My current setup involves copying my iTunes library to an external SSD, which I plug into my Atom (using rsync for delta updates after infrequent changes). Then I usually use the Media Server / DLNA function to browser the library. (In a kind of offline/local data mode; when not using AirPlay / Mac is offline. No HiRes audio involved, so method of playback should not matter much.)
In iTunes, I’ve mostly grouped albums with multiple discs into a single album, using the disc number to separate the discs.
When accessing the media via the Atom DLNA server/client, the “disc number” seems to be lost and all tracks are just sorted by track number. (I.e.: I get 2 tracks #1, 2 tracks #2, …)
Is there any way to get the “proper” sorting using this method? (Except for breaking the album apart into 2 separates with e.g. “disc 1/2” in the name?)
Other meta data (and at least embedded art work; not the one iTunes manages itself) is kept just fine with the simple copy.
When accessing the USB drive directly (kind of “file browser” like), it’s okay, since iTunes uses the “disc number - track number” prefix for the filename. E.g.: 1-01, 1-02, … , 2-01, …
PS: I had sent this as question / improvement proposal to naim long ago; but did not get any answer. Maybe even DLNA/UPnP just don’t support that “tag” on a title. Did not find such information on a quick web search.
I just acquired a Star and experienced this as well. I have my FLAC files stored on my QNAP NAS. On the Naim app, if I were to select Music, By Folders, I encounter the same problem. The songs are arranged alphabetically instead of track number. This is so even though my filenames start with the track number. After some research, I realised that this has nothing to do with Naim, it is how the QNAP Media Server streams. I verified this by using VLC on my MAC and it does exactly the same thing. Unfortunately, there is nothing much I can do about this, other than find a NAS which has the option to configure the sorting preference on its Media Server. My long term solution is just to use the local music store i.e. connect a hard disk to the Star.
The Atom serving the files as DLNA server, itself (as client) and another UPnP player show the files in the sequence the Atom-server is presenting the media:
It takes the track number into account, but not the disc number.
The other player has the option to sort within the UPnP player; however it does not offer something like disc-track (only alphabetically, by , and “unsorted” as the server presents it).
I “faked” the track number on 1 album (using a meta data editor) to run like 1,2,3,…, 101, 102, 103, … and then the Atom presents it in the sequence I want.
However, I don’t really want to “fake” metadata in my iTunes library.
Hmhh. Maybe I’ll raise this again as “feature request” to naim; that they take the disc number into consideration for ordering within their server part of the software on the Uniti series.