Music Functionality:
Not much criticism for the music functionality of MC. The widest format support range that I'm aware of, without hunting down a bunch of plugins. Good processes and methods for DSP, output, etc. Smartlists are cool to have though I don't use them often. Wish there were more robust implementations of ReplayGain and cue sheet support, but that wouldn't throw me off. Some wierdness that I can only describe as 'clipping' when I use ASIO, but if I switch to DirectSound it goes away. Again, nothing that would keep me from using the program. I don't do streaming, so Web Media is a non-factor in purchasing, but nice to have. Overall, MC's music functionality is a selling point.
Ripping and Burning Functionality:
I like the options for custom encoders and ripping parameters a lot. YADB is hit or miss, but I find that to be true for a lot of discs on other DB's. Just because it's there doesn't mean it's correct or consistent, and I wind up editing tags manually anyway, so this is no big deal. It doesn't run multiple encoding threads in the background like I'm used to with EAC, but it does seem to extract slightly faster in secure mode... it's a toss-up. Burning is another matter - I'm comfortable with Nero, Nero gives me a lot of control over the disc creation; I'd stick with it since there's no compelling reason to switch or use 2 apps. Comments in the forum about burning problems reinforce this decision. Overall, ripping is a selling point, burning is not.
Image Functionality:
Sometimes your toughest software competition are free programs. I look at the number of formats supported by IrfanView and SlowView and I can't imagine using MC for photo organization or browsing - I wouldn't be able to access approximately 60% of my images. The tagging/sorting possibilities are enticing, but only that - audio tags are appropriate for audio, not for images. I don't like the idea of trying to shoehorn my image information into the existing tag scheme - this would be me working for the program and not the program working for me. So image functionality is not currently a selling point.
Video Functionality:
It's nice to have, but not really important to me. I don't keep a lot of videos on my system so I don't really need to organize them. Tagging thoughts would be the same as for images, above. Video functionality is not a selling point, but doesn't detract from my buying decision.
DVD Functionality:
DVD's do not function for me, but lead to crashes. No sale. If DVD's did work, I would be interested in what kind of info one could store. Obviously not a selling point, and detracts from potential purchase.
My Computer/File Browsing Functionality:
Irrelevent to me - doesn't affect my buying decision.
Interface Functionality:
The organization and some of the tagging features are standout - whether using the 9.0 tree structure or the 9.1 panes, I can get to what I want pretty quickly. Skins are limited, but I don't change skins often - I have 2 or 3 that I like and use regularly. PixOS is well laid out, but powder blue is a little 'cutesy' for me. The brushed metal skin is quite attractive, though I am left wondering why the text in some buttons changes when different skins are used ("Exit" instead of "Close" in some dialogs, for example.) For better or worse, I am used to videos/movies playing back with controls beneath them, so I wish there were some way for videos to always be played back in windowed mode, but this is pretty minor. Not being able to see Playing Now and the Library at the same time is a major nag for me.
Hairstyle is another feature with a lot of promise but it can be confusing to navigate. I don't like the way text for thumbnails gets cut off because the thumbnails are crammed together and most of my screen is unused. But when I switch to List, the buttons are far wider than necessary to fit the text and wind up filling the available space with nothing. It happens that I know the things in my library pretty well, but I don't get a good sense of 'You are here' - state indication might be improved. The thought of creating or editing skins/hairstyles is a little daunting after having a peek at the XML, but that's true for most skinnable apps. There are a few nits and variances from Windows standards,and it could use some improvements, but interface functionality is a selling point for my uses.
TV Tuner/Tivo Functionalty:
Another feature set that seems interesting but I would not currently use. I do wonder why I would want to connect to a Tivo if MC has recording and organization capabilities. I don't especially like Tivo (neither the company nor the machine) and wonder why MC couldn't serve as a replacement. Not a selling point.
Media Server/Scheduler Functionality:
Don't need them, but thought they might be fun to play with... until I read through the forum some and got the impression that dealing with them would involve a bunch of command-line interaction. Not a selling point; command-line anything detracts from my buying decision.
Installation:
Pretty straightforward - anyone who actually pays attention during installs should not get unpleasant surprises later, though the custom folder icon should have been optional. Leads me to believe the programmers might actually be paying attention to users (shock! horror!) - a selling point for a geek.
Support and Documentation:
I have mixed feelings about MC's forum-only support. In one way it's nice because you can add your voice and experience, but it's definitely not the standard. I'm used to email support for trivial $15 apps so forum-only makes me suspicious. In browsing through the forum I am struck by contrasts: sometimes folks receive great feedback and interaction from other users and/or the J River developers, sometimes their questions or requests receive little response and quickly fall away. The signal-to-noise ratio seems to be much better than most forums, but receiving help still seems to be a dice-roll when compared to dedicated email support. To their credit, the MC development team seems to release new builds to address issues far more frequently than most others, but stable releases seem to cease being updated if a new feature or implementation is being pursued. The documentation for the program is helpful in explaining the basics of MC, but falls short of detailed explanations of more sophisticated features and options. There is a great deal of depth to MC that does not appear to be addressed by the documentation or the website FAQ. Since I was drawn to MC because of the limitations of other programs, this is not a selling point.