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Author Topic: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n  (Read 7975 times)

flespost

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MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« on: June 06, 2016, 04:15:39 pm »

Hi,

I have some trouble setting up the link be my QNAP Nas with MC 21.0.54 and my network player Cambridge Audio Azur 851n.

MC 21 is working and linked to a library, as I have no problem playing music in the zone "player".

In the TOOLS >> OPTIONS >> Media Network menu, I have added a DLNA server with the following settings;

Audio output ORIGINAL (my music library consists of 16 bits flacs)
Format PCM 16 bit
Stereo downmix ON (default)
Volume Leveling ON (default)
Sample rate SAME AS SOURCE
DSP Studio (default)

As I use only 1 DLNA server, the netwerk player is connected with the DLNA server set up in the Media Netwerk menu.

However, when I select a song in the zone of my network player, I can be seen that the network player receives a signal (as the screen shows the albums cover and song name) yet the music is set to "STOP" and cannot be put to play.
Sometimes I get the notification that the playback is not supported, which is not correct as this network player is able to play back this file format.

My impression is that it relates to a setting in the outgoing audio stream, but whatever I have tried, I not managed to get it to change/work.

Has anyone come across this and/or has found a solution? Your assistance would be most appreciated!
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bob

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2016, 05:20:19 pm »

Hi,

I have some trouble setting up the link be my QNAP Nas with MC 21.0.54 and my network player Cambridge Audio Azur 851n.

MC 21 is working and linked to a library, as I have no problem playing music in the zone "player".

In the TOOLS >> OPTIONS >> Media Network menu, I have added a DLNA server with the following settings;

Audio output ORIGINAL (my music library consists of 16 bits flacs)
Format PCM 16 bit
Stereo downmix ON (default)
Volume Leveling ON (default)
Sample rate SAME AS SOURCE
DSP Studio (default)

As I use only 1 DLNA server, the netwerk player is connected with the DLNA server set up in the Media Netwerk menu.

However, when I select a song in the zone of my network player, I can be seen that the network player receives a signal (as the screen shows the albums cover and song name) yet the music is set to "STOP" and cannot be put to play.
Sometimes I get the notification that the playback is not supported, which is not correct as this network player is able to play back this file format.

My impression is that it relates to a setting in the outgoing audio stream, but whatever I have tried, I not managed to get it to change/work.

Has anyone come across this and/or has found a solution? Your assistance would be most appreciated!

Since the format is set to "Original" we can assume that there are some files you have that are in a format that the Cambridge Audio Azur 851n cannot play.

You could try the Audiophile DAC template. Then your files will be decoded to 24 bit PCM before being sent to your DLNA renderer.
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flespost

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2016, 04:22:52 pm »

Dear Bob,

thanks for thinking along. I am afraid that this does not provide the solution.

All the equipment is perfectly able to handle the 16 bit 44.1 kHz Flac files, which is the only file format used in my database. Furthermore I own a Digibit Aria Piccolo music server that runs on Windows Server 2012 and the JRiver server, which has an identical copy of the music database and is able to stream music via DLNA to the network player Azur 851N.

Hence the problem likely lays in the outgoing stream from the QNAP. But in what? If I change to the audiophile 24 bit setting as you mentioned, or to standard conversation to 16 bits FLAC it still does not work. Do you maybe have any further ideas on this?
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bob

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2016, 10:15:30 am »

Dear Bob,

thanks for thinking along. I am afraid that this does not provide the solution.

All the equipment is perfectly able to handle the 16 bit 44.1 kHz Flac files, which is the only file format used in my database. Furthermore I own a Digibit Aria Piccolo music server that runs on Windows Server 2012 and the JRiver server, which has an identical copy of the music database and is able to stream music via DLNA to the network player Azur 851N.

Hence the problem likely lays in the outgoing stream from the QNAP. But in what? If I change to the audiophile 24 bit setting as you mentioned, or to standard conversation to 16 bits FLAC it still does not work. Do you maybe have any further ideas on this?
Interesting.
All of your files are 44.1k 16 bit flac and playing the exact same files from a windows box to the same renderer with MC works fine with exactly the same settings in the DLNA services section?
This doesn't sound right.
Perhaps there is another factor here. Are the files you are trying to play from the QNAP to the renderer stored on the QNAP? It sounds like you might be accessing them from the MC PC as a MC client on the QNAP MC?



