Twonky 7.2.8 Music Track Sorting

Alepsis · Post by **Alepsis** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:33 pm

I want to use a WD MyCloud [Twonky 7.2.8] as DLNA media server on my LAN.

However, when I access it from an iOS device (iPad, iPhone), music tracks are always sorted alphabetically by title tag -- which makes it unusable.

From several other posts in this forum, it would appear that the solution is to edit the view-definitions.xml file.

However, when I opened

[code]server:/usr/local/twonkymedia-7/resources/views/view-definitions.xml>[/code]

I discovered that the Album view already had track number as sort criterion

[code]
...
<container name='album' id='music/albums' createClass='object.item.audioItem.musicTrack' class='object.container' >
<container buildon='upnp:album' crosslink='pv:album_crosslink' albumart='1' sortcriteria='+pv:numberOfThisDisc,+upnp:originalTrackNumber' createClass='object.item.audioItem.musicTrack' class='object.container.album.musicAlbum' />
</container>
...
[/code]

Moreover, I found that when I accessed the server using VLC for Mac, in Album view tracks were sorted correctly, by track number, not alphabetically.

To make sure it wasn't some kind of cache issue, I uploaded a new music folder to the server. Sure enough, in VLC Mac, tracks sorted by number; in iOS, tracks sorted alphabetically. (I tried three different iOS players -- VLC, AVPlayerHD, MoliPlayer HD -- and each exhibited the same behaviour.)

I also tried Twonky's different navigation types (in server:9000/#sharing), but tracks were still sorted alphabetically.

Any suggestion on how to fix this?

Thanks.

phibertron · Post by **phibertron** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 8:34 pm

in iOS, tracks sorted alphabetically. (I tried three different iOS players
-- VLC, AVPlayerHD, MoliPlayer HD
-- and each exhibited the same behaviour.)

If you go to the web interface for twonky under sharing

Code: Select all

http://x.x.x.x:9000/#sharing

When you look under " Media Receivers"
Can determine what Twonky is assigning to your iOS device for a Media Receiver Type?

Alepsis · Post by **Alepsis** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:49 am

[quote="phibertron"]
Can determine what Twonky is assigning to your iOS device for a Media Receiver Type?[/quote]

Thanks for your reply.

By default, Twonky lists both iOS devices and Mac as 'Generic Media Receiver'. I did set it to 'Apple iPhone', but it made no difference.

More info: I tried a fourth player, media:connect. And this one does work as it should -- tracks are sorted by track number in Album. I also noticed in Twonky's Sharing panel that media:connect created a new instance of Media Receiver, with the same MAC and IP number, and '-/-' as Media Receiver Type. I don't know if it has anything to do with the sorting issue.

Anyway, since media:connect works properly, it would appear that the problem is not with Twonky or iOS, but with the three players I mentioned previously.

phibertron · Post by **phibertron** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 4:09 pm

Im inclined to agree that it is the app that is the issue
As an example, On my Panasonic tv, I have to add this to its clinet profile
to make it honor the sort order given to it, and not the one the tv requests to twonky

<Quirk>IGNORESORT</Quirk>

The '-/-' as Media Receiver Type isn't actually anything, which might be part of the issue
When you did assign the iphone profile to it, did you hit save settings?

Note: just an fyi
If one ever makes any sorting changes to sortcriteria= in the view-definitions.xml
one must do a database rebuild for those changed to take effect
a server restart is not enough
oddly, other changes don't always require a rebuild, just a restart
why? only twonky knows

phibertron · Post by **phibertron** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:47 am

I download media:connect from the appstore onto an iphone
and checked to see what twonky woiuld detect it as
I saw the "-/-" thing, very odd indeed
But, I wasn't able to reproduce the issue you are having
Im using Twonky Server 7.2.8

phibertron · Post by **phibertron** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:25 am

Not sure if when you were doing your tests
that you weren't looking at the "By Folder" ?
because it has not sorting by default

<container name='byfolder' id='music/folders'
<container buildon='res' albumart='1'
</container>

Alepsis · Post by **Alepsis** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 2:25 am

Thanks for your reply.

