Topic: 9.1 beta releases coming (Read 7365 times)

JimH · « **on:** June 06, 2003, 11:13:27 am »

With a little luck, we'll have the first release of 9.1 out later today. [edit -- it happened -- check for a thread near the top here] It will be listed here and it's recommended for experts only.

It will look different. A lot different. The player controls are at the top left now. The properties window will be where the player window was and big enough that album covers display well there. The toolbar buttons have moved to the bottom. This should be configurable but not everything may work today.

The search will be in the upper right and always visible.

Remote control setup has moved to the main setup under tools/options. New plug-ins are available UIRT2 and the Redrat IR receivers. It makes it easy to use with a simple universal remote. Here's a little more on this:
http://www.musicex.com/mediacenter/remote.html

Only the PixOS skin will be supported in today's build. Here's a picture of it in case you aren't familiar with it:

Other skins will follow, but 9.0 skins won't work unless modified.

There will no longer be an option to operate without a skin, so if you hate skins, you won't want to download 9.1.

Hairstyle was heavily modified, so it should now work a lot better with a remote. Everything can be done with the arrow keys and enter. No tabbing between different parts of the screen. Playing Now will be available. It should also be faster.

New options for views allow better organization by date:

(Note that the out of order months will be fixed shortly.)

If you have current view schemes by date, you will need to edit them so they work again. The one above, for example, is:

Date (Year)
Date (Month)
Date (Day)

DVD burning may be included. It's not quite finished.

There are more changes. These are just the ones I can remember.

MachineHead · « **Reply #1 on:** June 06, 2003, 11:24:33 am »

Wow. You have kept the crew locked up for a while now haven't you? Looks interesting. Can't wait.

SeanC · « **Reply #2 on:** June 06, 2003, 11:26:15 am »

Yippee!

DVD burning is huge! Any plans to add DirectX audio filter support, or an Adapt-X plugin? Or library updates via Media Server?

Would sending scotch help?

gkerber · « **Reply #3 on:** June 06, 2003, 11:29:37 am »

How about some full screen shots?

And if we download and install, is there a clear cut ability to revert to 9.0?

Warlock · « **Reply #4 on:** June 06, 2003, 11:36:34 am »

Great work. It looks like you guys haven't been resting on your a.....

How will this change our existing database? If I load 9.1, can I still run 9.0 (albeit not at the same time)? Will this work with media server as well?

Matt · « **Reply #5 on:** June 06, 2003, 11:48:21 am »

9.1 features an upgraded database engine.

The database takes roughly 1/2 the memory, performs better, has much better handling of calculated fields, and uses an updated (and improved) playlist backend.

However, as a result, 9.0 can not load a 9.1 database.

It's strongly recommended that you backup your 9.0 database before trying 9.1 beta.

Thanks everyone.

Matt · « **Reply #6 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:05:24 pm »

Quote

Any plans to add DirectX audio filter support, or an Adapt-X plugin?

A beta of the DirectX DSP plugin will be included in 9.1.

Wobbley · « **Reply #7 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:14:39 pm »

Jim,

For those of us (probably all) that want to download and install the 9.1 beta when it becomes available, do you recommend that we first uninstall our current version of Media Center, and then install the new 9.1 beta version, or is it OK to just install the 9.1 beta version over our existing version?

Thanks,

Wobbley

Matt · « **Reply #8 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:15:44 pm »

Just install over the existing version. However, please backup your library first.

Wobbley · « **Reply #9 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:20:30 pm »

Matt,

You people are amazing. Not only do you respond to our MC requests with an unprecedented rapid response time, but you also quickly respond to (most of) our message board postings. Are you sure you guys are human?

Media Center is one of the greatest programs, bar none, of all time, and I am sure to let everyone know, whether they want to hear it or not. In fact, I have a buddy who uses iTunes on his Mac laptop and he is jealous of my ability to have Media Center...becuase iTunes is so highly touted and respected, I considered this to be a MAJOR compliment to Media Center...

Wobbley

DocLotus · « **Reply #10 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:29:45 pm »

They are from planet Xenio One. They only look like us so as not to scare the u-know-what out of us. But this fast turn-around can also be pretty scary

Kurt Young · « **Reply #11 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:32:18 pm »

Matt, Steve, and the rest of my favorite Media Center crew,

I've made a thread over yonder at iPodlounge so that iPodders that have taken the plunge to the 9.1 beta will have a place to collect their thoughts, remarks and so on, and not muck up the ongoing 9.0.x support discussions.

Here's a link, submitted for your viewing pleasure. (Course, I know full well that nobody listens to me, so it could be an empty thread once you get there,

)

On that note, how do you forsee the transition will go for iPod and other portable users?

Doof · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:42:16 pm »

I warned Matt that I would let their secret out of the bag unless I was included... I was shut out, so now I offer you all the TRUTH BEHIND JRiver.

