Lumin Network Music Player - Simple Setup

Geoffrey said:
Charles,

Decided to go with Pixel Magic's recommended setup so buying a NAS, 802.11ac router and iPad Mini. Likely have plenty of hair pulling and cursing once stuff arrives and I'm trying to configure NAS and my network. It's not difficult to have feelings of longing for just putting a disc in a CD/SACD player and push play on the remote. The stuff we do for "better" SQ ((sigh..)).
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Geoffrey - I'm not sure if you read my review on the Lumin or not - but just set aside a day for the whole NAS, MiniMServer stuff. Did you buy a Synology or QNAP NAS? You really want to stick to one of those brands for the Lumin.

If you start reading the MiniMServer website (you can ignore MiniMWatch), that would help get your started.

Basically, you need to first install Java on your NAS (think of your NAS as a computer). You use a computer (PC or Mc) to talk to your NAS. You talk to your NAS by bringing up a browser on your PC or Mc and typing in the IP address of your NAS (something like 192.168.1.5). This goes where you normally type "www.blahblah.com"

Once you get into your NAS, you can install applications through the control center on your NAS. Install JAVA, then MiniMServer.

Once that is all working, copy some
Music files to your NAS (I created a "Music" folder on my NAS). Fire up the Lumin, fire up the Lumin app on the iPad and make sure it finds the Lumin. Keep in mind that the file info loads locally on your iPad and this can take many minutes to two hours (like mine did). Thankfully, you only need to do this once.

Last but not least - when you rip a new CD to your NAS (your latest Amazon purchase for example), then you need to stop and restart the MiniMServer program on your NAS (takes 3 seconds) and then reload the library on your Lumin (takes less than a minute).

Good luck. I muddled my way through it and I'm sure you will too. Just be patient, read lots and you will get it. Once it is setup and running - you will be smiling ear to ear!
 
Very good tips mike. I just did exactly what you said. The miniserve site gives step by step instructions.

Over the last 2 days at work - on breaks of course which is the only reason it took 2 days - I set up a new Synology NAS, installed java and minim server and got things working.

Tonight I bought the NAS home and hooked it to the network and the lumin found the 10 CDs I loaded at work and all is good. Overnight I'm copying my music library and I'll be set.
 
Mike said:
If you start reading the MiniMServer website (you can ignore MiniMWatch), that would help get your started.
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Why would you ignore MinimWatch Mike?
I think this is a great option to let your MinimServer rescan (=update) in less than a second from the PC where you ripped your CD.
Also in MinimWatch you can set your transcoding options. Transcoding is a great feature that improved the sound quality for many users.

