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[JimH]

[EDIT -- the Kickstarter campaign is live now. ]

In a few weeks, we will launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund development of an enhanced television package called JRiver TV Plus.  

(We just added a Poll.)

Price
It will be an add-on package for the United State, with a price of $39.98 $29.98 and will be discounted during the campaign.  We believe that this will allow MC to replace Windows Media Center with an equivalent or better feature set for the United States.

Special Kickstarter Price
The Kickstarter price will be $19.98.

Upgrades Will be Free for the Next Version
For Copy Once Support, if you buy it now, there will be no additional charge through versions 21 and 22.  

What is Kickstarter?
If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, they are a web site devoted to "crowd funding".  In some ways, it's a little like going to the racetrack and betting.  You can "back" any project you like.  Often you're buying a product before it exists.  As you might imagine, it doesn't always work out.

Product Description
The sole feature of this new add-on TV package will be the ability to play encrypted (Copy Once) content from cable companies, similar to what Windows Media Center has done.  It is only useful in the United States.

It's an Add-on.  MC is Still Required
This will require significant development and an expensive license.  That's why the enhancement will be an add-on package.

A current version of JRiver Media Center will also be required to use this.  The TV feature set of the current version will remain as it is.  For many users, it's enough.

Thank You!
Doing this as a Kickstarter campaign is new for JRiver.  We can really use your help in spreading the word, once it goes live.

I can't promise that we will be able to fulfill everyone's wishes for the perfect TV software, but I do promise that we will do our very best to make it happen, and if you decide to pitch in, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you're doing something very meaningful to advance development in this direction.

Thank you!

[muzicman0]

I don't currently need Copy Once support, but I will still support this.  You never know...my cable provider may start flagging everything eventually.

[greynolds]

I don't currently need Copy Once support, but I will still support this.  You never know...my cable provider may start flagging everything eventually.

Pretty much the same here.  I'll probably support it too even though I don't really need the feature at the moment.

Jim - will TV Plus be a one time purchase versus having to pay for it again each time there's a new major version of MC?  Without the EPG being part of it, I would think so as the bulk of the expense for you guys in adding DRM support should also be a one time expense.

[JimH]

Jim - will TV Plus be a one time purchase versus having to pay for it again each time there's a new major version of MC?  Without the EPG being part of it, I would think so as the bulk of the expense for you guys in adding DRM support should also be a one time expense.

One time for each version.

[greynolds]

One time for each version.

If that's the case, then I probably won't support it unless my cable provider starts marking everything as Copy Once.  My understanding may be wrong, but AFAIK the bulk of the costs that will be involved for supporting DRM will be initial licensing costs and initial development efforts, while ongoing costs should be significantly less.  I recall reading something along the lines of $50k for the initial license and then a $25k renewal.  So the initial costs would be $50k PLUS whatever it costs you guys to implement it, but the ongoing costs other than the renewal fee shouldn't be significant.

I don't mind paying an annual fee for something I will actually use, such as better EPG data, but don't see a good reason to pay ~$40 a year for something I won't use.

[JimH]

I don't mind paying an annual fee for something I will actually use, such as better EPG data, but don't see a good reason to pay ~$40 a year for something I won't use.

The initial price will probably be $30 and the upgrade price, if one is necessary, might be about $15.  Hopefully newer versions of MC will work with older version of TV+, but who knows where we're going after this.

And upgrades are always optional.  We still see people  using MC12 or MC13.  Even MJ8.

[hawaii2k]

JRiver has my full support on this. I can't wait.

[JimH]

We could use some feedback on pricing.  A retail of $30 and a 25% discount early bird Kickstarter price of $22.50 seem about right to me, but it would be helpful to hear how you see it.

The licensing and development for it are probably going to cost JRiver around $50,000.

[muzicman0]

$30 annually (or at upgrade time) seems about right.  Roughly $2.50 per month, which is way less than renting a DVR from your cable company.

[BartMan01]

If that's the case, then I probably won't support it unless my cable provider starts marking everything as Copy Once. 

