Browsing and organizing USB media library is very tedious

[Valentino]

I dunno. Have been using LMS for local file playback (a couple of flac TB) since 2007. Cannot really see the problem and I think the Ultra and WHA are the left and right bee’s kne respectively.

 

[simbun]

Cheers. I’ll show you how it looks to me. It’ll be interesting to compare.

Ok, I've chosen Rolling Stones as an example as I don't really have much U2, although I did replicate the U2 War example you keeping talking about for the album screenshot (because it has disc subtitles).

I got the image size down thinking they wouldn't look so bloody big on the forum, well it didn't work, even as thumbnails!

This is my standard config so I haven't tried to replicate your setup exactly, but if there are differences I could probably tweak it. The screenshots are from BubbleUPnP as the icons look awful on a green background, but it works exactly the same way.

This is the landing page from which I'd choose the Album Artist index, whereas you'd choose Folder View I guess. I could equally have selected Release Type, chosen Live and it would have displayed all my Live albums.



Once I've selected the Album Artist index, MinimServer has chosen to display the A-Z index because there are more than 250 items within it (configurable).



I'd then choose Rolling Stones (I display AlbumArtistSort).



At this point because there are still indexes that subset the remaining selection, MinimServer displays those index options so I need to choose Release Type. In servers like AssetUPnP you can define drill hierarchies so it would jump straight from the Album Artist selection to the Release Type selection.



I'm going to pick Albums at this point as it'll demonstrate sorting items released in the same year. I could supply custom icons here, but I've let MinimServer pick an album cover that exists from within each category.




Each album has the full OriginalReleaseDate in the tags (for sorting) but I've chosen to display just the year, and from a separate tag the remaster date. At this point I could go back to the Release Type screen to choose Single/Live/Compilation.



The final screen is the U2 War album you've discussed, just to show you how DiscSubtitles look.



In my other system much i'd just search for the Artist and it would present me with the entire discography, much like LMS/PlexAmp etc

 

[rccarguy]

Also have option of sorting on the fly. Can't do that with by folder

 

[harkpabst]

This must have turned into the most thrilling, refreshing, exciting, and insightful thread on the forum by now.

Can't wait for the next 7 pages.

 

[simbun]

This must have turned into the most thrilling, refreshing, exciting, and insightful thread on the forum by now.

It can't top the Ultra display thread can it?

 

[QuarryHunslet]

This must have turned into the most thrilling, refreshing, exciting, and insightful thread on the forum by now.

Can't wait for the next 7 pages.

I like to sort my music by folders, and after reading all of this, and other threads where certain users are trying to convince others that their way is better, I won't be changing my way anytime soon.

 

[d6jg]

I like to sort my music by folders, and after reading all of this, and other threads where certain users are trying to convince others that their way is better, I won't be changing my way anytime soon.

I’m Spartacus

 

[Burnside]

I’m Spartacus

No, I’m Spartacus.

Did he have bleeding ears too?

 

[QuarryHunslet]

No, I’m Spartacus.

Did he have bleeding ears too?

I don't understand.

 

[rccarguy]

It is better. Within four clicks I can see what albums were released in 1980. And it displays instantly.

Can't do that with folder view.

 

[slartibartfast]

 

[QuarryHunslet]

It is better. Within four clicks I can see what albums were released in 1980. And it displays instantly.

Can't do that with folder view.

I have no interest whatsoever in what albums were released in 1980, or any other year for that matter.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

So this is what it looks like to me. Apologies if this takes several posts.

In my Music folder, I have this.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Beatles are obviously in A-B.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Click on Beatles and we get:

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Click on Singles we get:

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

I’ll come back to that list in a minute.

Click on any single (I’ll choose the first), and:

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

So going back 2 posts, that’s me. That’s how I like it and how I want it.

If I had an extensive Beatles vinyl, cassette, or CD collection…actually, let’s stick with vinyl at the moment, do you remember these:

 

[slartibartfast]

So going back 2 posts, that’s me. That’s how I like it and how I want it.

If I had an extensive Beatles vinyl, cassette, or CD collection…actually, let’s stick with vinyl at the moment, do you remember these:

View attachment 14957

I've got a few of those under the bed.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

So for me, that’s it. Imagine all the Beatles singles in a case. Or on a bookshelf.

And they’re in released date order (because that’s 100% definitely the way to order them) and you’re leading through them.

So what I’ve done is to create a digital, virtual equivalent of that. And their albums. And all sorts of other stuff.

And that’s how I’d browse my music 100% of the time, all things being equal.

I’ll come back to other issues, in a minute, but isn’t that what we should be doing? Creating a digital world that reflects the world we want. And I absolutely don’t want those singles in alphabetical order. Not even maybe.

And that’s what my folder view is built around. You know those Beatles singles? I don’t have any of them in a 2 track CD single. I’ve created them from the CD rips I have.

Now, back to those other issues. I can still search by artist, song title, album, blah blah blah, but I never (or very rarely) do. So what I’ve created is what I want, what’s useful to me, what works for me, but with the flexibility to search and order things in other ways on the very rare occasions it suits.