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Naim NDX - Asset UPnP - album art missing

happychappy

happychappy

Happy Member
My adventures with streaming continues, the story so far is that following advice on here I have chosen and purchased a Naim NDX streamer (2015 BT version), then managed to set it up after advice from the fishies to use “Asset UPnP software” on my iMac (2022 build). To date things are all moving in the right direction and I am so far reasonably pleased with the results.

However I am currently experiencing problems with album art when using the Naim (Focal & Naim not Naim Serve) app that controls inputs etc on the NDX. When fired up to control the NDX a large amount of the album art is not working, I have reset the cache as advised in another thread and also rebooted numerous times both the iMac/iPad (iPad 9th gen running iOS 16.6) and NDX with no success.

On the initial artist/album etc selection page where the album has no art if I select that album then select the “booklet” of information that gives other albums/other artists on albums etc the art appears? So it’s like the album art doesn’t show on the first level, but when moved to the second level the art work is there.

I have had a look about on the web, but to be honest with my limited knowledge of all things computer it’s all a little difficult for me to understand I have looked at the Asset forum and one suggestion (it’s on a thread from 2014*) is to down load “Plug Player” onto the iOS (iPad) browser.

* https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?34911-Album-Artwork-for-Mac-and-Naim-App

But I have been unable to locate the software from the link on the Wikipedia site

PlugPlayer - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Has anyone any more up to date suggestions on how to get the album art working correctly please?
 
I'd look at the name of the art file - which name works and which doesn't. It might be that your set up only recognizes certain generic names for the front cover artwork.
I'd also check where that file is in the album's digital "tree"
 
I used to use Plugplayer with a Linn DS. I think the app is long gone now. Is the album art embedded within the files or is it a separate.jpg (or similar) file?
 
Does the size of the artwork file cause an issue with the app - I am aware some artwork can be greater than the physical limit allowed by the server? EG, greater than 1000 x 1000 pixels.
 
How did you rip your music that Asset is using to feed the NDX? And more specifically what did you do about artwork? Did you embed the artwork into each music file rip or did you preserve an artwork image in the music folder of the rip and if so how did you name it?
 
uncl_nigel said:
I'd look at the name of the art file - which name works and which doesn't. It might be that your set up only recognizes certain generic names for the front cover artwork.
I'd also check where that file is in the album's digital "tree"
Click to expand...

Where would I find the name if the art file? In info against the album on iTunes?

Also where would I find the “digital tree”?

Sorry for being so dumb, I’m not very computer literate
 
Wolfmancatsup said:
I used to use Plugplayer with a Linn DS. I think the app is long gone now. Is the album art embedded within the files or is it a separate.jpg (or similar) file?
Click to expand...

Thanks for confirming the situation regards Plugplayer.

I really am not sure regards embedded in the file, how would I find this out?
 
jack8000 said:
How did you rip your music that Asset is using to feed the NDX? And more specifically what did you do about artwork? Did you embed the artwork into each music file rip or did you preserve an artwork image in the music folder of the rip and if so how did you name it?
Click to expand...

Music is ripped using an Apple SuperDrive to the internal drive on my iMac - iTunes

I use the artwork downloaded at the time of a rip, but occasionally use Google to search for any album art that is not automatically downloaded, I then drag and drop to the artwork box on the iTunes file.

Is The above embedding?

Please accept apologies for my vagueness, this is all new gobbledegook witchcraft to me at present….
 
happychappy said:
Music is ripped using an Apple SuperDrive to the internal drive on my iMac - iTunes

I use the artwork downloaded at the time of a rip, but occasionally use Google to search for any album art that is not automatically downloaded, I then drag and drop to the artwork box on the iTunes file.

Is The above embedding?

Please accept apologies for my vagueness, this is all new gobbledegook witchcraft to me at present….
Click to expand...
That is not embedding
 
Ok there there are two main methods of getting your artwork to show up:

1. You actually embed the artwork into each music track rip (so every track), this is normally done as part of creating the metadata for each file (i.e. album artist name, track name, genre etc etc). I use dBpoweramp to create my rips and it's pretty straight forward into that software to embed the artwork. 'm not familiar with using iTunes for this so not sure how it works.

2. Instead of embedding the artwork into each music track rip you place a copy of the music album artwork in the same folder as all the music track rips. This artwork normally has to be a jpeg file and named "folder.jpg" at least for Asset as best I can remember although there will no doubt be exceptions.

Maybe as check just try placing a jpeg file in one of your albums music folder and name it "folder.jpg" and see if it shows up. You may have to ask Asset to re-scan your library after you do this before it will show up
 
I don’t really understand the what’s and why’s of embedding?

I have downloaded tons of CDs over the years to itunes and all have worked perfectly, other than a few that I have had to search out the artwork for and drag them across to the artwork box in iTunes which has then updated.

What is so different about embedding and why does it need to be done?

Is it a PC android thing?

I have tried to stick with Apple products as in the past it has limited my need to interfere with things that I don’t understand….looks like it’s coming back to bite me on the butt! :p
 
happychappy said:
Where would I find the name if the art file? In info against the album on iTunes?

Also where would I find the “digital tree”?

Sorry for being so dumb, I’m not very computer literate
Click to expand...
You can see whether Music/iTunes (they seem to have changed the name of the app) has artwork for your album by rightclcking on it in the app and choosing read the info - one of the tabs is artwork. If none you can add.
But as has already been mentioned Asset tends to like a generic name for the artwork file such as "folder"

As for the digital structure or tree if you are not at ease with the Findeer app, you have a learning curve to climb. What seems obvious to someone like me who's been using computers since MSDOS 3.3, is actually not that intuitive at all - personally I got fed up with Windows and moved over to MacOS in 2014. Hopefully, some other Mac user will have an easier fix.
 
I think that the solution ( I am sure there is one) will require certain amount of "computer" knowledge. Main thing is that the music is playing ok 😉
 
uncl_nigel said:
You can see whether Music/iTunes (they seem to have changed the name of the app) has artwork for your album by rightclcking on it in the app and choosing read the info - one of the tabs is artwork. If none you can add.
But as has already been mentioned Asset tends to like a generic name for the artwork file such as "folder"

As for the digital structure or tree if you are not at ease with the Findeer app, you have a learning curve to climb. What seems obvious to someone like me who's been using computers since MSDOS 3.3, is actually not that intuitive at all - personally I got fed up with Windows and moved over to MacOS in 2014. Hopefully, some other Mac user will have an easier fix.
Click to expand...

Yes you are correct iTunes is now Apple Music….drat and double drat…..why do they have to keep changing names…grrrrr

Im (sort of) up to speed with the Apple Music side of things (well, I can get by at least :)) Can see from checking out a few tracks that they are all ripped to Apple Lossless audio file, which is selected by default, the artwork tag seems not to define what type of file it is though? I am guessing that might be in one of the menus at the top of the screen which I cannot seem to find.

I try to stay clear of the finder app, although I have just opened it up and am looking through the files, I haven’t a scooby doo as to what they mean, but it’s making me feel very important! :cool:

I have noticed an awful lot of files that were probably dragged across from my old Mac Book that are titled iTune, I am starting to wonder if I should erase the whole of my Apple Music files and rip them all again? It’s been on my mind as I am toying with the idea of a Naim Unitiserve (OH NO! Says everyone…) or if funds allow a Naim Core….been advised against a NAS drive.

Thanks so much everyone for your input, I am a persistent old git and would love to win the battle of the missing art…
 
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