N-Serve Artwork Image Quality
Posted by: TJSTAR on 26 July 2013
Does anybody know why the artwork displayed on my ipad (original version) is very poor quality when viewed using n-serve?
If I click on info, the artwork becomes pristine. But viewing a single track being played back, it's awful even with 1000kb files.
Does anybody know why the artwork displayed on my ipad (original version) is very poor quality when viewed using n-serve?
If I click on info, the artwork becomes pristine. But viewing a single track being played back, it's awful even with 1000kb files.
Hi TJSTAR,
you could download alternative images files. I found that when I ripped the cd, the online database (AMG used on the N-Serve), nearly always gave me a lesser quality image than could be had if searched manually. So everytime I ripped a cd, I manually replaced the one that was given to me by AMG. These tended to have better resolution and sometimes more vivid colours.
But you have probably tried that.
Jason.
I should also add that 95% of my image files are pretty good when run through N-Serve and N-Stream. There are a few that are poor, but that's because a decent res file could not be found.
Jason.
Hi TJSTAR, Sorry could not help any further.
not sure what set up you have, or how the original rips were undertaken but it may have something to do with that. By the way do you mean N-Stream rather than N-Serve?
it may help if you described your set up here (and in your profile) so those here that have a similar system may be able to give you better advice, you always tend to get a quicker solution from these guys when a member with a similar system reads your query, do you have the NDX?
Jason.
Trevor. ..
Hi
The album info view is not your artwork, it is downloaded as you select info, your original images are probably to small. dbpoweramp tends to use 250x250 ish artwork. It is easy to re-apply much larger images, say 500 or 750 square.
Method 1
Use MediaMonkey to scan your NAS drive. Choose an album and select all tracks in it.Right click and select properties, then artwork. Paste in your new 'bigger' cover - get the image from a Google image search of the album title - and select save image to tag and folder. Ok. Ok.
Once you update your server software (Twonky?) the image should be fine.
Repeat, and Repeat.
Method 2
NB BETA SOFTWARE use at your own risk - even better on a back-up set of 'scrap' data.
Use PrefectTunes artwork - new from Dbpoweramp, it scans your drive and finds albums with missing or small artwork and allows you to correct them, you can select a default size, 750x750, in the settings before altering any files.
Another possibility is you have twonky set up to reduce the size of artwork to 100x100, but that depends on the version you are running on your nas.
Hi
The album info view is not your artwork, it is downloaded as you select info,
Sorry but I think that this is wrong. There is artwork displayed when you press the i button in nServe to display the info from the database Naim license, but that artwork is NOT what's in your own database. And if you have no artwork in your own database, what's in the online database is not used in its stead.
Hi Bart
Customer is using n-stream, not n-serve as he originally said; he has an NDX. It uses your artwork to select album, track, etc. but if you hit the info button, it downloads info from the web, which has hi-res cover, images, and album info, history of the artist etc. Even if you have no artwork for an album, and you hit the info button, you get a large info window about said album. But agreed, it does not then populate your missing artwork from the Naim database.
That is a good dbpoweramp explanation FF.
Just a quick query then.
I assume that when using dbpoweramp it will also grab image files via AMG, or am I wrong ? When editing the cover art in Naim's proprietary software, it asks if I want to "search the web" or "use image from computer" (or similar). So when I choose the former option I get sent to google image search for that album and see many variations of differing quality of that album cover. I then choose the one that looks the best on the screen. I don't know what resolution it is or image size it is at this point. This method usually gives me a very good image file without additional editiing/resizing etc. Therefore, I am only using the 'virgin' image file found online, that in my opinion, looks the best. This works very well.
So what in dbpoweramp is making your options so limited, are you not seeing the exact same image files that am sent to? Or is Naim's software able to produce a better image file on the screen somehow than dbpoweramp even though it uses the same image file found online?
Hmmm, hope this all makes some sense.
Jason.
Hi all,
I did use a mixture of the internet and DBpoweramp suggested artwork. I am very OCD about making it over 1000kb x 1000kb) I always shoes the highest possible.
Despite al of that I STILL get completely rubbish image quality when viewing individual songs on my ipad. Sometimes I struggle to read the covers at all depending on the cover writing itself of course.
I wonder if it's an ipad setting. Coincidentally when I read emails sent from this forum via Hotmail The writing always overlaps and I can't read it. I have to log into my S3 or PC to read them. It doesn't with any other emails.
Regards,
Trevor...
Hi Trevor
If I have read this right you are using n-stream, NAS with Twonky, very high res artwork and an iPad? If this is the case, is the artwork in each file or a folder.jpg in the root of each album? If embedded in each file there is often a size limit of 256kb restriction by a number of applications, also with Twonky you have to set the Media Receiver (Sharing tab) to something like 'Linn Kinsky Desktop Control point' to render properly on an iPad. If all of these assumptions are irrelevant to your situation, please ignore...
Regards
Hi Bart
Customer is using n-stream, not n-serve as he originally said; he has an NDX. It uses your artwork to select album, track, etc. but if you hit the info button, it downloads info from the web, which has hi-res cover, images, and album info, history of the artist etc. Even if you have no artwork for an album, and you hit the info button, you get a large info window about said album. But agreed, it does not then populate your missing artwork from the Naim database.
Ok, we're saying the same thing. Yes, the image accessed via the "info" button has nothing to do with what's on the users own database on their nas, computer, uServe, etc. Two completely different systems.
Trevor, I never have this issue with nStream (or nServe; I use both). Maybe it's an issue with your iPad(?). And I do not find it necessary to download huge versions of album art. A file that is just a couple of hundred kb looks fine.
Hi All,
After many emails back and forth with QNAP and Twonky, I managed to talk Twonky into upgrading their software. I tested a beta version and the latest version displays perfect Artwork on my original ipad..Yippeeee 
However Twonky refused to sort folder view so that it shows songs in the correct order instead of alphabetically...Not sure why they couldn't give us that option really???..Well for now at least they've sorted the thumbnails...
Trev...