FYI, some channels must be set as 'copy once' per the agreements with the providers. Some specific shows will be marked as 'copy once' either at the request of the content owner or by mistake. Just because your cable company typically leaves channels as 'copy freely' when they are allowed to doesn't mean that everything you will ever want to watch is marked that way. If you using a cable box today, or WMC with extenders, you may not realize that this is happening.  I have had random shows in a series on broadcast TV get marked as 'copy once' for no apparent reason since everything else on the channel and every other show in that series is 'copy freely'.

[greynolds]

FYI, some channels must be set as 'copy once' per the agreements with the providers. Some specific shows will be marked as 'copy once' either at the request of the content owner or by mistake. Just because your cable company typically leaves channels as 'copy freely' when they are allowed to doesn't mean that everything you will ever want to watch is marked that way. If you using a cable box today, or WMC with extenders, you may not realize that this is happening.  I have had random shows in a series on broadcast TV get marked as 'copy once' for no apparent reason since everything else on the channel and every other show in that series is 'copy freely'.

I realize all of that.  However, probably 90% of what I watch is shows on the OTA channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, WB, etc.), where Copy Once just isn't an issue and I use SiliconDust HD Homerun OTA tuners for those shows.  The rest is non-premium cable TV channels such as USA, SciFi, etc. - I don't subscribe to any of the premium channels such as HBO where every program would be marked as Copy Once.  If there's an occasional episode that gets marked Copy Once by mistake, there are various other ways to watch the show.  If the pricing turns out to be something like $30 initially and $15 with each upgrade, I'd probably be willing to pay for it to help support the cause, but $30 again with each upgrade would be more than I want to pay for something I'll rarely, if ever, use.  Obviously if my cable provider started marking (nearly) everything as Copy Once, I'd be a lot more willing to spend the money.

For a number of years now, I've been using WMC and BeyondTV in parallel (using extra OTA tuners I've had kicking around), with BeyondTV recording the same OTA programs that WMC does and WMC also recording CableCard programming.  BeyondTV mostly serves as a backup plan in case WMC screws up and I've only had to rely on that a few times.

[glynor]

Obviously if my cable provider started marking (nearly) everything as Copy Once, I'd be a lot more willing to spend the money.

Unfortunately, this could happen.

Time Warner in my market marks everything as Copy Once, even broadcast networks (PBS, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC). The only stuff a CableCard gets me right now is Shop-at-Home, "Preview Guide" type channels, and a few local public access stations that run PowerPoints in a loop.

It used to be a FCC rules violation for them to do that, but the rules were thrown out by the courts a few years back. Within a few months, they switched us over.

[greynolds]

Unfortunately, this could happen.

Time Warner in my market marks everything as Copy Once, even broadcast networks (PBS, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC). The only stuff a CableCard gets me right now is Shop-at-Home, "Preview Guide" type channels, and a few local public access stations that run PowerPoints in a loop.

It used to be a FCC rules violation for them to do that, but the rules were thrown out by the courts a few years back. Within a few months, they switched us over.

Yes, I know it could happen.  But until it does, Copy Once just isn't something I ~need~ to pay for, especially since WMC still does a great good job with TV anyway.  If I decide to switch to using JRiver MC as my primary DVR AND the cable company starts marking a bunch of stuff as Copy Once, then paying for that feature will become a high priority.  For now, I'm going to wait and see what the actual price ends up being and go from there.

[JimH]

The first thread has changes that sharpen the offer and lower the price.

There is also a new poll on this board.

[greynolds]

The first thread has changes that sharpen the offer and lower the price.

There is also a new poll on this board.

Jim,

This is a bit nit-picky, but some of the text in that first post isn't quite accurate:

"ability to play encrypted (Copy Once) content from cable companies,"

The point of the CableCard is to decrypt encrypted channels.  If the channels weren't encrypted, a CableCard wouldn't be needed and everyone would just be using Clear QAM tuners.  What you're really providing is the ability to handle the DRM for programs that are marked with the Copy Once flag.  I'm sure that most people reading the post will understand what you're providing, but updating the wording would make it more accurate.

[Castius]

This line sounds to vague to me.
"After that, we'll do our best to keep if affordable."

I would just leave it off if you don't know the price.

