AIFF files and PLEX Media Server

Yes I have been advocating PLEX here for years but no one listens.

However as far as I know AIFF files can only be played by going via the itunes plugin. I should imagine in your case this is not going to work though as itunes won't be on your nas. 

In other words convert them. I don't know anyone used AIFF anyhow

The quality of meta displayed is second to none, I presume you have found the incorrect match feature where it does get it wrong? Also I prioritise the lastfm plugin as the main music scanner as this seems to pick up most things well.

Hi Gary...I'm not trying to play them, I am using the files from the 'music share' stored on my Qnap NAS. Apart from my 24/96 files downloaded in FLAC from HDTracks, all my files were WAV rips from my old Unitiserve, which I no longer own. They sounded great, but the metadata was all wrong because of the way UnitiServe stores the data. So, I have begun the process of converting everything to FLAC using XLD. 

There have been numerous threads on the 'best' lossless file format, so I gave a dozen albums ago, and converted them to AIFF. When I attempted to get PLEX to scan those AIFF albums, PLEX would not do it. It's not a problem, because I re did them to FLAC.

Yes, the metadata is second to none. I am using the app version on Qnap, not the paid version. So I don't know if there is more functionality on that version re plugins, and other features. Brilliant server though!! I am using PLEX to serve the music to my ND5 XS. 

Thanks Gary.

I use AIFF files and prefer them over all the others, streaming from my NAS to the unitiQute. Sound as good as WAV files but have all metadata embedded along with album art. Plus they are multi platform compatible, Mac, iOS, Windows and Linux. I've not tried them with Plex however. it's a shame PLEX doesn't support them.

Well, I'm not sure if they do, or they don't. PLEX just wouldn't scan the AIFF files stored on the NAS. I have now converted them to FLAC using XLD, and it scaned them with no problem. Also, I can't get PLEX to play the FLAC albums using PLEX Player, which I thought, played all audio files. 

They might be transcoded on the fly or something. I don't use plex to play music within the house, but any I play out and about play just fine and I think most of my stuff is flac. See iff there is a transcode option in the server.

There is Gary, but it refers to films, not audio. The reason that I wanted to use PLEX to play my FLAC albums on my iMac, was because I was bored with the content what I had on iTunes. As you'll appreciate, iTunes will not play FLAC. 

I just checked on my macbook, PLEX plays FLAC just fine. 

Just to be clear, don't use the web interface, download the proper player. You can hit the \ key (Near the return key) to bring it out of full screen and shrink it.

The only thing with plex is its designed as a home theatre, therefore to be used with a remote. This means it does not play with mices. The controls are pretty straight forward, i.e. up down, left right return to go in, escape to come out etc.

Also bare in mind that PLEX is a UPNP server so if you can find a renderer that runs on your computer that will do it.

Morning Gary...Yes, I am using the web interface, which has the same IP address as the Qnap NAS. If I go to the PLEX web site, I am presented with the download options of Computer or NAS. Choosing either one, takes me to my account with all my music on, as it obviously recognises my address. Funnily enough, AAC and MP3 files play perfectly.

Gary...UDATE. I've downloaded the computer version, (not the NAS) and signed in with a different email address, which gave me a blank canvas. I did a test scan of one FLAC album (Hotel California) and it played perfecly first time! 

Thanks for your help Gary.

Meerkat, the beauty of PLEX is you sign in with the same credentials. If you have downloaded the PlexHT then when you launch it should offer you a pin to enter, goto the website and sign in with your original server credentials then enter the pin.

This ensures when you are out and about everything stays working, so you could take your laptop away for instance and still access all that lovely music (assuming you have an internet connection)

You can also pay a few quid to get the plex app on your phone, again once downloaded sign in with your original server email credentials, and boom, all that lovely music will be there as well.

Plex is without doubt the most fully fledged competent server our there. The trick however is to have one user account

Gary...This is really wierd. On the left hand side, underneath 'Home', is "David's iMac" and "PLEX Server" The FLAC albums in "PLEX Server" will not play the FLAC files, but the one album in "David's iMac" will play them?

OK, PLEX allows you to have multiple servers,. it sounds like you have a server running on thje NAS and the iMac?

Correct! It would appear that files FLAC files stored on the NAS will not play on the iMac, but the FLAC files stored on the Mac's HDD will play back. No idea why.

I guess what I'll have to do then, is to duplicate all the FLAC files and put then into the iMac PLEX Server.

Its an odd one, I can only assume that the nas is not able to transcode the audio files, I run my main server from a Windows Server.

There is nothing on line to suggest flac wont play so just to be clear:

On your NAS you need to have a folder for music, call it music

Put your flac files in here, preferably in reasonable order.

In plex server from a browser on the left hand side you will see the qnap and the imac server. In the qnap server click add, then music then pick the folder of them flacs on your qnap.

It will scan them files and you should be good to go.

Gary can you get bit perfect output from Plex - I use it for all my video files but have not yet seriously used it for audio.

Tog

Gary...Re the above, that is exactly how I have it set up. The ND5 picks up the share/music from the NAS. So no idea what's occurring. To be honest, it is not taking that long to duplicate the files from my backup music, stored on the iMac. It takes just seconds for Plex to scan and add the files. Also, the music files on my iMac are in a bit of a mess, (duplications etc..) and could do with a damned good tidy up! 

Anyway, we got there in the end. We just need to spread the word about Plex!! Cheers Gary 

Hi Tog.

I don't know to be honest, I purely use plex as a UPNP server for music and like yourself for vid etc.

PLEX is in essence a fork of XBMC/Kodi as I understand it, and that team were working on bit perfect output but not as priority. 

My guess is right now, no.