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[Jean-Max]

Subject:
Cover Art sharing between different PC using J River MC

My System:
All Multimedia data are stored on one unique distant MS Home Server
1 gb wired Intranet
4 PC with J River MC 12.x

Main Question:
=> In a system like mine, what is the best choice for storing (and sharing !) Cover Arts ?

To store the Cover Art of each multimedia file (Videos and Music), we have to choose where the cover art will be stored:

Tools / Options / File Location /Cover art

First: I checked "(x) Also store the image in the file tag"
.. but, this don't allow each time to all the other PC's to immediately see the Cover art..

After, I have 3 choices :

-(Choice 1)- "In a specified folder:"
Either Local folder on local PC:
C:\Documents and Settings\(User)\Application Data\J River\Media Center 12\Cover Art\
or
... Distant folder (why not on Home server ?)

-(Choice 2)- "In the same folder as the file (as Folder.jpg)"

-(Choice 3)- "In the same folder as the file (as [Artist] - [ Album].jpg)" (my actual choice)

Question:
=> Can MC create an UNIQUE Cover Art for each Video or Music which can be shared by the different PC ?

Example:

First: ONE PC starts to create the Cover Arts (Patience, it's a long way)
Each Cover Art with its unique identification is stored in an UNIQUE folder, on the distant Home Server (where is the best folder choice ? : In the same folder as the file or in a specific distant folder ?)

After: Any other networked PC using MC can read immediately the Cover Art without any loss of time to re-create each Cover art for it's personal use (actual process if I choose local folder to store Cover Arts)


Last 2  questions :

-(A)-  For videos, I asked MC to create the Cover Art images in the same directory as the video files (on the distant Home server);
But.. I don't find them :
Are they named like  "- 25_04_2007.jpg" ?
If YES, Why not create an Cover image with the SAME name as the Video file ?

Example :  "My_story_720p.wmv" will have  "My_story_720p.jpg" as its unique Cover Art picture
So, any other networked MC PC looks for any .jpg with the SAME name as each video file
(this process is used by MS MCE2005 and MS Vista MCE)


-(B)-  when I click on 'Tag", what is the process during blinking of the small Tag window on bottom left of the standard interface ? :
Is-it the time used for storing the image inside the media file ?


Thanks for any help

Best regards !!

[mhakman]

I use MC in a configuration like yours – media files on a (read-only) network share accessed from a couple of PCs with own MC library each. I store cover art in the same directory as the files themselves and also in file tag. I use [Artist] – [Album] cover image file naming convention. Here are my observations.

1.   When MC library on a PC is up-to-date (Tools/Import Folder or Tools/Run Auto-Import Now) then the cover art for each file is displayed immediately without any delays (I’m using 54 Mbit/s wireless LAN).
2.   After a (large) number of files has been added to my network share I run Import on every PC. Right after running Import it may take same time for the cover image thumbnails to appear. After this initial update, everything appears instantaneously each time I run MC on that PC.
3.   I suppose it is possible to store unique cover image for each file in an album directory by using the above “Also store the image in file tag” option. You should end up with unique per file images but you will have only the lastly added one in your image file, I think. I never tried that because I use cover images that correspond to albums, not files.
4.   Yes, it would be nice to be able to specify name of the image file in the same way as you specify name of the media file itself, using all available properties/fields.
5.   In my main library on the network share I store files mainly in FLAC format. My primary use for cover images on separate files was because FLAC didn’t support cover images in file tag. The new version of MC and FLAC encoder/decoder support cover images in file tag and therefore separate image files are not that important as they once were.

Thanks/Mikael

[Jean-Max]

4.   Yes, it would be nice to be able to specify name of the image file in the same way as you specify name of the media file itself,

My Request to the J River MC staff : (if it's possible)

Automatically consider as the corresponding cover, the jpg file which has the same name as the Video file

ex: "My_last_holydays.jpg" would be the default cover of "My_last_holydays.mpg"
 
Why ?
All my multimedia files are stored on a Windows Home Server ("WHS")
JRiver MC is installed on 4 "Clients" PC
When I add a new video on my WHS, I use to add in the same directory, the cover in jpg format, with exactly the same name (I used to do this when I used MCE2005 because ME2005 atomatically uses this kind of Jpg as cover for the video file)
In JRiver MC, I must, for each Video file, manually choose the cover ("add cover from file"), because it's not automatic ..
more: I noted that, in most of cases, the automatic cover generation from the video file, find an non useful picture

Thanks for all

[Matt]

Jean-Max,

Good suggestion.  We'll do it.

Remind us in a week or two if it isn't on the main board already.

Thanks.

[Jean-Max]

Jean-Max,
Good suggestion.  We'll do it.
Remind us in a week or two if it isn't on the main board already.
Thanks.

