'[FAQ] Twonky DLNA Media Server Setup & Use

[cpt_paranoia]

The MyCloud provides an SMB server as part of its basic NAS file server function. You shouldn’t need to configure it.

What you will have to do is connect your Oppo media player to the SMB server, rather than the Twonky DLNA server. I do this with Kodi for videos, but I don’t have an Oppo player, so I can’t suggest how you’d do it.

[MikePinkerton]

Thank you so much for this FAQ! I’m using this on my EX2 to stream to a Marantz 8005 via DLNA. I registered on this site just to say thank you!!!

@vort11 I can confirm that serving DSD to the 8005 works fine with the current firmware.

However, I have several metadata problems, most importantly that twonky ignores the “disc number” field entirely. So multi-cd collections, such as the LSO’s beethoven 1-9 SACDs, are all jumbled together with 9 track 1s, the 9 track 2’s, then 9 track 3’s, etc etc. What a mess!! Any solutions short of renaming all the discs to have different names (which destroys the whole purpose…)?

I’ve also been told that the twonky server is old and very out of date. I see version 8 available online but we only get version 7 on the EX2. What can we do about that?

-mike

[cpt_paranoia]

Glad you found the FAQ useful.

Any solutions short of renaming all the discs to have different names

I confess that I ripped all my multiple albums into different folders, appended with ‘Disc n’. This was before I found the disc # metadata field.

You might try renaming files with a disc and track # prefix, e.g.

03-06 track title.flac

Disc 3 track 6

Not perfect, but it might be closer to what you want.

[craigyy]

Hi All, I just upgraded to the EX2100 and have been trying to do what I did on my old 4tb mycloud which is to edit the xml file for panasonic tvs just to change the sort order (I posted a thread a few months ago explaining how I usually do this). However on the new EX2100 whenever I try to either edit or replace the xml file it says there is an error. I even tried installing cyberduck and I cannot seem to get it to work with that either. Is there less permissions with the new EX range or is there something else I need to do first?
Thanks in advance

[blackcows]

Thanks for the detailed post. I am helping a friend set up a my cloud and doing this remotely so I don’t have access to test this. I used a Synology server and have all of the video files tagged properly (ie complete metadata) will twonky supply the proper metadata to the client they are using? I this case it will be a Roku 2, so that video can be searched by cover art?

[Bennor]

As explained in the other thread, yes the Twonky Media Server within the My Cloud will parse some of the Metadata tags including the album art and sent that along to the DLNA client to display. And yes the Roku Media Player channel will display the Cover Art and some other metadata (the Comment tag and Title tag for example).

The following image is of a Roku 2XS using Roku Media Player that is displaying the contents of a folder located on the My Cloud containing MP4 video files which have album art and other metadata embedded into each individual file. As it indicates, the Roku Media Player displays; the album art, title, and comments metadata tags from the media file located on the My Cloud.

[blackcows]

Perfect…thanks.

[JimMorrison]

How can I use the Online Services? I tried to create a Twonky account but got an error

[Bennor]

You may need to contact Twonky as it is their service (what ever it entails). I haven’t tried it although I did just try to register via the register button on the Twonky administration page and it generated an error.

support@twonky.com

[JimMorrison]

well, I think if this feature is on WD mycloud it’s WD’s responsibilty that it works? And yes, I tried and it generated an error while referring to a 127.0.x.x. website

[Bennor]

well, I think if this feature is on WD mycloud it’s WD’s responsibilty that it works?

Welcome to the way things work with some WD products.

It has been pretty common recently that when WD releases a new firmware version for the My Cloud that they break things with the old version or that certain elements of the new firmware doesn’t work properly (or at all). Kind of like how WD forgot to include a Shutdown option in the v2.x firmware even though its mentioned, twice, in the v2.x My Cloud User Manual. Or how the My Cloud OS duplicates the name of a USB hard drive in certain instances which breaks existing Safepoint backups on that USB hard drive.

