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[doulos]

Hello,

I am implementing a android UPnP control point and have just come across the fact that JRiver sends a default album art image for items for which it cannot find a real album art image. I find this rather annoying, as it creates unnecessary bandwitdth (unless I introduce specific code that intercepts this URI), and disturbs the appearance of my app, as I have my own default icon for missing album art.

My question therefore: can this "feature" be switched off?

thanks,
Christian

[doulos]

.. and it seems there isn't even a way to intercept the URLs, because they are different every time..

[doulos]

any chance for an option that switches off the default icons? It should really be the job of the client to provide them..

[NickF]

Why don't you replace the default icon on the server with your own?

Nick.

[doulos]

for 2 reasons:

1. it doesnt adress the issue of wasting bandwidth and other resources. As it goes now, the same icon is transferred over the network N times, and then entered into the local cache on the device N times, eating N times the space that would otherwise be available for real album art.

2. I am writing a generic app for controlling UPnP devices, I am not looking for a way to tweak my local JRiver installation

thanks,
chris

[csimon]

I really like the fact that MC generates artwork server-side, especially for certain folder levels which don't necessarily have a file associated with them. It is indeed a fuzzy boundary between what the server's role is and that the client's role is, but from my point of view I would want to configure everything that way I want just once and have it presented the same way on all clients, which includes the sorting order and the images associated with each item.  It's up the client how to display the media library and how to allow the user to browse it, but not to alter it visually or textually.

But certainly I don't mind the option to switch off default icons if memory space on the client is such a problem and there are going to be large amounts of files with no inherent artwork.

Isn't there an option though to turn off DLNA Extra on the server, which is what always transmits artwork?  In fact, you could even turn off DLNA itself if it's purely a UPnP control point.

[doulos]

It's up the client how to display the media library and how to allow the user to browse it, but not to alter it visually or textually.

the (generic UPnP) client is already making far-reaching decisions about how and what to present, and those are in no way determinable by the server. I think the fact that there is no album art should be displayed on the client in a manner decided upon by the client. Gizmo, for example, can (and should) present missing album art the way it is done now. My app operates across arbitrary servers, and if you happen to have not only JRiver installed, you will find that the other ones dont send default icons (and certainly not the JRiver one). That makes the browsing experience inconsistent even from an aesthetic POV.

But certainly I don't mind the option to switch off default icons if memory space on the client is such a problem and there are going to be large amounts of files with no inherent artwork.

as you said, depending on the device (we're talking android tablets here) and the number of files without artwork, this can easily become an issue. Not talking about the lag due to wasted bandwidth.

Isn't there an option though to turn off DLNA Extra on the server, which is what always transmits artwork?  In fact, you could even turn off DLNA itself if it's purely a UPnP control point.

the album art item is part of UPnP, so i doubt "DLNA Extra" will influence that. Also, I dont intend to limit my app to "UPnP only" because of an issue like this one.

[csimon]

My app operates across arbitrary servers, and if you happen to have not only JRiver installed, you will find that the other ones dont send default icons (and certainly not the JRiver one). That makes the browsing experience inconsistent even from an aesthetic POV.

I guess it depends whether people are generally going to have one server and many clients, many servers and one client, or many servers and many clients!  You're not going to get a consistent browsing experience unless every single client and every single server is configurable.  You are working on a many servers to one client principle. I have one server and many clients, and my browsing experience is consistent, with regard to icons, due to the fact that the server is sending the artwork, with those clients that respect artwork sent for container-level items anyway. I also don't like those clients that have their own ideas of the way my collection should be sorted!

By the way, I'm pretty sure that Synology's DLNA server has a certain amount of default icons, and Meedio (when I used it) did as well, but don't hold me to that!

[doulos]

By the way, I'm pretty sure that Synology's DLNA server has a certain amount of default icons, and Meedio (when I used it) did as well, but don't hold me to that!

I am so far testing against ReadyDLNA (miniDLNA), TVMobili, Twonky, Mezzmo, dbPoweramp, Fritz!Box MediaServer, XBMC. Never seen default icons being sent.

[csimon]

Just checked - the Synology DLNA Server does indeed provide default artwork too. It has its own music icon for when there is no artwork for a particular file and it also delivers that icon for the Music container level. I've checked this on 3 clients - Samsung BD player, WD TV live, and Plugplayer.  The Samsung doesn't respect the server-delivered artwork but the WD TV live and Plugplayer do. You can tell this because those clients have their own default icon so it's recognisable when the server provides its own.

[bubbleguuum]

As another Control Point author, I agree with OP.
I do not think that sending a no cover image is a good idea as it may not fit the visual style of the receiving Control Point.
At least, an option to disable it in MC would be welcome. And on devices slow to load album art like a PS3 this is a bad idea (the PS3 has its own no cover image).

[doulos]

As another Control Point author, I agree with OP.

oh, hello bubbleguuum (Mike), good to meet you here. Nice server, isn't it (notwithstanding those default icons)?

re. the icons: I read over in another thread that image caching was a feature requested for Gizmo. I dont know if that request has already been implemented, but if not, maintaining the default icons on the client (Gizmo) side would be one easy step in that direction..

Anyway, 'nuff said