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Author Topic: Netflix Support  (Read 10432 times)

MikeO

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Netflix Support
« on: January 05, 2020, 11:28:25 pm »

All the search of the forum came up with was ages old , V14 etc so ...

Is it possible to stream Netflix via MC to a video renderer?

I have a RPi which could be re imaged as an ID with the id version of MC . Is it possible.

I saw some reference to Theatre view Connect but can't find any more
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mattkhan

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2020, 02:48:52 am »

No, Netflix closed their API some years ago.
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MikeO

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2020, 07:10:03 am »

Thanks , I need a smarter tv then 🤫
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tij

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2020, 08:47:33 am »

netflix provide api to their cherry picked partners ... so hulu, smartTV, appleTV, NVidia Shield etc gets apps for accessing Netflix

Windows 10 also has app for Netflix ... you can pass audio from that app theough MC using WDM ... but not video
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JimH

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2020, 11:18:13 am »

I have a RPi which could be re imaged as an ID with the id version of MC . Is it possible.
I don't think a Raspberry Pi will be very satisfactory if you're aiming for high quality video.

An NVIDIA Shield is a nice solution for Netflix.
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blgentry

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2020, 05:17:40 pm »

MC, while a really neat platform, is not a Set Top Box.  It doesn't support the kind of streaming interaction that you might expect from a general purpose Set Top Box.

So for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc, you really want an STB.  AppleTV is quite good.  Friends of mine really like their Roku boxes.  My NVidia Shield is nice, but it's clunky compared to the AppleTV.

Brian.
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dtc

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2020, 05:29:32 pm »

Comcast now provides direct access to Netflix and Prime Video, as well as Amazon Music and Pandora and many minor apps through their set top boxes. It is not as comprehensive as Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, etc. but it is nice to have them available right through the same interface as normal TV.
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michael123

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2020, 02:32:19 am »

I don't think a Raspberry Pi will be very satisfactory if you're aiming for high quality video.

An NVIDIA Shield is a nice solution for Netflix.

It is indeed nice, but then why do we need JRiver?
And it also has Spotify

Most of my audio/video content today is consumed via either Netflix or Spotify
Many my friends switched few years ago to Roon/Tidal bundle, some are using JRiver as output engine with Dirac as VST for Room Correction.

Is this the future you see with JRiver?

I have a lot of offline music I sometimes listen to, but to discover new one I use Spotify. I use Spotify few hours a week in the gym, I use Spotify in the car. It knows well my taste and I like the playlist it builds for me.

I like JRiver, like its sound engine and flexibility, but when I will stop to maintain my offline storage, JRiver will be gone.

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tij

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2020, 06:17:40 am »

MC has two things for me ...

1. manage my personal collection of music and video.  Why not Spotify or Netflix? ... cause CDs and Blu-rays is best quality media you can get plus I like to own things ... while one can say quality doesn’t matter much when you are on the move (and I agree with that ... no point in watching UHD BD on iPhone) ... it matters for critical viewing and listening

2. has high quality playback engine for both video and audio. MadVR HDR tone mapping is way better than tone mapping in my LG E6 (LG tone mapping introduced hue/color shifts :/ )

It’s a hobby and surely not for everyone ... but it suits my need, which I doubt will change

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S. Pupp

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2020, 07:24:18 am »

It is indeed nice, but then why do we need JRiver?

There is a way to turn JRiver into a set top box.
In JRiver theater view, add a link to TVAppLauncher as an external program.
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,111645.0.html
It worked great for me in early versions of MC 25, but started hanging in later versions.

That said, do not see JRiver solely as a replacement for a set top box.  It is far more useful to me than that.
I use it as follows:

1)  In Theater View for its Digital Video Recorder and live OTA TV abilities, and ability to play back a dozen terabytes worth of converted VHS tapes from 1980's to 2000's, video previously recorded from Hauppauge USB PVR in 2000's - 2010, and from WMC 2010 to 2019, and DVD and CD collection, and converted cassette tapes and records.  My bookshelves are now completely free of VHS tapes, CD's, cassettes, and records.  They now hold books.

