[Steve100]

You've done it again Arneson. Amazing! Works like a charm. Thanks.

Just an idea but do you think we could have an option for MQA album folders to use your colour label system?

Can I assume from your post that we have no way of marking each of the tracks in the same way?

[owladimir]

Thanks !

Just tried :

MQA doesn't work even with option on en settinqs (FLAC/MQA24):

kodi.log :

11:57:52.859 T:5540 SEVERE: [TIDAL2] lib.tidalapi: GET https://api.tidal.com/v1/albums/11865393?countryCode=FR
11:57:56.908 T:5692 SEVERE: [TIDAL2] lib.tidalapi: GET https://api.tidal.com/v1/tracks/11865394...tryCode=FR
11:57:56.909 T:5692 SEVERE: [TIDAL2] Got stream with soundQuality:LOSSLESS, codec:FLAC

should it ?
codec: MQA

Problem...

i'm a HIFI suscriber from France

[Steve100]

Hi Owladimir

This is a question probably best answered by Arneson but did you try logging out and in again as he suggests. I did and all worked perfectly for myself...

Arneson wrote:

To enable it, you have to change the new Addon-Setting "Music Streaming Option" to "FLAC/MQA 24-Bit (Master Audio)"
and Logout and Login again, because it requires a new Session-ID.

Hope this helps.

[owladimir]

Steve100,

many thanks !

it's ok now.

[Timme]

Arneson
Again many thanks for this add on being able to stream FLAC on my Rsspberry Pi is a real nugget, so Masters is a bonus.
I have a couple question if you don't mind. On your Kodi system do all Masters turn on your Explorer2 blue light?
When useing Tidals PC app on my Windows 10 system all Masters light the blue light if not all 3 lights. When useing Kodi and your Tidal 2 most Masters on either system don't activate the blue light but a few do i.e. 2L The Nordic Sound lights all 3 Lemonade Beyoncé lights just blue.
My Kodi settings
Meridian USB Dac
Best Match
Enable passthrough
Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks for all that your doing
Timme

[arneson]

Arneson
Again many thanks for this add on being able to stream FLAC on my Rsspberry Pi is a real nugget, so Masters is a bonus.
I have a couple question if you don't mind. On your Kodi system do all Masters turn on your Explorer2 blue light?
When useing Tidals PC app on my Windows 10 system all Masters light the blue light if not all 3 lights. When useing Kodi and your Tidal 2 most Masters on either system don't activate the blue light but a few do i.e. 2L The Nordic Sound lights all 3 Lemonade Beyoncé lights just blue.
My Kodi settings
Meridian USB Dac
Best Match
Enable passthrough
Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks for all that your doing
Timme

You probably have enabled the setting to use ReplayGain in Kodi.
Some/Many of the Master Albums seems to have ReplayGain informations in the FLAC file.
This modifies the PCM stream to the USB DAC !!! >> Disable ReplayGain completely in Kodi !

With my Meridian Explorer 2 the blue LED is allways on when I play tracks of a Master Album. That indicates that all Streams are detected as "MQA Studio".
If only the blue LED goes on (Beyoncé Lemonade), this is a 24bit/48kHz version (High-Res Album).

arneson

[Timme]

Disabled ReplayGain. Tested 3 or 4,Masteres that did not activate blue light before now they do.
That was it.
Thank you very much
Timothy

[arneson]

You've done it again Arneson. Amazing! Works like a charm. Thanks.

Just an idea but do you think we could have an option for MQA album folders to use your colour label system?

Can I assume from your post that we have no way of marking each of the tracks in the same way?

Hello Steve,

that is a good idea !

Here is version 2.0.0-beta9: https://github.com/arnesongit/repository...-beta9.zip

Changes:
- Page mode for Master Albums folder
- Set MQA in blue color into Labels of Master Albums and Tracks
- Keep Username for next login if password is not saved into settings

I made the MQA label extension in blue, because the LED indicator for MQA on my Meridian Explorer 2 is also blue !

If you add MQA-Tracks from Master Albums into your Playlists, these tracks will get also the MQA label extension !

arneson

[Krzychl]

Arneson

I confirm all works fine and to me better than Windows desktop app.

The sampling rate is reduced to 48khz. Will you implement playback up to 96khz in line with the desktop app capability?

Regards from Poland,
Krzysztof


Wysłane z mojego SM-G935F przy użyciu Tapatalka

[Steve100]

Hey Krzysztof

This is something that Arneson may be able to answer better but the software-based unfolding of the MQA data is built into the latest release of the Tidal Windows App. I am currently working on other solutions and will update on this forum once found.