[signcarver]

I would suggest a level that also purchases a JRiver MediaCenter license (master?) at time of funding and possibly consider raising the price a bit on just the add on to allow a perceived discount on the MC license making choosing that option a little more attractive and perhaps offer an earlybird offering at the lower price (limited availability) for those that really just need the add-on. All my content is protected so I really haven't been interested in JRiver MC as it is of "no" use to me (yes I'll admit it is probably blasphemous to say that here but is why I only occasionally read these forums) but with protected content support I, and I assume many others, would be and I would support such an attempted effort and do realize that such efforts may not work out as planned but have that license as a "consolation" prize, while others may wish to just support at the addon level in case it never fully comes out.

My understanding is that there are high costs to even make the attempt so I doubt that any funds would be able to be returned if such an attempt fails so you may also wish to stress a $5-$10 level (I forget where the reduced rate cut off is for the processing fees) which will allow one to get that discount off the final product and early when it is actually available as not everyone would be comfortable donating at the higher levels and not get anything in return. 

My personal opinion is that one would need about $500K to even begin to take on this endeavor unless they are already on the inside of supporting cablelabs, dtcp-ip, and/or mswdrm/playready protections especially if one wishes to support more than just the prime (such as using a ceton) as the ceton does not support handoff to dtcp-ip which would be the cheaper route to go to just bring protected support.

[JimH]

This line sounds to vague to me.
"After that, we'll do our best to keep if affordable."

I would just leave it off if you don't know the price.

I agree.  I took it out.  Thanks. 

[Ekpen]

Will it support Directv?
George

[glynor]

Will it support Directv?
George

I don't think any of the current CableCard devices support DirecTV (though I could be mistaken).

You can use DirecTV with MC now with a HD-PVR or something similar.

[greynolds]

I don't think any of the current CableCard devices support DirecTV (though I could be mistaken).

Correct.  Probably 10 years ago now, DirecTV had announced a USB tuner that accepted a DirecTV access card (which is similar, but different from a CableCard).  There were prototypes, but the tuner never made it to market.

[glynor]

Probably 10 years ago now, DirecTV had announced a USB tuner that accepted a DirecTV access card (which is similar, but different from a CableCard).

Right. I vaguely remember being excited about that prospect back when.

DirecTV's access cards, at least back when I subscribed, were much more like cellular SIM cards than CableCards. It essentially just provides your account number, and then the tuner box decrypts the content if you have a valid account. The box decides if your account number is valid or not (they can usually check in with the phone line, but I think they also periodically broadcast revoked lists digitally through the satellite feed, in case there is no phone line connected). But this means you have to "trust" the whole box, and you can't just let anybody make and use their own boxes to connect to your signal. On a cell phone you can get away with it because the phone needs to talk to the data network to do it's job, and the network can decide when to "talk back" (or to cut you off) so the smarts are in the network.  But for satellite broadcast, it is basically one-way (from space to your house), so they can't do that.  So for DirecTV, this means you can only buy what they sell themselves or authorize, because they have to "trust" the boxes completely.

In CableCards, the access card itself was the "smart part" and it actually "unlocked" the encryption of the video for the host box, and could determine whether your account was valid or not by itself. In other words, the box didn't have to be fully "trusted" because the card contained some of its own logic and held the keys to the decryption. That was the idea, to allow third-parties to make tuners. There is a whole certification process to validate the boxes, of course, but essentially anyone who wanted to can pay their exorbitant fees, jump through their ridiculous hoops, and make a box that can work with CableCard.

Unfortunately, CableCard might not have too bright of a future. The cable companies were being forced to play along with the scheme, and now they're not being forced anymore, and many have pronounced CableCard dead. I don't know... There's a massive installed userbase out there, and people keep their TVs a long time. TiVO and HDHomerun and the others are still selling them, and the cable companies (as far as I know) are still giving them out when you jump through their hoops.

But there's never been a Cable Card for DirecTV, that I know about. They were always exempt from the rules on that.

[sparks]

Will it be supported on OS X and Linux or just Windows?
Any timeframe once you get the funding?

I contributed to the Silicon Dust kickstarter and to say it is anything but a disaster so far would be an understatement...as least IMO.  There is virtually zero communication from them and their promise of weekly updates to the kickstarter group hasn't happened.  They were suppose to have a finished product in October and once that didn't happen they said they needed another eight weeks.  Since then there has been no updates and no communications.  I believe they bite off more than they could handle and are now realizing it.

[greynolds]

Will it be supported on OS X and Linux or just Windows?
Any timeframe once you get the funding?