Many thanks for the very fast feedback

All the best for 2008 for the J River MC staff

Best regards

[benn600]

Now you've got to tell me how you like WHS!  I ordered the demo copy and have it in hand.  Using W2K3 Server now and love it except that my RAID drive is 15% as fast as it was on Vista.

I'm probably going to wait for Vista SP1 and then revert to Vista.  Of course then I won't have Shadow Copy!  Oh great...

[Jean-Max]

Now you've got to tell me how you like WHS!  I ordered the demo copy and have it in hand.  Using W2K3 Server now and love it except that my RAID drive is 15% as fast as it was on Vista.
I'm probably going to wait for Vista SP1 and then revert to Vista.  Of course then I won't have Shadow Copy!  Oh great...

Hi, Ben600,

I used some months ago the Demo RC1 version of WHS and I was enthusiast, so I bought the OEM WHS version
For the WHS, I use an PC no very recent :
Asus PIVP800 E deluxe MB
Intel PIV 3.2C @3.2 CPU
2 g ram
An old Nvidia Graphic Card (no matter)
2 IDE HD (120g (system on first partition) and 200g)
4 SATA HD (750g, 1to, 500g, 750g)
Total WHS Data : 3To
No Raid because it's very fast and the WHS duplication system is like an mirroring Raid system
1 gb Ethernet connector on MB
1 gb switch Netgear 16 inputs
The 2 stages of the house are wired with Cat5+ Ethernet cable
The WHS (first floor) is connected on an APC UPS 1400va
3 PC with WHS connector on first floor (1 bi-boot PC XP & Vista, 2 XP PC)
1 HTPC with WHS connector on the ground floor (HT room) (Vaio laptop FZ11Z with Vista) connected to projector, HT Pre-amp.. etc.;

All my multimedia data are on the WHS (music, pictures, videos)

Each PC has the J River MC HTPC interface, to access to the WHS data

All is fine; no speed problem with the 1gb local network ( ++)

Note : Because the Vaio Laptop was 100 Mb Ethernet only, I connected it on an express card Targus dock station (ACP60) which adds Ethernet 1gb, Optical audio output etc..

From the Vista HTPC (Laptop), I access very fast to WHS multimedia data
Note: HD videos seem played in  streaming mode  (??) by J River MC through the network, because the start of playing is very fast !!

Like you, I am waiting for Vista SP1 which promise us a better speed on network access

But actually, not real problem :

I love WHS
...and I can say that for me, WHS is the PERFECT complement of J River MC !!

Best regards,

[benn600]

I have three 320GB drives that I use for the OS and other non-bigRaidDrive stuff.  I have a lot of trouble getting RAID working on the 320s and just gave up with this latest install.  So I'm running three separate drives.  I'll just list my questions/issues and hopefully can get some help on each of them.

1. I prefer RAID5 on the three main drives but I could settle for RAID1 on two drives and then I could keep the third W2K3 Server drive disconnected and ready if WHS isn't going to work--then I can just startup with the old OS.

2. But honestly, the biggest issue is my storage array.  Does WHS require that new drives be "formatted" in its way?  Can I unplug the RAID card during installation and then plug it in when finished and utilize the data?

3. How much automated stuff does WHS do?  I can see pros and cons to automated processes.  For one thing, I remap all our user folders to the server through registry files.  I'm thinking the WHS connector may not be necessary in my case and I may prefer not using it.

4. Shadow Copy?  I love this in W2K3 Server.  Addition: IT HAS IT based on: http://mswhs.com/

5. Any OS limitations I should know about?  How much power does it have compared to W2K3 Server?

[benn600]

Well, I just spent about 2 hours somewhat trying WHS and reading about it.  I cannot believe what I am reading.  I never did install it because it is certain that my RAID drive would have to be cleared off to use.  I do NOT have 6TB of free space laying around.  So I will not be trying WHS anytime soon.  Plus, it sounds like people are having loads of problems with it including corrupted data.  It looked like a potentially great choice but the requirement of clearing the drive is absolutely a deal breaker for me.  I physically have no way to clear my array and start over--though I would LIKE to if I could.  I wouldn't mind rebuilding the array once a year as it would give me a chance to basically check all the array's data as I moved it to another array and it would be an excuse to clean everything up and archive stuff.

I currently have a lot of archive DVDs and CDs plus offsite copies.  But I really need to spent a lot of time and look at what I actually have archived and what needs kept.  Then I should make duplicates where needed and develop some cataloging system.  I recently needed an archived folder and it took looking at a few discs to find the correct one--it will only get worse if I don't do something.

Of course hard drives are very easy but I know that a good backup scheme includes different storage mediums so the most important stuff is on DVD & hard drive...often with multiple DVD copies through time.