> you weren't looking at the "By Folder" ?

No, I tested Album view (which I could see from view-definitions.xml that should have been sorted by track number).

> I wasn't able to reproduce the issue you are having

Let me re-state it, to make sure there's no confusion:

Problem: When accessing Twonky from iPhone or iPad, using VLC for iOS, AVPlayerHD, or MoliPlayer HD, and viewing music in Album view, tracks are sorted alphabetically, rather than by track number. By contrast, media:connect presents tracks sorted correctly (by track number in Album view, alphabetically in By Folder).

Today I tested two more players, 8player and ArkMC; 8player sorts music tracks incorrectly, ArkMC correctly. So I think it's definitely a player-related issue.

phibertron · Post by **phibertron** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 2:19 pm

Thanks for the clarification
that's a lot of testing

hogohase · Post by **hogohase** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 9:57 am

Hi,

I once had a similar issue that software like iTunes, MediaMonkey etc. played and displayed the tracks correctly according to track numbers but Twonky didn't.

After a while, I found out that the problem related only to mp4 (AAC) files and I saw that they had multiple tag entries for the track numbers. Obviously, the software packages like iTunes, MediaMonkey and foobar wrote their information to the files - withour properly erasing or overwriting old tag contents.

Funny enough, the various management softwares were able to find their way through the data jungle and displayed all information as I expected. Only Twonky obviously had difficulties in identifying the correct data and created inconsistent results - and only for MP4 files.

I now cleaned up the tag contents and and really happy that everything works fine right now.

Maybe you could check if you find that as well in your files...

Alepsis · Post by **Alepsis** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 5:08 pm

I once had a similar issue that software like iTunes, MediaMonkey etc. played and displayed the tracks correctly according to track numbers but Twonky didn't.

Thanks for your reply, but that's not the issue here.

miniss45 · Post by **miniss45** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:26 am

Hi - I'm new to this and have limited technical knowledge.

I purchased Twonky Server because it was recommended in the User Manual for my ST50 Panasonic Viera.
It works fine except the music won't play in track order.
I've located the view-definitions.xml file and can see it has the correct code in various containers (being sortcriteria='+pv:numberOfThisDisc,+upnp:originalTrackNumber') but it isn't working.
The Media Receiver correctly identifies my Panasonic Viera and even knows it is an ST50.

My question is this:- if Twonky correctly identifies the Viera and the relevant view-definitions.xml file instructs it to sort music by track order (which isn't being achieved), then it seems that Twonky's intended functionality isn't working?

I don't understand why it needs <Quirk>IGNORESORT</Quirk> added to it - it should work out-of-the-box as intended, shouldn't it?

Regardless, my problem is compounded by my lack of winscp expertise. Do I even need winscp? (I can't amend Twonky files as suggested here even when logged in as an administrator). I downloaded winscp to make the suggested IGNORESORT changes but can't login. The message I get is it wants to listen to FTP, followed by "No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it...Connection failed".
Can someone please help with real basic login steps?
Much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Alepsis · Post by **Alepsis** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 3:16 pm

miniss45 wrote:if Twonky correctly identifies the Viera and the relevant view-definitions.xml file instructs it to sort music by track order (which isn't being achieved), then it seems that Twonky's intended functionality isn't working?

I'm not an expert, but, based on my own experience and on what you describe, IMHO this problem lies with the player and not with Twonky. Yes, it is claimed that players use strictly the sort order served by the server (in this instance Twonky), but that is simply not true. I've tried quite a few players, both soft (on iOS) and hard (eg, CA StreamMagic, Marantz NA7004) and most of them operate changes on the sort order served by the server (and not just Twonky -- same thing with JRiver or Asset UPnP).

miniss45 wrote:I don't understand why it needs <Quirk>IGNORESORT</Quirk> added to it

In order to force the player to play the tracks in the order provided by Twonky. Look for the instructions posted by phibertron -- he's the one who really knows this stuff.

miniss45 wrote:it should work out-of-the-box as intended, shouldn't it?

Of course. And politicians should be truthful, civil servants honest, the police incorruptible... need I go on?

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