I contributed to the Silicon Dust kickstarter and to say it is anything but a disaster so far would be an understatement...as least IMO.  There is virtually zero communication from them and their promise of weekly updates to the kickstarter group hasn't happened.  They were suppose to have a finished product in October and once that didn't happen they said they needed another eight weeks.  Since then there has been no updates and no communications.  I believe they bite off more than they could handle and are now realizing it.

SiliconDust seems to have made the mistake of worrying about implementing "stretch goals" at the expense of delivering on the original goal.  I chose not to participate in their Kickstarter campaign because something just didn't feel right about the approach they were taking.

To get back on topic, I am getting the impression that JRiver will have a very focused, single, goal in their Kickstarter campaign, so my confidence level is much higher.

I'm not sure about OS support - is PlayReady support even possible on any OS other than Windows?

[kieran]

I am not currently a JRiver user.  I currently use a mix of Kodi (xbmc) and WMC, and am an early backer of the DRM-DVR Kickstarter for SiliconDust's HDHomeRun.

That said, I was super excited when I heard that JRiver is going to develop a DRM capable DVR/PVR.  I will back this, just to see what comes of it as I feel that multiple choices always make things better (and I'm not crazy about the UI/UX of the current version of the SD DVR).

I do have some questions though:
1) Might this work on a Linux installation of MC? It seems from the HDHomeRun DVR project's experience, that any implementation of DRM recording and playback would need to be in a non-open-source environment, which means no Linux (I think).  If there's no chance that the DRM add-on could work with a Linux installation, then please don't offer reduced pricing only for buying a Master License.  If you're going to bundle MC licenses with the add-on price (which sounds great to me) then offer the same discount across all MC licenses.  However if this will work on a Linux installation, then I'd be interested in the Master License since I use both Windows and Linux around my house.

2) Would this include plug-n-play EPG? Setting up the EPG in diy DVR systems like MythTV, NextPVR, SageTV, etc., proved to be extremely difficult/complicated to me, which is what originally drove me to WMC (the DRM aspect was not necessary for me at the time, now it is).  This is also a HUGE benefit of the HDHomeRun DVR project, as the EPG -- while not in the format I'd prefer -- is completely plug-n-play; no setup required at all on the part of the user.

I'll hold off on my other questions until I have a chance to investigate the features of MC more, as I think many of my questions might be unrelated to the DRM add-on.

Thanks, can't wait to see the Kickstarter!

[kieran]

Will it be supported on OS X and Linux or just Windows?
Any timeframe once you get the funding?

I contributed to the Silicon Dust kickstarter and to say it is anything but a disaster so far would be an understatement...as least IMO.  There is virtually zero communication from them and their promise of weekly updates to the kickstarter group hasn't happened.  They were suppose to have a finished product in October and once that didn't happen they said they needed another eight weeks.  Since then there has been no updates and no communications.  I believe they bite off more than they could handle and are now realizing it.

People who fund Kickstarter efforts have become spoiled by the many projects that are essentially "early purchase" opportunities, and not actually funding of development.  The true spirit of Kickstarter is small-scale crowd funding of development projects -- essentially venture capitalism with much less risk and much less reward.  But like the VC world, you are making a GAMBLE.  You have no guarantee that it will pay off in the way they said it would, or the way you thought it would.  So if you are upset about having put $60 or so bucks into the HDHR project, then you have no one to blame but yourself.  If you aren't ready to lose your investment, don't invest.  Personally, while I'm not happy with the direction of the design of the HDHomeRun DVR product (mainly the EPG) I still have high confidence that they will finish at least their original goals if not all their stretch goals; they just need more time.  I could be wrong though, they could just pull the plug altogether and/or delay for a very long time.

I say this because this JRiver project will be no different in the inherent risks.  JRiver could fail, or fall short of their goals.  You may feel that you never got any benefit after all is said and done.  If you aren't comfortable with that, don't fund it.

[KMac]

Newbie here.  I wish you had a separate thread for notification of your Kickstarter campaign.  I am subscribed to this thread, but I need to read every post or no longer receive notifications.  I would hate to miss your announcement in the flood of other posts or because I failed to click a link one day.  Good luck with your project.

