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Author Topic: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13  (Read 17997 times)

jmone

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Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« on: December 20, 2007, 03:52:34 pm »

While we wait to see if V400 is the last of the MC12 builds I was thinking of what new features (as apposed to bug fixes) I'd like in MC13....Here is my cut down list but what is yours?

1) Native Blu-ray & HD-DVD support (is it the year of HD yet?)  ;D
2) TheaterView Enhancements - keep them coming, the more we can do with Theater View the better for us HTPC users! (Assignable Thumbnails for TV Channels, Handheld device sync)
3) Complete PVR type functionality - solid start but it is yet no replacement for a dedicated PVR (Scheduled Recording from Theater View, EPG, control of 3rd party devices)

Thanks
Nathan


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bil1010105

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2007, 04:01:33 pm »

A streaming media server that can transcode video (all types) on the fly...
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maxxsid

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2007, 04:03:03 pm »

Ability to add custom pages to Theater View (with custom buttons doing custom commands)

2) TheaterView Enhancements
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rjm

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2007, 04:06:48 pm »

A TV program guide, specific to my cable provider, just like Windows Media Center provides, would be enough for me to start using MC for television viewing.
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Robo983

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2007, 04:31:16 pm »

I think that it would be nice to have an add on for the upgraded TV functionality in MC13 or future releases or an integration of Sage or BTV or the like. I would be willing to pay for that but I was really holding out and hoping to see Theater View improvements in MC12 w/o having to pony up more money. I am new to MC so don't know if that is how it works with versions that what we get with the last stable (400) is what we get.

Theater View Enhancements I would like to see:
- Keyboard functionality (USB/PS2) for searches and web links
- Library refresh button or a configurable menu that I could add buttons, text and assign my own commands to the buttons
- Web Media Accessable in Theater View
- Ability to download and puchase media from Theater View (maybe work something out with Amazon and others). Keyboard would probably need to work for this
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m1abrams

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2007, 04:33:04 pm »

Multi-Artist support with support for multi-tag for file formats that handle it  ;D

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Mr ChriZ

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2007, 04:39:53 pm »

I think that it would be nice to have an add on for the upgraded TV functionality in MC13 or future releases or an integration of Sage or BTV or the like. I would be willing to pay for that but I was really holding out and hoping to see Theater View improvements in MC12 w/o having to pony up more money. I am new to MC so don't know if that is how it works with versions that what we get with the last stable (400) is what we get.

Bare in mind that MC12 has been in development for around 2 years.  If you want to see how much theater view has changed,
load up MC11 on a machine!  MC12 is in a different league!

rjm

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2007, 04:43:27 pm »

Finishing touches on the world's best skin: Intention

Merry Christmas Mr. ChriZ.
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Robo983

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2007, 04:47:38 pm »

Ok, I do love Theater View. I didn't see MC11 but in the spirit of being Thankful for what I have it is great as it is and I would pay more for improvements.....oh I hope I do not have to wait two years for them...that would like be like telling my kids we are skipping Christmas every other year. :)
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mobyfrag

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2007, 05:14:42 pm »

humm,
A native implementation of What's Playing Now in Windows Live Messenger. ::)
2 audio cards support : with DJing features (Cue or Custom Looping, etc.)

:)
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StFeder

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2007, 05:16:50 pm »

Perhaps they could add DVB-S (digital satellite) support...

But even if they don't: I love this piece of software and I'll buy their new version even if they just offer a new start up webpage  ;)
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johnnyboy

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2007, 05:18:27 pm »

Alot more features and innovations with regards to photos!
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eba

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2007, 05:23:14 pm »

I know I'm not the only one to have found that tabs and split view are really great, but to have found it really frustrating to have frequently changed the wrong view.  Personally I gave up trying to use tabs altogether because I always forgot they were there and just changed my current one, losing wherever I was.  Now I use a split column view, but still frequently change the wrong view.

People have suggested locking tabs and suchlike, which would certainly help...but wouldn't really hide the fact that having one tree to control multiple views really isn't sufficient.

If I hide the tree, I get this:


This is great, and got me thinking: why couldn't everything in the tree be shown like this?
Quick mockup:


This would give a separate selector for every view, and would save space usually taken up by the tree.

The Action Window etc. would be the only problem...but this could slide out when it was needed.

