How does Asset UPnP decide which album art to display?

[Qualopec]

Greetings to you,

I am trying out various music servers on my QNAP NAS, and I am currently trying out Asset UPnP.

One thing I am wondering is how Asset UPnP picks the album art?

For example: a Beethoven cycle usually consists of 5-6 CDs.
I usually have them tagged as one album, but multiple discs (as in 1-5, 2-5.. etc.), just as they are "in the box".

Example: Beethoven: Symphonies / Karajan: BPO, 1983
That would be 6 CDs.


The first and last image of such a collection is usually the "cycle cover", while the image for the individual tracks are usually cover images of the individual releases. This allows me to have a symphony cycle as "one album" (much easier to navigate), but have individual artwork to browse through such an album. Normally, the music servers I tried out either reference the first or last image in such an album to display the album, but Asset UPnP sometimes (but not always) uses the image of the second track to display as album art, which is a bit strange.
So I'm wondering how Asset UPnP decides on which album art to display for the album. Not sure why it sometimes seems to pick the album art of the first track in such an album (which would be expected behavior), but at other times the album art of the second track? How does Asset UPnP prioritize which image it uses?

Best regards
Qualopec

[Spoon]

The album art should be consistent across all tracks of a defined album, when scanning it is not certain the first track is scanned first when creating an album.

[Qualopec]

Hi thanks for the reply! Yes, I noticed that it is not certain the first track used when creating an album, but I just wonder what is used "instead". I suppose it's not random, but there is an inherent logic to it. For various reasons, I would rather not use the same album art across the same tracks of a defined album, as it is easier to navigate large, multi disc album boxed sets if there the album art is distinctive for each CD/section within. So far, it has always worked with any music server (and any app) I use that the first (or in some few exceptions the last) track was used for the album art. I'm just wondering how Asset determines which album art to pick if it does not just pick the album art from track 1. There must be some other sequence or some other logic?

Best regards

[Spoon]

It is random how a file first appears on a disk drives table of contents

[simbun]

Hi thanks for the reply! Yes, I noticed that it is not certain the first track used when creating an album, but I just wonder what is used "instead". I suppose it's not random, but there is an inherent logic to it. For various reasons, I would rather not use the same album art across the same tracks of a defined album, as it is easier to navigate large, multi disc album boxed sets if there the album art is distinctive for each CD/section within.

The lack of decent documentation in this area is frustrating, so whilst my knowledge might be slightly lacking (Asset isn't my primary server) I hope it's at least a good starting point.

Firstly, I don't think there is a container within an album in Asset e.g. DiscSubtitle or Group.

Given what Spoon stated ("The album art should be consistent across all tracks of a defined album"), it appears that:

• ANY embedded artwork will be taken in priority to ANY external artwork (folder.jpg/cover.jpg)
• If any track of an album contains embedded artwork the first one encountered will take priority.

Some other notes about artwork:

• In a default configuration only album artwork will be used
• Enabling 'UpStream Artwork' in the advanced configuration will add artwork to the indexes defined in UpStreamArtFor.txt. The artwork comes from the "first discovered track" within that index
• Any artwork residing in ./AssetUserUpstreamImages will override the artwork coming from UpStream

Hope this helps.

EDIT: I guess you could play around with: Multi-Disc Album: Show as 'Album, Disc x'
But that does start looking messy in the albums list, especially if you only need it for a handful of albums.

[Qualopec]

EDIT: I guess you could play around with: Multi-Disc Album: Show as 'Album, Disc x'
But that does start looking messy in the albums list, especially if you only need it for a handful of albums.

Thank you all, this is all very helpful, for a number of reasons, not least of which: I know the behavior is "normal" and not something unique to my setup and something isn't quite right with my configuration.
Yes, I checked the Multi-Disc Album, I think the individual tracks than had a Disc number before them.

In any case, as I stated, I am trying out various music servers to see which most fits my needs; the basics they all seem to cover, but it is in the details that they vary. (I use the test phases for each to see where I will settle... so this month is "Asset UPnP month".

[simbun]

Yes, I checked the Multi-Disc Album, I think the individual tracks than had a Disc number before them.

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear.

There are a number of settings that change the definition of an "album" in AssetUPnP, including:
Multi-Disc Album: Combine Multi-Disc Albums as One | Show as 'Album, Disc x' | Leave Album Tag Untounched
Album Defined by Folder

If you configure Asset so that each disc is an "album" then the artwork rules defined above apply to each disc, and thus each disc can have its own artwork. The drawback to this is that each disc will be listed separately in the album listings.


There are a lot of servers out there but very few that do it right.
If you're using UPnP then BubbleUPnP is easily the best control point.

Enjoy the search!

[Qualopec]

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear.

There are a number of settings that change the definition of an "album" in AssetUPnP, including:
Multi-Disc Album: Combine Multi-Disc Albums as One | Show as 'Album, Disc x' | Leave Album Tag Untounched
Album Defined by Folder

If you configure Asset so that each disc is an "album" then the artwork rules defined above apply to each disc, and thus each disc can have its own artwork. The drawback to this is that each disc will be listed separately in the album listings.


There are a lot of servers out there but very few that do it right.
If you're using UPnP then BubbleUPnP is easily the best control point.

Enjoy the search!

Ah, thanks, I see what you mean. No, of course I would not want every disc to appear separately in the album listings! That would be counterproductive. :-)
I would want albums (not matter how many "discs" they contain) to appear as one album.