[greynolds]

2) Would this include plug-n-play EPG? Setting up the EPG in diy DVR systems like MythTV, NextPVR, SageTV, etc., proved to be extremely difficult/complicated to me, which is what originally drove me to WMC (the DRM aspect was not necessary for me at the time, now it is).  This is also a HUGE benefit of the HDHomeRun DVR project, as the EPG -- while not in the format I'd prefer -- is completely plug-n-play; no setup required at all on the part of the user.

MC already has built-in EPG support.  You need to configure your tuners so MC knows what types of tuners you have (OTA, CableCard, etc.) and enter your zip code so it can locate the correct listings for you.  It also supports sourcing guide data from other services if you don't like the default option, which requires a bit more effort to setup.  Their Kickstarter is going to be limited to adding support for Copy Once content from CableCard tuners.

[sparks]

People who fund Kickstarter efforts have become spoiled by the many projects that are essentially "early purchase" opportunities, and not actually funding of development.  The true spirit of Kickstarter is small-scale crowd funding of development projects -- essentially venture capitalism with much less risk and much less reward.  But like the VC world, you are making a GAMBLE.  You have no guarantee that it will pay off in the way they said it would, or the way you thought it would.  So if you are upset about having put $60 or so bucks into the HDHR project, then you have no one to blame but yourself.  If you aren't ready to lose your investment, don't invest.  Personally, while I'm not happy with the direction of the design of the HDHomeRun DVR product (mainly the EPG) I still have high confidence that they will finish at least their original goals if not all their stretch goals; they just need more time.  I could be wrong though, they could just pull the plug altogether and/or delay for a very long time.

I say this because this JRiver project will be no different in the inherent risks.  JRiver could fail, or fall short of their goals.  You may feel that you never got any benefit after all is said and done.  If you aren't comfortable with that, don't fund it.

I understand about Kickstarter efforts and I have sponsored many.  I'm OK with giving more time.  I honestly thought they were way too aggressive in the promises they made, but as you said....I took the GAMBLE.  My issue with SD is the complete lack of communication they have provided and they haven't had a real release since September (I don't count the release on 10/18 where they increased the grid size).  I did pay the $60 and at least i got some hardware, so I'm not upset...but I do feel sorry for those that paid the $30 and have received basically nothing.

I think JRiver has already backed a bit from their original scope of their Kickstarter campaign because they realized their original scope was too much and didn't want to lose customers by making promises they couldn't keep and i applaud them for that.  As long as DRM content on OS X is supported with a roadmap for DVR, I plan to sponsor.

[kieran]

MC already has built-in EPG support.  You need to configure your tuners so MC knows what types of tuners you have (OTA, CableCard, etc.) and enter your zip code so it can locate the correct listings for you.  It also supports sourcing guide data from other services if you don't like the default option, which requires a bit more effort to setup.  Their Kickstarter is going to be limited to adding support for Copy Once content from CableCard tuners.

That's great to know.  I'll download the 30-day trial and test it out.  What/who is the default/built-in source for EPG data?

[greynolds]

That's great to know.  I'll download the 30-day trial and test it out.  What/who is the default/built-in source for EPG data?

Rovi, but it's probably best to discuss this in the TV subforum so we don't get slapped for off-topic discussion.

[JimH]

Will it be supported on OS X and Linux or just Windows?
Any timeframe once you get the funding?

Windows only at this time. 

I think that Playready is only available on Windows.

[Ekpen]

I don't think any of the current CableCard devices support DirecTV (though I could be mistaken).

You can use DirecTV with MC now with a HD-PVR or something similar.

I was thinking Jim H has cut a deal with Directv to integrate their  services with MC.

Thanks.
George

[jmelan]

is there a plan for DVR support with copy protected content as well?

[JimH]

is there a plan for DVR support with copy protected content as well?

Please explain what you mean.  MC does act as a DVR.

[jmelan]

thanks

record, playback, timeshift of copy once content vs just live TV

also is there a plan for client PCs to work as well?

[greynolds]

record, playback, timeshift of copy once content vs just live TV

I believe we're all expecting the copy once support will apply to all of the DVR functionality, not just live TV.  Whether it will also translate to client PC's and things like JRemote is probably more of an open question.

[GreggP]

thanks

record, playback, timeshift of copy once content vs just live TV

also is there a plan for client PCs to work as well?