StFeder

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #13 on: December 20, 2007, 06:04:30 pm »

I know I'm not the only one to have found that tabs and split view are really great, but to have found it really frustrating to have frequently changed the wrong view.  Personally I gave up trying to use tabs altogether because I always forgot they were there and just changed my current one, losing wherever I was.  Now I use a split column view, but still frequently change the wrong view.

People have suggested locking tabs and suchlike, which would certainly help...but wouldn't really hide the fact that having one tree to control multiple views really isn't sufficient.

If I hide the tree, I get this:
[...]

This is great, and got me thinking: why couldn't everything in the tree be shown like this?
Quick mockup:
[...]

This would give a separate selector for every view, and would save space usually taken up by the tree.

The Action Window etc. would be the only problem...but this could slide out when it was needed.

Wow, nice idea! I think it could be a perfect PLUS but no instead. Tree must be there at least optionally!
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benn600

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2007, 06:09:28 pm »

Funny how there is never a shortage of feature requests--no matter how far ahead of every other media program MC is!

My TOP request:
0. Store everything possible in the MC database (settings, etc.) so if I have two computers pointing to the same server database, skins, plugins, settings, etc. would all be updated from the database.  Now, the registry holds this info.  This doesn't transfer to other computers.  Look at how Firefox stores its profile--I really like their system.  Skins are even stored in the profile.  So your MC use is based on your profile and NOT the computer you're at.

My top 5 choices:
1. Some way to store tags in DVD files (xml file or whatever).
2. On the fly encoding of video (mainly DVD folders for me) over library server.
3. A partial image loader algorithm that would download just the needed resolution of images over library server and then continually download more information.  Now, I live with thumbnails only (which are fast) because opening an image can take a minute to download (large digital camera pictures are big).
4. iPhone Syncing!!!  I know...
5. Much more advanced server/client setup that would allow certain users the ability to rip CDs/DVDs/etc. and MC client would send the CD data to MC server and IT would store the data where it is configured to.  So clients would be essentially configured mainly from the server.  This applies to my #0 request.
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Quixote

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #15 on: December 20, 2007, 06:11:22 pm »

Since we are making a late Christmas list:

  • More layout configuration abilities.  The Action Window should be undockable. I would like both the display action window and lyric action window to be able to be opened at the same time and maybe also have the Burner window up too.
  • There needs to be separation in the status bar.  Right now if you make a selection you get a selection summary.  But if you edit the selection it changes into a progress summary.  These status bar functions should be separated in the status bar.  Directory Opus has the best customizable status bar in existence.
  • Move multiple folders in the "Drives & Devices" tree/view at the same time.
  • Relational databasing for fields like Artists & Album.  I really like tagging my stuff, but I spent countless hours re-entering information that is more object based than purely track based.
  • Using split views- I would like a way to lock a view pane so when you click a different view, the locked pane will never be over ridden unless unlocked
  • Search box in options pane: filters options as you type
  • Edit properties by pasting an excel spreadsheet rows "on top" of track selection- excel rows and MC track rows would need some unique identifier to use a the key.

Thanks for making 12 into a great product!
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fitbrit

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #16 on: December 20, 2007, 06:26:16 pm »

Support for a "standalone" MC HD extender; like the SageTV people have, except with MC Theatre View.  :)

At ~$200, or ~$250 with MC 13, a lot would be sold to new and existing users... a lot cheaper than a full HTPC and none of the configuring problems.
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BullishDad

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #17 on: December 20, 2007, 07:09:04 pm »

I'd love to see a companion MC version that runs on my Motorola Q9m smartphone. The phone runs with Windows Mobile 6. (Not a touchscreen).

Verizon includes 2 music interface programs on the phone.  A proprietary Verizon interface and Windows Media from Microsoft.  I use Windows Media, the Verizon version is poor in my opinion. 

It would be a dream to use MC on the phone.  Easier navigation, integrated album art, playlists and so on.  Plus, having a WM6 capable version should work on smartphones from different manufacturers.  This seems like an expanding market too.
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AoXoMoXoA

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #18 on: December 20, 2007, 07:54:00 pm »

I'd like to see a mobile version that can run from a thumbdrive (no install) and play music through Library Server. That way you can listen to all your music anywhere without needing MC installed.
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jgreen

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #19 on: December 20, 2007, 09:46:44 pm »

My list of must-haves would include:

1.  User-configurable custom data fields.  I'm talking about the ability to create your own new fields, not just the default fields in the program.