Here is the description from the Minim website:
[h=4]Transcoding[/h]To enable transcoding, you need to specify one or more transcoding combinations in thestream.transcode property. The format of each transcoding combination is the input type followed by a colon followed by the output type. The input type is the format of the file or network stream you are playing, and the output type is the audio format that MinimStreamer will send to your music player. For example, to transcode FLAC files to WAV output, you would use the transcoding specificationflac:wav.
You can specify multiple transcoding specifications separated by commas. For example, to transcode Apple Lossless (ALAC) files to 24-bit WAV output and also transcode ADTS network streams to MP3 output, you would use the transcoding specification alac:wav24, aac:mp3.
For many transcoding combinations (noted in the list below), the stream.converter property needs to be set. This property can be set to avconv to use Libav as a transcoding converter or ffmpeg to use FFmpeg as a transcoding converter. The transcoding converter program specified in this property must be installed on the computer or NAS that is running MinimStreamer, and it must be available in one of the directories in the PATH environment variable.
The following input types are currently supported:
aacAAC (Advanced Audio Coding) files and streams. Valid for local files served by MinimServer (.mp4, .m4a and .aac) and for network streams (ADTS only). For local files, the output type must be wav, wav24 or wav16. For network streams, all output types except for dopwav can be used. The stream.converter property must be set.
alacApple Lossless (ALAC) files. Valid for local files served by MinimServer (.mp4 and .m4a) only. The output type must be wav, wav24 or wav16. The stream.converter property must be set.
dffDSD audio files in DFF format. Valid for local files served by MinimServer (.dff) only. The output type must be dopwav. The stream.converter property isn't required.
dsfDSD audio files in DSF format. Valid for local files served by MinimServer (.dsf) only. Thestream.converter property isn't required.
flacFLAC files. Valid for local files served by MinimServer (.flac) only. The output type must be wav,wav24 or wav16. The stream.converter property isn't required.
mp3 MPEG 1/2/3 files and streams. Valid for local files served by MinimServer (.mp3) and for network streams. The output type must be wav, wav24 or wav16. The stream.converterproperty must be set.
The following output types are currently supported:
dopwav WAV stream containing DoP (DSD over PCM) audio data. Ssee this page for details. Thestream.converter property isn't required.
mp3PCM audio encoded in MP3 format. The stream.converter property must be set.
wavPCM audio encoded in WAV format, preserving the original sample bit depth. If the input type isn't flac, the stream.converter property must be set.
wav24PCM audio encoded in 24-bit WAV format. For lossless 16-bit input streams (FLAC and ALAC), the audio samples are extended to 24 bits by padding each sample with zeros. For lossy input streams (AAC and MP3), a floating-point conversion is performed with full 24-bit precision. If the input type isn't flac, the stream.converter property must be set.
wav16 PCM audio encoded in 16-bit WAV format. For lossless 24-bit input streams (FLAC and ALAC), the audio samples are truncated to 16 bits by removing the low-order bits from each sample, which doesn't fully preserve the original lossless audio data. For lossy input streams (AAC and MP3), a floating-point conversion is performed with 16-bit precision. If the input type isn't flac, the stream.converter property must be set.
For best sound quality, it is recommended that you use the output sample bit depth that matches the maximum capabilty of your music player. For example, if your music player is a Linn DS, the best match is wav24. Results may vary with different types of music player.
The original sampling frequency is always preserved unchanged. For example, using the wav setting to transcode a FLAC file with a bit depth and sample frequency combination of 16/44100 will produce a WAV audio format of 16/44100. Using the wav24 setting to transcode this file will produce a WAV audio format of 24/44100.
MinimStreamer performs the transcoding process entirely in memory for best performance, and it shouldn't cause performance issues on the server. Transcoding can put additional load on the network because it increases the amount of data streamed from the server to the music player. If you notice any dropouts when playing transcoded audio, this is likely to be a network issue rather than a problem with MinimStreamer or your audio player.
 
I understood Mikes comment as only a way to keep installation simple, not that it's not a great addition. Of course that is only my take on it.
 
the professor said:
I understood Mikes comment as only a way to keep installation simple, not that it's not a great addition. Of course that is only my take on it.
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You are exactly right Jock. I know setup can be a little frustrating and was just telling him what to focus on to quickly get up and running. After that, there is plenty more if he chooses.
 
Geoffrey - we are in similar boats! Migraines are awful. I have to shut things down when they come. I've found a few things to mitigate them (it works for me) - same bed time each night, moved to a place where we don't have wild climate changes (chinooks in Calgary use to ruin me for a day or two) and believe it or not, a low dose, baby aspirin each morning.

On the Lumin side, we will try to help as much as we can. We've all muddled through (and probably forgot more than we remember), but collectively, I'm sure we can help. Just be patient and if you find yourself getting frustrated, leave it for a day or two. The good news is that once it is up and running, you will be soooo happy! You'll probably come back to tell us it was easier than you thought.
 
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Mike said:
Geoffrey - we are in similar boats! Migraines are awful. I have to shut things down when they come. I've found a few things to mitigate them (it works for me) - same bed time each night, moved to a place where we don't have wild climate changes (chinooks in Calgary use to ruin me for a day or two) and believe it or not, a low dose, baby aspirin each morning.

On the Lumin side, we will try to help as much as we can. We've all muddled through (and probably forgot more than we remember), but collectively, I'm sure we can help. Just be patient and if you find yourself getting frustrated, leave it for a day or two. The good news is that once it is up and running, you will be soooo happy! You'll probably come back to tell us it was easier than you thought.
Click to expand...