If like to add on to this...

Does the DVR functionality support recording a 'series', like you can with WMC?

[JimH]

My personal opinion is that one would need about $500K to even begin to take on this endeavor unless they are already on the inside of supporting cablelabs, dtcp-ip, and/or mswdrm/playready protections especially if one wishes to support more than just the prime (such as using a ceton) as the ceton does not support handoff to dtcp-ip which would be the cheaper route to go to just bring protected support.

I think that, by DTCP-IP, you mean this group:

DTCP Licensing

Your $500K estimate is a little chilling.  

[glynor]

Your $500K estimate is a little chilling.  

Reading the DTCP Licensing agreement, I'm not sure where he got that figure.

Looks like it is an annual fee of $14k (for a small adopter) or $18k for a large adopter.
Then either:
* $0.05 - $0.07 per "device" (I assume this would be per installed copy of MC) depending on if you are a Small Adopter or Large Adopter
* If you are a large adopter, you can order "bulk" common keys instead (which seems like it would better match your sales model for MC) and these have pricing starting at $2k for 100k keys, up to $50k for 30 million keys (and $100k for a blanket option).

There may be additional, exorbitant testing fees, though. I didn't see that, and just read through the licensing pricing.

I'm also not clear on what this license does. Allows you to transmit copies to "extenders" (ala XBox), I think?

Note: DRM is so terrible. An instrument for market control, as it always has been, and not about piracy at all.

[greynolds]

Reading the DTLA Licensing agreement, I'm not sure where he got that figure.

Looks like it is an annual fee of $14k (for a small adopter) or $18k for a large adopter.
Then either:
* $0.05 - $0.07 per "device" (I assume this would be per installed copy of MC) depending on if you are a Small Adopter or Large Adopter
* If you are a large adopter, you can order "bulk" common keys instead (which seems like it would better match your sales model for MC) and these have pricing starting at $2k for 100k keys, up to $50k for 30 million keys (and $100k for a blanket option).

I believe the $500k number signcarver came up with was including JRiver's development costs, not just the licensing costs.

[glynor]

I believe the $500k number signcarver came up with was including JRiver's development costs, not just the licensing costs.

I don't think we can know that without seeing the Specification, and they won't divulge that unless you pay up at least $10k.

JRiver has implemented (and sold their own) DRM before, so they're not starting completely fresh. But that's for Jim and Matt et all to decide, I suppose.

[glynor]

Windows only at this time. 

I think that Playready is only available on Windows.

Not quite true.  There are native SDKs for Playready available for: Windows, Windows Phone, Android, and iOS.

However, on Windows and OSX, you can use the Silverlight plugin. This is, of course, designed to work inside a browser. But you can host the control inside your application directly as well (so, it could be hosted inside Playing Now on Mac OSX):
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd550717%28v=vs.95%29.aspx

[sparks]

Any idea when the Kickstarter campaign will begin?  I do plan on contributing, even though I'm interested in OS X or iOS, or even better tvOS. I am currently running a Windows system running WMC and am looking for a replacement of it. And once you get a Windows product out, hopefully you would expand to these other environments. 

[Shady Bimmer]

I voted 'definitely yes' in the poll.

I continue to use WMC solely for the ability to watch and record copy-once programming with my HDHR Prime.  If MC provided this (even as an add-on) it would provide a clear path forward for me to fully migrate to a single solution (MC) and give up WMC.

[buckeyewalt]

I won't support this as it stands now. There are other things that can be done to the media player (which will be used far more often than the record-once program) that people could use now. The cost aspect is vague (19.95 now but no telling how much in the future) considering that this is only a license. Plus the usual upgrade fee with every version and there could be many versions. I faithfully supported JRiver through version 19 made several suggestions on improvement (a few of which many would like to see like lyrics) and was told ",maybe one of these days". Finally, if JRiver believes in this so much, they should fund it, promote it, and if it's a good thing the sales will come. You might want to include this in a "new version" and sell it with a new MC. Then you could see the demand for the product instead of charging "X" amount for just a feature. I love JRiver for what it is, for me at least, it's just getting old with the nickel and dime stuff!  Sorry!

[JimH]

Here's our rough draft of the Kickstarter campaign:

www.jriver.com/TVPlus

Please let us know what needs clarification or other changes. 