2.  Maybe a way to rate the tracks, say from 1 to 5.  Going even further, what about a star system for ratings?

3.  It would be cool if we could have playlists that populated themselves, based on pre-configured criteria.  This would be a really smart thing--we could call it a "smart list"!

4.  I'd like to see some sort of way to automatically import things.  I'm tired of having to right-click on each individual file--I've spent HOURS at that!

5.  Lastly, and I know this is asking a lot, is there any way to have multiple views in the same instance of the program?  It's hard to describe what I'm thinking of here, but what if we could split the views up, and maybe even order them in some sort of delimited fashion, kind of like manilla folders are.  What do they call those little flaps on the folders that work so well?



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benn600

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #20 on: December 20, 2007, 09:49:07 pm »

Quote
1.  User-configurable custom data fields.  I'm talking about the ability to create your own new fields, not just the default fields in the program.

Am I missing something?  Can't you do this amazingly well already?  I created several custom fields for my use!

Addition: OKAY, I read the rest.  Nevermind.
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hottuna

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #21 on: December 20, 2007, 10:25:50 pm »

JGreen has been reading too many Scientific Americans, soon he'll expect MC13 to magically copy his phonograph albums into some "black box" that he can strap onto his back so he can listen to music while hiking in the country... and what's it going to run on JG? Little tiny legs?  C'mon, let's be realistic, dude.
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benn600

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #22 on: December 20, 2007, 10:28:15 pm »

I'm predicting this will be jpgreen's post in about 15 months (approximate life of MC12) FOR Media Center 14 (ohhhhhh).

Quote
My list of must-haves would include:
1.  Copy my phonograph albums into a "black box" that I can strap onto my back so I can listen to music while hiking in the country.
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darichman

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #23 on: December 21, 2007, 12:55:11 am »

From an earlier thread: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=39943.0
I like number 7 :)

1. Video encoding. Support for major codecs, including newer mp4 standards. 'Nuff said.

2. Video Editing. MC is perfect for organising my photos, videos and music. They are all in one place and are easily found and organised. What better program to offer a "Movie Maker" mode or similar? Basic slideshows, timelines, text overlays, transitions, effects and encoding to a variety of output formats would be fantastic. Ability to then burn projects to DVD would make MC a nero killer :P

3. Online Reference Database. Kingsparta's Datamaster has come close to what I'm thinking about here. We have YADB. We have coverart lookup and submission. At the moment this is only really for audio, and at that rate, only audio CDs. The lookup isn't all that useful if I'm dealing with files already on my hard drive. What we need is something like allmusic.com's database, which contains extended data such as genre, style, mood etc. aTagger when it was around was perhaps the most useful thing I've ever used in MC.

What we really need is the ability to submit more information than standard artist, album, track, name etc and to choose which information I wish to receive from other users. Any fields we can create in MC should be available to submit and share with other users. If User X has a custom field for his classical music, I would like to see this in the lookup dialogue and add it to my library if I want. What would be ideal is a universally agreed upon standard for submission (yeah contentious I know...) Standard fields for each type of media that we agree on. Like composer, performer, conductor etc etc for classical music ~ or Series, Network, Season, Episode, Name for TV shows.

4. Streamline expressions. Expression editor is great and the applications of expressions are almost limitless. What would be great is a more user friendly interface for entering them. I'm terrible with expression language ~ have managed to write a few that are over a page long in word and it was a logistical nightmare. Something along the line of excel's "point and click" way of doing it would be ideal. If i want an IF expression, I should be able to click on IF and select the fields and enter values I want. Ability to save expressions is a must, and integration into all aspects of the program, including fields, views, renaming, filters, searches, theatre view would be great. We're almost there. Some way to share our expressions with other users would be useful and quickly expand the functionality of the program. And hey you guys could kick back and let your users code the program for you! haha

5. Document handling.
The organisational capacity of MC (at least as far as I can see) vastly exceeds that of windows... I've started using MC to organise documents and journal articles as well as eBooks. The ability to create fields and have multiple list entries is great for cross-referencing. More intimate support of documents could help MC to create useful and functional databases for research articles, personal files, projects etc.  At a minimum, would we'd be looking at text searches, preview thumbnails of major formats (office, pdfs, html etc) and reading metadata (author, etc etc).