2)  In Theater View for its ability to play back music including multi-channel SACD without having to have a separate device.

3)  I use it to stream to my phone, which no longer has to have its storage taken up with video files, music files, or photos - all of which are streamed by JRiver.

4)  As a replacement for multiple electronic components.
My equipment cabinet now has two items:  Home Theater PC, and a multi-channel receiver.
Previously, it had:
 - Digital cable box
 - SVHS VCR - NTSC
 - VHS VCR - Multisystem
 - DVD-A/SACD player
 - LD player
 - Receiver
 - Cassette deck
 - Turntable
 - Phono preamp

I do not pay for cable, but rather use an antenna for OTA TV; JRiver paid for itself in less than a month.
For streaming from online services from a PC, PlayOn is one option.  You lose remote control, though.
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MikeO

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2020, 07:58:39 am »

I considered NVIDIA Shield but I got the impression it didn't support DLNA so I would not be able to use it to stream my local file

I'm using a MyGica 1960 at the moment but its a bit clunky so I was looking for an alternative to cover local and internet content
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michael123

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2020, 11:22:06 am »

There is a way to turn JRiver into a set top box.
In JRiver theater view, add a link to TVAppLauncher as an external program.
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,111645.0.html
It worked great for me in early versions of MC 25, but started hanging in later versions.

That said, do not see JRiver solely as a replacement for a set top box.  It is far more useful to me than that.
I use it as follows:

1)  In Theater View for its Digital Video Recorder and live OTA TV abilities, and ability to play back a dozen terabytes worth of converted VHS tapes from 1980's to 2000's, video previously recorded from Hauppauge USB PVR in 2000's - 2010, and from WMC 2010 to 2019, and DVD and CD collection, and converted cassette tapes and records.  My bookshelves are now completely free of VHS tapes, CD's, cassettes, and records.  They now hold books.

2)  In Theater View for its ability to play back music including multi-channel SACD without having to have a separate device.

3)  I use it to stream to my phone, which no longer has to have its storage taken up with video files, music files, or photos - all of which are streamed by JRiver.

4)  As a replacement for multiple electronic components.
My equipment cabinet now has two items:  Home Theater PC, and a multi-channel receiver.
Previously, it had:
 - Digital cable box
 - SVHS VCR - NTSC
 - VHS VCR - Multisystem
 - DVD-A/SACD player
 - LD player
 - Receiver
 - Cassette deck
 - Turntable
 - Phono preamp

I do not pay for cable, but rather use an antenna for OTA TV; JRiver paid for itself in less than a month.
For streaming from online services from a PC, PlayOn is one option.  You lose remote control, though.

It was a rhetorical question, I threw out my streamer from the living room and replaced by htpc 10 years ago, and around 6 years ago replaced SlimDevices Transporter by silent PC and put a JRiver on it.

The problem is that things change, and I don’t need to go far way - I see consumption patterns in my family. Everybody watching his personal screen, everyone is listening to his personal playlist.
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v_erich

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2020, 12:04:00 pm »

Hi,
I love JRiver, use it since v18.
But I have also a "problem" with the no streaming included.

My problem is also spotify, but more is the video a future problem for me.
It is nice to playback video files in perfect quality, my complete home theater in the cellar is only running on JRiver with an RTX2080 and 4k beamer.
But the source of files is the problem, today you have an netflix/amazon/... abo for movies, I have problems to get files legally.
Also discs are a problem (buying for onetime watching is not funny for UHD discs), including copy protection issues for ripping or playback from UHD PC drive.

So I see JRiver in the future to be not a part of my digital life anymore if there is not a change in the video section for streaming support.

BR
Erich
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Vocalpoint

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2020, 01:26:14 pm »

I have a lot of offline music I sometimes listen to, but to discover new one I use Spotify. I use Spotify few hours a week in the gym, I use Spotify in the car. It knows well my taste and I like the playlist it builds for me.

I like JRiver, like its sound engine and flexibility, but when I will stop to maintain my offline storage, JRiver will be gone.

This is a very telling statement for me.

