Pure media server setup

[ellio]

I use a Synology DS418 NAS for all media which is set to a media server using DLNA to then push with MMA to my Niam Uniti Cute Amp. There is ZERO music files on my device. MMA does not allow to only setup for a media server for music by default. Currently a media server can be used only via selecting: Media server >> NAS >> Music >> By Folder each time. I need to boot MMA and it sets it to show Nas music not 'Internal storage' media only. Why can't a library or folder be set to an off device folder? If there a way to this then it is currently insanely hard to find!!
I use an Andriod pad and sometimes my Android phone to cast.
Often I play a tune and hit stop at the end and it carries on and disregards all command after. There is no way to stop the tune other than turn off casting.
I've just paid for a pro licence and find very disapointing with Fisher-Price config for any settings only for internal storage...

[Lowlander]

No, Media Servers can't be scanned in (I'm not sure any Android App can do this). MMA itself only shows content local to the device.

For playback continuing please submit a debug log from MMA right after that happening and respond here with the logID.

[Barry4679]

Currently a media server can be used only via selecting: Media server >> NAS >> Music >> By Folder each time. I need to boot MMA and it sets it to show Nas music not 'Internal storage' media only. Why can't a library or folder be set to an off device folder? If there a way to this then it is currently insanely hard to find!!

I don't understand LowLanders response.
Maybe you are asking something different to what I am thinking, and his answer is correct .. ?

I have a Synology NAS. I can browse the Media Server on the NAS using MMA.
I can browse by Folder, but alternatively I can browse by Album, or AlbumArtist, or Artist or Genre.
You don't see those indices?
And I can play from the NAS using MMA, and I see album art, and I can play playlists

There is ZERO music files on my device.

I do have files in my Device, ie those that I synced from my NAS, to the device, using MMA
But I can also play in MMA any of the tracks that I didn't sync to the phone, as long as I can connected to the WiFi that the NAS is connected to.

Apologies if I misunderstood your question.

[ellio]

I guess that's the monkey bit..
Local media only.
Shame.
Being a competent developer myself i see it as easy and effective enhancement in the app, drawing more users because of the capability.
The narrowing of probable phone tunes only, is not forward thinking.
Decent users with a little tec saavy (mostly audiophiles) will have servers with mass libraries. Having a little more than simple access with a pro licence would ramp up your funds!!
Drop the banana's and swing to it!

[Lowlander]

You can access your media via DLNA (even outside the network), but there is no option to scan a media server into MMA. So browsing is always done on the remote server.

[rusty]

ellio wants a better experience for users that use their UPnP server as their data storage location, whereas MMA is designed to access the UPnP server occasionally and to download content from that server for more permanent access.

The reason we took this approach is because UPnP/DLNA is fairly limited as a protocol (from both performance and data synchronization perspectives) so we never really considered it for more than occasional use. You can see the same philosophy at play in MMW: you can browse a UPnP server, but most MMW functionality isn't available (performance can be alleviated by scanning the server contents into the MMW DB, but that still doesn't change the fact that limited metadata can be downloaded from the server, and that it's a one-way exchange of information).

Our solution to this is the MediaMonkey Server, but it's only available as an alpha and hasn't yet been integrated with MMA.

Hope this clarifies.

-Rusty

[ellio]

Thanks guys.
Yea Rusty is bang on.
I can't be the only one!
I guess i'm ahead of the game a little. In terms of UPnP and storage etc.
Just something a little more helpful than some distant 'its just an add on, forget it'..
The Monkey server sounds interesting.
Is it stand alone or integrated in MMA?
Surely if this is being done then the interfacing tech and config could be what I'm after...

When is likely to be released?

[Lowlander]

Stand alone, but it doesn't work with MMA yet: viewforum.php?f=31 Only MMW5 is supported with MMS, which is still in an alpha phase of development.