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flespost

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2016, 02:50:31 pm »

Interesting.
All of your files are 44.1k 16 bit flac and playing the exact same files from a windows box to the same renderer with MC works fine with exactly the same settings in the DLNA services section? This doesn't sound right.

Thanks for your message.

The files on the QNAP nas and on the Aria Piccolo music server are identical and all are 44.1 kHz 16 bit FLAC, that I am sure of.
The software on the Aria Piccolo (running a Windows version of MC) is not accessible to the user and I have only access to that music via the Aria iPad app (very similar to JRemote). Hence I am unaware of what the exact settings in the Piccolo are. So I don't dare to draw the conclusion that the settings in the Piccolo are identical to those on the QNAP's (Linux) version of MC. I am sure though that the Piccolo works well with the Azur 851n network player, but the QNAP's version doesn't. Hence my conclusion that I have set a wrong setting for the outgoing audio stream in the QNAP.

Perhaps there is another factor here. Are the files you are trying to play from the QNAP to the renderer stored on the QNAP? It sounds like you might be accessing them from the MC PC as a MC client on the QNAP MC?

The QNAP serves as a back-up for the music database on the Piccolo. Hence the two identical databases are each stored on their own harddrives. For the QNAP, I run MC with the TV connected to the nas to able to "view" the program and change settings. I use JRemote to control MC on the QNAP. No computer is otherwise involved. The QNAP with MC does connect with the Azur 851n, but the tags are not properly displayed on the screen and no music can be started. With the Piccolo this all works fine.

The reason why I have set up two parallel systems, is that I have one sound system with speakers and a secondary sound system to be used with headphones. This would be one of the ways to enjoy my music collection on both systems, while at the same time having a back-up of all music.
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bob

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2016, 02:59:26 pm »

Ok I see now.

You have exact duplicates of the Music files physically on both the QNAP and the Piccolo.

If you play a file from the QNAP to the piccolo with JRemote it doesn't work. At all, ever?

If you tried to play that same file on the QNAP itself (say via the HDMI connection) does it play?


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flespost

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2016, 01:30:57 pm »

Ok I see now.

You have exact duplicates of the Music files physically on both the QNAP and the Piccolo.

Correct, the libraries are identical, and the format of the music is consistent (44,1 kHz 16 bit FLAC)

If you play a file from the QNAP to the piccolo with JRemote it doesn't work. At all, ever?

Yes, from the QNAP to the Piccolo works fine, via JRiver. The the QNAP is connected to my router via LAN-cable, the Piccolo via WIFI.

The QNAP and Azur 851N are both connected via LAN-cable to my router. When I select the 'zone' of the Azur 851N networkplayer, I can see that the QNAP and Azur 851N make a connection, as I can see a song being loaded on the display of the Azur 851N. But is doesn't play, it stays on "stop" and the ID-3 tag is not loaded as it would normally (i.e. song name, artist and album cover visible in display).
When I do the same between the Piccolo and Azur 851N playback of the music works well.

In the alternative, I have also tried to link QNAP and the Azur 851N via the mConnect iPad DLNA app, and this gives the same result. I can search the database on the QNAP, but not properly link the two devices together, there is connection but no playback. Hence I think the problem can be isolated to a setting in the outgoing stream of the QNAP / MC. On the Azur 851N no settings can be changed, and the device works well with Piccolo and other sources (such as Spotify Connect).

If you tried to play that same file on the QNAP itself (say via the HDMI connection) does it play?

If I play a file on the QNAP / MC in the zone "player" it does work, via an HDMI cable to my TV over the speakers of my TV, controlled via JRemote.
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flespost

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #7 on: June 17, 2016, 03:59:17 pm »

It appears to have been a software-bug somewhere in the QNAP.  ?

QNAP released a new version of their Hybrid Dock software and an update to MC 21.0.83, and instantly it all seems to work fine.  8)

Thanks for your time and thinking along in finding a solution!
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bob

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Re: MC 21.0.54 on QNAP vs Cambridge Audio Azur 851n
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2016, 02:15:00 pm »

It appears to have been a software-bug somewhere in the QNAP.  ?

QNAP released a new version of their Hybrid Dock software and an update to MC 21.0.83, and instantly it all seems to work fine.  8)

Thanks for your time and thinking along in finding a solution!
Thanks for the report. This was a complex one and I wish I knew exactly what fixed it.
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