They've all been cloned.

One clone codes while another plays around on Interact. Still another is out with the SO and yet another is out doing whatever the hell he wants. Then they rotate. This way, they only have to do a third of the work and the fourth is free to enjoy life.

MachineHead · « **Reply #13 on:** June 06, 2003, 12:49:39 pm »

Quote

I offer you all the TRUTH BEHIND JRiver.

They've all been cloned.

Say Doof, where's the plug-in for that? And do you have to sit on the scanner for it to work?

xen-uno · « **Reply #14 on:** June 06, 2003, 01:30:25 pm »

> planet Xenio One

...now I'm homesick. Thanks Doc

KingSparta · « **Reply #15 on:** June 06, 2003, 02:08:45 pm »

Quote

Posted by: Matt Posted on: Today at 4:15pm
Just install over the existing version. However, please backup your library first.

Not working too good here

JimH · « **Reply #16 on:** June 06, 2003, 02:18:19 pm »

Quote

Not working too good here

Are you using the PixOS skin? Take a look at the bug thread for a change you can make in the registry.

JimH · « **Reply #17 on:** June 06, 2003, 02:30:36 pm »

Never mind. A fix is on the way. Watch the thread on the build.

KingSparta · « **Reply #18 on:** June 06, 2003, 02:49:56 pm »

>> Take a look at the bug thread for a change
>> you can make in the registry.
yea, fix worked good.

new player looks really good

kind of what I was looking for since you can now adjust the play time slider better due to it being longer for finer adjustments.

'Stone Love' Charted At 10 In 1987

Listening to: 'Stone Love' from 'Everthing's Kool & The Gang (Greatest Hits & More)' by 'Kool And The Gang' on Media Center 9.1

nila · « **Reply #19 on:** June 06, 2003, 05:31:45 pm »

Just tried it.
First impressions:

New look for player looks modern and new. Like the new buttons.

The buttons down the buttom is totally oposite from the norm and so will confuse a lot of users. It also as someone else pointed out means I have tons of wasted space at the top where the old ones used to be.

Properties window on the left means I have a choice between a smaller tree navigation window or a tiny properties window. It makes changing and editing the properties a lot harder - dont find any advantage to it here and MUCH prefered it on the right where I could have it take up the full screen so I could easily edit fields. - PLEASE make it still optional to have it on the right - I hate it on the left. Nearly unusable (and this is with 1600x1200 resolution).

Search bar is too small. It's cute for doing quick searches in whatever I'm currently viewing but for doing complex searches its way too small and I just have this HUGE wasted space for the track info on the player. What would be nice is if we could click a button to make the extended one appear like it does for playlists as well as the small one. The extended one could then show all the tree search info like v9 did and we could then use the small one to enter additional search info. That way the additional info will stay there as we browse the tree and the main search bar changes.
It would make it a VERY easy and powerful way to apply a type of filter (ie we could type 2002 in the small bar and only songs from this year would appear in the display)

DVD burning sounds great but I still dont even find the CD writing to be stable - works sometimes other times it just crashes.

So many fields appearing now that creating view schemes can get confusing with such a big list - it'd be better if it was broken up into the groups and selecting each group then shows the fields inside that group.

Hairstyle is a lot better now. THANKS for the list option. Would still REALLY love to see the list be configurable so we could choose which info is displayed. Also - I'd like the same for the cover art view so we could define the info that's displayed like we can do in AV2.

Still no ability to create our own groups for the properties. This is a BIG necessity if we're to seriously start making use of the ability to create our own fields.

Since the play time slider is now so big, any possibility of having the times for the file being played super imposed on it so we could easily visually jump to say: 22mins within a 60 min film as it would maybe super impose the time over the slider at 10 minute intervals.

Always love seeing changes and you guys always think up tons of great ones and do a great job implementing them. Please just try to also remember some of the features that there have been a lot of requests for by the users.

Keep up the great work

ZRocker · « **Reply #20 on:** June 06, 2003, 06:23:43 pm »

matt said:

Quote

There will no longer be an option to operate without a skin, so if you hate skins, you won't want to download 9.1.

Well, ok...so, you mean the skinning drawing bugs in the File Properties window have been/will be fixed in 9.1 too? If not, it's hard to use File Properties for editing when MC can't even draw or redraw the rows correctly sometimes.

And, the skinning engine will be tweaked to be faster on slower PCs and not flicker so much during updates?

I've tried to use and like MEGA-ME skinning, but these flaws just drive me nutz and back to unskined mode.

escaflo · « **Reply #21 on:** June 06, 2003, 06:30:22 pm »

Just to drop by to say thanks.

This is the first software I ever bought that I feel ever truly thankful to the developer.