Oh Mike.....Chinooks still bother me here :( ......had to take 3 Asprin last Chinook we had
 
Wow, I'm so sorry to hear about all your trouble. Have you asked Lumin about a possible replacement ? It sounds to me like something is definitely amiss.
 
Geoffrey said:
The other thing is Lumin buyer is supposed to go through their dealer network and not go over dealers head and contact Pixel Magic in China.
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Your dealer should be immediately replacing your unit.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I feel sorry for Geoffrey! And sadly I don't have much clue either...

From the description, a thumbdrive or a small HDD attached on LUMIN USB works. I assume that means iPad LUMIN app sees the LUMIN player, and the music file on the USB drive plays fine.

That means:
- wi-fi works for iPad
- UPnP network discovery works, LUMIN app sees LUMIN player, and sees LUMIN USB server
- LUMIN player audio playback works

The problems:
- Seagate GoFlex HDD doesn't work. I check Seagate web and there are 2 versions of Seagate GeFelx, a Networked Drive and a USB drive. If a Networked Drive is used, the problem may be similar to using the QNAP NAS. If it's a USB drive with it's own power adapter, then it should work just like other USB drive. Though personally I haven't try a Seagate GeFlex. I will try to get 1 to test...

- a QNAP NAS doesn't work. More information is needed. Since the LUMIN app sees the LUMIN player, I think the home network is ok. As long as the QNAP NAS is connected on a same switch/router as the LUMIN player, it should work.

If the QNAP NAS doesn't work, how doesn't work?
- if there is a PC/Mac on the same network (same switch/router), you can run QNAP Finder on PC/Mac to see if the QNAP NAS is presented on the network.
- after power on the QNAP, the UPnP server (MinimServer, Twonky Media etc) running inside the QNAP, may take a while to fully startup and ready to play music. With a large library, the starting up may take up to 20mins. You may need to wait a while before the UPnP server shows in LUMIN app.
- if the QNAP NAS configuration is incorrect, for example, it's configured with a incorrect static IP address instead of using DHCP for router assigned IP address. Or the UPnP server running inside the QNAP NAS has problem and could not startup or run. Or even worse, the QNAP NAS is simply faulty or the internal HDD has gone bad etc.

In case of a real QNAP NAS problem, it is not easy to solve if you have zero experience. Depends on the situations, you may need to:
- replace the QNAP internal HDD
- install firmware on QNAP
- configure the basic settings of the QNAP
- install MinimServer on QNAP
- copy music file to QNAP via network, etc.

From the description, it doesn't look like a generic networking problem. But just in case for testing, you may also try a standalone network setup. Get a small wi-fi router (any model within 2 years should work), connect LUMIN and QNAP on this standalone router via LAN cable, and connect iPad on the same router via wi-fi. If you want to access the internet in this setup, connect a LAN cable from your existing router to this new router's WAN port.

About dealer support, yes the dealer should make it work for you. When dealer went to your place, they should bring a whole setup (LUMIN, router, NAS, iPad, LAN cables, etc), to make sure there is no problem and demonstrate a fully working setup in your place.

IMO, it just doesn't seems the problem is on the LUMIN player itself.
 
psme said:
.......
From the description, it doesn't look like a generic networking problem. But just in case for testing, you may also try a standalone network setup. Get a small wi-fi router (any model within 2 years should work), connect LUMIN and QNAP on this standalone router via LAN cable, and connect iPad on the same router via wi-fi. If you want to access the internet in this setup, connect a LAN cable from your existing router to this new router's WAN port.
.......
IMO, it just doesn't seems the problem is on the LUMIN player itself.
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Good advice. I would caution not do this "If you want to access the internet in this setup, connect a LAN cable from your existing router to this new router's WAN port", just to be sure. I tried this before and the iPAD app could not see the Lumin. Maybe it was just my config.

I found as long as all devices (Lumin, iPAD, NAS) are connected to the same network router/switch (level) , it would work fine. With the Squeezebox Touch I used previously, I was able to connect at different levels (SBT and computer to switch, switch and iPAD to router), but not with Lumin.
 
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