More > Media Center 12 (Development Ended)
Delayed play with NAS HDD
Alex B:
blindjim,
Did you use MC for copying the files to your new NAS device or did you create a new MC library? If you created a new library you may be seeing the effect of certain MC features that may cause lots of initial file reading and writing traffic. The auto-import feature can analyze files and download cover art when these options are enabled. Also creating the file thumbnails take some time and cause additional resource usage even if the files already have cover art.
You didn't provide much exact details, just quite vague descriptions of the symptoms.
What file formats do you have? I see that you have previously asked about ALAC playback. Do you have lots of ALAC files? How many files do you have in the library? Do you have a wired or wireless LAN? What is its nominal speed? Etc...
strebormj:
1. Does this issue only happen the first time you try to play a file, or does it happen immediately after a song is played (e.g., when there is still a live connection to the NAS)?
2. What protocol (e.g., SMB) are you using in each app to access the NAS?
3. How is each app's library reference to the NAS configured (e.g., direct share access vs. drive mapping)?
I have multiple computers running MC 12 playing MP3 files off a NAS via SMB. Each uses direct share access (drive mappings are horrible for NAS devices that spin down or shut off automatically to save power). As a rule, I don't generally see a delay in playing MP3 files, except for maybe the first time I hit the NAS after it has been inactive for a while.
blindjim:
here goes to all that have been so kind as to alott me some of their exp and time in this matter... I attend to all your notes at the bootom of this reply.
First off, I will add as much more info on my situation as I can think to do...
This is lengthy though… and questions are at the end.
99% of the time when I use the NAS DRIVE now, it is purely to play audio files. I turn off the AVG 8.1 virus app each time, so no scans run during playback.
I’ve not found a suitable firewall that complies with Vista 32 yet, so I’m using only the MS OEM one that came with…
Two desktops are connected to a D Link 10/100 wireless router via standard ether net cable… the laptop uses it’s OEM wireless NIC via 80211 G to connect.
I have a 128 bit WEP Key in use. Nothing else.
The category of wireless connection on the Toshiba laptop is assigned as “public”.
The Vista UAC is disabled.
When connection to the NAS DRIVE is accomplished a change to intranet must be made.
95% of the files copied from a USB HDD to the NAS DRIVE were ripped using iTunes error free into lossless codecs…. ALAC. Some were older mp3’s at 320 constant bit rates. Recently I’ve been resorting to redoing some non error free CD rips into FLAc using EAC.
These latter codecs comprise about 5% of the library.
My Library contains a bit over 13K audio tracks…. Around 400 Gigs or so of music.
I’ve imported these files into MC, from the NAS HDD 2 ways.
Naturally, I removed the library file from it’s default location and saved it to another folder as it contains the whole of the USB drive.
I even had to clear the MC library using FILE > LIBRARY > CLEAR LIB; in MC.
Thereafter I imported files into MC lib by using Explorer… and right clicking the folders to import.
Then I had enourmous delays… avg. 15 – 17 secs. Regardless how they were accessed. Playlists at that time did actuate faster though, but not by much.
To begin playing ANY file off the NAS with MC, I had to go thru Windows Explorer FIRST, log into the NAS DRIVE, select a file and select MC as the media player.
Wait a little while and then MC would play the imported files, but with great delays occurring from one track to the next…. Regardless as well, how they were being selected… double clicking seems to take the longest times, Ctrl + N, a bit less.
Selecting the entire album and playing tracks within it wasn’t nearly as delayed as is/was playing back randomly picked ones I double clicked at will.
Playlists went still faster but even then tracks avg’d. 10 secs.
Thereafter, I got no replies here so I called Iomega support.
Steps I took with them were made solely with Windows Media Player as they supported only that player in conjunction with their 1TB NAS drive.
They/he did let me try to use MC 12 to see how much the delay was, and we counted down, and off from the intial click and the times were extremely lengthy… 16 to 18 secs for the song to begin.
Following that we opend up WMP and tried it. I HAD NEVER USED WMP…. So it got activated for the first time and quickly setup so it would work.
I used the same WAV & mp3 files on the NAS and thru Explorer again, selected and played them…. Violin. Near immediacy! WMP found them and got em going almost as quickly as they were clicked onto.
A suprizing thing happened there after the call to the NAS Support folks… MC got faster.
Times were now down to 4 – 7 secs in between tracks… with mp3s again, playing quickest of them all.
I then went back into MC > File > Library > import folder; and imported the folders all over again. One main folder at a time… seven main folders. The largest of which contains 6K + tracks. The other main folders have on avg 2K… some only 100 or so.
All of the options on the laptop are just about all the default options. One desktop as you mentioned had to have the “DIRECT SHOW” thingy plug in added. That hasn’t changed.