Thanks,

Jim

[Castius]

I think it's great. But the handheld video's really pulls it down a bit

If they are temp ignore the rest of this.

It really should be screen recorded videos. (http://camstudio.org/, http://www.fraps.com/, https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html)
If you really want the recorded TV aspect. I would hope someone here, who has a decent home theater could capture some better future of JRiver in action.

As a bonus these videos would be nice videos regardless of the kickstarter.

[kieran]

Here's our rough draft of the Kickstarter campaign:

www.jriver.com/TVPlus

Please let us know what needs clarification or other changes. 

Thanks,

Jim

Hmmm.... apologies for putting my editor hat on; I edit technical documents a lot at work, so it's difficult to resist:

"The combination of JRiver Media Center with TV Plus will create a superset of the Microsoft Windows Media Center."
A "superset"? To quote Inigo Montoya, "I do not think it means what you think it means." JRiver MC with TV-Plus would be a superset of JRiver MC, not of Windows MC, which is a completely different product.  I see what you're trying to say here, but I disagree with your use of the term "superset" and recommend using different verbiage, especially since the term superset may not be obvious to many non-technical readers.  I would simply "spell it out," for example: "With the addition of TV Plus, JRiver Media Center can accomplish all that Windows Media Center could do, and more."

"With your help, we will add the ability to record and play Copy Once content."
I would say instead, "... record and play Copy-Once cable TV content." or maybe even "... Copy Once DRM cable TV content."

"It makes it easy to optimize your audio and video compute experience."
Should that read "computer" rather than "compute"?

Our video viewing option include a “10 foot view”
Typo: That should be "includes" not "include"....

(Note that we have tentatively removed the following text: Unlike many other products, JRiver Media Center is multiplatform. You can record your content to PC and NAS (QNAP supported today). And that content can be played back on the PC, Mac, Linus, HTPC, Android, and IOS platforms.)
I know you've removed that part, but... "Linus" is a typo, and I don't think you can get Playready DRM recorded content to play back on those other platforms... can you?  Or is this why you removed it?

"Q: What platforms will you support?
A: Only Windows at this time."
I would re-clarify here that this is in reference to TV-Plus.

JRiver Media Center and TV Plus for $69.96 ($20 savings)
Which license does this give you? Master, or Windows only?  If it's the Master license, then I think it'd be a $30 savings, right?  If tv+ is a $10 savings at $19.98, then it's worth $29.98, and the Master license is $69.98 by itself.  If you're offering this bundle with only the Windows license for MC, then it's just the same $10 savings as the tv+ only price.

Nice video!

[RoderickGI]

Please let us know what needs clarification or other changes. 

Honestly, my better half, who is an editor/proof reader, would have cringed at some of that. Sorry.

I have just made a few suggestions, because I'm not a proof reader. 

"JRiver support utilizes the power expertise of our engineers and satisfied use users."

"That means you will be able to watch live TV and record programs on Windows XP, Win7, Win8, and Win10."
I can understand why you included Windows XP in there, as MC still works with XP. But do you want to make that claim going forward? Windows XP users still have WMC anyway.

"Our video viewing option include JRiver Media Center includes a “10 foot view interface” that makes it easy to interact with the product using a remote control. (Note that we have tentatively removed the following text: Unlike many other products, JRiver Media Center is multiplatform, running on Windows, OS X, and Linux. Today, DVR functionality is supported on Windows, while playback is supported on all platforms, and in addition on Android and iOS devices. You can record your content to local or network drives, or a NAS. (QNAP supported today). And that content can be played back on the PC, Mac, Linus, HTPC, Android, and IOS platforms.)"

A "10 foot interface" has a specific meaning, and is the correct term to use. I don't know that playback is supported on iOS and Android. Your call on including that or not. Don't qualify that only a QNAP NAS works. No need. I'm pretty sure that people do use other NAS brands.

I use "Debut Video Capture" software from NCH Software. It is inexpensive and functional. It would make the product parts of the video more pleasing.

The formatting seems a bit off as well. I assume the question was supposed to be next to the summary? (I'm using Internet Explorer 11.) See image.

I see an editor has provided a little feedback as well. Editors/ Proof readers can provide a lot of value in word smithing these sorts of documents.