6. Dammit I lost my tags! I can't count the number of times I've had to move my library or parts thereof to a new machine and, oh no, the metadata from my avi, mov, flac, mp4, bmp, tiff, document files is gone. Crap. I know it's stored in the database, but it's not always possible to retain that data if you're a) moving your files somewhere else b) sharing your files with a friend. It's just not practical to migrate the database in pieces just to retain tag information. If MC can't write metadata to a file, we should have the option to save it to the folder as a separate .tag file or something. Just like saving a coverart file. Each folder, if we choose, could have it's own .tag file which contains all of the field entries for the files in the folder. When the folder is imported on another machine, this data could be recovered. I know, I'm excited too.

7. Hierarchical Database. This one's my favourite, but I don't know if that's necessarily the best way of describing it... at the moment we have fields, but these fields have no relationship to each other. Fields are only linked to the file. What would be ideal would be the ability for certain fields to be linked to each other within the database. For example, bio is generally a field that we use to describe the artist. Each time I get a file from artist X, I have to manually add the bio. Again and again. We should be able to make [Bio] a tag that is linked to [Artist]. A "tag for a tag" if that makes sense. That way every new file for "The Beatles" will have the same bio tag, and this will happen automatically. I could also do this with things like [Artist Nationality] or [Artist Members] etc etc. Think about it, this would be incredibly useful... and would save incredible amounts of time. The data could still be written to the files, it just wouldn't have to be done manually each time.

Examples: For photos, we have the field [People]. My name is Chris. Imagine the possibilities if I could make a field called [Birthday]. I could tag the entry "Chris" with a birthday of "1984". I could then use this in a custom field (using expressions) to calculate my age in any given photo. Each new person can be tagged with their appropriate birthday. And best of all, this would only have to be done once, as it's the [People] tag we're referencing, not the photo. I hope this makes some sense.

Another example: [Movie] (a custom field) could be linked to [Director], [Studio], [Cast] etc etc

This could be done in the options menu under create new field dialogue. We could have the option when creating or editing a field to "Make a child of...." and select the field we want it to be linked to. Done. Then in the Tag AW, under [Artist] for example, there could be a little dropdown with the child fields underneath. Make sense?

9. A direct line to Jim's Office. This is essential. MC should be able to dial up J River HQ so that customers can impart their useful ideas and random musings at any random hour.

So.... any hugely ambitious / unrealistic / impossible ideas out there?
Where do you guys see MC going in the next few years?

Other issues for discussion: Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, PS3/XBox Support, DVD ripping and encoding, Home Theatre Solutions, MC Portable, better photo acquisition and editing, theatre view improvements
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benn600

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #24 on: December 21, 2007, 01:14:41 am »

Sorry but I feel like all of these requests are sorta "meh."  Kind of like well, I guess...  Video editing I don't ever want to see in Media Center.  There are plenty of appropriate things that could be added before video editing.  Premiere Elements provides all the video editing goodness I could ever want--and it costs twice the price of MC with ADOBE behind it.  Good grief!  I don't know if J River is big enough to embark on a project that there isn't even an open source solution for that I know of.

Document handling...don't really see much additional use here for me personally.  And lost tags?  You need to configure Media Center properly and you'll be fine...however, I think this is my favorite of your requests.  I want DVD tags stored very much.  Okay, and Video Encoding--would be amazing if I could add episode names to my television DVDs that pointed to the correct chapter...then select an episode and have MC automatically pull the DVD data (appropriate spot) and encode for transfer to my iPod Nano 3rd Generation.

So I'm interested in 1 & 6 the most.
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cosmicfx

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #25 on: December 21, 2007, 01:18:06 am »

If any possible newer versions of MC12 doesn't get to these features, I'd love to have them in MC13 ...

1 ) a)More options for when starting Image files (associated with MC) from windows. Maybe the whole MC can open with the MC fullscreen viewer, but with the viewer having 2 extra buttons for the user to choose from ...one to close MC (completely) , and the other ... "Browse with MC" (which will close the fullscreen viewer) and take you to the folder of where the image is located, but within MC.
b) when the fullcreen viewer has opened an image from windows, then to be able to go "previous" and "next" with the MC fullscreen viewer, all the inages within the folder, from which the original image was opened. ( similar to what Windows picture and fax viewer can do).