Neither the oldest desktop nor the laptop required such moves. MC plays all the file types I’ve associated it with on those PCs.
I yet have severe delays upwards of 5 secs now with the laptop.
Did you use MC for copying the files to your new NAS device or did you create a new MC library?
Copied, and pasted them from the USB DRIVE TO THE NAS drive. I haven’t gotten around to using MC to rip with yet.
If you created a new library you may be seeing the effect of certain MC features that may cause lots of initial file reading and writing traffic.
How then do I slim down the activity? Thumbnails and images mean little to me. If I could simply get it to be a purely music player that would suit me fine.
The auto-import feature can analyze files and download cover art when these options are enabled. Also creating the file thumbnails take some time and cause additional resource usage even if the files already have cover art.
So merely unselect in OPTIONS all the image related selections? Remove them too from the view scenario too? BTW I use standard view.
........ using Direct Share?
I have no idea waht that is or what to do to apply it.
Yes. The NAS HDD MAPS shared folders into Explorer for access.
3 My MC playback options are:
mostly set to defaults.
Seek silence
stop immediately
seek aggressively
I can eliminate the art work downloAZds and thumb nails.... although I don't know yet how to make the view quit changing when palying in a playlist. I always have to hit escape and then selct another track there after!
......... Does this issue only happen the first time you try to play a file, or does it happen immediately after a song is played (e.g., when there is still a live connection to the NAS)?
There is little diff at all. Slightly better once MC has been initiated, but not much.
I get the spinning up time after lengthy inactivity too. That’s understandable.
......... What protocol (e.g., SMB) are you using in each app to access the NAS?
Good question… Explorer? Mapped shared folders?
......... How is each app's library reference to the NAS configured (e.g., direct share access vs. drive mapping)?
Iv’e no other idea of how to do things save for the defaults provided by either the NAS or MC…. OR HOW TO CHANGE THINGS TO BE BETTER SUITED.
I EVEN set MC to act as server at one point just to see, and there was little to no diff… and later changed it back to it’s default.
I thought too about loading it onto the NAS but had little to go on there as well…. Keep it on the pc too? Configure one differently than the other?
........Your MC database files should probably be local, not on the NAS drive.
They are to the best of my knowledge, although in Vista I’m not entirely sure where to look for them. I never told MC to put them onto the NAS.
..........A virus checker is also a possible cause of a lag.
Thought about that too and disabled it when playing music.
Now, after all that importing and reimporting, a couple folders aren't being accessed, and the info window says to ensure the MC lirary is pointing to the correct location... how do I do that? Clear the library and start over by making another one??
all have my indebtness and immense gratitude for their assistance here...
Thanks
Jim
strebormj:
--- Quote from: blindjim on January 26, 2009, 03:16:31 pm ---here goes to all that have been so kind as to alott me some of their exp and time in this matter... I attend to all your notes at the bootom of this reply.
--- End quote ---
Hmm.
What happens if you drop your library, delete the drive (e.g., "Z:\") that you are watching in your "watched folders," add the UNC path (e.g., "\\myNas\myMusicShare") to your file share as the "watched folder," and then start the auto-import?
Also, do you have network auto-tuning disabled in Vista? If not, try disabling it.
blindjim:
> What happens if you drop your library, delete the drive (e.g., "Z:\") that you are watching in your "watched folders," add the UNC path (e.g., "\\myNas\myMusicShare") to your file share as the "watched folder," and then start the auto-import?
Same … just a different path.
> Also, do you have network auto-tuning disabled in Vista? If not, try disabling it.
I’ve no idea what that is or where to find it. If it’ll help, I’ll sure turn it off… Hell, I’ll sacrifice a goat if it will help!
It’s one of two things… it’s JR MC 12’s inability to deal with Vista.
Plain and simple… well through it’s wireless interface…. Even via wired it is at abvout 5 – 6 seconds of lag… but does stop right away.
I’ve done a fresh install, updates, changed the path for file locations to NETWORK > NAS > MUSIC vs. the mapped shared folders.
I’ve turned off updateing tags, (but now get an error when playing every file… that does play… evenetually), associated only music files with JR MC… nothing else. With both destops, all is well. Save for the Error messages that MC cant’ tag and relocate files… hell, I don’t want it to move or rewirete anything! Just find ‘em and play em, and I’ll show ya where they are located!
There is definitely a bug in MC that is making it incompatible with Vista 32 SP 1. Plain and simple. IMO!!
Let me ask another item… where would you look to change the settings in the laptops NIC? Device manager, still?
I wonder if it’s set to G…?? If it were set to less than G speeds, would that account for all this junk??
Be well
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