Just noticed that there is now a new updated version of MinimServer out called MinimServer 2. The Minim website indicates that MinimServer 2 sets a new direction for MinimServer, with an emphasis on ease of use and a choice of versions to meet the needs of different users. Website also states that it will be available for:
with others coming later.
It looks like MinimServer2 full licence will cost £28 for the first year and then £10 per year after. Totally understand that there are costs in maintaining the application and it does seem In line with the likes of say Asset but Asset doesn’t have any annual charge (yet).
I have bought a full license but I haven’t tried it already. I’ll wait until MinimServer 2 becomes available on ARM as I am using MS mainly on Raspberry Pi devices.
I understand the need to introduce a licence but I very much hope that the full license version of MinimServer 2 will support all customization options of MinimServer 1. There is actually almost nothing I’m missing in MinimServer 1 and it would be a pity if MinimServer 2 turned out to be a regression.
There is a good write up of future roadmap on the minim website. My take is that the old version will remain just not be updated. The new version appears to be in two flavours, starter and full. There is also a trial licence that gives 30 days of all features whereupon purchase is required for either starter or full to maintain access.
Been using MinimServer 2 on my Melco n10 since it came out. I paid for the full license. The development plan states that more of configuration will be feasible from the browser which will aid usability. I find that some of the complex sort and index options using minimwatch challenging. I prefer it the optional twonky also installed on Melco.
I understand that one of the main advantages of MinimServer 2 over 1 will be the possibility of managing profiles.
This also means that it will be easier to exchange profiles and eventually improve the own settings. These are my current Server settings:
In my collection, the “incdate” tag is populated with the date at which I have included an item into the collection. I have put “incdate” as the first argument of “Album.sortTags” in tagOptions to list the albums under Albums in the control point after their “incdate” value. This allows me to see the most recently included albums at the top of the list. In System, I have set “stream.transcode” to “flac:wav”. The setup is pretty straightforward but does the job for me.
Johnfbr…same Melco as yours…what`s wrong with Twonky,no need for license,what the point to add Minim media? in my opinion Twonky sound better? if we could get Asset into Melco was the best idea
I prefer minim sound Quality over townky and more user friendly in terms of sorting/tagging. Townky always seems to miss out cover art even though it was there.
So I have just updated my 5 nearly 6 year old Synology 214Play (still runs DSM 6) to the latest version of MinimServer and MinimWatch. Didn’t take too long and apart from not noticing that I hadn’t enabled transcoding until I played some music all was just a matter of following the guides. Currently using the trial licence for ease but expect I may change to paid for in the next few days. I will however just revisit Asset to confirm which of the two I prefer before paying.
Same here. I prefer custom sorting/tagging features offered with MinimServer. I’ve updated my Melco N1A/2 to the recent firmware ver 3.92B and activated MinimServer 2 for a 30 day trial in order to retain the custom profile. Will be purchasing the license soon. I’ve been using MiminServer for years on a NAS and it just works. I have not activated SongKong, yet.
As for difference in sound quality, I’ve not done any comprehensive comparisons between both but it is recommended that you turn one server off, if you have both installed and running. It will improve playback.
I could be wrong but back in the day when I purchased my first QNAP and was running a Linn streamer, we could change the tree structure of Twonky. Not sure how I would do this now.
Very happy with MimimServer 2 so far.
I’m using Twonky media on my Melco server’s but In the settings there is two options …artist and track artist …don’t understand the different between them and don’t need both of them …how can I delete the track artist having only artist… is it a way to delete?or it’s a building part of Twonky application…before I had Melco I used asset media on my pc and never had track artist as an option
I turned on Twonky and disabled MiminServer to see how the Melco app displays the library.
I also have the “artist” view, which lists all the artists in alphabetical order but do not see “track artist” as an option. I’ve attached a screenshot of all the different browsing options available to me. I am using Twonky on the latest 3.92b firmware. Perhaps there were some other changes from 3.91 to this version ?
As for accessing the Twonky settings, perhaps a question for Melco. A blog dating from Dec. 2018 on the Melco website states that they have the most recent version, 8.5.1. Normally, you would access Twonky Media server settings by entering an IP address and access the configuration page but I am not sure and not an expert in this area. Perhaps someone with more experience can shed some light on this.
Had to take two screenshots to get all the info.
Ants…Please it`s probably in the settings page of Twonky…if you can take a pic from your pc I will be able to see the difference between us and do a change
Minim 2 is now available for QNAP. I have just downloaded it and am running it as a free trial. Seems fine so far, but not yet fundamentally different from Minim 1, except profiles which could be very useful depending on how much hassle it takes to switch between them. I’ll buy an annual subscription after a month unless things go badly wrong.
Roger
Do you have the possibility to find recently added albums as announced in Minimserver 2 webpage ?
Lionel
That is still to be rolled out. I am hoping that as Minim moves to a more commercial basis this rollout will be faster.
My, probably flawed, understanding of the order of priority of new developments is 1) make Minim 2 available on all platforms — Mac OS is conspicuously lacking at present, 2) introduce support for requested features such as “recently added” albums and automatic rescanning, 3) Improve the look and functionality of the web-based interface with the intention of removing the need for MinimWatch.
To start with I am planning to play with the new profiles feature.
Roger
I’ve also upgraded to MinimServer 2 without any issues on my Synology NAS. I’ve been a long time user and am looking forward to the usability improvements to come. The profile switching is easy to use and will benefit some. I use it when I want to upload music to mobile devices and don’t want everything transcoded to WAV, which is my default profile setting.
I’ve also switched to using the latest version of ffmpeg, v4.2.2. There does appear to me to be a subtle sound improvement as a result.
I use Roon now, so will stick with the already-paid-for Minim (1).
I do agree with their decision to charge yearly; if one is going to make a business out of it and promise updates and improvements, one cannot fund such updates and improvements out of only new purchases. I think that the model of a one-time purchase entitling the purchaser to all future upgrades and improvements is dead, and for good reasons.
I agree. The ongoing annual subscription is ÂŁ10 after the first year. Less than the cost of one CD after all.
Roger
I’ve now implemented profile switching. One of my renderers does not support Minim’s “group” feature and the control app just quits, so I have one profile which uses it and another which doesn’t and switching between them is quite easy. In an ideal world, I’d like them to appear as distinct servers, but it’s a good start.
Roger