I have tried for well over 5 years to "promote" JRiver and get the family involved - but they have moved ALL their viewing and listening habits - seemingly right under my nose. Netflix quickly lead to Prime Video which lead to Crave (here in Canada) - and before I really paid any attention - my wife and son have moved 100% lock, stock and barrel over to our Roku, Spotify etc. Adding in a new Samsung Smart TV into the mix made these services even easier to use.

Like Michael123 above - as scary as it sounds - I can feel a day is coming where I will no longer have the desire or time or need to maintain/manage a physical collection and will no doubt let JRiver go. Outside of it's current "last stand" in our media room for watching movies - JRiver sees little to no use on any of our 5 PCs except my own - as I sit and hack metadata and album art for a collection that sadly no one wants to explore - several hours a week.

Tis a sad existence but the fact is - the world is moving fast and drastically altering the entertainment landscape almost daily. Not sure where MC is going to fit into those plans if all it wants to do is cater to an ever dwindling "audiophile" minority who steadfastly fills some odd need to "maintain" a physical library. (How 90's in retrospect :)

As one of this minority - I am certainly not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Like Mike123 - I like JRiver. I still love the sound and I still love the ability to "manage" my music and movies.

But I have never been more aware that a day without any need to "manage" is coming - faster than I ever thought it would.

VP
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blgentry

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2020, 04:39:55 pm »

The problem is that things change, and I don’t need to go far way - I see consumption patterns in my family. Everybody watching his personal screen, everyone is listening to his personal playlist.

I see this as a sad thing.  Entertainment used to be a shared thing.  Sit down and watch some TV shows or a movie with family or friends.  Things have shifted so that everyone can watch (nearly) whatever they want, whenever they want.  So the social aspect of entertainment disappears.  Which is really sad.  A bunch of people sitting in a house together, all focused on their own entertainment, all alone.  No sharing of thrills or conclusions or life lessons from what they've seen.  Just isolation with others around as bystanders. 

From a quality perspective it drives me insane.  A friend of mine has 4 and 11 year olds that sit on the couch or near the living room watching their IPads all day.  There's a really, REALLY nice 65" TV in that same room that they seemingly don't care about.  IPad versus 65" TV and they choose the IPad.   Choice wins over quality.  Selfishness wins over community.  It's a lose for everyone involved.

Brian.
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blgentry

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2020, 04:50:01 pm »

Like Michael123 above - as scary as it sounds - I can feel a day is coming where I will no longer have the desire or time or need to maintain/manage a physical collection and will no doubt let JRiver go.
[...]
Not sure where MC is going to fit into those plans if all it wants to do is cater to an ever dwindling "audiophile" minority who steadfastly fills some odd need to "maintain" a physical library. (How 90's in retrospect :)

As one of this minority - I am certainly not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Like Mike123 - I like JRiver. I still love the sound and I still love the ability to "manage" my music and movies.

In reading your posts over the years, I thought you were kind of the classic MC user:  A collector and "media librarian".  There's a HUGE difference between the average media consumer (nearly everyone who owns a TV or radio or speaker) and a collector/librarian.  Collectors care about quality.  They care about curation.  They care about provenance.   Or to spell it out a bit more:  People like me (and presumably you VP) want high quality recordings, sometimes very specific versions of a recording.  We want to know exactly what that version is, and we want to be able to find it in our collection and play it any time.

MC really isn't for your average streamer.  Or even an advanced streamer, since MC doesn't really "plug in" to the streaming world very much. 

MC's core is about curation, cataloging, and the highest quality playback.  This is almost the opposite of streaming services.  Particularly when it comes to music.  Quality is right out the door with streaming.  With video quality tends to be much better, but the sound quality (of videos) isn't anywhere close to what you get from BluRay rips.

MC will probably continue to be used by people like us for a long time.  I stream LOTs of video now.  But I also maintain my own music collection (curated and cataloged).  ...and my own video collection of the highest quality rips I can get, which are mostly from BluRay.  Unfortunately, I don't currently use MC to play video as the cost of entry is way too high (for the HTPC which is required).  But I still use MC to catalog and organize my video collection, and it is quite useful for that.