2 ) More access to basic editing commands for images from MC fullscreen view. Shortcuts icons of basic editing such rotate, crop etc. could also be put on the MC fullscreen toolbar, similar to what can be done with the MC main application bottom and top toolbar.

3 )Batch image file conversion.

4 ) Some basic and user friendly filters, eg. sepia , black & white , etc.
Filters which could also be used for batch processing. ie. change group of images to sepia ...

5 )To be able to save ALL MC setting as a backup in one file. View schemes, playlists, MC user options, skinz... the works.

6 ) More user options for users in the MC options, eg. to be able to choose wether double-clicking an image opens in "playing now" or not, ...etc.

7 )Improved image resize (batch) tool options. Adding percentage, print resolution etc...

8 ) Easier access to external programs. If a user is using external programs alot, the present right-click route to it, can become too much.
Maybe an ability for MC users to be able to customize how their right-click context menu is layed out.

9 ) stacking and version tracking ( I think there might be plans for this already) Nice! :)

10 ) a very big wish. To be able to compare images side-by-side. Up to four images, with option to be able to include information.

11 ) And shoo!, lastly ... a little more improvement to MC's own image editor. I'm definitely not looking for a high-end image editor like photoshop, but one that can have a little more strength, which could also include some of those basic filters, etc...
Or, in the meantime , for a user to be able to select his/her default editor for MC, which could replace the present MC editor, when right-clicking and selecting "edit image".

Thanks
cosmic


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benn600

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #26 on: December 21, 2007, 01:20:06 am »

Quote
5 )To be able to save ALL MC setting as a backup in one file. View schemes, playlists, MC user options, skinz... the works.

This is solved by my request to store all settings and such in the user's profile/database.  It means no more dealing with the registry.  Hey, just use an XML file inside the users's profile and mimic the registry.  This is my top request (FYI--see above).
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newsposter

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #27 on: December 21, 2007, 02:21:28 am »

better database, one with recovery/rollback (optional tools??) as well as record locking for use with multiple players.
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fermenter

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #28 on: December 21, 2007, 02:50:29 am »

free upgrade from MC12?

 ;)
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rjm

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #29 on: December 21, 2007, 03:29:11 am »

Quote
6. Dammit I lost my tags! I can't count the number of times I've had to move my library or parts thereof to a new machine and, oh no, the metadata from my avi, mov, flac, mp4, bmp, tiff, document files is gone. Crap. I know it's stored in the database, but it's not always possible to retain that data if you're a) moving your files somewhere else b) sharing your files with a friend. It's just not practical to migrate the database in pieces just to retain tag information. If MC can't write metadata to a file, we should have the option to save it to the folder as a separate .tag file or something. Just like saving a coverart file. Each folder, if we choose, could have it's own .tag file which contains all of the field entries for the files in the folder. When the folder is imported on another machine, this data could be recovered. I know, I'm excited too.

This must be a priority for MC13. As our media libraries grow in size and complexity, features for keeping our databases secure and portable must keep pace.
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sherbs

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #30 on: December 21, 2007, 04:10:46 am »

Document thumbnails
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ThoBar

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #31 on: December 21, 2007, 07:19:38 am »

From an earlier thread: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=39943.0
I like number 7 :)

7. Hierarchical Database.

Other issues for discussion: Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, PS3/XBox Support, DVD ripping and encoding, Home Theatre Solutions, MC Portable, better photo acquisition and editing, theatre view improvements

Big, noisy votes for these ones.

Gotta say though, I'm not a huge fan of the idea of turning MC into an all-round editing tool as seems to be oft-suggested. I want to use it for managing and enjoying my media, not for editing it. It's difficult enough trying to find a product that can effectively manage huge libraries in an efficient manner, has multiple useful interface modes, and has the ability to interface with other devices and software. I think if MC can manage to keep up with, and ahead of, the competition in these facets, then they have a winning product right there.
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Doof

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #32 on: December 21, 2007, 07:42:18 am »

Sorry but I feel like all of these requests are sorta "meh." 

Funny, I said the same thing about your list.
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imugli

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #33 on: December 21, 2007, 08:19:29 am »

I would personally love to see 2 things...

