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[TopDownDriver]

Does JRiver Android run on the nVidia Shield?
It is attached to a Windows network.  Will I have any issues with having it find the Music Library which sits on a NAS on the network?
Can the Android version share the library to a Windows PC running also on the network or remote via the Internet?

Will it output high-resolution audio over HDMI - 192k Flac?
Will it output multichannel audio over HDMI - Multichannel Flac files?

Thanks

(I'm either going to purchase an Android license and move my library to the Shield or have to invest in a small form-factor silent Windows 11 PC.)

[BradATIMA]

Yes, JRiver for Android runs on the nVidia Shield. It is capable of loading a library server, but at the moment, it cannot import from network storage. This is a planned implementation, however. It can share its library with other Media Center clients. 

As for the output over HDMI, I am not sure at this time. There hasn't been much testing on hi-res files or multichannel files.

[GreggP]

I have v30.0.57 of JRiver for Android installed on my NVIDIA Shield and it no longer works like it did with previous versions.

I can load a library from the PC that is set up as a library server ("Library loaded successfully"), but when I try to play music it sounds awful - everything is very garbled. I can only play something by choosing an artist/album directly. I can't play anything from a smartlist playlist. After briefly showing the playlist results, beginning with Play All, followed by the tracks, the screen goes gray and the text 'Audio' is displayed in the upper right corner. No sound. And if something was playing (again, garbled sounding) the audio output stops.

[JimH]

What file types?  The sound problem may be the Shield's.  I was using a Shield yesterday without problems.

[GreggP]

FLAC and mp3. They all sound bad.

Everything else running from my Shield sounds fine. All streaming apps, like Netfix, Hulu, etc., sound good. So I tried installing a similar app in functionality as JRiver - Kodi. I installed Kodi and imported a variety of files - mp3, FLAC, DSD, etc., and all played just fine. The only app that sounds bad is JRiver. In fact Kodi seems pretty nice but I doubt it can work with shared libraries like JRiver Media Center. Also, I hate giving up all of MC's advanced smart playlist capabilities because I use them a lot.

Last night I noticed an update for JRiver for Android was available so I downloaded and installed it but didn't test it until today. The new update wouldn't load my library. I decided to uninstall and try re-installing from scratch. Same problem. After choosing my library, the "Loading" progress swirl just runs. It doesn't load my library.

[JimH]

What happens if you try to play local files?

Did you try a Google search?

[GreggP]

I connected an external 14 TB drive via USB to my Shield.

JRiver for Android lists it as 'EA2CA3762CA33C87'

When I use my remote to navigate, I can get to

/storage/EA2CA3762CA33C87/Music

Inside this folder, there are lots of subfolders for artist/album, organized the same as I have it on my PC. I can navigate down to individual songs but I assume the import function can find them from the parent folder.

JRiver for Android is not importing anything.

What am I doing wrong?

[JimH]

Could you just put a few FLAC files on the Shield and test playback?

[GreggP]

Sure, how?

Like I said, I attached the external drive. JRiver sees it, and I tried to import some music files. It doesn't work.

I also copied a few FLAC files from the external drive to the Shield's internal storage folder named music. Still won't import from there. I can display the individual tracks but this app isn't letting me import individual files.

I'm clearly missing something very fundamental. What is it?

BTW, I get the message "Import files from /storage/emulated/0/Music?"

I select CONFIRM and the message 'importing...' flashes briefly on the bottom of the screen. Then it goes back to a previous navigation screen showing both Internal Storage and my external USB drive. After navigating back to the main UI and up to Audio, when I pick one of the buttons, like Artist, the message "View is Empty" flashes on my screen.

[JimH]

No idea what this problem is.  I'm just asking you to test local files.  Can't you put a couple on a USB stick?

Try a Google search on sound problems.  I found some discussion on Nvidia's forum.

[GreggP]

No idea what this problem is.  I'm just asking you to test local files.  Can't you put a couple on a USB stick?

Try a Google search on sound problems.  I found some discussion on Nvidia's forum.

