Topic: Will there be a Media Jukebox 13 (Read 6906 times)

craigmcg · « **on:** March 28, 2009, 12:50:19 pm »

I apologize if I'm asking this question too early in the release cycle but will there be a MJ13?

JimH · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2009, 02:08:52 pm »

Maybe. No current plans.

that_stevens_guy · « **Reply #2 on:** April 07, 2009, 12:18:46 pm »

I keep popping into this forum to see if there is a new update. I'm using 12.0.49 and loving it, but there has been no beta play happening lately

JimH · « **Reply #3 on:** April 07, 2009, 12:48:31 pm »

You could try MC13, but you'd have to pay to play.

that_stevens_guy · « **Reply #4 on:** April 08, 2009, 01:13:43 am »

No offense to your work, but I wont be buying media center any time soon, it's not that I wont pay for software, its that I support the open source and free software communities. As a student buying something to play, rip and organise my music is also a very low priority. If there is no update to MJ12 and I get bored or it suddenly asplodes on me I'll simply go hunting down another. Also in AUD media center would cost me $56.65 at the current exchange rates, something I just can't spare lately.

nwnerd · « **Reply #5 on:** April 19, 2009, 03:45:59 pm »

I used MC back when it was on version 9. I didn't care for it because it was more bloated than I wanted & I didn't need so much of the stuff that caused it to be that way. I like MJ because it is stripped down & much faster than other options. Using an iPod, it gives me a nice alternative to iTunes that I didn't realize existed until just recently. And as MC9 did, it offers ripping options that rival EAC. So I've come back to JRiver.

What I'm getting at is, I'd be willing to pay for this (I may be in the minority on this & I may get flamed, but so be it - my belief & experience is that you get what you pay for). If MC is $39.98, why not offer MJ for $19.98? Heck, you have to pay for the mp3 license, which to me is a slam dunk since I can ditch EAC, iTunes & a few other apps in one shot with MJ. Cover the cost of the license fee & have a little left over to cover development costs to keep the project going. It's not like it's an open source project anyway. Make it a lean mean, stripped down version of MC, maybe offering a really basic free version with a paid version that unlocks some good options.

I have such a dislike for bloated, dragging programs like iTunes that I'll happily pay for a decent, reasonably priced alternative. Please keep it going.

Alex B · « **Reply #6 on:** April 19, 2009, 04:04:40 pm »

The latest MC13 installer is only 13.1 MB with all its bells and whistles.

As I have explained here: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=46906.msg321512#msg321512, it is possible to hide and disable several things from MC's interface and make it look even more streamlined than MJ. When the additional features are not actively used MC does not use any more resources than MJ. MC13 has several new and improved audio and database features that make the purchase worthwhile also for audio only use.

A new cheaper music only player could be a commercially good product for J River, but there really is no functional need for it.

BTW, JimH announced a special price that is only valid through monday: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=51519.0

nwnerd · « **Reply #7 on:** April 19, 2009, 04:52:13 pm »

I think the big point though is that there are a lot of us that don't want to pay for all of those extra features that we'll never use & end up having to disable anyway. Offering a slimmed down version of MC seems like a natural thing to my mind, but obviously I'm preaching from the cheap seats.

Alex B · « **Reply #8 on:** April 19, 2009, 05:44:30 pm »

For about $40 (or $32 just now) the buyer gets the extra features for free and supports the future development of his/her favorite media program. As the situation is now, the latest and best audio features are available in the Media Center product.

Maybe the situation will be different if JRiver increases the price of the flagship product considerably. I'm just speculating here, but they might then develope another cheaper commercial product.

There is an ongoing discussion about the possible price change on the MC13 board. The fact that JimH started the discussion proves nicely that they listen to the users.

ile · « **Reply #9 on:** April 20, 2009, 07:25:58 pm »

Quote from: that_stevens_guy on April 08, 2009, 01:13:43 am

No offense to your work, but I wont be buying media center any time soon, it's not that I wont pay for software, its that I support the open source and free software communities.

You use MJ, but you would want to support some other software? That doesn't make sense to me.

Doof · « **Reply #10 on:** April 22, 2009, 09:12:54 am »

Quote from: ile on April 20, 2009, 07:25:58 pm

You use MJ, but you would want to support some other software? That doesn't make sense to me.

There wasn't much in that entire post that made any sense at all. I've written a few small programs and I've given them away for free. It's a good thing I have a day job because I couldn't even buy myself lunch on what I earned by giving away the programs I wrote. I don't understand how giving the source code away too would have magically earned me a living.

The simple truth is that the vast majority of people who "support the open source community" don't really "support" it at all. They just take advantage of it. And they don't have to worry about the original author going broke and the app disappearing because there's always somebody else to pick up the torch. Even the companies who manage to pay the bills by putting advertising up on their site more often than not get screwed due to adblockers and similar things.

