Asset uPNP & DLNA

[dvdr]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Spoon

I did a complete reinstallation of Asset uPNP (including deleting all files, NO special configuration, everything default).
Also completely reset Sneaky, rebootet to fallback-firmware, then flashed with current firmware through Config-Utility

The following happens:
- Songbook switches on Sneaky
- I can browse Asset uPNP server
- I can add files to the playlist
- when I hit play, there is a loud noise (white noise) for about 2 seconds (sometimes I can guess some rhythm in it), then both Sneaky and Songbook freeze
- Sneaky cannot be controlled nor switched off by the handset
- I have to reset Sneaky by unplugging mains


Next test:
- Adding music to the playlist with Songbook
- Closing Songbook
- Starting Plugplayer: Songs are recognized in the playlist, but cannot be played back - plugplayer cannot access media loaded by Songbook, nor can the remote control. Plugplayer freezes, needs to be forcefully closed and Sneaky needs to be unplugged from mains.
- when Sneaky is restarted and I start Plugplayer, then it defaults to Ipod Touch as Media renderer. When I go into configuration, Sneaky is usually greyed out and takes some time to connect, and: I have two or more instances of Asset uPNP in the bottom! One is accessable, the others are greyed out -I can delete them, but not access them.


Next test:
- Adding songs with Plugplayer
- Closing Plugplayer, starting Songbook
- Songbook sees the playlist and can access it, I can pause and skip!

All of the above mentioned does not happen, when I use Twonky-Server

So: in my setup, Songbook clearly is able to access a playlist loaded by another application and also can handle this playlist. So over here, something MUST be wrong with the way, Songbook itself writes files into the playlist in conjunction with Asset uPNP - songs are visible, but not accessable and freeze both Sneaky AND all control devices.

[dvdr]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Hi Spoon

yes, Sneaky DS with latest firmware, Asset 0.96b, Songbook just downloaded yesterday from AppStore.
Tested it with Twonky just a minute ago - works fine, plays without problems!
I'll try to revert Sneaky to the old firmware and do a fresh update, maybe that helps, don't know...
BTW - try the following: load tracks with Songbook and/or Plugplayer. Close them. Start Kinsky on your computer - do you get titles there or numbers with an extension in the playlist?

[Spoon-]

Re: "unknown ...." -issue & Plugplayer / Songbook support

I have as Sneaky DS latest firmware with Songbook latest release and the two work fine with asset, are you on the latest of each?

The only issue with the latest Songbook is the sorting of items, where [a to z] and [album] will appear down near the end of the listing.

[dvdr]

"unknown ...." -issue & Plugplayer / Songbook support

I could ONCE get Kinsky not to crash with the above problem: also in Kinsky, there is the same "unknown..."-issue

Also, here's some further testing on Plugplayer and Songbook support (both running on an iPod Touch 2nd gen.)

Plugplayer works (known bug: when waking up from standby, wait until WLAN-Connection is back up before starting Plugplayer - but even then, sometimes it looses access to "Asset uPNP").

Songbook has problems in my setup (Linn DS): I can browse and add to the playlist, but I cannot play files - hitting play and skip commands does not result in an action.
When I start Plugplayer, though, I can see the playlist created earlier by Songbook, and I can play these songs (I cannot access the Player with the remote control though!) The other way 'round (creating a playlist with Plugplayer, trying to start playback with Songbook, does NOT work though).

Also, I had the following issues with Songbook:
- it seems to block something within Linn DS software, sometimes, I had to disconnect the unit from the mains, since the whole unit was unacessable and locked up
- sometimes, when loading tracks from Songbook and later on trying to start playback with Plugplayer, all I got was 3 seconds of white noise at full level, then Linn DS locked.
- a hint for bug-search (when this is an issue with asset-uPNP and not something only related to Songbook): when loading a playlist with Songbook (and if I remember correctly with Plugplayer as well) and later on starting Kinsky to see, what's in the playlist, I do not see titles in Kinsky's playlist, but four-digit-numbers with an extension, something like 4515.flac

So I guess, even the latest build of Songbook has an issue in communicating with Asset uPNP (haven't tested with Twonky, yet, will do so asap)

[dvdr]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

... same happens when choosing:

-album artist - unknown album artist - album = all albums
- compilation - yes - album artist - unknown album artist- album = all albums

I should mention, that this happens with PlugPlayer and with Songbook - when I browse with Linn Kinsky, the application crashes at these points, so no way to verify across control points, unfortunately

[dvdr]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Just found another strange thing, that I can't explain so far:
When for example browsing genre, I get an entry " (unknown genre) ", and there, different options to display album, artist etc.
Strangely enough, when I browse inside this " (unknown genre) " there for example, all my Abba-albums are listed, including all (properly tagged!) tracks.
When I go back and start with genre and choose "Pop", then again, I do get Abba and all Abba albums and all Abba tracks.
So right now, I cannot find and REAL "unknown" entries, since doublechecking with a few albums and artists, " (unknown genre) " seems to be populated with all there is in the database, no matter with or without a genre-tag ...