But for the time being I still do not have my server in a satisfactory state.  Yes it works fine but it does not perform as well as I know it can and would like it to.  But I do not have a solution at this point...outside of spending ten grand on a new server and I'm not prepared to do that quite yet...simply because it has to be "better" than my current one or what's the point?  For one thing I still have 1.65TB free.  I feel so full looking at the graph as it's ~75% full!  Yikes.  This Christmas brought in over 30 CDs and probably 30 DVDs.  That comes out to over 200GB...not to mention Christmas morning filming and photos everywhere, which adds another 50GB.  It can really strain the wallet (I mean NAS/server/whatever).  Oh, and visiting relatives got me hooked on a couple television shows and other movies/CDs that I ordered...so that's another hundred gigabytes or so.  Yikes!  I guess in this case, the real cost is server space.  Upgrading the server is unbelievably costly whereas my wallet can be replenished regularly--after ordering tons from Amazon, lol.

[Jean-Max]

Hi Benn600

I have carefully read your 2 posts

You definitively need to register to the specific Windows Home server forum:
http://forums.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer/default.aspx?SiteID=50
and read there some useful posts, then, write there some of your useful questions
What I know about WHS comes from this forum

It seems that you go in a wrong way :
The WHS needs, following my modest experience, to start from a new hardware unit (or try to rebuild, as me, a Server with a non used MB, GC, CPU etc..)
Then, install an HD even modest (100 Go for ex) and install on it the WHS demo OS
Then, install one or more HD for data, first on the IDE and SATA MB connectors, then, only in needed, on IDE and/or SATA PCI add-on cards

It seems to me that :
RAID mode has not to be chosen in MB Bios setup, for IDE 3 and SATA MB connectors
RAID mode has not to be chosen on IDE and/or SATA PCI add-on cards driver setup

If you Love RAID mode only by it's secure mirroring mode, you will be able to choose, inside WHS setup, the "Automatic Data duplication mode"

It's important to know that, when you add an new HD in a WHS, and if you want to add it to the global store volume, you must ask WHS to format it in a specific mode; no matter if this HD has been formatted or not before (Fat or Ntfs, or comes directly from factory)

Recently, I wanted to replace an 120 Go HD by a 1To HD; I asked first WS to disconnect the 120gb; for this, WHS transferred the 120 Go data (It was far from full) to another HD; then, the 120 Go HD was out of the global store volume; I disconnected it and I replaced it by the new one, without any formatting, and asked WHS to integrate it in the global store volume: WHS formatted it and no problem

Don't forget that, in WHS concept, there is no more VOLUME idea (C:, D:, E:, F: ..)
On my WHS which has 6 HD, I have a "System" and a "DATA" zone
The System zone is on the first partition on the boot HD, the Data zone starts from the second partition of the boot HD to the last of the 5 other HD.
You cannot know where a specific data is (on what HD ?)

If I were you, I would try to mount a new hardware unit, independent of all you have, with some unused pieces (case, MB, CPU, RAM, old GC,  old KB , old  display )
You will find an unused IDE HD for the system HD (Boot Sata HD is possible, but, before,  you must write the specific SATA driver somewhere (CD, USB key) to help WHS boot DVD, when installing OS on the SATA boot HD)

Don't throw out the WHS concept !
In my case, I had more than 1To Data on 2 Synology NAS, and it has spent some time to transfer all the data from NAS to WHS

Best regards from France

NB : I apologize for my English language, but schools days are (very) far away ..

[benn600]

I should have included a bit of background.  Right now, I have the three 320GB drives operating as the OS, backups, security camera recording, shadow copy, etc.  My main data store is on a Promise Supertrak EX16350 and is in hardware RAID6 mode with 16 * 500GB drives for total storage space of 7TB.  I'm up to 4.72TB space used.  The problem is that I don't have a spot to temporarily put all that data!  Yes, I have over 1TB of backup space but *most* beyond what is backed up is I can restore.  The vast majority is DVD rips and I have all the DVDs very accessible.  I just don't want to re-rip them because it easily takes several solid weeks of ripping.

I have thought about setting up a separate computer.  That would be easy.  I have a spare system I could try right now.

But can you run regular applications on it?  Or do they have to be made specifically for WHS?  For example: I run MC on my server now.  Not to mention Apache, hMailServer, and about 10 other server applications.  Can you install regular software like you do on XP or whatever?

[benn600]

Okay, now I have my own experience.  Please head to the other hardware category where I started a WHS thread.  I will explain my experiences there, which are so far very positive!

[Matt]

In build 404 and later:
Changed: Cover Art > Quick Find in File / Cover Art Directory now works for video files.
Changed: During import of video files, cover art quick find is used just like it is for audio.

[benn600]

I didn't know that wasn't working before because I used it to quick find cover art all the time.