Asset R6 Discussions

[Spoon]

All relating to the new Asset.

[Super Wormhole]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Hi, I just wonder what's this software does exactly? I already own a copy of dBpoweramp, does it do anything differently?

[mickc]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Hi, I just wonder what's this software does exactly? I already own a copy of dBpoweramp, does it do anything differently?

Hi - it's an audio-only media server:-

https://www.dbpoweramp.com/asset-upnp-dlna.htm

Mick

[simes_pep]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Hi,
When do you foresee this R6 version being ported to Linux & namely the Raspberry Pi build?
Also is there anything more you can do to utilise the multi-cores on the Raspberry Pi 2/3? I still see the Asset processes running on a single core. My Raspberry Pi is a dedicated UPnP server running Asset serving my Naim network player.
Very happy with the R5 release as I have DSD playback as well as FLAC, ALAC, AAC & MP3 transcoding to WAV.
Would just like it to be a little more responsive when listing my music collection, which is now 70k tracks.

Also how about decoding MQA and transcoding the 'unpacked' FLAC to WAV?

Simon

[Spoon]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

It is difficult to forecast when it will be ported, the scope of work being added to R6 is unknown at this time.

MQA is not available outside of specific hardware manufacturers.

As far as I am aware, multi cores requires a new version compiling, and at this stage we do not want to create too many derivatives..

[simes_pep]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Ok, thanks. Will watch how R6 develops, but at present I have no need to run another UPnP server on Windows, as I presently have all the functionality I require on R5 for the RPi. I try not to undertake full rescans as it can take a couple of days & it is this I would looking to R6 to address as libraries get bigger & larger files due to the hi-res formats.

On the MQA, yes I think the focus has been on getting the decoding into hardware namely DACs, however I understand that their focus is now on getting content encoded, so going back to the original source, such as the Master tapes and running them through the MQA process. However from what I am able to understand MQA decoding is a software algorithm for unpacking the Hi-Res elements which are folded into a std-res file. This way the file can still be decoded by non-MQA enabled processes, but when they are, they extract and reform the Hi-Res format.
So my thinking is that Asset could detect the presense of the MQA encoding, unpack back into say 24/192 FLAC, then serve this under the UPnP protocol. It could also transcode the FLAC to WAV as well, so going from MQA encoded HiRes, in a std CD format size to uncompressed HiRes WAV at the final stage of the process.

Would be willing to contribute to the development of this and any additional license fee for he MQA decoding/unpacking, but I had heard they were making the decoding components available FOC, and charging the content providers for the encoding. Of course, we the punters, will have to 'buy again' all the content in the new MQA format from the Record companies, but I hear that the material encoded so far sounds excellent.

Simon

[Spoon]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Based on information from Auralic, a manufacturer of Audiophile Wireless Audio Streamers, Meridian Audio prohibits digital output of unpacked MQA in any digital format, only allowing the unpacked data to be fed to an on-board MQA-compatible DAC and output in analog form. Some claim this to be a part of DRM process[citation needed], which allows a proper MQA file to be authenticated and the full quality of the signal decoded only on commercially-licensed equipment

From Wikipedia.

[simes_pep]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

I had heard, last week, that this may be changing, in that it was initially a designated hardware only play, given MQA was developed by the guys at Meridian Audio, however there has been some organisational changes and a re-shift in focus, and if the now separate MQA organisation wants maximum demand for MQA encoded content, this means they will have to relax the rules about the decoding end, and focus on enabling the content providers to encode the material for mass consumption, otherwise it will remain just a handful of high-end manufactures able to decode with a small number of boutique record labels with MQA content and no reason for the major content houses to encode and offer the content to a smallish number of consumers with the capability.

Another words, if every digital streaming system had MQA decoding capability, following a software upgrade, the record labels would have a mass market to sell, or resell, MQA encoded material to.

An interesting space to watch.

Meanwhile hi-res FLAC/ALAC files served up by Asset, transcoded to WAV in the UPnP server layer and native DSD64 and DoP encoded DSD64 files sound fantastic on my Naim network player and all the album artwork on the Naim iPad app - thank you.

[simes_pep]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Also, if you wanted to try a R5.0.1 version compiled for multi-core usage happy to try it as a Beta release on my RPi 2.

Thanks,
Simon.

[Mat_Illustrate]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Is Asset R6 eating some CDs? ;-)

I know for sure that Asset R5 and first versions of Asset R6 beta told me that I have 3.116 CDs in my library.

Now latest beta and the one before tells me that it finds only 3.107 albums although nothing changed in the library - except 1 or 2 new CDs ;-)

Looking at the tracks Asset tells me that I have 54.754 tracks in my library and MusicBee basically confirms this - telling me that I have 54.758 tracks in my library.

So I assume that something has changed by combining tracks to Albums. Is there any easy way to find out what has changed? I am a little bit reluctant to browse through my library manually...

[Spoon]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

A new feature of Asset R6 to combine multi-disc albums as a single album. You can disable if you do not like this option.

[Mat_Illustrate]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Thx for fast reply - ssems to be the problem. I now selected "Leave Album Tag Untouched", Asset processed 54.754 tracks and ended in 0 tracks and 0 albums :-(

Need to investigate further tomorrow as it takes some time to process these files...

[Mat_Illustrate]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Okay, did a "Refresh All" again and now I have 54.754 tracks and 3.119 Albums.

Is there somewhere the logic described how Multi Disc Albums are recognized?

[Spoon]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Disc id tag, or ', Disc x' appended to end of album name.

[Hercules]

Re: Asset R6 Discussions

Possible to add multiple of 44.1kHz (88.2/176.4/352.8kHz) transcoding for R6 release, as Streamer now supporting more and higher sampling rate, and possible transcoding profile for each audio format?

I just installed R5 for my Synology, it saved my life as I have 3TB of PCM and 3TB of DSD, while my Cyrus Lyric only support PCM, I can't listen to all my DSD collection, now DSD transcoded to 24/96 still very nice, but I believe transcoded in 24/176.4 even better, and hopefully real release for Synology (luckily mine is ARM based, not Intel)