Setup help for a NAS with Naimuniti
Posted by: skaroui on 06 January 2011
I have bought a Naimuniti and I am streaming the music from my PC with Allegro media server. I have also the n-stream apps on my iPhone.
I am considering buying a NAS device but I am new in this area and I am seeking for advices and tips for the following concerns:
- Does the way of browsing of the music from the Uniti (eg. by album, artist, playlist, etc.) depends on the NAS device and/or the NAS operating system ?
- How should I organise the folders in the NAS in order to be able to see the album artworks and playlist from n-stream apps ? I am using iTunes on my PC and would like to replicate and update easily the PC music content to NAS with minimal effort
Appreciate your advices
Cheers
Asset also works well on a lot of NAS units so when you decide to buy a NAS you can use the same server software. I can recommend RipNAS (uses Asset) or slightly cheaper AssetNAS (which unsurprisingly) also uses Asset.
Tog
I am still confused. As my goal is to use a NAS device and skip using the PC. Do you intend installing software such as Asset UPNP on the NAS device ? I am asking this because I am not aware (sorry I am new in the area) that a NAS device allows installing software but rather provide the UPNP capability only.
Tog
quote:Originally posted by skaroui:
- Does the way of browsing of the music from the Uniti (eg. by album, artist, playlist, etc.) depends on the NAS device and/or the NAS operating system ?
The UPnP server on a NAS determines the ways you can browse the music stored on it. The Uniti just reads this information, but does allow searching e.g. by entering an M for Mozart.
quote:Originally posted by skaroui:
Thanks Tog for your feedback.
I am still confused. As my goal is to use a NAS device and skip using the PC. Do you intend installing software such as Asset UPNP on the NAS device ? I am asking this because I am not aware (sorry I am new in the area) that a NAS device allows installing software but rather provide the UPNP capability only.
Hi Tog
I just purchased Asset with the premium package. How do you get asset to work? Is there a Control Centre from your pc that allows you to view the albums and stuff? Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.
Assetis a UPnP server, there are many control options, on the PC or iphone/ipad etc.
Asset Control, for example, will allow you to browse the database, with album art etc and play to a UpnP renderer. Linn's Kinsky Desktop is another option.
Naim's nStream application on your iphone can also be used.
You can also browse from the Uniti/Qute directly using UpnP.
At home here we use Asset Control to allow the kids access to the server from the PC's in their rooms, and to control the Qute from time to time.
David
I had a try with Asset UPnP (trial version) on my PC and it works well. It runs faster than Allegro media server and provides much more browsing options. I got as well automatically the artworks directly on the n-stream apps (I don't know how)
I still have the following questions
- How the artworks were retrieved by Asset UPnP ? Is it from the tracks tags ? because artworks are stored in another folder which is not part of the tracks folder
Asset works only with Windows Home Server (or other Microsoft operating systems as it uses Windows Media Player for some functionality); not Linux based NAS devices. You can either build a silent server running WHS or buy one of the available servers out there (I think the only choices are from ASUS, ACER and HP). These are only slightly more expensive than ordinary NAS units (at least in Canada).
Tog
quote:Posted Sat 08 January 2011 13:18 Hide Post
Asset works fine with Windows XP and 7 - Mac as well with crossoverMac.
Tog
Posts: 443 | Location: Down in the woods | Registered: Mon 06 September 2010
Hello Tog. does this work better than something like Eyeconnect on the Mac? I use Asset with Windows and it works like a charm with Naims UPNP clients but am having a devil of a time finding one that works as well for the Mac side which I also use.
Thanks.
By the way, appreciate your posts on this forum. Inquisitive and informed.
David
Tog
quote:Originally posted by realhifi:
True enough. NAS is prefered but am always exploring options for clients that have different setups so that I can suggest solutions to their queries as to how to incorporate something like a Unitiqute or Uniti into an existing situation, such as a Mac. I'll give that go on my Mac. Thanks.
Let me know how you get on I'm using Eyeconnect right now into the Uniti because I'm being lazy - bit clumsy but the sound is good.
Tog
quote:Originally posted by Bauldric:
Tog, I have just set up a qute and trialed a few servers on my mac. I have ended up using Allegro not Elgato as Elgato only seems to give a randomly ordered artist list. Am I missing something here?
