After going through the forums for a while, using MC9, and setting it up for friends, I've had some thoughts on general usability and configuration.
Basically, out of the box MC9 does the basics well, but not markedly better than WMP9. Getting the most out of MC9 requires quite a lot of invested effort and learning. The major tasks seem to be:
- Building and cataloging a music library (this is not MC9's fault really, but it is where most of the effort goes)
- Configuring MC9 preferences (eg. ripping, default file locations, iPod sync, etc.)
- Configuring MC9 library (eg. creating Smartlists, playlists, defining view schemes, sorting, column views, etc.)
- Integration with other software (eg. Girder, myHTPC, DVD playback codecs, DSP plugins)
- Integration with hardware (eg. audio cards, video displays)
Existing documentation or help files doesn't quite give enough info. The forums can be quite helpful, but it's too much to expect users to do too much digging.
My proposal:
1) Define a small set of reference configurations, using specific hardware for audio & video, remote control, operating system, eg:
- Home Theater: Big screen TV interface, 5.1 audio card, Girder remote
- Entertainment PC: Largish monitor, 2.1 audio card, controlled with keyboard & mouse, iPod sync
- Entertainment server: Sits in a closet, streams audio and video using Media Server to multiple zones and/or devices.
- Multi-use PC: Small monitor, built-in audio, controlled with keyboard & mouse, iPod sync
Then for each of the reference configs, have a way for the setup program to configure MC9 completely for that config. This would include things like installing and configuring Girder (including already learned commands for common remotes!), configuring integration with myHTPC, setting up a standard set of Smartlists for the tasks (such as iPod support), etc.
(Incidentally, Microsoft's Media Center specifies such reference configurations, which is why you can only get it bundled with a PC - and why it works very well out of the box)
At the very least, there should be step-by-step setup guides for each configuration. The current help files do a good job of explaining the configuration options in detail, but they don't really explain *why* you would choose them.
The *detailed* explanation of integration with other HW/SW is key. A lot of people here are using things like Girder with quite sophisticated entertainment systems, but an overview of how to get there is missing. (Maybe we could have an "MC9 home theater gallery", where people submit pictures, specs & diagrams of their setup?)
The alternative is for a cottage industry of "MC9 systems integrators" to emerge, hopefully with a privileged level of support from JRiver.
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Topic: Making MC9 easier to use: reference configs, setup guides (Read 765 times)