Proper PVR functionality

Native interaction with DVDProfiler etc. I've ripped my DVDs to HDD and would love to be able to view the info that Profiler stores when choosing a movie in Theater View. I've got the covers to them all (god love IMDB) but sometimes when guests are over they'd like to see what a movie is about...

DVD Lobby provides interraction, but who wants to spend that sort of moola for a half basic system when MC is so close to perfect...

JimH

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #34 on: December 21, 2007, 08:32:31 am »

I would personally love to see 2 things...

Proper PVR functionality

Native interaction with DVDProfiler etc. I've ripped my DVDs to HDD and would love to be able to view the info that Profiler stores when choosing a movie in Theater View. I've got the covers to them all (god love IMDB) but sometimes when guests are over they'd like to see what a movie is about...

DVD Lobby provides interraction, but who wants to spend that sort of moola for a half basic system when MC is so close to perfect...
Could you start a new thread and provide more details?
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glynor

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #35 on: December 21, 2007, 08:41:07 am »

9. A direct line to Jim's Office. This is essential. MC should be able to dial up J River HQ so that customers can impart their useful ideas and random musings at any random hour.

Why stop there?  Let's start a campaign!

Home number!  Home number! Home number!   ;)  ;D

I like a lot of these suggestions... I thought I'd add a few more in the spirit of jgreen's tab's post...

  • It would be nice if you could somehow "unify" all the different display modes, so that the controls in Full Screen View would look just like they look in Standard View, and while you're at it if we could get a special mini-view that doesn't need it's own skin, that'd be great.
  • In the new "Display View" discussed above, could you make it so the border appears and disappears when you move the mouse over the border, with some kind of logic so it doesn't get too distracting if we bump the mouse a bit?
  • Could we get some sort of On Screen Display that not only gives us information about what we're watching and what the player is doing, but actually lets us set settings and control the player with only four arrow keys and an enter key?
  • In that on-screen display, could you go ahead and give us multi-track audio switching support, aspect ratio support, display controls (including brightness, contrast, and other similar settings), zoom and positioning controls, and anything else you can think of.
  • Oh, and could you make sure the library and the application runs fast?  It's getting a little slow, even on my big powerful machine.  Make sure to multi-thread everything from thumbnail display, to the loading system, to playback, to thumbnail generation.  A lot of us have these fancy new dual-core and quad-core machines, and we could use some thread love here.
  • Can we get full control over what DirectShow filters are used for playback?  I'll need full control over settings, the ability to change it on a per-filetype basis, and some separate settings for DVD playback?
  • How about support for DVD Ripping, with YADB database support for automatic DVD lookup?
  • We need all kinds of changes to the Advanced Expressions capabilities.  How about letting us use expressions in-place on the columns with multiple files selected?  And give us some fancy tag manipulation expressions that let us trim letters from one side or the other, copy data from field to field, and parse complex data out of fields.  Oh, and could you do it today, because I really have some files that this could help me with.   ;)
  • The TV Tuner support REALLY needs some work.  So just go ahead and have a blast in that section, will ya?
  • Even though I want this spiffy new "unified" display motif, I'd also really like to be able to "detach" the display and move it around wherever I'd like independent of the main player.  That way I can use the MC UI to control what plays on this detached display (which might be up on a big-screen TV or a projector or something like that.  Oh, and if you could let us have a separate detached display for each zone, all running simultaneously and independently, that'd be superb!
  • Could you completely re-work the Tag Editing Action Window to make it look a lot nicer and be useful for tag display, not just editing?  Oh, but a whole bunch of us are going to freak out and make all kinds of high-maintenance (and usually conflicting) demands of you about this.  Deal with it and come up with something that works well for everyone.
  • Oh, throw us full support for Podcast downloading integrated right into the application.  Make sure to include Video Podcasting too.  I know, every podcast seems to use its own wacky interpretation of what the XML should contain, but could you just figure it all out and make sure that every podcast under the sun works properly?
  • I've been screaming for about 3 versions for full, built-in, FLAC and MPC support (including encoding and decoding).  I know you spent a lot of time developing your own beautifully engineered lossless encoding system, and that it works quite well, but we want choices so FLAC would be fantastic.  There's this Scot character that should be able to help!
  • Can we get full IPTC read/writing support for pictures?  Oh and XMP would be good too!
  • Theater View needs all kinds of work.  I can't even really list it all.  It should be slick and super functional.  Allow us to build playlists on the fly and support easy playback.  We need all of the possible Play or Add commands immediately accessible with a simple ENTER keypress.  Oh, and none of us will agree on which option is best, so could you make sure to come up with some easy-to-use way to make us all happy, and even allow us to change our mind on which way is best "on-the-fly" without digging into some complex option dialog?
  • Even though Apple refuses to give any information whatsoever about their player, could you go ahead and make sure you can import Playlists from iTunes?  Oh, and can we export our Smartlists out to a file so we can move them around to different machines and share them with each other online?
  • That whole library browser system needs a lot of work.  Could you replace it with a "tile-like" view of that can be switched with the Panes on-the-fly, and remembers its setting on a per-View Scheme basis?
  • Can we change the thumbnail size in thumnnail mode with our mouse wheel and with a simple slider control?
  • I need full expression support in the Send To --> External menu so that I can send complex searches to Google and IMDB and other web sites, to automate retrieving of information.  I think I'd probably use that feature every single time I tag my files.
  • I'm sure I'll come up with a lot more as time goes on (I did).

