Synology-User!

Hi Marcus,  you will only get the folder icon thumbnail in "folders" & "artists" - why?,  because both can contain numbers of albums for the same artist & album art is not available at that level.

However if you set the Media Server DMA menu style to "Advanced" you will find many more browsing options with more art displayed;  e.g. "By Album" you will see each individual albums art cover shown,  or "By Album Artist" when you can get multiple albums art thumbnails displayed once you open the artist folder.   

..............  & no thanks,  don't do chocolate,   but happy easter anyhow 

Hi Mike-B. I use Synology media server and have tried to configure browsing options in 'Advanced', but struggle to figure it out. Is there a guide anywhere on how to do this?

(my folder-structure: genre-albumartist-album)

Hi Mike-B,

I have all my albums with cover-art-thumbnails. That's not the prob.

One level higher, where's only a stupid grey-white folder with the name of the artist I want to have an artist-picture-thumbnail. (possible so far I read when you have qnap with twonky).

Possible for Synology-Users?

Marcus

 Marcus - if you want a picture of the artist at the artist level (higher than that artist album level)   then no Synology do not do this.  It would mean the media server would have to pull in a picture from www or have the facility for you to embed your selected artist picture.  

If you are saying its possible with Twonky, OK, I don't know.  But if I could load Twonky on my Synology - which you cannot - no way would I ever do so, Twonky is not a nice UPnP. 

Hi pixies,  there is nothing to figure out.  

It just opens up more browsing options that is available in Simple Style.

If you are trying to make your own Custom selections,  I have not done anything in that option,  Advanced does all I need

If you are asking how to get there - open your Synology WebPage

Touch "Main Menu" in left side top banner (the group of 4 black boxes)

Touch "Media Server"

In "General Settings" - DMA Menu Style - open dropdown & select Advanced & Apply (save) 

Thats it - yr dun 

In my app browse list I get 

By Folder

All Music

Playlist

Smart Playlist

By Artist

By Genre

By Album

Artist/Album

By Artist Album

Genre/Artist/Album

Genre/Artist

Composer/Album

Year/Artist/Album

Recently Added

Thanks Mike. I'm not at my computer at the moment but have no problem getting to the right settings section. I recall a box to the left that allows you to set the file tree but I have not been able to manipulate it. I think I took one of the defaults and just deleted what I didn't want in the end. I will have another look when I get home as I think I'm only telling part of the story!

Have you tried putting a jpeg in the folder folder?  ( meh it's linux so it's a directory directory I suppose ).

Ok I tried this and it works. Just put a jpeg in whatever folder you like and it should display.

 ?????     need more info

I've got a folder called (e.g.) Eric Clapton & its got 12 albums in it

From what DSM screen & where do I insert the .jpg

I used Windows File Explorer.

You need to open the Eric Clapton folder and put a folder.jpg file in it ( just copy one from one of the album folders as a test).

Then if you open Synology Audio Station in Artwork view you should see art

I can replicate what you've done Bananahead, but it doesn't do what Mike and the OP was asking, i.e. how to get the artwork for an artist showing at the folder level in the Naim app.

Unless, of course I'm being monumentally dim

Really? Another bug in the Naim app then. ( I don't use it because there isn't a windows version  

Not yr not dim Gary,  yes you can do this in Audio Station,  but it needs to be embedded in Media Server to enable the art to be seen in the Naim app & that is something Synology choose not to do. 

The art is displayed for individual albums

A bug in the Naim App?  I don't think so, as Asset populates the Artist folders with images on my Naim App.  "The Naim App shows what the server sends it," some wise forum member once wrote.

(Asset seems to pick random album covers from said artist; I've not researched how Asset picks.  But Artist folders definitely are populated with images!)

Hi Bart,

so it's Asset to choose? Do you have a Synology NAS - and how to install Asset on it?

Another way to go: Perhaps the Naim-App-people have to talk to Synology to find a matching solution?

Marcus

Marcus,  this is nothing to do with Naim & the app,  the app displays only what the UPnP server sends to it.

Synology do not support Asset - I know it can be installed but you will get no support & they cannot guarantee that any future Synology updates will be trouble free.

Also Asset (Illustrate) are the same, they have no plans to provide a Synology version.  

Have you tried MinimServer to provide the art in the format you would like.  Its a Synology approved & included in their supplied packages & apart from needing to install Java,  also included in Synology's package list, its easy to use & has more browsing & art display options over the standard Synology.

Thanx Mike-B,

I tried MinimServer, was proud that I could install it, but then I saw that everything's so complicated.

Is MinimServer able to:

I want to have:

A) first level: recently joint (latest added cds - e.g. last 30 days) - second level: album (cover)

B) first level: genre - 2nd: album artist (with thumbnail of the artist) - 3rd: album (cover).

Marcus

I will leave the MinimServer experts to answer the questions as I cannot try it for you on a live app  .......  sorry

I tried it for a few months, but only recently uninstalled it as I prefered Synology MS.

So do I after trying once again MinimServer:

The problem was that in some cases Minim had problems with the tags, e.g. it could not differenciate genre without mistakes. Some albums rest rock forever, although it was changed into something else.

Synology MS has no problems - it is just a little too simple. 

............  it could not differenciate genre without mistakes

This is typical of all servers,  you need to correct the tagging.  

I rarely browse by genre as I know my albums so well,  but only last week I found my reggae albums are not all listed as such in "genre".  Some are tagged reggae, some music du mode, others folk & pop.   Anyhow an hour with dBpoweramp in Windows Explorer fixed them all.   Next is to sort the rock & R&R mix ups & find those rock albums listed under pop - Pink Floyd "Endless River" listed as pop !!!!!  an insult

There is a discussion of this exact "feature" on the MinimServer forum over the past few days entitled "Displaying pictures of artists?" 

The net result is that this isn't possible currently, but Simon may be able to implement it as a manual feature later.  I did observe in the thread that this is currently possible with the UPnP server which is part of Plex (also on XBMC/Kodi I think) but they work in a different way and generally I don't find them as good as MinimServer.

So anyway... don't hold your breath but watch this space!