"Play" option for listing of albums?

[rjcrum]

I recently got a new Wiim Pro, and I'm trying to modernize my multi-room music system. My question is related to playing a list of albums returned by the Asset UPnP DLNA server, which is running on a Synology NAS.

Here's what I'm trying to do. When browsing my music library, I frequently want to listen to all albums by a particular artist, or since Asset UPnP can return a list of albums in a genre, or by artist, I'd like to play that whole list of albums. In addition, I would like to have the albums play in a random order--shuffle play, if you will. (I have previously posted about the "random jukebox selection" of albums, and a fix to the problem I detected is coming per Spoon.)

But as I see it right now, when presented with a list of albums (browsing by artist...or genre...or random list) I see no way to simply "play" that list of albums, nor do I see a way to add the list of albums to the current queue, which would also solve the problem. What I was expecting was a big green "play" button that you get in the app when presented with a list of tracks.

Below is an image of a listing of the tracks in an album (all my classical works are considered "albums"), with a big green "play" button. Hit the button...and it plays the album. Simple.



I'd like to see that same "play" button for a list of albums, like these two examples. In the first one, I'd like a "play" button to play all these works by Balakierev.


In this second one, I'd like to play these albums, which have been randomly selected by Asset.


In both of these cases, if you click on one of the albums, you get the track listing and a "play" button. The Wiim (or other software) will play all the tracks in the album, and then stop. Regardless of the setting of a "repeat" or "random" state in the client software, after playing all the tracks in the first album, the client just stops. What I'd like it to do is return to the album listing and choose the next album to play it.

I posted this in the Wiim forum, and got back a few responses along the lines of "BubbleUPnp can do this" and "Minimserver can do this." That leads to the assumption that presenting a "play" option for a listing of albums is under the control of the DLNA server software.

Not being a DLNA expert at all, but knowing software, I'm not sure what the people say is true.

So, to Spoon, can Asset cause my client software, whatever it is, to present a "play" button for a list of albums? Or is that a function of the client software, which means that Wiim would have to modify their DLNA browser to present the "play" button? Or, alternatively, is there some configuration in Asset that I'm missing that would cause a DLNA client to play a list of albums in its entirety?

Thanks.

[rjcrum]

Re: "Play" option for listing of albums?

Thanks for all the comments, simbun. I would love to try the Bubbleupnp app, but (sadly in this case) I’m in the Apple world, and it’s not available on iOS.

You seem to confirm, though, that the control point software controls what I’m asking for, and not the DLNA server, such as Asset. I kind of suspected that, but I’m not a DLNA expert.

I’l just go back to the Wiim forum and post an enhancement request, and keep my fingers crossed!

[rjcrum]

Re: "Play" option for listing of albums?

Well, I wouldn't call the Wiim interface "terrible." It's only been around a little over a year, and they have made great strides since then, and continue to enhance and fix on about a monthly basis. The good thing is that they really seem to listen to customers. As for proxying and introducing OpenHome...I just want something that works. I spent 42 years in the high tech electronics world, and at this point in my life, I don't want to have to go through all sorts of gyrations to make something work.

Also, I checked out Lumin, which I had never heard of. I installed the app on my iPad and it can see my Asset DLNA instance. I guess to each his own, because I found the interface too cluttered and busy, and I couldn't easily browse down a genre-->artist-->album path.

To each his own! That's why there are so many solutions out there, each with their own different take on the music playing and discovery process!

[rjcrum]

Re: "Play" option for listing of albums?

Thanks for all your comments! I'm still experimenting with my new setup and am not quite sure what I'll settle on, given the options now available to me. I guess that's part of the fun!