[JimMorrison]

yeah… I “love” the “feature” with the USB hardrives I post a question at Twonky. Hopefully I will get a response.
Or maybe it’s better to purchase a WD Mirror and change to Plex

[cpt_paranoia]

I recently contacted Twonky about the complete absence of any product information on their web page. You can download a 30-day trial, or buy a licence, but that’s it; not even the most basic description of what it does, let alone a manual.

You’d think they were actively trying to discourage people from using their product…

And, yes; I’ve argued that WD should supply support (a manual at least) for an advertised feature of their product. But they really don’t seem to give a stuff.

[Bennor]

It appears, but I could be wrong, the Online Services portion is being populated from Twonky.com and not internal to the My Cloud.

There is a Twonky media server user forum at the following link: http://www.twonkyforum.com/viewforum.php?f=2

Doing a forum search for “Online Services” brings up a few hits including one indicating an Online Services setting in the Twonky.ini file.
http://www.twonkyforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31144&p=67395&hilit=online+services#p67395

Edit: The Twonkyserver.ini file is located in the /CacheVolume/twonkymedia directory.

The twoinkyforum.com link to a post has the following in their INI file.

# URL to a web application for the online services configuration
profileserviceurl=http://profile.twonky.com

In the twonkyserver.ini file on my v4.x My Cloud that entry is:

# URL to a web application for the online services configuration
profileserviceurl=http://127.0.0.1:9000

Changing that entry to “http://profile.twonky.com” on the My Cloud made no difference after restarting the Twonky server.

Edit: For what ever reason the My Cloud upon unit reboot is changing “profileserviceurl=” value back to profileserviceurl=http://127.0.0.1:9000 after I make the change to profileserviceurl=http://profile.twonky.com.

[planetmike]

If one’s purpose for the MyCloud drive is to solely have a network drive, then I would turn “OFF” all media server options. I found it “significantly” slows down MyCloud drive access.

[Bennor]

Yes, turning off the Media Serving option may potentially speed up My Cloud access. However, the fact that one is reading this thread, it is a good indication they WANT to use the media serving option.

There are a variety of suggestions in the OP post of this thread that may help eliminate or reduce problems with the Twonky Media Server that is embedded within the My Cloud.

[planetmike]

Thanks Bennor. Wasn’t trying to hijack the conversation. But I have had various issues since the last firmware update…

[JimMorrison]

Thanks Bennor. After hours with WD Support (not really a support) . Unfortunately I have to say that it looks like they have no idea about their own product. The first answer from WD support was: “We would recommend that you Turn On the Twonky Media feature. You’ll be able to do this by accessing the unit’s dashboard, clicking on Media and turning the DLNA server on.” Well, thanks! That is what is done by default and is not the question. The next level of support declined that this function is available because WD My Cloud is running as a DLNA server only. This is simply wrong. You can by default configuration aggregate all media files in your network to WD My Cloud, index and stream them or decide to duplicate them into WD My Cloud. Plus the “Online Services” function is activated by default. I guess the setup is not correct. Support promised to call me back, but didn’t; support promised to escalate to next service level but didn’t and keep on going to say: “You will see that on the link you provided are the steps to access the Twonky user interface, but the option to enable 3rd party services is not available.” Good by WD My Cloud?

[JimMorrison]

Update: believe it or not after hours with Support I figured out that Twonky has discontinued myTwonky some time ago (more than three years now). ON top of this I was informed by Twonky that they discontinue the Online Services. In this version the option is already turned off by default. It can be turned on again by changing the ini-file. Set “disablemytwonky=0” and the Online Services are back. However, in one of the next versions this feature will be completely gone. So for me it looks like the WD default configuration and the WD online documention is not up to date and wrong. That said, this limited the functions of WD MyCloud.

[JimMorrison]

now it’s becoming kind of funny: got a call from WD Support telling me that WD MyCloud is for storage only and streaming some media to the TV. ok guys, read this thread and others and get be better educated. My apologize if this sounds rude but the answer on my question if other WD MyCloud (like Mirror) deliver what I’m looking for was: you can use WD MyCloud and use another device that is delivering what you want (I mentioned to potentially switch to a Synology NAS).