And I'm just asking how. No, I can't simply plug in a USB stick. My USB port is taken up by the external 14 TB drive which is mounted and working to record TV shows from my HDHomerun.

JRiver won't even import a file I copied from the external drive to the internal storage. It sees those files, it just won't import them. Kodi sees all these files and plays them just fine. Other than JRiver for Android, my NVIDIA Shield is working great. So I'm not sure why you assume this problem is my Shield. Basic troubleshooting points to JRiver for Android not working properly. Please explain why my reasoning is faulty?

BTW, I can navigate my Shield's storage by connecting over my network because I have enabled 'Transfer files over local network'. So from my laptop, I can use Windows Explorer to manipulate all of the files.

[JimH]

I'm sorry but I don't know what the problem is.  I'm just trying to narrow down the possibilities.  Is it a problem associated with reading the drive or with playback or ... ?

You said it worked before.  What changed?

Importing 14TB of files would take a while.

[JimH]

BTW, I can navigate my Shield's storage by connecting over my network because I have enabled 'Transfer files over local network'. So from my laptop, I can use Windows Explorer to manipulate all of the files.

Do they play on Windows?  What happens if you play them from there to the Shield, using DLNA?

[GreggP]

I'm sorry but I don't know what the problem is.  I'm just trying to narrow down the possibilities.  Is it a problem associated with reading the drive or with playback or ... ?

You said it worked before.  What changed?

Importing 14TB of files would take a while.

What changed? I don't know. I'm guessing it was an update to the app. It was working fine about a week ago. Normally, I have to load the external library that's running on my PC. That takes a little while but when it's finished, I was able to play everything from that (main) library. Now it doesn't. It won't load libraries or import audio files. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling several times. Still won't work.

No, I can read the drive with other apps like Kodi or the HDHomerun player (which reads and writes recordings to this external drive).

It's a 14 TB drive. I'm not importing that much. From my laptop, using Windows Explorer, I copied a couple of album folders over the network to my Shield.

Anyhow, thanks for responding.

[GreggP]

Do they play on Windows?  What happens if you play them from there to the Shield, using DLNA?

Using Windows Explorer on my laptop with \\Shield open, I can play any of the audio files over the network with MC or Windows Media Player.

[JimH]

Did you try power cycling everything?

[GreggP]

Did you try power cycling everything?

Yes. Again, all other apps work fine on my Shield. Power cycling, uninstalling, etc., of JRiver for Android doesn't help.

[GreggP]

I also installed MO 4Media on my nVidia Shield a couple days ago. I couldn't get it to connect to my server so I left a question on the 'remotes' forum.

Bob responded: On the server in MC's Network settings, click on the key and do "test connection to this server"

I got the message that included "The Library Server is not reachable from the Internet, but you can still use it within your local network."

He followed up with: Ok now try this from a browser inside of your network. https://jriver.com/webgizmo.html

The webgizmo connected and I was able to play music using Chrome on my iPad. I then tested MO 4Media again on my Shield and it also worked. The UI is not super intuitive but it seems okay. Music plays and it sounds fine.

I tried JRiver for Android and it's still not loading my libary.

[BradATIMA]

I tried JRiver for Android and it's still not loading my libary.

Do you get a message saying it failed or just an endless loading screen?

You can also try clearing the storage data for JRiver for Android from the system settings. Just find Apps, then find JRiver for Android in the list, and clear the app data. Sometimes an uninstall and reinstall won't clean this out.

[GreggP]

Do you get a message saying it failed or just an endless loading screen?

You can also try clearing the storage data for JRiver for Android from the system settings. Just find Apps, then find JRiver for Android in the list, and clear the app data. Sometimes an uninstall and reinstall won't clean this out.

Just endless loading. I'll try clearing the app data next.

update: cleared the app data and tried connecting to my library again. And still, just endless loading...

[JimH]

I had a weird problem trying to import files from a USB stick on a Shield today.  I had to go to the Shield settings for Storage and tell it to read the media files.  Then import worked.