This software has much better support and updates than some of my other stuffs.

rocketsauce · « **Reply #22 on:** June 06, 2003, 06:33:28 pm »

Quote

There will no longer be an option to operate without a skin...

Skins eat up way too many resources for those of us with older machines. MC is significantly less responsive on my system when I have skins enabled.

Plus, I prefer my Windows programs to look like all my other Windows programs. They should obey the options that I've set in Display Properties/Appearance, rather than forcing their own. Skins is just about the first thing I turnoff when installing any new software. I hate that every program feels they have to try and look cooler than all the others.

Rob

RhinoBanga · « **Reply #23 on:** June 06, 2003, 10:42:08 pm »

Rob, I agree with you 100%.

Skins are nice but they should be an option because, as you say, I have already decided how my windows should look and feel in Control Panel.

If J River can't make it an option then I'd love to know what windows functionality they have added to 9.1 that can't be done with unskinned windows.

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #24 on:** June 07, 2003, 12:21:37 am »

WOW!!!! How do you say?... I'm stunnig with this, in my computer it runs smothly. It Look's very nice, keep with the good work guys

kwake · « **Reply #25 on:** June 07, 2003, 03:22:23 am »

Great program, thanks for delivering time and time again to the MC faithful.

Is it just me, or would anyone else make use of an A-B repeat feature? Great for guitarists/musicians who need to learn a part of a song (say the guitar solo) and find it useful to set the A-B points and have it repeat?

That was an option I used alot in CD Wizard (going way back) that I haven't seen in any MP3 playback software so far...

Cheers,
Kwake

New thread on this here: http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=MediaCenter;action=display;num=1055009170

nila · « **Reply #26 on:** June 07, 2003, 03:41:33 am »

kwake - this is an old time request, along with the ability to change the song temp and speed but so far no signs of either.
Dont really see them happening anytime soon.

NoCodeUK · « **Reply #27 on:** June 07, 2003, 03:50:45 am »

Hey Nila,

Did you see an interface change coming any time soon. I guess we can always keep praying and that might automagically appear too!!

Definitely agree that it would be better to have the large search box always available as it currently is in smartlist mode and to use the small one to fine tune a search. I tried this with a smart list and it worked great...would be fantastic throughout.

Not sure about icons at the bottom yet. If they are gonna stay here then the menus need to open above the toolbar and not on top of it as it is to easy to selct the first item. Not sure tif this is an MS toolbar bug tho in which case there isn't probably much that can be done about it..

The new skinning is lush with the backgrounds on the menus and main window...very sweet.

Still not sure about the properties windows new position. Would be ncie to have the option to dock it to the right opposite the tree again. What about an auto hide/pin option like the toolbox in VS.NET? That would be very nice especially if the tree could exhibit the same behaviour. You culd have tree auto dock to left and props auto dock to right. When playing now view was displayed you could hide the dock and props and have playing now take up the whole screen area... Just a thought!

Adam

NoCodeUK · « **Reply #28 on:** June 07, 2003, 03:56:41 am »

Just found the DX Host...absoilutely fantastic!! I am using my Acid / Cakewalk DX plugins with my audio...no offence to your equalizer plugin in any way but I am now using the Sonic Fondary 20 Band EQ plugin and my music sounds great!!

Adam

JimH · « **Reply #29 on:** June 07, 2003, 04:41:31 am »

Quote

... you mean the skinning drawing bugs in the File Properties window have been/will be fixed in 9.1 too? If not, it's hard to use File Properties for editing when MC can't even draw or redraw the rows correctly sometimes.

Z, you might need to start a new thread on that one and explain more. I've never seen it. Could it be a video driver problem?

JimH · « **Reply #30 on:** June 07, 2003, 04:46:05 am »

Quote

Just found the DX Host...absoilutely fantastic!! I am using my Acid / Cakewalk DX plugins with my audio...no offence to your equalizer plugin in any way but I am now using the Sonic Fondary 20 Band EQ plugin and my music sounds great!!

Adam

Hey Adam, maybe you could start a new thread on this and say a few words about what it means for people who aren't familiar with it.

Matt · « **Reply #31 on:** June 07, 2003, 07:10:02 am »

must use skins...

Media Center is no longer frame based -- meaning we do all the drawing of the title bar and borders. This makes it impossible to let Windows do the drawing of the main frame.

There are other skinning-only features that exist and that we'd like to do in the future. Drawing everything gives us a lot of freedom.

Keep in mind that just because we draw something instead of Windows drawing it doesn't mean it'll be slower. With a well designed architecture, it can even be faster.

So if there are bugs or slowdowns with skinning please let us know and we'll fix them.

Thanks.

(p.s. if you'd like to discuss this more, please start a new thread)

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Author Topic: 9.1 beta releases coming (Read 7365 times)

MachineHead

gkerber

MachineHead

nila

nila