I am using EyeConnect whilst waiting to move Vortexbox to a new bespoke server. However, I started this UPnP journey with Elegato because it transcodes aiff to wav.
I had the same problem of scrambled entries - but EyeConnect seems to match what happens in Itunes. If you do a sort or search in itunes then you get a scrambled mess in EyeConnect. Resort your library in itunes and see what happens.
I thinks its OK soundwise but clunky in terms of use and desperately needs an update.
Tog
Been reading the posts and thought I would share my experience with NAS drives and UPnP software.
Asset UPnP is excellent and provides excellent browsing capability. Additionally works very well when using dBPoweramp CD Ripper i.e all artwork appears and music is arranged well. I started off using on pc the wanted NAS. I tried WD Myworldbook and then Netgear ReadyNAS. Both had pre-loaded UPnP software and did not perform well - I spent hours trying to get them working. I ended up returning both NAS devices and purcahsed a HP X510 Data Vault which is a windows home server. I purchsed Asset UPnP control and downloaded onto server and everything works very well - stable and all functions work. I wish i Knew this from day one as I wasted an awful lot of time.
Andrew
Some really good info on this thread.
I've got a Uniti and Qute and have historically been running them off an iMac using Allegro Media Server.
I recently bought a WD WorldBook NAS which runs the Twonky uPNP server. I have done some limited testing with DBPowerAmp ripping WAV lossless to the NAS using its default naming. Seems everything comes up UNKNOWN on the Uniti even thought the folder structure on the NAS is named fine and all the files etc are there. Its the Artist/Album that is Unknown, the actual song titles it can read fine. Both devices do the same thing.
Any ideas ? I haven;t spent a lot of time examining the raw tags on the file on the NAS but am guessing something is missing from them.
EDIT: Update right have fiddled with Twonky a bit more. By changing the view to Folder I can get the Uniti to see the album/artist tree and also filenames. All good thought I and ripped a few more albums to WAV files on the NAS. All play fine (and sound firkin awesome compare to MP3). Then i noticed the display on the play is UNKNOWN/UNKNOWN/Song name correctly. Aaargh, bluddy thing. So close. The Tags are all fine. Dunno what to do now. It;s not killer really but annoying.
Shonky twonky. Gave up on it. Just to make sure i quickly put Asset on a PC and pointed it at the library on the NAS. Uniti (both of them) read everything perfectly, all the tages are spot on it just seems Twonky and the Uniti don't get on. So i turned twonky off on the WD Worldbook and put asset on the iMac running under crossover. Works perfectly now. Would have preferred the NAS to have the uPNP server on it but hey ho.
Tog
What's important to remember in diagnosing problems on UPnP is that once the UPnP server is selected then *EVERYTHING* that is displayed on the Uniti / UnitiQute / NDX display (and hence n-Stream as that communicates with the Uniti / UnitiQute / NDX and not the UPnP server) is down to the UPnP server itself and not the Uniti / UnitiQute / NDX.
If tracks are being returned in wrong orders then it's pretty much guaranteed that it's a function of the server - for instance if I use WMP on my XP laptop then all my properly tagged MP3s are no longer displayed in track order on each album but instead in alphabetical order whereas Asset shows them in the correct order. The paid for version of Asset also has the ability to do a "folders view" of a music folder structure which is quite handy sometimes if tagging of files can't be assumed to be 100% correct...
Cheers
Phil
For starters I would try either asset upnp or twonky media server, also the control app has some influence. I had a bizarre issue with songbook ds for linn and twonky where songs would appear in alphabetical order and not song/track order, but only with apple files. Chorus ds (also for linn cured the issue)
I use both flac and alac (apple lossless) but find flac far easier to manage as I don't have to worry about my iTunes library.
In the first Instance, if you have a PC or MAC experiment with them first as either can be setup as asset or twonky servers.
I use a HP media server (windows home server based), but qnap, buffalo, ripnas also make good kit for the job.
Vitaly Important thing to consider is hard drive configuration (such as RAID) and the all important protection of your digital music files!
Take a look at the linn, naim and bowers & Wilkins websites, they all recommend FLAC.
You are correct. I did some testing and converted to FLAC and then set Twonky to show the advanced view and lo and behold the Uniti reads it all perfectly. Have now ripped 450 CD's into it and working like a dream - sounds beautiful.