Round Robin on New Synology things.....

[Jan Janowski]

On all NAS's I've installed Advanced Media Extentions... See the Green Checkmark, so I assume it's running OK on each NAS... ???

But in AME program it comments I should go into my Synology Account -- to install the codec..... So OK, I will!

A comedy of errors follows:

In My Synology Account: I'm prompted to create a phone backup login for account... So, OK, I will!!

Nothing sent via email or text on phone or computer.... as to Phone authorization code... to enter into My Account..

After double checking, determine I have to install a Synology Secure APP on phone (In order to activate the Phone on my Account)..... So, OK, I will!

Install APP... Now App Tells me that I need to configure that.... So, OK, I will!

App then says to login to Synology Account.... and in ADVANCED LOGIN set up APP secure login for the APP I just loaded on phone.... So, OK, I will!

No I won't!!!! Synology Account says I need to set up Phone settings, no access to Advanced Login.... But (Account) Phone settings needs APP to confirm.... And APP needs Account Avanced to configure the APP...
And APP Needs Synology Account to be configured for APP, which isn't available, because Phone has not been configured...... etc., etc, etc!!!

SO......

I created a support ticket explaining all this.... and Then:

DELETED THE SECURE LOGIN APP on Phone...

and since it appears that AME is running on all NAS's.... and DS FILE, DS CAM, and DS FINDER all work CORRECTLY on my phone.... and my Synology Support access still works on my computer:

I don't give a damn if I install Codec's or not!

PS: Happy Easter!

 

[Phone Guy]

AME changed with 7.1, prior it installed fine, now it need syno acct to activate, I can not understand why. Kind of stupid since it give core functionality to other apps, I would more understand video station requiring activation with syno acct more than the plugins? but hey! thats me.
Happy Easter!

 

[Jan Janowski]

AME changed with 7.1, prior it installed fine, now it need syno acct to activate, I can not understand why. Kind of stupid since it give core functionality to other apps, I would more understand video station requiring activation with syno acct more than the plugins? but hey! thats me.
Happy Easter!

Absolutely the most stupid of operations since Sony's Broadcast Field Bulletins suddenly being tied to a Fee, after you purchased the $$ device!! So it's installed and working, or not? I have not noticed anything different installed compared to un-installed.... on any apps!
The apps I use are: DS FILES, DS CAM, DS FINDER, and FILES... (and DS ROUTER, but that's not part of this-- I hope!! !)
Hey! If it's not installed, I'll remove AME !

You know.... It was things just like this..... That made me concerned about updating to V7!!!
Thankfully I spent the bucks for a 3rd NAS.... So I could test crazy things like this..... Before updating the systems that MUST BE ON 24/7!
Thankfully... This is not a deal breaker ---- It's just ABSOLUTELY STUPID!

 

[Phone Guy]

So it's installed and working, or not? I have not noticed anything different installed compared to un-installed.... on any apps
Hey! If it's not installed, I'll remove it!

HONESTLY? I am not 10000% sure. Its on a test nas for me, and my test was to install a couple videos and videostation to see if HW decode was working... yes ame is installed, and yes the video does play in web browser using videostation, so I assume yes its working, though cpu usage is higher than I expected at around 60%... but it does play a x265 hevc video in VS thru web browser.... unless there is a better test? I'd be happy to try.
edit: in vs web player, I can not choose original as playback quality, only high/med/low

 

[Jan Janowski]

Thanks for your Honesty!!! IT is not my strong suit...

I just UN-Installed AME on all NAS's here...

If Support answers my questions, I can always Install it again!

But --- For now... Ignorance is Bliss!

The laptop I would have logged into my account and run Codec installer on -- is My portable Video Editing & DVD/BR Authoring system..... It has MANY 10's of MFG Codec's installed on it already: Avid, DL, Apple, Adobe, Matrox, AJA, BMD, and a few Camera packages.... I've not encountered anything I can't play.... or edit with..... already ! )

 

[marco]

If the video isn't on a compatible format (it depends also on the player device), Video Station try to transcode it in real time (only one video file at time for all users). If is successful, you probably can see the movie but on a bad quality, if it fail, it doesn't start.

The alternative, is to convert all incompatible video to a compatible format.

For this purpose I developed this tool.
I'm using it from weeks, also now.

 

[Jan Janowski]

If the video isn't on a compatible format (it depends also on the player device), Video Station try to transcode it in real time (only one video file at time for all users). If is successful, you probably can see the movie but on a bad quality, if it fail, it doesn't start.

The alternative, is to convert all incompatible video to a compatible format.

For this purpose I developed this tool.
I'm using it from weeks, also now.

I'm Not using Video Station... Maybe that's why I don't see anything different?
VLC or Premiere on laptop "sees all", with all the MFG's codec's I've loaded....

For year's I've been using Format Factory (and occasionally VLC) as a "swiss army Knife" of video & audio conversions whenever a new format comes up, and I don't (yet) have Codec's for it... Until I do.....

 

[fredbert]

I wondered about why AME v2 now needs to have an active Syno Account on each NAS you install this on. The only thing I could think, after searching, is to do with licencing for the codecs. It looks that these codecs aren’t completely free to use but this time (cf. exFAT pre-DSM 7) Synology aren’t charging us but seem to be shouldering the whatever cost themselves.

I didn’t I see reference to AME in SS? It probably requires AME if you select those codecs.

 

[marco]

@Jan Janowski Ah then I misunderstood! Can't help then

 

[Jan Janowski]

Seeing I'm playing all files created without an issue (or, if I loaded Video Station, maybe not???) There doesn't seem to be an issue I can find here..... I was just following orders the software was pointing me toward, and reacting to the IDIOCY of the Endless Loop !! ??? !!! ?????

