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[BadDog]

I will try to make this brief and include only the details that are relevant.
I have a collection of .JPG files and .BMP files I want to display in the Image Window of the Playing Now screen while playing my MP3’s.  Here is what I have found.  If I have a music playlist active and drag a playlist consisting of all my cover art into the Image window everything behaves as expected.  The music Playing Now window does not have the cover art added to the track list, they display in the Image window and all is fine.

I created a folder with .JPG image in them sent them to a Playlist called Boats.  This particular playlist only has about 63 images in it and is about 4.5MB.  I am able to drag this folder to the Images window and it plays fine in the Image Window. Right clicking and selecting Play on this Playlist works as well, goes to Image Window and not the Playlist of Playing Now.

As a test I created a Playlist called CoverArt consisting of all album cover art.  There are over 1,000 files inside this and about 54MB.  Dragging this folder to the Image Window it displays fine and does not add to the Playing Now list.  All is fine there.  Alternatively I can right click the Playlist CoverArt and say Play, goes to the image window and not the playing now list.

A second folder called Boats_1 has around 400 images in its Playlist.  When I drag this Playlist to the Image Window it adds the tracks to the Playlist of Playing Now and shows with the music tracks but does not display the images until they come up in the Playing Now playlist.

I can select them from the Playing Now window and drag them to the Image window and they will play.  

I have found a workaround.  If I tag the Images as Boats and Boats_1 then go to Images,
Year/Genre/Comment and right click the Genre Boats_1 and right click Play they go to the Images Window and not the playlist of Playing now.  

I have checked all files in the folders and they are all .JPG or BMP files.  I have tried selecting only the smaller size ones and the behavior is the same.  

Media Center 10.0.173 W2K.  Am I hitting a number of files limit?  If so why does my cover art directory play when it is larger?  I am puzzled.

[BadDog]

Forgot to mention I want to be able to add the images to the Images window without using a keyboard and only mouse commands.  The computer will be in a boat and wireless mouse is fine but a keyboard is a but bulky. I will have various other Boat_n playlist as well with other situation type pictures.  I want to be able to shuffle the images.

[JimH]

Thanks for the detailed report.  You've probably found a bug.  You're using the program in a way that few people probably have. 

We can fix it, but probably not in MC10.  The fix will be in MC11.  If you don't mind, would you try to reproduce it there?  If you do so, back up your data first.

[BadDog]

Thanks for the response.  Not sure where the bug would lie.  The huge collection of cover art plays fine with similar file sizes and numbers.  See other post about two copies of MC being open.  All I really want is a simple way to play and shuffle several thousand JPG and BMP files while listening to music. If I could open two copies one could be for Music and the other for Images.  Just toggle back and forth.  I did try the zones but this does not seem workable.  Keeps jumping back to the Image zone while in the Music zone but other times it does not.

[JimH]

Have you tried just playing music and images together?  I think it will do something close to what you want.

Start music playing.  Find images.  Play them.  Switch to full screen (can be automatic).

You'll get a slide show of images with your music in the background.

Or build a mixed playlist of both types.

[BadDog]

That is where the problem is, certain playlist of images display fine in the Image window and the larger Image Playlist seems to go to playing now.  If they are in playing now when the track advances it halts the music and plays the image then plays the next music track.  I am still playing with zone manager to see if I can get it do what I want.

If I could add a button to toggle zones I might just have what  I need as playing images in the second zone works just fine. 
More than one way to skin a cat but none are enjoyable to the the cat!

As above a second instance of MC would be dandy as well.