it too. I'm guessing it is a combination of UPnP server, Naim product firmware and the format of the content that is being browsed but without the magic ingredients it is proving difficult to reproduce. Hence any detailed setup info for users that are having persistent trouble would be appreciated.
Once thing you could try is Settings > Input settings > UPnP > Clear UPnP cache. Does this improve browsing speed?
the app is installed on my iPhone and iPad. My system is a basic Uniti, Qute, and Uniti Serve. The old app worked well but the new app has problems with UPnP input. It will display all albums and track info. But will not allow selecting a track to play. If I play a track using the remote the app will display that album and track, I cant then change that track nor change the album event though they are displayed on the screen. the volume control will not operate in UPnP. All other inputs appear to work ok.
mcnich
I had exactly this problem, in fact word for word the same as yours. I had deleted and re-installed the app twice and made many more adjustments but to no avail. Someone suggested I re-boot my UnitiServe - probably something i should already have tried but it sounded to simple a resolution really. Anyway, long story short, it fixed the problem.
If you haven't already done that......
Happy fixing.
Ok, half an hour in and its looking better, one question, I've made a playlist, how to "Play from here" ?
thanks.
TJ - looks like you're in for a busy day... cheers
Hi all
Can we search a podcast by its name? A lot easier if you know the name. The other day i tried to find a podcast in n-stream way but it was not possible.
Press and Hold worked with NSteam but doesn't work for me with the New App. Using the '3 dots method' only loads 250 tracks.
Confirming press and hold works for me on new app on both iPod 5 and iPad Air with iOS8. Works with UPNP servers Synology Music Station, MinimServer, Plex and Twonky. Works at all hierarchy levels below top level selection among Music / Video / Photo services (if so configured) - ie at all levels where a path to a share is specified. You may have to wait different lengths of time in different situations, but I've never had to wait more than a couple of seconds for the pop-up with Play Now to appear.
@daveas. The play queue size is set by the product,not the app. From memory older Uniti versions were limited to 250 and more recent models had a little more memory and can handle 500 tracks. The app will queue the maximum amount of track allowed by the product
Confirming this is true: SuperUniti downstairs loads 500 but v1 UnitiQute upstairs only loads 250.
Thanks folks, great dialog and better appreciation for how things work with interactions like this one!
Regards alan
I'm not sure if this is the kind of problem you're asking about but my
problem concerns playing from NAS.
If I connect to my NAS drive (WD) from the new App and select Album it
shows many but not all albums which are stored on my Server only
(Unitiserve). Even then for some albums it shows all the tracks and for
others just a few.
Cheers Dave
I am using a Supernait 1 with the ND5 XS. No cable! Which is probably why it doesn't work 
errr correction ...... definitely why it doesn't werk
3.5mm to 3.5mm minijack cable, stereo or mono are both OK
I bought mine for about £2 from PC World
Cheers Mike! I'll get a cable! 
Well guys and girls,
After a few days use.... I LIKE IT ! 
No issues with my SU and iPad mini. all working well. Lost a couple of nice features like stream size on iradio. But I guess next update will restore some if the minor issues.
On the whole from my view WELL DONE NAIM !
Onward and upward !
Let's not forget, once you all get used to the new graphics bling, which only lasts a couple of days IMO, then one might start to wonder what's actually new and improved about the functional side of things.
Now it there had been major changes to the way things are done, then yes applause would be due if it all worked correctly from the off, but it seems many are just pleased that the app simply works.
Easily pleased if you ask me.
Hi AllenB et al,
I have been reading this thread all this week before attempting the dreaded upgrade first to iOS 8 and then the new app. I got into NAIM last year when I took a UnitiLite on loan at home and fell in love not with the sound per se but rather with the streaming concept - and the Spartan look of the app.
My feedback: the new app works without glitches - at least for me. My NDX was already firmware upgraded though. So, several of the comments encountered in this thread like not finding the NAS or not being able to listen directly to an album after selecting it might justbe firmware level issues.
But do I like it more than nStream? I must confess I don't. In terms of functionality there is really not much - apart from the "multitasking" capability of Upnp browsing whilst listening to radio- and here I totally agree with you. I was at least hoping for spotify/qobuz support. I also don't particularly like the UI. But I kind of expected the new look based on what Muso looks like. Apparently NAIM is addressing a wider audience. In fact I noticed the totally different look of the naim audio home page, again moving away from the Spartan green and black look. I don't seem to recall other comments on that in the thread although I have not checked exhaustively.
For or me the really interesting topic is what you aleady mentioned about going beyond the constraints of UPNP so as to offer folder or artist at work etc. I am wondering if there are technical limitations of having a "persistent" (in s/w development sense) view of the library and the metadata on the app...I would think that this "persistent" view should reside on the streamer, not the app. The products that several of you mention which provide such capabilities do it as products not as apps. Comments welcome, I might well be off the mark here.
I agree with AllenB, until we get the new firmware, most of this new NStream'Naim' app is cosmetic from what I can see (unless you have Mu-so).. Roll on the firmware updates with the music streaming service advances... Then we should have something interesting to play with (IMO of course)
Simon
The data for a "persistent" view, if I understand what you mean, has to reside in (at least) one of three places right? The server, the streamer/player, or the control app (ie, on your iPhone).
The server: there must be several dozen different servers in total used by forum posters. Naim can only control their servers and their capabilities.
The streamer/player: My strong guess is that the Naim players do not have unused data storage capacity where such data could be stored. This would require a hardware change as well as software.
The control app: To my untrained mind, the easiest place to put such data. Subject to limitations such as how much storage is needed and how much storage can be allotted to the apps. My photo apps store a lot, so I guess this is not a particular technical limit.
There is the option between 'list view' and 'icon view' for UPNP. Any idea to get rid of this folder icon in 'list view' or how to modify it?
On Qute v1 I can browse UPNP while listening to Webradio but not the other way - searching for Webradio channel while listening to UPNP.
Any idea how to get the stream information like format and quality (e.g. Flac 96khz)
Dirk
Any Chance to downgrade The iPad App ??
The data for a "persistent" view, if I understand what you mean, has to reside in (at least) one of three places right? The server, the streamer/player, or the control app (ie, on your iPhone).
The server: there must be several dozen different servers in total used by forum posters. Naim can only control their servers and their capabilities.
The streamer/player: My strong guess is that the Naim players do not have unused data storage capacity where such data could be stored. This would require a hardware change as well as software.
The control app: To my untrained mind, the easiest place to put such data. Subject to limitations such as how much storage is needed and how much storage can be allotted to the apps. My photo apps store a lot, so I guess this is not a particular technical limit.
Surely not on the server. Definitely would require major h/w and s/w changes on the streamers - hence unlikely. That leaves the app where I sense there might be difficulties with persistent storage. Bottom line: we will not see such functionality...
Any Chance to downgrade The iPad App ??
You need a backup on ITunes. Search the web for downgrade iOS apps (I recall also a link in this forum). Basically delete the app on iOS and on ITunes, then install the former version from ITunes again.
I have one source so switched off the 'multiroom' off - I assume this is correct?
G
Just found the "inferior" old n-Stream app on iMac, deleted the new "superior" one and all is now well with the world! When Naim produce an upgrade that is worthy, I will readily jump on the wagon, right now I'm happy to slum it.