[BradATIMA]

I had a weird problem trying to import files from a USB stick on a Shield today.  I had to go to the Shield settings for Storage and tell it to read the media files.  Then import worked.

I ran into this as well with an external hard drive connected to the Shield. I believe this is a quirk of newer Android versions because Android will only allow the app to import files the OS recognizes as media files.

[BradATIMA]

Just endless loading. I'll try clearing the app data next.

update: cleared the app data and tried connecting to my library again. And still, just endless loading...

Would you be willing to make a library backup and e-mail it to brad at jriver so I can test it out? This is a problem I've seen before, but usually if I back out and try again, it will load the next time.

[GreggP]

I ran into this as well with an external hard drive connected to the Shield. I believe this is a quirk of newer Android versions because Android will only allow the app to import files the OS recognizes as media files.

I tested Kodi on my Shield and it has no problem importing all of my music and videos from the externally connected hard drive.

[GreggP]

Would you be willing to make a library backup and e-mail it to brad at jriver so I can test it out? This is a problem I've seen before, but usually if I back out and try again, it will load the next time.

Will do.

Thanks, Brad

[BradATIMA]

Will do.

Thanks, Brad

I've been doing some testing with the library backup you provided, but so far, nothing unusual has happened. In fact, I was able to load it with JRiver for Android on Android TV without a problem.

I do have a couple of questions.

Is the Shield connected via WiFi or Ethernet?

Do you have plenty of free storage space on the Shield? After loading the library, I noticed that it's taking up 800MB of space, which has me wondering if the system is blocking it because of space limitation considering the Shields don't have much storage space to begin with.

Also, regarding importing, did you try what Jim had mentioned and going into the notification, selecting the connected external hard drive and enabling 'Scan for media automatically' and then trying to import from it?

[GreggP]

I've been doing some testing with the library backup you provided, but so far, nothing unusual has happened. In fact, I was able to load it with JRiver for Android on Android TV without a problem.

I do have a couple of questions.

Is the Shield connected via WiFi or Ethernet?

Ethernet

Do you have plenty of free storage space on the Shield? After loading the library, I noticed that it's taking up 800MB of space, which has me wondering if the system is blocking it because of space limitation considering the Shields don't have much storage space to begin with.

Internal shared storage is 12 GB, and I have 7.4 GB available.
For more apps, I have a 64 GB thumb drive attached and it has 57 GB available.
The 14 TB external drive has 5 TB available.

Also, regarding importing, did you try what Jim had mentioned and going into the notification, selecting the connected external hard drive and enabling 'Scan for media automatically' and then trying to import from it?

Go into notification? Not sure what you mean there but in the Shield settings, the storage section has "Scan for media automatically" and yes, it was/is enabled. As for app permissions, JRiver for Android is allowed to access files and media.

I copied a lot of music files over my network to the 14 TB drive attached to my Shield. When I try to import media from it with JRiver for Android, this is what happens:
1. Navigate to Tools and over to Import and select.
2. Two options are listed, the first folder is Internal Storage, and the second is my 14 TB external drive.
3. navigate down to the external drive and using the remote hit the ring at 3 o'clock to get into the drive
4. navigate down to the Music folder and hit the ring's 3 o'clock to go into that folder
5. navigate down to an artist folder (XTC) and hit the ring's 3 o'clock to get list of albums
6. navigate to the desired album, in my case 'Apple Venus, Pt. 1' and pick the center button to select the album
7. the message "import file from /storage/thelongdrivecode/Music/XTC/'Apple Venus, Pt. 1'? and pick CONFIRM
8. an importing message appears briefly at the bottom of the screen and the import/CANCEL/CONFIRM message stays on the screen. I wait because I don't know if this means it's importing or not. At this time I cannot navigate around the screen with my remote. Eventually, the message goes away and the previous artist folder (XTC) is highlighted. I can back up to the main screen, navigate to Audio and over to Artist. Selecting Artist results in the message "View is empty."

