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[scottm_dj]

For years CUE files have not worked properly with this (especially in DLNA/UPNP mode to my Oppo 205).  It either can't see them or even crazier starts the beginning track no matter what selection is chosen (*if* it find them, regular mode plays them properly but not through media server).  I make them properly and everything else can play them--except JRiver.  Of course playing straight through the tracks automatically is fine--but forget choosing them individually.   Am i missing seriously something here in the options?  I'm using WAVE files, so maybe FLAC does better?   

[scottm_dj]

Apparently after doing a little research, CUE handling that way is a bit tricky.  But yes...this attached screen shot (if it posts) shows a DLNA playlist culled using a CUE file.  Of course Foobar is a nightmare to configure (it default to stereo only for one)---but it does play the CUE file properly. 

Even in the regular playback of J River, CUE files are always an adventure....and have been for years.   JRiver excels in (DSD) SACD and VIDEO DLNA playback (although subtitles dont usually work)....not CUE file handling.

[RD James]

Have you tried configuring the DLNA server to always convert tracks?

[whoareyou]

@scottm_dj
Can you can select individual tracks? 

I can use CUE file to display the track selections, but can't jump around from track to track.  It always plays from the first track.  I'm certainly no expert with coding against DLNA protocol/API but I can understand why this does not work.   Does DLNA API allow negotiation with a renderer to play from a particular time frame?  Or do you need some hack to serve the file again but play from the selection's time point?  Or is something else needed that is missing from the API?  I have no idea.

Perhaps someone who's coded this stuff can jump in and explain. 

But if FOOBAR is really doing this, they figured something out. 

[bob]

@scottm_dj
Can you can select individual tracks? 

I can use CUE file to display the track selections, but can't jump around from track to track.  It always plays from the first track.  I'm certainly no expert with coding against DLNA protocol/API but I can understand why this does not work.   Does DLNA API allow negotiation with a renderer to play from a particular time frame?  Or do you need some hack to serve the file again but play from the selection's time point?  Or is something else needed that is missing from the API?  I have no idea.

Perhaps someone who's coded this stuff can jump in and explain. 

But if FOOBAR is really doing this, they figured something out.

The bin part of a cue/bin is a single file of course which will always play from the beginning if you have the DLNA output format set to Original.

If you set conversion to "Specified format" or "Specified format when Necessary" (and set the format to convert under advanced) you will get individual tracks.

It probably would be useful for us to add cue as a format to convert when Specified format when necessary is set (even though it's not really a format type).

[bob]

The bin part of a cue/bin is a single file of course which will always play from the beginning if you have the DLNA output format set to Original.

If you set conversion to "Specified format" or "Specified format when Necessary" (and set the format to convert under advanced) you will get individual tracks.

It probably would be useful for us to add cue as a format to convert when Specified format when necessary is set (even though it's not really a format type).

Actually it's already doing this.
If you do Specified format when necessary even if you pick none of the formats under advanced, cue/bin will be split into separate tracks.

[scottm_dj]

Thanks Bob for the insight...that does work.   If you choose an audio option, at least on my system don't choose 24bit or you will get a DTS-like static blast!  16bit works great.

Also in DLNA, the DVD structure IFO works direct in the program fine...but not under the Media Server (or likely I chose the wrong file conversion from the list).   I can even stream frame packed 3Ds i made with no issue (convert MKV to M2TS for Oppo btw)...but it's can't play IFO/VOB via DLNA.  Any suggestion there?

Finally, i soooo wish DVD-Audio ISO worked as well as SACD ISO does as you can't directly play the AOB files from DVD-Audio.     Sure you can extract the tracks using Foobar or DVDAE, but then you lose the video side and some of some cool extras some have.   As of now, that's what i have my older ISO-playing Oppo for...but I'd really like to retire that, so let me know if i can donate an DVDA-ISO example to JRiver development team

[RD James]

[…] can't play IFO/VOB via DLNA.  Any suggestion there?

Rip to MKV? Or MKA tracks if it's a music DVD: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,119957.0.html

Finally, i soooo wish DVD-Audio ISO worked as well as SACD ISO does as you can't directly play the AOB files from DVD-Audio.     Sure you can extract the tracks using Foobar or DVDAE, but then you lose the video side and some of some cool extras some have.   As of now, that's what i have my older ISO-playing Oppo for...but I'd really like to retire that, so let me know if i can donate an DVDA-ISO example to J River development team

DVD-Audio uses the MLP format, which Media Center does not have a decoder for.
You can use free tools (Foobar2000) to convert these discs to FLAC audio tracks: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,119956.0.html
This is a lossless conversion, as MLP is a PCM-based audio format.

[scottm_dj]

I'll try the MKV extraction---i just noticed the IFOs worked in regular JRiver, but not in the DLNA portion.

Yes...you can extract DVDA in Foobar....but playing the ISO would be certainly be a nice welcomed feature.  Again, you can't rip those into anything else that preserves the menu structure--to get the full media experience.

Incidentally, as a fun aside, "MLP" is still around (i still contend is one of the best audio formats in history if you've heard a good DVD-Audio disc), having morphed into Dolby TrueHD.  Meanwhile Meridian themselves set their sights on of all things:  tuning the latest DAC in the LG V40 audiophile phone. 

[RD James]

Yes...you can extract DVDA in Foobar....but playing the ISO would be certainly be a nice welcomed feature.  Again, you can't rip those into anything else that preserves the menu structure--to get the full media experience.

It's probably not worth the time/resources for them to develop/port a decoder for such an uncommon audio format.

Incidentally, as a fun aside, "MLP" is still around (i still contend is one of the best audio formats in history if you've heard a good DVD-Audio disc), having morphed into Dolby TrueHD.  Meanwhile Meridian themselves set their sights on of all things:  tuning the latest DAC in the LG V40 audiophile phone.

It's just a lossless PCM compression algorithm, and doesn't compress as well as FLAC.
I don't see any reason to keep the tracks in their original format, unless you have a player which will play DVD-A discs but won't play FLAC or other PCM formats.

[scottm_dj]

It's probably not worth the time/resources for them to develop/port a decoder for such an uncommon audio format.

I know...as with VHS vs BetaMax and HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray, there's always a competing format that kills the technology.  In this case, neither DVD-Audio or SACD were particularly embraced due to very few people having the system to take advantage of their superior sound--but SACD lives on thanks to classical music and of course now the standalone DSD format (as does technically DVDA with TrueHD).  I still think DVD-Audio sounds better though in a head to head comparison with an album like Beck's Sea Change.

The main reason to keep them in the original format is for the extras that were sometimes included on the discs.   If you aren't familiar with one its difficult to explain, but several of them had some cool inclusions (such as band interviews on the Grateful Dead discs).  For me, it's also a cool nostalgic reminder of the early 2000s seeing the album graphics in 4:3 aspect ratio--and just playing them like i remember from disc.   Since i bought up every single worthy one at the time totaling over 50 (now easily worth thousands of dollars on the open market), i really want to avoid putting the originals in to keep safe, but get same functionality.  There's also some notable "home-made" ones created over the years you can find if you search.   Again, that's what my ISO-playing Oppo 95 continues to be for...