Playing Music via USB on Oppo 205

[08Boss302]

Hey All

Quick question re the Oppo 203 or 205 (and possilbly other models too) and using a usb stick or ext hdd to play music from.

 

If drag music out of my hard drive (currently iTunes files AAC) and put them on a thumb drive the genre's dont carry over as they are on iTunes.  I have checked the music file it self on my PC and it pretty clearly states the genre, ie Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Blues, or whatever else I have named things.  It has no issue playing or reading these files but it just lumps everything into one generic file called Rock and having say for example Foreigner come up in Rock followed by Cannibal Corpse aint cool!!!  I want them to be in files like Rock for Foreigner and Death Metal for Cannibal Corpse

 

My aim is to buy a usb powered ext HDD today and drag my music files onto it and using the Oppo app have my library accessible for quick easy music BUT i definately want to keep the genres as they appear in my iTunes library...

I dont want to use my phone to bluetooth music either

 

Is this a common issue with the Oppo in that it only recognises Genres that it knows the artist for OR is there a way i can make it see the artists and the genres i have assigned to them

 

thanks guys,

[audiofeline]

Is this an iTunes thing?  I hate the program and wont' have anything to do with it, but I do keep reading about the stupid things it does.

 

Can't add any more details, when I play music via a usb on my oppo 95 I consider it a temporary proces.  I only copy a few items that I want to play, so don't need lots of detailed info.  Then I erase the usb disk and put other stuff on it.

[08Boss302]

I dont think its necessarily an iTunes thing as I am not using the iTunes program, I am just using the files of music on my PC that I would also use in iTunes.

 

Much like yourself I have been using the USB stick as a temporary process but given the conveniance it represents, I am thinking the outlay is not a large one to pick up an ext hdd plug it in and leave it in for use when I am feeling lazy and just want to just shuffle through my library or have my library just playing as a mix in the background with guests over etc etc

 

One way around it might be to just create folders on the ext hdd in the genre names I want then add all my files in there accordingly.  Slightly drawn out process and It also means I will never actually use the Genre tab provided on the Oppo app or the Oppo player menu it self - (which doesnt seem to pick up the genre data from the track files anyway.)

 

I guess I am keen to know if anyone else using a usb stick or ext hdd with their Oppo player has managed to see their artists categorised into genres created/personalised by them on the Oppo OR if they're experiencing the same thing where their preferred music program has genres as selected but its lost when playing via the Oppo.

 

 

[Dean Gale]

I'm guessing it's Apple's gift of copywriting protection. No doubt they nestle in their own little folders as long as you use ITunes,  it's the question when is the music you've paid for not yours ? The answer it's when it's  an apple . 

[08Boss302]

haha, yeah possibly, the music is definately all mine and when i rip into iTunes it comes up with its own genre (usually a blanket drop ie, metal, but I then drill that down to a sub genre) and apple does let you alter the genre to whatever you want once the disc or file is added to the library.

 

I dragged one complete album to my desktop and have added in pics below

x1 of the itunes genres i have created as i see it on the iTunes program

x1 of the details file of the song and you can see the genre is death metal

x1 of the front properties screen

x1 of the display readout via VLC

x1 of the display readout via windows media player

 

The data on the file definately shows what i have labelled the genre (death metal) but the Oppo will not see it.

 

As you can see, If i choose VLC or windows media or iTunes to play the file it comes up the same on all and displays the genre as i have labelled it  - seems just gets dumped off or lost on the Oppo.

 

The short answer may just be the Oppo cant read the files metadata completely - which is perfectly fine, I am just wondering if anyone else has noticed this or am I the only fickle one?

 

 

[Addicted to music]

I’ve never catalog music into genres.  

What I have done is ripped the music as a WAV and the whole album ends up in a folder that’s labeled the artist or group/band.  This i do commonly on Windows media Player as I can’t tell the difference with different rip programs/apps and it’s so much more  convenience.  Once in the portable USB 3.0 HDD  the oppo catalogue it as alpha numeric on the right hand side.   

If I was to catalog them as genre I would place that genre in a folder labeled “jaz” and then see if the OPPO search a sub folder of music as a test but I’ve never tried it.  

I would also keep it simple and use a portable drive that requires no external power, you can get these up to 4TB.   Don’t use a SSD as there is no benefit as the oppo will buffer the entire track onto available RAM b4 it plays. 