KThankxBye!

[Mod note by JimH -- glynor has just described some of the new features that are now available in MC12.]
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glynor

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #36 on: December 21, 2007, 08:53:35 am »

You know... In writing that up, I was going through Alex's amazing MC12 Change Log thread (which could probably use a build 400 update when it goes public).  Nevermind, he updated it while I had it open in another tab.

Not only did I only get to build 12.0.90 or so before I had that huge list (including what I came up with on my own), but I remembered a bunch of stuff that I had totally forgotten about.  I found both features that I haven't been using, but should be, and features that I use all the time but are now so second nature that it feels like they've been there forever.

Let me take this opportunity to just say... The work you have all done has been truly breathtaking.  Thank you for your efforts not only in programming, but in dealing with and listening to all of us.

Sláinte!
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hit_ny

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #37 on: December 21, 2007, 09:08:12 am »

My list of must-haves would include:

1.  User-configurable custom data fields.  I'm talking about the ability to create your own new fields, not just the default fields in the program.

2.  Maybe a way to rate the tracks, say from 1 to 5.  Going even further, what about a star system for ratings?

3.  It would be cool if we could have playlists that populated themselves, based on pre-configured criteria.  This would be a really smart thing--we could call it a "smart list"!

4.  I'd like to see some sort of way to automatically import things.  I'm tired of having to right-click on each individual file--I've spent HOURS at that!

5.  Lastly, and I know this is asking a lot, is there any way to have multiple views in the same instance of the program?  It's hard to describe what I'm thinking of here, but what if we could split the views up, and maybe even order them in some sort of delimited fashion, kind of like manilla folders are.  What do they call those little flaps on the folders that work so well?

Seems no one noticed the irony here :D

I'm in the same boat, i can't  really think of anything i would want to have in a 13. Now with 11 and going to 12  there were tons of things, but this time..heh.

Still a way to go before i outgrow 12.

famous last words, yeah i know
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benn600

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #38 on: December 21, 2007, 09:10:31 am »

Quote
Seems no one noticed the irony here

Almost every post references its irony!  I'm the first one to reply afterwards and I realized it after reading the second one.
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Robo983

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #39 on: December 21, 2007, 09:21:16 am »

free upgrade from MC12?

 ;)

Thanks for the laugh :D,

I want MC to stay in business but funny how the simplest and best ideas are always the ones that get overlooked.
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gappie

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #40 on: December 21, 2007, 09:53:11 am »

i would love to see even more things i don't know, that i can not live without.
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fitbrit

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #41 on: December 21, 2007, 10:34:32 am »

Glynor, thanks for your list of wishes. As a newbie user, it actually gave me insight into what MC can do now, and has me curious to try out new things!  :)
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hit_ny

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #42 on: December 21, 2007, 10:43:42 am »

So.... any hugely ambitious / unrealistic / impossible ideas out there?
Where do you guys see MC going in the next few years?

I asked for this a while back..
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bbrip

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #43 on: December 21, 2007, 10:59:00 am »

Theater View enhancements certainly are high on my wishlist.  Starting from simply tzhings, like being able to being more flexibel in creating customized buttons, e.g. I hate that I cant really seperate music videos (operas etc) from action movies and so on by customizing seperate buttons on the Theater View Start Screen.

