Minimserver not visible and transcoding/playback "on the fly" for Naim Unitiserve-SSD

[simoncn]

(30-08-2017 06:05)Stannas Wrote:  Hi Simon

Thanks for clarifying this.

I'd like to try the experiment via my laptop, as it was easily deduced using even these speakers that .FLAC files do not sound the same as .WAV. I only have an acoustic guitar track to judge, ripped for me by Naim in .FLAC and .WAV, as my Unitiserve cannot rip just a track in .FLAC without converting all my files! Do you have any rips of the same track-say an orchestral band track with larger dynamic range, or know of any other source? this would make the experiment easier?

The 2L website has free downloads in various resolutions. All these are FLAC but you can easily convert them to WAV using the free FLAC tools available from this site.

Quote:Meantime, can you please set out the remaining steps for me to carry out the experiment on my laptop? First I need to copy the files somewhere for your products to access them, so I don't understand why Minimserver cannot seem to access folders on my NAS? CAn you please set out an example format as they are named with an IP address in, if they ought to be able to find on a network-otherwise perhaps I have t copy to my laptop?
[\quote]

If the NAS shared folder that you want to access is visible as a shared folder in the Network section of Windows Explorer, you can use the syntax \\shared-folder-name\subfolder-name in the MinimServer contentDir property. If not, you can mount the NAS shared folder as a Windows drive letter using the command 'net use x: \\ip-address\shared-folder-name'.

[quote]
then I need to know please how to get Minimstreamer to work on my laptop if it will output sound too, and then transcode to .WAV? so far it does not seem to work, having read your page on this?

MinimStreamer does not output sound. For this, you will need a UPnP renderer program running on your PC. You can use foobar2000 with the foo_upnp plugin or you can download the Windows version of the ohPlayer renderer from this page.

Quote:I could perhaps connect my laptop to my hi-fi DAC if I had a suitable cable-not sure if USB connection to the laptop is always superior to the S/PDIF output? My DAC has digital coaxial in-not sure, but it may have some USB functionality-in too.

I can't advise on this because I don't use this kind of setup.

Quote:If possible, can y please give me all the remaining steps in ne go, so I can actually hear some sound from my laptop?

1) Download the test files to a location on your NAS or your laptop
2) Put this location into the contentDir property of MinimServer
3) Download and install a software UPnP renderer for your PC
4) Download and install a software UPnP control point for your PC or an iOS or Android device. For example, you could use Linn Kinsky.
5) Use the UPnP control point to select your server (MinimServer) and renderer, then browse to and play your physical test files in FLAC and WAV format, comparing the sound
6) Install MinimStreamer and set flac:wav24 transcoding
7) Repeat step 5), this time comparing transcoded FLAC->WAV to physical WAV

Quote:Have you ever found free software that can embed the metadata within the Unitiserve .XML file, but also leave the separate .jpg cover art?

No

Quote:Can Minimserver or dBpoweramp read the XML file and separate .jpg-presumably this issue has arisen with Unitiserve users before?

MinimServer cannot do this and I don't have any plans to add support for this proprietary Naim format. I don't know whether dBpoweramp can do it. There is a program called SongKong for Melco that can convert the Naim XML format into standard metadata.

Quote:With my Unitiserve rips, can I use Minimserver for any useful purpose, to tidy up missing or incorrect metadata?

Kind regards

Stephen

You can play the files with no metadata but this is probably not "useful". MinimServer does not have any capability to edit metadata.