 

[Snoopy8]

I suspect the issue is the Oppo app as well.  Caveat:  I don't use iTunes and am using a Oppo 103 with the 103 media player app (which I think is similar to the 203??).

 

With the Oppo Media app connected to the 103, I can access my Synology NAS through 2 media servers, Synology Media Server and a different server Minimserver.  Both show genre.   When I access the usb stick (or files on my tablet), no genre shown.   It looks like the Oppo app is expecting a media server to do the work of reading the genre and other tags.

[08Boss302]

thanks guys

yeah i am suspecting the Oppo doesnt like to read any of the metadata I have on my music files.

 

I'll try the above and see how it goes

 

Right now I have a 32gb thumb drive which I have just created a few folders on as genres, I'll drag and drop the artists into those that match.  If this works well form then i'll grab 1TB ext hdd that is usb powered

 

My files are not the highest quality avaialble and I am aware of that, this is purely just means of conveniance, when I want to sit and relax and enjoy the tunes more intently I'll play the record or the cd but there are occassions where this is not ideal and some back ground tunes on shuffle is best - thats really all I am wanting to achieve with the added conveniance of being able to shuffle a specific genre as I see it not as the Oppo sees it.

 

I also have my eye on a bluesound Vault 2i, this would pretty much house my entire cd library in FLAC, it will allow me to join Tidal and I could also run this through the Oppo DAC.  That would allow me to shuffle things as I intend, however I am still reading up on this and unsure if it allows me to create my own genres etc.

Looking at the bluesound website I can also get it to read my iTunes library remotely and or plug a USB ext hdd into the back of it too.

 

That all said, the vault is a $2000 dollar option, the ext hdd is $100 and for now while I am dress rehearsing the idea the usb is the sensible approach.

[Addicted to music]

19 minutes ago, 08Boss302 said:

 

That all said, the vault is a $2000 dollar option, the ext hdd is $100 and for now while I am dress rehearsing the idea the usb is the sensible approach.

Like @Snoopy8 pointed out it’s also the oppo app, it has its requirements. 

 

The oppo is a great way to play music without handling any physical media. I wouldn’t consider $2k vault, that’s way outside my pay grade, and I won’t consider anything that’s optical; too unreliable. Stick with PC optical drives are cheaper and if it fails just get another for very little money, however getting a dedicated unit with optical drive is a no no in my books, because it that fails you’re at the mercy of that manufacturer to have spare optical drives in stock! 

[Snoopy8]

Suggest you look at other playback software other than the Oppo App.  The Oppo 203 is a UPnP renderer and you can serve your music to it. BubbleUpnp is a good UPnP control app which can read your music on your tablet, phone, PC with genre info.

 

If you are determined to use the Oppo App, then suggest getting a cheap 1 bay or 2 bay NAS with a disk drives, around $250 to $500 and run a media server on it.

[08Boss302]

Just quickly looked up bubbleUpnp but it’s android only unfortunately 

 

I’ll look into a nas 

 

im not very digital savvy so this will give me some good learning too on the actual devices and acronyms etc etc

 

 

[Snoopy8]

Not an Apple person, a search gave this

https://www.alltechbuzz.net/top-10-dlna-streaming-apps-for-your-iphone-and-ipad/

 

[manorsessions]

The oppo units are amazing I have several of them. But they have a very, very basic file browsing structure so and external HD will work but it is a bit tedious and unpleasant for sitting down and using to listen to music for hours.

 

Have you considered running Roon? I run Roon on a NAS and then just use my ipad to select and play music (the ipad is just a remote control) via my network. Roon catalogues it all (doesn't move the files) so you can browse by just about anything, it gets all the artwork, artists bio's, band history. You can also add Tidal into Roon so then you have the whole Tidal hi res streaming catalogue on top of your own music. The oppo is a Roon endpoint so theoretically you can then just select the Oppo as the roon output on your ipad. I have an oppo 203 but haven't set this up as I use a Bluesound Node 2 as my lounge endpoint and a PS Audio Directstream DAC with network bridge as the Roon endpoint in my main room. 

 

The only drawback with the Oppo is the Roon handshake is only in stereo so if you have a lot of multi channel audio you'll need an endpoint like a Bluesound Node 2.

