Asset Server R5

Posted by: Bart on 04 December 2016

I've been paying less attention to hi fi hardware and software for a few months now . . . and realized that a few things were not up to date.  I updated Asset Server on my QNAP nas to the R5 version (Premium Registered).  I immediately noticed that it now sends initially-looking goofy icons to the Naim App for such items as Artist/Album, Album, Genre, etc etc.  The icons for the letters of the alphabet are similarly new and a bit goofy.  I suspect this is coming from Asset, as Minimserver does not look the same.

Other than this . . . any changes of which I should be aware?

I'm still using Asset as my primary server, on QNAP.  I backup the QNAP to my old Synology nas, on which I keep Minim running just for kicks.

(I also realized I had 3.x.x running on my Qute . . . upgraded that to streamer software 4.4 today too.)

Posted on: 04 December 2016 by simes_pep

Hi Bart,

Yes in the R5 release of Asset, there is a library of images introduced for Artists, Albums, Tracks, Genres, Composers, etc.

I didn't like the original colours, so I have a library of white on black images, and if you use the Naim with a black or Steel background, look much better.

See https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6jh...NKXTMZ3zmjpU32a?dl=0 for the library, just download and replace the one in the installation, then 'Clear Image Cache' in the app, and allow it to reload the images, you should have the images like this:

IMG_0052

Hope this helps,

Simon.

Posted on: 04 December 2016 by simes_pep

Of course, if anyone wants to work on these images further and has the tools/skill to reduce the line size and thickness to that of the standard Naim ones for UPnP, iRadio, CD, Tidal etc. and post back, that would be marvelous.

Simon.

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Gavin B

R5 solved my issues with display of Various Artist albums - that was good news!

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Bart

That's cool, Simon.  I agree, some extra artwork would be good.  My 17 yr old daughter does that sort of thing . . . maybe I can interest her in it over the holiday break, especially if I paid her a little

Can you tell me exactly how to replace the images in the installation??

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by simes_pep

Yes, if we could get the linewidth finer and sharper to  match the Naim style icons that would look cool on a black ground with the Steel or Black style. For Asset they have to be jpegs so with a solid background and not transparent as with pngs, so for me that precludes any of the coloured backgrounds (new Uniti one for instance) as the icons just look like blocks.

I was going to commission some out-of-work time with one of the UX/UI designers I had in my Product team, but I left that company and don't have that type of resources available to me in this new team (yet!) - we are only in the initial phases of a consumer-facing portal.

Happy to donate to the project, as once you get out of the home screen and into the UPnP source, the library branches within Asset is what you see in the app.

In terms of installation, you locate the Asset executables - mine are in \usr\bin\Asset\bin and there is a library 'AssetImages' you just replace this with the one from my Dropbox, I have each jpeg item replaced.

Screenshot of the directory structure from WinSCP below - you do need to have SSH access to your NAS. I run Asset R5 on a RaspberryPi, as my NAS are ReadyNAS units.

Capture

Thanks,
Simon.

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Harry

Good info. Thank you for that. A nice little lunch time job for me to try next.

R5 does DSD playback, my previous version did not.

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Yetizone

BART & SIMES-PEP,

BART, I'm running Asset UPnP (R5 I think - the Premium Registered version download this week) on a Mac Mini and I'm getting the white on brown set of icons - is this correct and the same as you BART?

SIMES, as i'm not using a NAS, is there a way I can change the white on brown images to your / alternative white on black icons if I download your set?

PS. I work in art & design, so it would be fairly straightforward to redesign the whole set!

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Bart

Yeti - that is exactly how I see it on my system, where Asset runs on a QNAP nas.  If you can produce a new set of icons, go for it!  My daughter probably can't start working on it for a few more weeks, and well you know the attention span of a 17 yr old!

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Bart
Harry posted:

Good info. Thank you for that. A nice little lunch time job for me to try next.

R5 does DSD playback, my previous version did not.

Ahh yes, a good time to finally play with some dsd files and see if I can hear a difference! (I'm pretty sure that Minim supports dsd playback; I've just not played with them at all.)

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by simes_pep

Same instructions apply, you just need to determine where the Asset executables are, on Linux based systems /usr/bin/Asset/bin and look for the AssestImages folder.

BTW the other images and files in /usr/bin/Asset/bin also control what image is presented on the status web-page and to the UPnP Controller, which is the Naim App.

So I have as a status page, and a similar icon under the UPnP servers source on the Naim app, which I have named 'Music Server' as there is no need to name the technology, as there is only one way of serving a Naim network player from files stored on a local network.

Capture

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Yetizone
Bart posted:

Yeti - that is exactly how I see it on my system, where Asset runs on a QNAP nas.  If you can produce a new set of icons, go for it!  My daughter probably can't start working on it for a few more weeks, and well you know the attention span of a 17 yr old!