Also some more enhanced 3D-Views to display Coverart would be nice. You've already started in this directed with the rotated view - keep it coming  ;D

BBrip
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glynor

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #44 on: December 21, 2007, 11:00:18 am »

I asked for this a while back..

Oh, that reminds me of another feature I meant to mention...

Could you come up with some way that MC can just "read my mind" and pick what to play for me?  When you do this, make sure to make it smart so that it can remember which songs we skipped past and use that knowledge to better predict the next songs that it'll pick.  That way, the longer I let it play, the smarter it'd get.  Oh, and since this fancy feature is quite likely to pick some files that might be inappropriate (or worse, embarrassing) we'll need some way to exclude certain tracks from eligibility.

It makes me laugh... hit_ny was obviously kidding in that thread, but they really kinda actually did it.
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pank2002

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #45 on: December 21, 2007, 11:02:33 am »

  • Better document handling. Including support for pdf tags!
  • More tightly integrated with new music services such as these. Maybe users should be able to add music services
  • Use Fx rather than IE for internet communication
  • Linux build so I could get rid of this darn winXP
I can't think of anything else for the moment.
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hit_ny

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #46 on: December 21, 2007, 11:31:35 am »

Oh, that reminds me of another feature I meant to mention...

Could you come up with some way that MC can just "read my mind" and pick what to play for me?  When you do this, make sure to make it smart so that it can remember which songs we skipped past and use that knowledge to better predict the next songs that it'll pick.  That way, the longer I let it play, the smarter it'd get.  Oh, and since this fancy feature is quite likely to pick some files that might be inappropriate (or worse, embarrassing) we'll need some way to exclude certain tracks from eligibility.

It makes me laugh... hit_ny was obviously kidding in that thread, but they really kinda actually did it.

..and you don't need to go to Radio Shack to make it work

:D
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kamiller42

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #47 on: December 21, 2007, 06:33:13 pm »

There are a lot of great ideas in this thread. I would like to add mine. Doesn't even have to be a full version upgrade. 12.5 is fine.

Complete Native MP4 Support

Edit: As I sit here waiting while some MP4's burn to CD as MP3, I thought of some more wishes:

1. Multi-threading during rips and burns (when transcoding). See EAC how it uses multiple threads.

2. Update the Details view when burning an MP3 or other format disc. I have a queue of files transcoding via LAME. I can see LAME come and go in task manager. Yet, the entire queue always "Waiting". After a file is transcoded, it would be nice if the status changed to "Ready for Transfer" or something similar.
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darichman

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #48 on: December 21, 2007, 11:21:06 pm »

Complete Native MP4 Support

Great idea.

I am actually a little divided here... a big part of me would like to see MC go the way of VLC Player and support as many file formats as possible out of the box... there have been lots of times I've recommended MC to people, installed it for them, and then lost them at.... "now you'll need this codec/direcshow filter" to play these files. I always get asked "why shouldn't I just use VLC player?" ... and for people who aren't all that interested in video organisation, just playback, that's a hard question to answer.

It would take a lot of resources to stay on top of EVERY popular format out there (not to mention subtitles, multiple audio streams etc)... and it might come at the expense of the configurability of direcshow, however... what do others think?

What I would really like, is to be able to pick up my entire MC program (settings, file support and all) and move it to a new system and be able to play back all my popular file formats, whitout having to reinstall a bunch of plugins and filters again. I don't wanna have to think about "did I remember this plugin" or "this expression" or "those codecs".

The license might be the only thing J River might wanna leave behind :)
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Alexis

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Re: Idle Gossip of what you'd like in MC13
« Reply #49 on: December 22, 2007, 06:16:22 am »

-- I would strongly support the already voiced opinion that better tools for backing up the database settings / music collection are badly needed and really wanted (as to be a priority #1).

-- It would be great and super-useful, IMHO, if an option for controlling the stretching of cover art in Display View (stretch full-screen / leave at 100%) was added to those wonderful enhancements that have been made in the recent build.

-- [Just a whim] When you choose "Display View", you have the control bar still visible at the top for a number of seconds and then the picture goes full-screen swallowing the bar. Well, in fact, I found that in some instances I'd prefer to have that control bar sitting there permanently. I wonder if an option would be a difficult thing to add... But this is, as I said, just a whim.

Holiday wishes and sincere thanks to the developers!
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