[essem]

If the OP has an old laptop lying around that has a HDMI connection and doesn't mind some playing around, perhaps she/he could consider running Volumio on it (that's a specialised Linux operating system just for playing music with good quality), setting Volumio's sound output to the HDMI and linking that up to the Opp 203's HDMI input, so using the Oppo as a DAC? Can't really see why that wouldn't work. There's even an Android app to control Volumio via your phone. Any of a zillion single board computers like Odroids, Raspberry/Orange/Banana Pi's, provide a HDMI output & can run Volumio.

 

If you are capable of downloading a file and running Win32DiskImager to flash it to an sdcard, and reading a few instructions, then the above is within your reach. The strategy is to offload the selection and playback of music to a specialised "appliance" designed to do that job well (an old laptop and Volumio; 100% free). You'd have a lot of change left over from $2000 or even a Roon subscription to buy or subscribe to music. You'll need to invest a bit of time and effort though. Ask around if there's an IT savvy kid in your family; they'd be able to help you out I'm sure.

 

If it all seems like too much hassle (as opposed to the joy of DIY), the money you pay Roon is probably money well spent.

[Snoopy8]

On 04/07/2019 at 1:33 PM, manorsessions said:

The oppo units are amazing I have several of them. But they have a very, very basic file browsing structure so and external HD will work but it is a bit tedious and unpleasant for sitting down and using to listen to music for hours.

 

Have you considered running Roon?.........

 

The only drawback with the Oppo is the Roon handshake is only in stereo so if you have a lot of multi channel audio you'll need an endpoint like a Bluesound Node 2.

Agree, slow, painful doing folder browse.  There is the Oppo App as well but not that much better.   A better way is to use UPnP setting up the Oppo as a UPnP renderer, setting up MinimServer (which is often available on NAS) and BubbleUPnP as the controlling App.  Much cheaper than Roon, but Roon has other advantages like metadata management etc.

 

BluOS does not do multi channel audio.      I have a NAD AVR and BluOS, plus I asked NAD support as well.  Roon does multi channel.  Also, UPnP does multi channel; currently playing MCH DSF music to a Pana UB9000 set up as a renderer.

37 minutes ago, essem said:

If the OP has an old laptop lying around that has a HDMI connection and doesn't mind some playing around, perhaps she/he could consider running Volumio on it (that's a specialised Linux operating system just for playing music with good quality), setting Volumio's sound output to the HDMI and linking that up to the Opp 203's HDMI input, so using the Oppo as a DAC? Can't really see why that wouldn't work. There's even an Android app to control Volumio via your phone. Any of a zillion single board computers like Odroids, Raspberry/Orange/Banana Pi's, provide a HDMI output & can run Volumio.

 

If you are capable of downloading a file and running Win32DiskImager to flash it to an sdcard, and reading a few instructions, then the above is within your reach. The strategy is to offload the selection and playback of music to a specialised "appliance" designed to do that job well (an old laptop and Volumio; 100% free). You'd have a lot of change left over from $2000 or even a Roon subscription to buy or subscribe to music. You'll need to invest a bit of time and effort though. Ask around if there's an IT savvy kid in your family; they'd be able to help you out I'm sure.

 

If it all seems like too much hassle (as opposed to the joy of DIY), the money you pay Roon is probably money well spent.

Volumio is one option but another is using a UPnP setup as I mentioned above.  Plus UPnP does not need HDMI which older laptops may not have.   Lots of DIY options out there, but agree that many people do not want the hassle.  Roon is a good option but need to remember that it needs grunt, especially when doing DSP, up sampling etc...  Any old laptop is not going to make it because the library functions by themselves require a CPU with some oomph.

[betty boop]

the media replay side of oppo have never been great even going back to the oppo95

 

a much better option is a stand alone media player. can pick one up eg bluesound node 2nd hand much cheaper than oppo in any case  I just have a usb SSD hard drive plugged into mine... oppo cant touch it for useablity....

[manorsessions]

The node 2 coupled with Roon and a Tidal subscription are awesome and great value. Their support of multichannel FLAC and DSF files seems to be contested on the internet with some saying that it can be done with some simple settings changes on the Node 2 and using the coax out to bipass the 2 channel DAC in the Node 2. But I don't know. Worst case senario I'll use my oppo to play multichanel disks. The only pain is I bought a PS Audio Direct Stream DAC with network bridge for my main listening room which is great but only supports 2 channel, their suggestion was to buy several and stack them to get mulichannel, that isn't happening mainly for cost and secondly for space. And realistically about 1% of music I own is multichanel.