I think the Asset icons communicate well enough, although are not my fav colour combination. I could certainly re render them in Adobe Illustrator (then convert to JPEGS) to make them crisper, but with sufficient differentiation from Naim's icons so they have they own identity but still integrate sympathetically with Naim's app.

I'm busy for the rest of this week, but could start next Monday (12th), as at the moment the drawing board is free next week (such is the freelancers curse!).

BTW. Perfectly understand teenage attention spans!

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Yetizone

SIMES,

OK, I'll have a look to see if I can find where the executables for Asset are located on the Mac. 

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Bart

After doing a little reading, it appears that I won't be able to access what I need on the QNAP via my Mac.  I will have to ssh into the nas presumably from OSX's Terminal . . . at which point my technical abilities have been surpassed.  But I do have a friend who knows this stuff....can get him to do it for/with me I am sure.

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by simes_pep

That would be very cool.

Could you also look at the 48x48 and 120x120 icons that Asset R5 uses for the Status page and the UPnP Servers page in the Naim app, these are my very simple renditions for UPnP on a Raspberry Pi, using Powerpoint and Paint I'm afraid

Willing to donate something to this project, as per Bart's 17th daughter's project fund.

Simon.

 

 

 

 asset-48x48asset-120x120

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Yetizone

Mmm..? No joy on finding the the executables for Asset. Typed in both "/usr/bin/Asset/bin" and also "usr/bin/Asset/bin" via Terminal and Go - Got To Folder from Apple's Finder? I just get the following "The folder can't be found".

To any Mac technical bods - any ideas most welcome?

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Bart

I don't even know how to find the nas from Terminal!

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Yetizone

BART, OK, I have the direct search path for accessing the hidden Asset image folder in OSX. Although this is for Asset on the Mac itself as opposed to Asset on an external NAS… Finder - Go - Go To Folder and then type in this line...

/Applications/Asset UPnP.app/Contents/Resources/bin/AssetImages

This should take you straight to the open folder with the white on brown icon image JPEGS visible. From here on in, its just a simple case of redesigning each icon to the same pixel size, and then re-naming as per the originals.

A little more on the DBPoweramp website... https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/s...changing+asset+icons

SIMES, Yes of course, I'll have a little play on the Raspberry UPnP logo for you!

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Simon - nice icon image colours - I have downloaded a copy to load onto  Asset running on one of my Pi's

Thanks

Simon

 

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by simes_pep

Thanks - I have them for a while - they were posted in the dPowerAmp forum at the beginning of this year

https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/s...setImages#post167077

But hopefully we a bit more Graphical Design expertise, these can be even better, and a nice thin line set.

S

Posted on: 05 December 2016 by Bart
Yetizone posted:

BART, OK, I have the direct search path for accessing the hidden Asset image folder in OSX. Although this is for Asset on the Mac itself as opposed to Asset on an external NAS… Finder - Go - Go To Folder and then type in this line...

/Applications/Asset UPnP.app/Contents/Resources/bin/AssetImages

This should take you straight to the open folder with the white on brown icon image JPEGS visible. From here on in, its just a simple case of redesigning each icon to the same pixel size, and then re-naming as per the originals.

A little more on the DBPoweramp website... https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/s...changing+asset+icons

SIMES, Yes of course, I'll have a little play on the Raspberry UPnP logo for you!

Unfortunately, as I run Asset on a nas, that doesn't work for me.

I need to access the root directory on the nas, and as far as I can tell I cannot do so from OS X, even logging in as admin (which I always do anyway).

Posted on: 06 December 2016 by simes_pep

Hi Bart,

You need to connect directly to your NAS to find this directory, see

https://wiki.qnap.com/wiki/How...nto_your_QNAP_device

http://accc.uic.edu/answer/how...sh-and-sftp-mac-os-x

Unless anyone with a QNAP NAS can offer better instructions on SSH'ing in.

Simon

Posted on: 06 December 2016 by Yetizone

BART, 

I wasn’t sure if it would work for Asset on a NAS, but thought it'd post the Mac access path anyway - worth a try. Although potentially useful for any other Mac users hosting their music folder internally and want to to change the Asset icons. Hope you can manage to find the Asset root file through the NAS software.

SIMES, 

All being well I’ll get started on the redesign next week, sooner if I conclude my current project. I’m quite looking forward to having a play with these icons now that I know they can be changed so easily.

Posted on: 10 December 2016 by Harry

I had a bash at some custom icons today.

Just a start.

Posted on: 10 December 2016 by Yetizone

Really nicely done Harry

Posted on: 10 December 2016 by simes_pep

Could we try them out?

Would a set to match the Naim source items also be possible? Flat, fine line white on a black background.

I think Asset R6, Beta on Windows is going to allow the use of PNGs, which should allow for a transparent background.

Thanks,
Simon.