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[TheLongshot]

As suggested in another thread, I'm posting my issues with MC.

Mainly, I often get freezes of the application, which usually last 10-15 seconds, sometimes longer.  There isn't usually something that I can pin it down to.  While it doesn't happen all the time, it happens often enough to be annoying as hell.

It happens a lot when ripping CDs or syncing with my handheld, tho I have seen it happen when just trying to play music.  I do transcode from FLAC to MP3 for my handheld (a Sansa)

I know MC isn't taxing my hardware, since I barely see it spike my processor.

Media Center 12.0.520 Registered -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 12\

Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 3 (Build 2600)
Intel Core 2 2398 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 2097 MB, Free - 1405 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2900.5512 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82.2900 / Shlwapi.dll: 6.0.2900 / Shell32.dll: 6.0.2900 / wnaspi32.dll: 4.71 (0002) , ASPI for Win32         DLL, Copyright ﾩ 1989-2002 Adaptec, Inc. / Aspi32.sys: 4.71 (0002)

Ripping /   Drive D: BENQ    DVD LS DW1655     Mode:ModeSecure  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Get cover art: Yes /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: Yes /  Play sound after ripping: No 

Burning /  Drive D: BENQ     DVD LS DW1655      Addr: 4:0:0  Speed:48  MaxSpeed:48  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: Yes
  Use playback settings: No /

Portable Device Info
  Removed devices:


Interface Plugins:
  last.fm (Active)
  Library Server (Active)
  TiVo Server (Active)
  UPnP Server (Active)
  Evil Lyrics (Active)



My library is on a SAN (Buffalo TeraStation II 2TB RAID5) connected through a gigabit switch.  Typically, I'm the only user when I'm doing stuff with MC, so it isn't activity on the server.  The songs are stored on the server as FLAC.

Any suggestions here?  I've mostly had it with the application, which doesn't seem to stand up very well to the relatively light use I put it through.  I would hate to see how it would behave with multiple people banging on it.

Jason

[newsposter]

Have you in fact tried to disable any real-time virus software you might have installed?

Those things run in 'bursts' and can often account for seemingly random system slowdowns and freezes.

[TheLongshot]

Have you in fact tried to disable any real-time virus software you might have installed?

Those things run in 'bursts' and can often account for seemingly random system slowdowns and freezes.

I have AVG Free on my system.  I did try disabling it right now, and it isn't changing any behavior.  (I'm syncing my Sansa right now)

I didn't think it would, since nothing else freezes on this system, and as I said, the processor isn't getting hit hard at all.

Jason

[rjm]

Don't give up. I have 180k files of all types and MC works perfectly across multiple systems including an old P4.

A few suggestions:
- turn off background auto import (tools\options\library & folders\)
- turn off automatic cd lookup (tools\options\general\online metadata)
- turn off auto podcast download (tools\options\podcast\check for new episodes)

If the above does not work, and assuming you are running a recent version, suggest you back off to about 12.0.470 - 12.0.473. These versions are nice and stable and everything works well.

[hit_ny]

A few suggestions:
- turn off background auto import (tools\options\library & folders\)
- turn off automatic cd lookup (tools\options\general\online metadata)
- turn off auto podcast download (tools\options\podcast\check for new episodes)

..and turn off thumbnail build in the background.

tools\options\library & folders\options\build thumbnails

These are a minimum if you don't want to get interrupted tho on a C2D i'd be surprised if they made a diff, which prolly means the prob might lie elsewhere.

[park]

I have been seeing the same thing. I have been reluctant to report it because i am running MC inside vmware fusion on a mac, and so the problem could be with any number of things. But the symptoms are the same. Music playback and list scrolling freeze fairly regularly. My library is on a gigabit netowork, but i dont think network activity is the cause. I can be doing nothing on the computer and MC will freeze, or I can be browsing multiple sites in firefox, and still have MC playback without a hitch. cpu activity is near 0 and ram usage is less than 50%.

[JimH]

My library is on a SAN (Buffalo TeraStation II 2TB RAID5) connected through a gigabit switch.

That could be the key.

You could test a local library.

You could try updating firmware.

Read the "Weird Problems" thread in my signature.  There was one similar problem recently that was fixed by disabling the jumbo frames option for the network hardware (link below).

Here's an example of what you can find there:

Odd thing: I had the same... I didn't know how to disable just one protocoll and didn't even think of this possibility, but disabling the wireless adapter completly solved the same problem for me two months ago... "Stuttering" for me only appeared if I was NOT connected to any WLAN. I have an IBM ThinkPad with no 3rd Party Wireless Software.

Virus checkers, even when disabled, can cause problems.

[Matt]

This isn't normal.

It would be helpful to see the log output during the freeze.  Look in Help > Logging.  Feel free to email a log to matt at jriver dot com.

It would also be helpful to try simplifying what Media Center is doing.  For example, does it still freeze if you're not syncing your Sansa?

There aren't all that many things running in the main thread and thus able to block the program.  The log should give some good clues.

[TheLongshot]

Ok, so I made a copy of the library to my local machine, and so far things seem to be running like a champ.  I really don't understand why this would be so if you are just reading from the library with a Gigabit connection.  Hell, the application froze twice while I tried to create the new library.

I guess as a network solution that this product has a long way to go.  I was hoping to be able to use this to share a common library across the house.  So much for that.

Jason

[hit_ny]

Where is MC's library located ?

Local or over the network.

Media files can be wherever but the above works best when local.

[newsposter]

what kind of gigabit switch?

[JimH]

Here's the problem solved by disabling jumbo frames.  The cards were Intel gigabit.

[Matt]

I guess as a network solution that this product has a long way to go.  I was hoping to be able to use this to share a common library across the house.  So much for that.

You have a network configuration problem.  Lots of users (myself included) use networked libraries without problems like this.

As I stated before, if you share a log file, we might be able to help.