I have just finished switching my entire "media-home" to MC. What to say ? This software is just amazing. Infinite customizations, brilliant audio video quality, and a format support which one can only dream of (especially SACD).
My question is : and now ?
I do see that MC has more than the basics to make a fantastic full media center solution and due to its audiophile characteristics will drain a fair amount of people which have high quality standards in both audio and video. Certainly these customers are also deemed to be less sensitive to cost as many high-level audiophiles have very expensive equipment and value server based browsing and highest possible quality.
I see in several postings in the HTPC world that users can be more or less divided in two categories. The ones which are motivated by opensource (mainly free) software and where several times a certain motivation is to have and use content without paying anyting (downloaded movies and music, copies and whatever) on the other side you find people willing to pay for software and content and which value high format support and excellent quality.
I am of the opinion that on the video side playback of bluray with full menu support is a holy grail. Today Cyberlink and Arcsoft are the big ones and only ones and all opensourced project struggle with the issue (I do not fully understand all bit and pieces to it but have understood that it is a licence issue). On the audio side I see that several high quality output methods are really scarce (mytek 8-192) and other DSD DAC's which are still very expensive and not widely available whilst on the other hand AV-Receivers which can accept DSD bitstream are more mainstream available and used. In general audio issues mostly stumble over PAP, DRM and other barriers.
I was wondering if MC would be ported to linux this kind of barriers would be less OR if on the windows platform it would be worthwhile to consider a JRiver Pro version which would incorporate and use also licenced technologies so that it can handle for instance full-menu on bd. I'm convinced that even if MC Pro would cost up to duno let's say USD 150.- several customers would take a shot . (I mean adobe charges several hundred dollars for an acrobat pro...). Having now seen and experimented what MC can offer once networked in a home the MC costs are really incredible value for money.
Jim, Matt I don't know where you are headed towards with MC what I just wanted to say is that your software is amazing, I integrated it in a compete home solution using RTI and ipads / multiszones etc and all works like a charm !
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Topic: JRiver MC - Quo Vadis ? - JRiver MC (Pro Version) (Read 1850 times)