Melco Audiophile NAS

[José]

hello could someone please tell me how to install minimserver in melco

[simoncn]

(02-08-2015 17:13)José Wrote:  hello could someone please tell me how to install minimserver in melco

PM sent.

[Martin H]

Simon,

Thanks for that - I will install it tomorrow.

Just a layman's question.

Are you saying that the 'gapless' issue (which isn't an issue for me) is related to the physical hardware/firmware rather than it being an issue for the server software? If so is there a quick explanation of why? Instinctively I would have thought it was handled by the server.

thanks again

[simoncn]

(03-08-2015 00:15)Martin H Wrote:  Simon,

Thanks for that - I will install it tomorrow.

Just a layman's question.

Are you saying that the 'gapless' issue (which isn't an issue for me) is related to the physical hardware/firmware rather than it being an issue for the server software? If so is there a quick explanation of why? Instinctively I would have thought it was handled by the server.

thanks again

Gapless playback is handled by the renderer and control point, not the server.

[Martin H]

So what role does Melco have in that? Confused unless I have my terms mixed up.

The renderer is the DS. Not clear what role the Melco has in relation to gapless playing that the firmware could enable? Sorry I realise I am drifting away from minimserver issues but it would help me to understand. thx

[Martin H]

As an aside it is the first time I have done a Melco update online and that was as easy peasy as I could have hoped for. Minimserver is up and running nicely and I am all set

[simoncn]

(04-08-2015 13:43)Martin H Wrote:  So what role does Melco have in that? Confused unless I have my terms mixed up.

The renderer is the DS. Not clear what role the Melco has in relation to gapless playing that the firmware could enable? Sorry I realise I am drifting away from minimserver issues but it would help me to understand. thx

When I connect my Chord Hugo TT to the USB 3.0 socket in the back of the Melco, the Melco is acting as a UPnP renderer. With 2.10, I have gapless playback for this.

[Cebolla]

(04-08-2015 13:43)Martin H Wrote:  So what role does Melco have in that? Confused unless I have my terms mixed up.

The renderer is the DS. Not clear what role the Melco has in relation to gapless playing that the firmware could enable? Sorry I realise I am drifting away from minimserver issues but it would help me to understand. thx

Apparently the Melco has a built-in music player (for which the gapless firmware update was for), which outputs USB audio in order to connect an external USB DAC to. The Melco's built-in music player can be controlled by a UPnP control point, so is in effect a UPnP renderer like your (Linn?) DS - re the Melco (HA-N1) user manual:
HA-N1 User Manual - Streaming Music using USB-DAC

Presumably the Melco's renderer supports standard UPnP, as opposed to an OpenHome Media (ohMedia, aka UPnP with Linn extensions), since gapless support was provided after an update. OpenHome Media has gapless built-in, whereas gapless is optional under standard UPnP.

Edit:
Sorry any duplicate info, Simon, looks like I posted just after you did!

[simoncn]

(04-08-2015 19:38)Cebolla Wrote:  Presumably the Melco's renderer supports standard UPnP, as opposed to an OpenHome Media (ohMedia, aka UPnP with Linn extensions), since gapless support was provided after an update. OpenHome Media has gapless built-in, whereas gapless is optional under standard UPnP.

The OpenHome protocol does not guarantee gapless playback. It keeps the playlist in the renderer, which enables the renderer to provide gapless playback without intervention by the control point. The renderer still needs to implement gapless playback and the 2.01 firmware didn't do this.

The Melco renderer provides a configuration option to select either the OpenHome renderer protocol or the UPnP AV renderer protocol. I am using the former.

[Cebolla]

Odd oversight to use a non-gapless player in the first place then, seeing as gapless support, or more precisely (as you say) allowing for gapless playback with the full playlist renderer-side, is one of OpenHome's MSPs. At least its been corrected!