Hardware Decoding
As Arneson previously posted:

I have a Meridian Explorer 2 on my Mac and uses it with Kodi 16.1.
To play MQA Files or Streams with Kodi you must have a Hardware MQA Decoder because Kodi has no Software Decoder to unfold the MQA information in the 24/48 or 24/44.1 FLAC Stream to play it as 24/96 or 24/88.2

I think eventually AV Receivers and hopefully a lot of other products will become MQA certified.

Decoding in Kodi
I would imagine that in time (may be a lot f time) the Kodi built-in player (PAPlayer) will include a decoder but decoding of this format is currently not generally available and can only be found in a limited amount of software and hardware. probably due to how new MQA still is.

Software Decoding
I am currently enquiring with MQA to obtain a list of all software-based decoders (media players with add-ons for decoding MQA) so that I can configure Kodi to use an external player instead of the internal PAPlayer for all FLAC files in the hopes that I can create seamless unfolding/Decoding of MQA while using Arneson's TIDAL2 Add-on. The output of PCM bit stream would be expanded/unfolded to 96/24 etc. (at least one unfold, maybe eventually more) from Source/Kodi without the need for hardware intervention.

Hope at least some of this helps to explain.

[Steve100]

Hallo Steve,

that is a good idea !

Here is version 2.0.0-beta9: https://github.com/arnesongit/repository...-beta9.zip

Changes:
- Page mode for Master Albums folder
- Set MQA in blue color into Labels of Master Albums and Tracks
- Keep Username for next login if password is not saved into settings

I made the MQA label extension in blue, because the LED indicator for MQA on my Meridian Explorer 2 is also blue !

If you add MQA-Tracks from Master Albums into your Playlists, these tracks will get also the MQA label extension !

Arneson

Thanks Arneson. You're amazing! I will look forward to trying this later this evening and will come back to you on forum.

Thanks. Steve

[arneson]

...
Decoding in Kodi
I would imagine that in time (may be a lot f time) the Kodi built-in player (PAPlayer) will include a decoder but decoding of this format is currently not generally available and can only be found in a limited amount of software and hardware. probably due to how new MQA still is.

Software Decoding
I am currently enquiring with MQA to obtain a list of all software-based decoders (media players with add-ons for decoding MQA) so that I can configure Kodi to use an external player instead of the internal PAPlayer for all FLAC files in the hopes that I can create seamless unfolding/Decoding of MQA while using Arneson's TIDAL2 Add-on. The output of PCM bit stream would be expanded/unfolded to 96/24 etc. (at least one unfold, maybe eventually more) from Source/Kodi without the need for hardware intervention.

Hello Steve,

I found MQA Decoding Explained on audiostream.com and MQA: Questions and Answers on stereophile.com which explain details of the MQA Codec.

If I understand it right, MQA is an Analog-to-Analog reproduction Codec. So the DAC Hardware has to decode the MQA informations to re-create exactly the same Analog Signal as it was Mastered in the Studio. And it can "Authenticate" that it is decodec correctly.

Because every DAC has a different analog signal characteristic to create the Line Output Signal (analog amplifier at the end) the DAC hast to apply device specific filters to the digital values to reproduce the correct audio signal at the end of the amplifier.

I Think, that is the reason that software decoding to 96/24 or 192/24 can only be a kind of "controlled upsampling" and never can reproduce the audio signal to 100%.

So 48/24 or 44.1/24 is the best quality we can get with software decoding in Kodi.
And the most important thing: You have perfect ears to hear any difference between 48/24 and 96/24 or 192/24 !!
(My ears are too bad to detect any difference )

Please correct me if I'm wrong !

arneson

[owladimir]

hi,

MQA hidden :

list of more 1100 Album/single :

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...wiRQKmTAA/

I don't understand why TIDAL doesn't show those and don't improve their search engine.

All are Warner (MQA partner). It would be nice to search just Warner label.

[Steve100]

hi,

MQA hidden :

list of more 1100 Album/single :

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...wiRQKmTAA/

I don't understand why TIDAL doesn't show those and don't improve their search engine.

All are Warner (MQA partner). It would be nice to search just Warner label.

Owladimir

I believe that Arneson may have already fixed this issue in his latest release...

Hello Steve,

that is a good idea !

Here is version 2.0.0-beta9: https://github.com/arnesongit/repository...-beta9.zip

Changes:
- Page mode for Master Albums folder
- Set MQA in blue color into Labels of Master Albums and Tracks
- Keep Username for next login if password is not saved into settings

I made the MQA label extension in blue, because the LED indicator for MQA on my Meridian Explorer 2 is also blue !

If you add MQA-Tracks from Master Albums into your Playlists, these tracks will get also the MQA label extension !

arneson

I hope this fixes your issue.

[owladimir]

Hi,

About MQA search engine ?

Because MQA label (outside official Tidal Master Albums folder) is added after you play a MQA track. not before..

You have to try/play each album/track to find hidden MQA and add MQA label.

i'm wrong ? missing something ?