If these philosophical thoughts on MC and the state of entertainment in the world are not welcome in this thread, please say so and I will stop my pontificating.

Brian
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JimH

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2020, 04:58:44 pm »

If these philosophical thoughts on MC and the state of entertainment in the world are not welcome in this thread, please say so and I will stop my pontificating.
Don't stop.  We appreciate your pontious thoughts!
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eddyshere

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2020, 06:07:00 pm »

I'm just coming back to HTPC. Did it for over 20 years now and JRiver has been in my HTPC's since ages.
I was briefly away from JRiver until full bluray menu support came finally up.

Several above mentioned threads are kind of sad but also I have to say they are a fact. I have close to 300 music concerts I care to watch all over again in best quality be it video and audio. And many other movies, animations, documentaries etc...
I still have my beloved Oppo 205 which can read iso from network but(!) i also have an Apple TV and a zidoo player some smart TV's, ipads AND a wife and a son which have drifted to netflix spotify and roon/tidal long time ago.

Quintessence of this all is that my collection is now watched or listened to only by me.

I guess that the mentioned "loneliness" which caracterizes entertainement consumption in "mediocre" quality becomes a reality ... the irony is that we are actually condemned to exactly the same behaviour as we all hold on to our collections and quality requirements because WE are pleased by it. A said - in my household - nobody really cares anymore about my "home collection" as most is found in streaming format.

For me it's still worth it as i also enjoy building and fiddling around the hardware in my HTPC but I see a shift in paradigm and even though I resent it ... it's a reality
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Vocalpoint

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #18 on: January 08, 2020, 08:42:16 pm »

In reading your posts over the years, I thought you were kind of the classic MC user:  A collector and "media librarian".  There's a HUGE difference between the average media consumer (nearly everyone who owns a TV or radio or speaker) and a collector/librarian.  Collectors care about quality.  They care about curation.  They care about provenance.   Or to spell it out a bit more:  People like me (and presumably you VP) want high quality recordings, sometimes very specific versions of a recording.  We want to know exactly what that version is, and we want to be able to find it in our collection and play it any time.

Brian

You are bang on. I am the curator and collector and purveyor of quality. I have a very large collection of music and movies and love being the "librarian". But I do have to admit - as much as that is a passion - it's also a sad position when as eddysphere said "It is only ever listened to or watched by me". There is little joy in all this minutia if no one else is really interested.

I think back to the days when all I had was my little green plastic milk case with 38 albums in it. I think I got more pleasure out of those 38 records at the time because they were just there to be listened to. There was no need to ponder endless choices or no need to curate. No need to track down a better mastering - just pick a record out of the box and rock on. I think I yearn for the simplicity of those times and I think my wife and son are doing it right. Fire up the Roku - pick something and enjoy it. No wondering about it.

Not really sure why I am having a "what's it all about moment" - maybe its the start of a new year etc etc. But this concept of endless maintenance, curation and tracking specific recordings etc is oddly beginning to wear thin on me - just a little. Whereas listening to my wife and son go on about this TV series they found on Crave or a playlist on Spotify - it seems that they are get exactly what they are supposed to get out of their entertainment - watch a 58 minute episode of that or listen to 33 minutes of some playlist and then they move onto something else - free of having to curate anything. Free from technical issues and upgrades and antivirus exclusions - while I sit and edit metadata and hunt for album art and build out this giant physical collection that no one really cares about?

I am not ready to give up on the collection just yet - but I am wondering (now and then) if I really like this librarian gig?

VP
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timwtheov

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #19 on: January 08, 2020, 09:44:30 pm »

@Vocalpoint.

Yes, to all of it. I still tag every day partly because I like it, but man: all the time I've used doing so is staggering to contemplate. I got so fed up with my classical music collection recently that I deleted many, many terabytes of, ahem, downloaded albums accumulated over the years. Once I did, I felt great and actually started listening to the music again, not just futzing with it in MC. Of course, I immediately started collecting and now am back to tagging a lot, but at least now I've only accumulated the merest fraction of what I had.