Therefore: (In my Best Rosanne Rosanna-Danna voice!) "NEVER MIND!" ?????

Now: "Normally" A MFG will not charge for a codec.... It's in their best interest to get as many people to use their format as possible..... (It premote's sales of the hardware they are selling!!)... It's only when they "Don't" want wide acceptance of a format to be adopted do Normal MFG's will charge for a codec.... to intentionally keep people away.... Or limit the use, of custom tools hidden within "their" Format! Usually examination of a video file with a program like mediainfo, you can determine why it won't play....from examining the metadata... At times, renaming the file extension can make a file play, depending on the power of the program accessing it....

 

[Phone Guy]

I assume when your streaming a video stored on the nas, using vlc as an example, the nas at that point is simply serving you the data (nas->directly to->laptop) and once the laptop gets it, the laptop is in charge of handling the file and decoding etc...

Videostation when playing in the web browser is letting the nas do the decoding (I assume). All your web browser is showing you what stream the nas is giving you, thats why I tested like that. Now I installed the DLNA server too, and my samsung tv sees the test nas in question as a dlna source, BUT I do not see any of the files I know are there...? this is not how I serve media in my enviroment, I personally use emby, which in my setup is basically sending the file and letting the client/player do the decoding, so like your roku box, google box, apple box, laptop or in my case a dedicated htpc... so the nas isnt doing the decoding then either. (my setup very different from most people, I have been a htpc junkie for decades so everything goes thru a main windows 10 htpc out to clients, the nas isnt hosting anything but data. it works and is wife approved so I dont care if option B is better, I like sleeping inside my house, in my bed, not in the car!)

This test nas I'm talking about is going to have a home at my office, where it will talk to my tv in the back via dlna without a middle man decoder... I have not dedicated a lot of time to setup on this yet, I just wanted to comment I knew for a fact ame authorization changed in dsm7.1 for whatever reason, and I read the same thing that its because syno is paying to license fee so they dont want people installing willy nilly unless they need it.... I bet the fee for them is probably a nickel or less? I have no clue.

 

[Jan Janowski]

Well, I’m not using video Station, so I’m not needing AME, and it’s deleted now, so end of that part….
Now why I encountered an “Endless Loop” — That I’ve no control over — That is embarrassing.

 

[Jan Janowski]

Heard from Support.... Installed AME on experimental NAS again... and set up manually....

("open Advanced Media Extensions by clicking on the main menu in the top left hand corner, or to go to Package Center > Installed Packages, and locate AME.. This should allow you to setup AME on the NAS")

I believe it's installed correctly now... 2 points to Support.... !!
AME installed on one system which will give me both options: 'with and without' to test with....

But the support answer didn’t cover the “install codec” portion: the software commented on, but support’s answer didn’t cover- yet said it was installed.
I now fully understand your comment: “Honestly I don’t know!” When I asked earlier if it was fully installed, or not!

 

[Gerard]

("open Advanced Media Extensions by clicking on the main menu in the top left hand corner, or to go to Package Center > Installed Packages, and locate AME.. This should allow you to setup AME on the NAS")

I don’t see this in the top left menu, and when going into package center all it says is installed.

What is there to setup?

-- post merged: 19. Apr 2022 --

Maybe because I haven’t gotten the 7.1 update yet? I’m also still on Advance media 1.something..

 

[Jan Janowski]

I could not find upper left access either—That’s why I only installed AME on one system.

I got further by opening up software from installed packages…… But I must say, once in settings there, I changed nothing — everything appeared already set up (7.1 here)

???

 

[fredbert]

Maybe because I haven’t gotten the 7.1 update yet? I’m also still on Advance media 1.something..

It's only DSM 7.1, that should have been stated upfront.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not fully reading all of this but there's a comment about accessing top-left corner ... to me that sounds like the DSM desktop drop-down menu and it's saying to open AME package from there.

This is AME v2 package window. I was already logged into my Synology account in Control Panel and it looks like I had nothing else to do.

Also in the AME release notes it says that. If you haven't already logged into your Synology account then I guess there won't be next to the supported codecs.

Important Note

1. Starting from Advanced Media Extensions (AME) 2.0, you must sign in to your Synology Account for authorization to download HEVC and AAC Codecs.

 

[Jan Janowski]

Here's how it came up here (7.1, I do not run any packages for audio listed in AME) and top left drop down didn't show anything new, so no changes were made. This is how it installed each time... on 3 NAS's...
[See No way to download Codec's from My Account... Which I assume is due to lack of phone assigned to my account, according to what I'm seeing, and Phone needs APP, which needs a further Account setting (also not seen in Account) etc. etc.]
Edit: I just changed AME (Access via Installed Packages AME SETTINGS- that's the only way I've been able to see AME settings) to 'update all packages' from default load settings... No further attempt was made to add phone to Account.

 

[ed.j]

How are you guys seeing the codecs that are supported? If i select AME in the package centre it doesn't list anything? Also AME doesn't show in the "start" menu.

Or do I need to install eg HEVC codes separately?

I an on DSM 7.0.1-42218 Update 3 on a DS920+...

 

[fredbert]

I an on DSM 7.0.1-42218 Update 3 on a DS920+..

....

Maybe because I haven’t gotten the 7.1 update yet? I’m also still on Advance media 1.something..

It's only DSM 7.1, that should have been stated upfront.

 

[ed.j]

....


It's only DSM 7.1, that should have been stated upfront.

Ah thanks, I misread that as 7.0.1.

-- post merged: 21. Apr 2022 --

On the same note but a slight tangent - don't think it's worthy of a new thread - why would one not be logged into their Synology account? Privacy issues? Simply no need? Other?