[JimH]

Shield Home screen > Settings > Device Preferences > Storage > Scan for media automatically.

It's an odd setting in an obscure place, but I had a lot of trouble until I turned it on.  Then everything imported without issue.

[GreggP]

Shield Home screen > Settings > Device Preferences > Storage > Scan for media automatically.

It's an odd setting in an obscure place, but I had a lot of trouble until I turned it on.  Then everything imported without issue.

Yes, that's the setting I described above. I've always had it enabled. You have to for several apps to work, like the HDHomerun app for viewing and recording TV.

[BradATIMA]

7. the message "import file from /storage/thelongdrivecode/Music/XTC/'Apple Venus, Pt. 1'? and pick CONFIRM
8. an importing message appears briefly at the bottom of the screen and the import/CANCEL/CONFIRM message stays on the screen. I wait because I don't know if this means it's importing or not. At this time I cannot navigate around the screen with my remote. Eventually, the message goes away and the previous artist folder (XTC) is highlighted. I can back up to the main screen, navigate to Audio and over to Artist. Selecting Artist results in the message "View is empty."

That's unusual behavior. After I select confirm, the message box is gone and the import activity closes and returns to the app home screen.

Can you confirm the version of JRiver for Android you're running from the About button? I see you mentioned the version earlier, but I'm not sure why you would be seeing this behavior. Is your Shield up-to-date and running Android 11?

In the import activity, if you browse into the album folder, do you see media files in the list? What types of files are they?

[GreggP]

That's unusual behavior. After I select confirm, the message box is gone and the import activity closes and returns to the app home screen.

Can you confirm the version of JRiver for Android you're running from the About button? I see you mentioned the version earlier, but I'm not sure why you would be seeing this behavior.

JRiver for Android version 30.0.60 64-bit

Is your Shield up-to-date and running Android 11?

In settings under About:
Model: SHIELD Android TV
Model Number: P2897
Version: 11

also,
SHIELD Android TV SW Version: 9.1.1(33.2.0.157) note: the check for upgrade routine says "Your system is up to date"

In the import activity, if you browse into the album folder, do you see media files in the list? What types of files are they?

Yes, I see media files in the list if I navigate into the album folders. My media is organized - \Music\AlbumArtist\Album\Tracks

most of my music files are FLAC files but I also have some mp3s. I haven't tried importing anything else, even though I have lots of ripped movies in mkv file format.
BTW, when I navigate JRiver for Android's import into my \Movies folder (\Movies\Title\mediafiles) it doesn't show any of the file extensions in these folders. It does show the file extensions (for example, 01-Available Light.flac) in the \Music folder.

Also note that I have no problems importing any of my media files into Kodi.

[JimH]

Settings > Apps > JRiver > Permissions > Files and Media > Allow

[BradATIMA]

That would have been my next suggestion. Make sure you have the permissions we require enabled, otherwise you won't be able to import or play anything.

If you go to Load Library and 'Select a Library' does it show the Main Library as loaded (with the blue icon in front of it)?

BTW, when I navigate JRiver for Android's import into my \Movies folder (\Movies\Title\mediafiles) it doesn't show any of the file extensions in these folders.

Does this mean it shows files with no extensions or just folders and no files at all? I ask because if you don't see files in the list, Android doesn't think the app has permission to view them.

[GreggP]

Settings > Apps > JRiver > Files and Media > Allow

on my Shield, it is-
Settings > Apps > JRiver for Android > Permissions > Files and Media > Allow

This is how it has been set during this troubleshooting. I checked it long ago to make sure this was so. Below this setting, there's a setting called "Remove permissions if app isn't used". By default, this was enabled. I'll try disabling it. The description below this setting says "To protect your data, permissions for this app will be removed if the app is unused for a few months." Note, I don't think I've ever gone a few months not using this app.

UPDATE 2/1023: My media has been imported. The only setting that's changed is the one described above - "Remove permissions if app isn't used," which I disabled. Also, I first noticed the import only pulled in a few folders last night. Today, I don't know if it imported everything but it looks like it imported a lot more. JRiver for Android still won't load a library off the network. Again, this is something it was always able to do.

