Problems with a new QNAP NAS

Rob, I don't have the HDX.  But on my QNAP there are multiple 'installs' the Music Server being one, the iTunes Server being another.  It might be in the Application section of the Admin, that you have to manually download and then enable.

Others here might be able to chime in with the preferred route for the HDX though.

I have a QNAP 412 but I ain't sure I can be of much help here, but I have questions/suggestions.

When you say the upnp server on the QNAP, you mean the built in one I assume.  This is pretty useless but it does work. 

If you go into the control app by pointing your browser at your QNAP you will see the screen the globe at bottom right - OK?

Click on the 3 bars at top left - OK?

Select the App centre! and you should see TwonkyMedia - have you tried running this instead of the QNAP onr?  Twonky ain't brilliant but it is better then the QNAP one.

I run minimserver on my QNAP and I would advise you to do the same, it is a cracking piece of software, which is supported and allows you to configure the decision tree.  Especially good if you are a Classical music fan.

Reading through your post again and bearing in mind that I do not know anything about the NDX, I am puzzled that you say you can see it as a share.  The one thing a upnp server will NOT offer you is a network share - that is not how this sort of server works.

SO, have you set the correct directory for the media library?  If no go into Applications and you will see an Icon for 'Mutimedia Management'.  This has three tabs at the top and the right-hand one will enable you to set the media library directory.

Let me know how you get on and if you still have a problem I will set it up on my NAS.  But I would, if I were you, initiate Twonky first.  btw you don't find this in the control panel as I said above.

It is an important distinction in QNAP that QNAP's own apps are controlled by:

Main Menu (3 bars)-->Control Panel-->Applications

Non QNAP apps (eg Twonky) are controlled by:

Main Menu (3 bars)-->App Centre

Some will need installing from QTS but I am fairly sure that Twoncky is factory installed.  All you need to do active it (turn the switch on) and then configure it.  Unlike the QNAP one the media centre is integrated into Twonky, you do not need to activate anything else.

Are you sure the HDX isn't in the process of indexing the music share on the NAS?

Empty your UPNP cache. This has solved the problem for me.

I've left it on rescanning for over 24 hours - i've got about 300gb of music - and ripped DVDs on the NAS but not much else. It's the only other thing connected (macs all asleep overnight). How long does the scan take? 

Under Browse Music on the HDX menu, it sees the NAS as a network source but just says 'no data'. I'm guessing i've left something unconfigured or set wrong on the QNAP and hoping it's not th HDX. 

And you have definitely set the directory of your music library?

Rob...I have a Qnap TS-112. I used to use the Twonky Media app, located in the app centre, which can be navigated by the app centre button on the left hand side of the of the NAS web page. However, I now use PLEX Media Server, which is also available in your Qnap app centre. It blows Twonky clean out of the water!

Once you enable PLEX, or Twonky, just put all your music in them. These servers will be discovered by your apple, or android device. 

Or you can go with Minimserver. Is Plex flasher? I might look into that.

I think all the talk of different UPnP servers on the NAS may be confusing the issue. The OP has an HDX which is a network player rather than a streamer and I believe that he simply wants to use the QNAP NAS to store his music files on his network to be played by the HDX itself without the need for any other server software.

The relevant info seems to be contained in Section 7 of the HDX manual.

You're right, the HDX, being a server doesn't need a UPnP server - i mentioned it only as an indicator that the NAS is working and can find, index and serve music itself. What I can't get to happen is for the HDX to scan and read the multimedia folder on the NAS. It sees it as a share, connects to it and I can enable it either on the control panel of the HDS or via n-serve on my mac. However after setting it to scan and leaving for 12 hours plus it still says 'no data available' when i try to browse it for music.

I've read the HDX manual - but it's not huge on detail...

Create a new share on the qnap. You can set it with no login credentials which helps. Make sure its an SMB/CIFS share.

Call it music and put the music in there.

I know the music store should work, but the problem is the qnap it pointing at it for DAAP and UPNP and to make it available outside of LAN, it all gets a bit messy. In my opinion turn off the features of music store and store the music elsewhere.

Harry...I stumbled across PLEX, when I was looking in the Qnap app centre, for an alternative to 'Wonky Twonky'. It is available in the Qnap app centre, and on the web. So you don't have to be a NAS owner to have PLEX. I have two versions, one on my NAS, and one on my iMac.

The metadata is out of this world, and if by any chance PLEX gets the album wrong, (it uses Lastfm to search for the metadata) you can a change the album cover, album name, track name and artist. If you search your music by artist, which I guess most of us do, you can change the artists photo. For instance, it displayed The Beatles photo which I didn't like, so I changed it!

And...it's free!!! Of course, there is a premium version which lets you access your stored music, if you're on the other side of the world. But I don't need that.

Garyi, swears by it! ...PLEX is fantastic!

That was certainly confusing me.  In that case there was no point in enabling the QNAP media server or Twonky.  So somewhere he would have to put in a name/password to mount the directory on the QNAP where the media files.  I assume that this is the 'Multimedia' directory that QNAP create for you.  garyi this will be inside the structure that QNAP declares as being shareable, it is NOT just for upnp duties.

I assumed that the HDX is upnp streamer and I wondered why there was talk of reindexing.  But the setup for a media player is much easier, about the only thing you an get wrong is the name/password.  But if you get that wrong you will see nothing and it will tell you that you cocked up, I guess.

ps I will take a look at Plex.

Thanks MK. I'll look into that.

The HDX shouldn't take days to index but mine could for no apparent reason. Other times it would be fast.  I would be inclined to make a new share called music or something-music or music-something, check that all the permissions were set for full access, copy a few albums into it and see if the HDX will see it and read it.

Plex seems a bit odd to me.  I installed it and can connect to it OK but why does it need to do this update?  I enabled slna and I assume (possibly wrongly) it must be acting as a server because when I add a music directory it can see directories - WITHOUT me logging in.  But it can see directories that it shouldn't be able to see from a Windows PC - ie non SMB volumes.  There is only one way that can happen and that is via a SSH login and there is no way plex could do that without the password - so I must be looking at Plex server.

So I think that Plex assumes that it should start at the top level directory on the computer on which it is hosted, my QNAP 412 and that would be at /..  I then add directories so that it can play stuff.

Does anyone out there understand what is going on?

I am a dummy at times - of course the reindexing is happening on my NAS!  What a berk!

Right just be patient and let it finish its task.