Same happens, when trying to browse a "composer"-tree (that I added later on, so no influence from that earlier on)

[bsd107]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Hi,I have also one question: I only got PCM with 48kHz out of the ps3 (optical output), why this? the wave-files are 44,1kHz

I'm pretty sure that this is an unfortunate limitation of the PS3.

Interestingly, if you are using the PS3 to rip an AudioCD, you can choose to encode (i.e. MP3, ACC or WMA) as either 44.1kHz or 48kHz. And when playing back AudioCD's, you can choose to play back in 44.1kHz or upsampled multiples of 44.1kHz. SACDs get upsampled to PCM also at higher frequencies.

But, playing back other audio seems limited to 48kHz, however. That's all I've ever seen coming from the PS3 while playing audio files from the XMB (except for directly from CDs/SACDs), and I'm using HDMI.

[Ratty]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Not sure if you have noticed as well, if you close the software and re-start it anything in the queue refuses to play.

Yes. For pre-existing items in the queue Sonos says it can't connect to the media server. Dragging and dropping fresh items from the Asset tree is fine.

[Mike Harris]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Spoon

This all sounds very promising.
Good feedback as always.

Mike

[Spoon-]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

>I have also one question: I only got PCM with 48kHz out of the ps3 (optical output), why this? the wave-files are 44,1kHz

@marty: Very common, many devices can only work with 48KHz, with sound cards on your PC you normally have to set an option which says the device is compatible with 44KHz.

@Mutombo: do you hae any security software on your WHS? if you do it will block asset and not ask to let it through (as it runs as a service), normally add asset-upnp.exe to the safe list.

>Sonos: I agree with all your comments, my thoughts would be to take the settings out as >options as I have managed to break playback on several occasions just because I >cannot help but play with the settings.

For R1.5 there will be 3 Asset upnp servers listed - Asset: [comp] Asset: [comp] WAVE Asset: [comp] LPCM

This will allow the choosing of a end format compatible with your device, rather than going into the options.

>start it anything in the queue refuses to play.

Yes as the IP port addresses change, UPnP spec does support a playlist structure which is built up by the player.

RE PS3: we will get back to it in the next 3 weeks (also you will find the PS3 does not find new tracks..)

[Neptuni]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Hi,

Testing on my PS3, and the result are the same as before, odd behavour with menys, but playing songs in the end.

I found another uPnP player in my home (forgot that it could uPnP), an Argon Inet reciever, it connects and displays the menys correctly, but they are all empty.

/Mikael

[Neptuni]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Hi,

I just installed the latest update to PlugPlayer on my Ipod Touch, and now the cover art shows up when playing, perfect!

I will install asset 0.96 and test with the PS3 now, returning with comments soon...

Thanks!

/Mikael

[Mike Harris]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

Ratty

I agree with all your comments, my thoughts would be to take the settings out as options as I have managed to break playback on several occasions just because I cannot help but play with the settings.

Hopefully Spoon will manage to sort out the issue with adding albums and whole trees of music to the queue in the near future, as it does make it hard to add music even if it is easy to find it.

Not sure if you have noticed as well, if you close the software and re-start it anything in the queue refuses to play. I guess this rules out the ability to save playlists etc for the moment. It is early days remember, it has come on in leaps and bounds over the last couple of weeks since I found it. Spoon has done a tremendous job with it. What is great is that is takes so little memory and processor resources. I may even have to buy a WHS server as I don't really like serving from my PC. I much prefer to run this type of software on my NAS and if we can't have a Linux version, then I may have to defect... only after washing my mouth out with soap first :D

Mike

[Ratty]

Sonos

Intrigued by the thread on the Sonos forum http://forums.sonos.com/showthread.php?t=11671 I thought I'd give this a try.

Having installed 0.96 I can echo the findings of the poster there, namely that only tracks can be added individually to the Sonos Controller's queue: nodes further up the browse tree do not offer the Add option.

In addition, artwork does not display when playing (though oddly it does appear in the mouseover tooltip when browsing).

The other point relates to the option setting, which is very awkward. Maybe this is a limitation of the Sonos UI but the fact is that double-clicking an option has no immediate visible effect. It's when the controller and/or the Asset server is restarted that the options appear with modified checkmarks.

[Mutombo]

Re: Asset uPNP & DLNA

HI,

I've intalled 0.96 on my WHS as a service but no device can't see the Asset Server - although the processes are running.

Whether LinnGUI nor any Vista client nor PlugPlayer can see the server.

Can anybody help?

Thanks,
TD