On the other hand, stuff disappears from streaming services without warning. I remember adding a bunch of Karel Ancerl (great 50s-60s Czech conductor) albums to a few Spotify playlists a couple of years ago, but they were gone from the service within about 2 months. That's what I find irritating about streaming: you never know when stuff is going to come or go. Mainstream services like Netflix also increasingly get rid of non-company-produced content. I just listened to a Film Comment podcast the other day where the conversation veered into this territory, about how the original promise of streaming (everything available all the time) has really been largely abandoned by the large companies like Netflix, Amazon, et al. There are some alternatives if your taste is less mainstream, like The Criterion Channel or Mubi or Kanopy, or more classical music-friendly streaming services like Qobuz, but the cost adds up when you're also subscribing to HBO and Prime and Netflix and YouTubeTV, and of course everything isn't always available even there (Mubi and Criterion continually rotate content) like it is on your external hard drive, e.g., I might not want to watch those Rivette movies in January when they're available, but in July when they're not: I want 'em.

I've considered just going to Roon for music, since I'd have to tag very little at all, and JRiver for video; but I like having everything in one place, plus all the JRiver features.

Anyway, my two cents.



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MikeO

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #20 on: January 08, 2020, 11:05:59 pm »

What did I start ?

I have a large , 5000 Album collection, and a smaller video collection, but when it comes down to watching on goes Netflix

I haven’t quite got to using only Tidal but it’s close

I have often considered creating that green milk crate and trimming my library into core and non core. I am not sure I could go as far as deleting stuff but really do I need 27 full sets of Beethoven Piano Sonatas?

If I want a specific performer it’s 99% chance it’s in Tidal

My wife complains the whole system is too complex, we have a media streamer with Netflix and Tidal buttons that’s all she wants !!

I know it’s contentious but streaming is the future . It really is time MC catered for this trend. I find myself more and more in Roon because Tidal is so easy to access.

My rant over
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JimH

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2020, 02:28:40 pm »

As Mark Twain said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

Thanks for your concern.
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darky

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #22 on: January 13, 2020, 12:17:14 pm »

streaming of music can be the future, but there needs to be done a lot for movies to be of good quality.
( I use jmc for my movie collection mainly/music is a nice extra)

And I need a hobby :D  streaming services only will be boring.
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burnhamjs

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #23 on: January 13, 2020, 01:10:13 pm »

I am having a similar struggle with my video sources.  I have ripped my audio and video to the PC, as well I have a TV tuner, so I can get my ripped audio/video and over the air TV via MC25.  However, now I have a Roku as well as Smart TV's apps for Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, etc. 

Would be nice to see these streaming services integrated into Media Center, but understand this may not be practical. 

That said, I am going to try as suggested above to pass the audio from the streaming service through MC using WDM by streaming on the PC within a browser vice using the Roku or Smart TV apps.  The purpose of routing the audio through MC is to be able to use the DSP filters within MC and the video would be passed directly to the TV.


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romus

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Re: Netflix Support
« Reply #24 on: April 27, 2022, 05:20:36 am »

...That said, I am going to try as suggested above to pass the audio from the streaming service through MC using WDM by streaming on the PC within a browser vice using the Roku or Smart TV apps.  The purpose of routing the audio through MC is to be able to use the DSP filters within MC and the video would be passed directly to the TV.
I'm new to JRiver, and this is the way I seem to be setting it up - streaming on a browser, video passed on, audio through JRiver via WDM and the DSP filters. Only difference is I am passing video to an external 24" monitor not TV, that I plan to upgrade to twice the size gaming monitor (so I can use it for computer needs, and for Video (don't do gaming though), so then we sit like 6 feet from it, no more, to watch Netflix or DVD. Ripped our CDs and play audio from JRiver. DVDs collection still hard copy, some favorites we replay like James Bond series, by popping in to computer player.

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Music, DVD, etc within JRiver, Netflix, from browser.
Windows 10, HP laptop, external screen via Display port.
JRiver Media Centre WDM Driver in Windows audio.
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JRiver selects audio driver to DI (Babyface Pro).
Using EQ and VSTs in DSP Studio.
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