[GreggP]

That would have been my next suggestion. Make sure you have the permissions we require enabled, otherwise you won't be able to import or play anything.

If you go to Load Library and 'Select a Library' does it show the Main Library as loaded (with the blue icon in front of it)?

It shows the Main Library as loaded.

Does this mean it shows files with no extensions or just folders and no files at all? I ask because if you don't see files in the list, Android doesn't think the app has permission to view them.

My mistake. It shows the whole filename.ext. The movies I looked at while troubleshooting had long filenames, so the end portions were truncated and I couldn't see the extensions.

[JimH]

Corrected above.

[GreggP]

Now that I've been able to import media with JRiver for Android, can I create playlists with this app?

When I go to the Playlist feature, it highlights the word Playlists but there aren't any boxes to choose from.

Also, does JRiver Media Center generate an XML or txt file for playlists? If it does, I could copy the smart playlists from my PC to the Shield. I know you can Import/Export playlist txt files, but it doesn't look like there's a way to import these playlists in the JRiver for Android version.

[BradATIMA]

Now that I've been able to import media with JRiver for Android, can I create playlists with this app?

When I go to the Playlist feature, it highlights the word Playlists but there aren't any boxes to choose from.

Also, does JRiver Media Center generate an XML or txt file for playlists? If it does, I could copy the smart playlists from my PC to the Shield. I know you can Import/Export playlist txt files, but it doesn't look like there's a way to import these playlists in the JRiver for Android version.

Unfortunately, there isn't a way to make a playlist yet. The feature will be implemented soon.

You can export smartlists from Media Center. Just right-click a smartlist, select export Playlist, and at the dialog, make sure you select JRiver Smartlist XML. You can transfer that to the device. However, I know that JRiver for Android can import and handle smartlists, but I don't remember if Android blocks them or not. You can still try. You would just import them like any other media file. Just select the folder the file is in to import from.

[GreggP]

Unfortunately, there isn't a way to make a playlist yet. The feature will be implemented soon.

You can export smartlists from Media Center. Just right-click a smartlist, select export Playlist, and at the dialog, make sure you select JRiver Smartlist XML. You can transfer that to the device. However, I know that JRiver for Android can import and handle smartlists, but I don't remember if Android blocks them or not. You can still try. You would just import them like any other media file. Just select the folder the file is in to import from.

It didn't work. But, let's see if I did this right.

1. I created a folder on the root of the 14 TB drive attached to the Shield and gave it the name "JRiver Smart Playlists."
2. I right clicked on one of my smartlists and picked 'Export Playlist...'
3. I checked the radiobox 'JRiver Smartlist XML' under the format section.
4. I saved the file, which has the extension 'jsxml' to my desktop and copied it to the folder on the drive attached to my Shield.
5. In JRiver for Android, I tried to import the playlist by choosing the folder where I copied the jsxml file. When i try to navigate into the folder by clicking 3 o'clock on my remote's ring, it says 'Folder is empty'. I followed your instructions and chose just the folder to import.

[BradATIMA]

5. In JRiver for Android, I tried to import the playlist by choosing the folder where I copied the jsxml file. When i try to navigate into the folder by clicking 3 o'clock on my remote's ring, it says 'Folder is empty'. I followed your instructions and chose just the folder to import.

I thought that might happen with smartlists. It's a problem with Android 11+ and file permissions. We've been trying to figure out a solution for a while. The main problem is read-only permission only seems to apply to media files. Because the OS doesn't know what a jsxml file is, it seems to have restricted permissions.

[GreggP]

Since JRiver for Android can't handle smartplaylists for imported media, I'd still like to load a library from my Media Server. This is something I was able to do in the past.

Is everyone else able to do this?

If not, has any progress been made to fix this?

[BradATIMA]

Even with the library backup you sent me, I was able to load the library, so I'm not sure why you're seeing an endless loading screen. It's something I see once in a while, but not every time. Usually, backing out of the load library activity and trying again resolves it.

What version of Media Center is the library server you're trying to load running, and what OS?

[GreggP]

Even with the library backup you sent me, I was able to load the library, so I'm not sure why you're seeing an endless loading screen. It's something I see once in a while, but not every time. Usually, backing out of the load library activity and trying again resolves it.

What version of Media Center is the library server you're trying to load running, and what OS?

It's pretty frustrating because up until a few weeks ago my library loaded every time. It took a while, maybe 30 to 45 seconds, but it loaded. I haven't deliberately changed anything with my system since it worked but who knows what automatic updates on my laptop or Shield have been installed.

I'm running Media Center v29.0.87 (64-bit) on my Windows 11 Pro v22H2 laptop. This laptop and my Shield are both connected to my router with CAT6 ethernet cables.

As I said, I haven't changed any settings or installed any updates that might cause this, but are there any network settings I should check? To try to troubleshoot this problem, I installed the remote app MO 4Media to see if it had a similar problem with loading my library. It didn't. My library loads pretty quickly with this app. However, I've tried playing from a 1,000-song smartlist and it usually stops after about 6 or 8 songs. Sometimes it appears to have disconnected from my library but it reconnects quickly when I hit the play button again.

[JimH]

On the server, try the Media Network test in options to see if it's accessible.

[GreggP]

On the server, try the Media Network test in options to see if it's accessible.

I've checked this before and it's been okay but still won't load my library. However, I just tested and this is the message:

"Library Server could not be registered with JRiver. You need a connection to the internet and it cannot block outgoing http connections from Media Center."

Then I tried again and the result shows it is working fine. It says, "The Library Server is not reachable from the Internet, but you can still use it from within your local network." Since everything I'm trying to do is from within my local network, this should be fine.

[BradATIMA]

I believe you were talking to Bob about this briefly in the past. Did you look at any firewall settings? Could you try disabling the firewall on the laptop to test? Also, I might have forgotten if we've gone over this or missed it, but does the server require authentication?

[GreggP]

I believe you were talking to Bob about this briefly in the past. Did you look at any firewall settings? Could you try disabling the firewall on the laptop to test? Also, I might have forgotten if we've gone over this or missed it, but does the server require authentication?

I'm running the default Windows 11 Pro Security (Defender) and I disabled the firewall. It still won't load my library.

No, I do not have Authentication enabled (checked). I also disabled the Read-only Authentication.

[Facel]

My 2cts ...

I also have an Nvidia Shield (pro version) ... with JRiver for Android (very last version)

I can play from my Windows media serveur hosting the audio file being the library server... (I do not authorise JRiver to access my media)

The main problem is that the sound is not good at all. The Shield is connected via USB to my DAC
It's night and day compare to my RPI4 running JRiver connected via USB to the same DAC

The sound via the Shield is very very much lower and less detailed than via the RPI4

[GreggP]

Still not working. I was hoping that the latest version of JRiver for Android would fix things and let me load my library. Actually, it's even worse. The main default library with media files stored on my Shield doesn't work either. When I navigate to any artist, album, etc., it just says it's empty. I tried importing my media and that doesn't work either. It doesn't look like anything imports.

[BradATIMA]

Still not working. I was hoping that the latest version of JRiver for Android would fix things and let me load my library. Actually, it's even worse. The main default library with media files stored on my Shield doesn't work either. When I navigate to any artist, album, etc., it just says it's empty. I tried importing my media and that doesn't work either. It doesn't look like anything imports.

When you try to load a library, is it still an endless loading message? You can try backing out, clear the app data from the device settings and try again. Otherwise, I am still stumped. It's very rare that I run into this issue and I can't reproduce it reliably on the Shield.

When you import, you might need to give it some time to analyze the media. You could try putting the app in the background and coming back to it so it forces the home screen to reload. Android 11 and later can cause some issues with file permissions. Generally, media files have more relaxed restrictions, but if Android hasn't identified files as media files, they might have more restrictive permissions.