The only way to really support any of these companies is by paying them for their efforts. And I seriously doubt that the "poor college student" is somehow going to justify sending money to a company who isn't asking for it but can't justify sending any to the company who is.

ile · « **Reply #11 on:** April 23, 2009, 05:23:53 pm »

Agreed

that_stevens_guy · « **Reply #12 on:** May 02, 2009, 10:42:09 am »

The point is that I use MJ because its a nice free option to organise my music collection, and it can play many formats, including FLAC, my personal favourite. I do buy some software, NewsLeecher is another shareware program that I love. But I can go elsewhere in tough times, I can't even afford to repair my computer if it breaks at the moment, looking for work now though.

I stumbled on Media Jukebox in a forum. I was sick of iTunes and Winamp, and liked it as an alternative. Media Jukebox is a great program and I think its an excellent entry level product for Media Center. When I am working again I would gladly pay for a MC license. But it would be a shame to not see another free MJ, it got me loving your product

The no offense was basically to say, I respect that you want to make some money off your code and product. It is a product worth selling. But there is different ways to go about it. I thought I should check back here cause I just knew my comment might be seen from a different angle.

My website and rejetto.com run off donations for example, we provide some open source and some closed. We are amateurs just starting out experimenting with things but we are doing fine, the donations pay for hosting and beverages... possibly a MC license

to feed our hobby. I support the open source community in that I use open source software and create open source software. Our website also does not have ads, I have adblockplus installed in my Firefox also. We have been around for a strong 2 years now, and we aren't with some dodgy host provider either.

Could I suggest stopping free music conversion if you are worried about lost profits from such a powerful free software? Allow Media Jukebox to PLAY and ORGANISE music in the way it can currently between devices etc. But disable the interfaced CONVERSION, this includes ripping, without a license. I think 50% of the Media Center price would be fair, so $15.95 or $19.95, it covers the LAME license and you make some profit. You could market it as 'Unleash the power of your jukebox!' or something like that. This way the 'Jukebox' part of it is still free, conversion is just the cherry on top for me. If someone wants to upgrade to MC for all those extra features, you could let them use the same license with another $15.95 fee or something, the extra 50%.

Anyway, I hope what I said helps in some way.

ile · « **Reply #13 on:** May 06, 2009, 08:35:34 pm »

I agree that burning & ripping wouldn't need to be in MJ. IMO.

Vocalpoint · « **Reply #14 on:** May 07, 2009, 09:39:48 am »

Quote from: that_stevens_guy on May 02, 2009, 10:42:09 am

Allow Media Jukebox to PLAY and ORGANISE music in the way it can currently between devices etc. But disable the interfaced CONVERSION, this includes ripping, without a license. I think 50% of the Media Center price would be fair, so $15.95 or $19.95, it covers the LAME license and you make some profit. You could market it as 'Unleash the power of your jukebox!' or something like that.

I would actually vote (and pay) to see MJ go in a more "professional" high quality direction with respect to audio ONLY. Many music lovers, audiophiles and audio pros (myself now included - because this thing is so darn cool!) - are moving on masse to digital music server based listening environments - where computers serve as the "stereo" and higher end audio cards route digital streams to a high end DAC for what is truly the ultimate in sound reproduction.

After building my own server environment recently and doing months of research on which media player to use - MJ ended being the one. It is one of the few players that can handle a professional ASIO driver connection and offers infinite features and options for truly serving up lossless music like no other software I have tried.

I would pay handsomely and regularly to see MJ become re-activated with regular updates and have it become the defacto standard playback, organization AND conversion tool for those music fans that are looking to enjoy a high end music experience but have a media server in mind rather than walking around with a Nano and a bunch of 128kb MP3's from 5 years ago.

I honestly cannot remember a "free" tool that has brought me so much joy in such a short period of time. I purchased the MP3 encoder straight away - becuase I do carry an iPod...but for my new server and a strict FLAC based environment - MJ is a godsend...it truly does it all.

Tis a shame that we cannot benefit from any new features or function. I really think a re-brand ala "JRiver Professional Audio Jukebox" could be a profitable and successful move that would really fill a niche that is just waiting for a major player to fill.

Cheers!

VP

Listener · « **Reply #15 on:** May 07, 2009, 12:38:57 pm »

> I would pay handsomely and regularly to see MJ become re-activated with regular updates

So pay for MC 13. The non-audio features don't get in the way as far as I can see.

Bill

Vocalpoint · « **Reply #16 on:** May 10, 2009, 08:47:55 am »

Quote from: Listener on May 07, 2009, 12:38:57 pm

So pay for MC 13. The non-audio features don't get in the way as far as I can see.

You are missing the point is seems - if MC13 was geared specifically as a "pro audio/audiophile" type application - I would consider it but it's aimed squarely at the casual consumer as an "all in one" toolbox for general media.

And as others for stated - I really don't want extra code clogging up my app whether I can hide it or not - and I do not wish to pay for it either.

All I can say is - if the best the pro audio/audiophile community can do is embrace the bizarre looking and completely clunky FooBar2000 as their defacto "go-to" application - it's vividly obvious to me that there is a clear opportunity here to take MJ to the next level and completely own that pro playback space with a bonafide professional level player and make money at the same time.

MJ12 is right there now - but as the months pass and no updates or enhancements are available - it will quickly fall behind.

Cheers!

VP

Alex B · « **Reply #17 on:** May 10, 2009, 09:41:50 am »

As I said before, a dedicated "audiophile edition" could be a commercially good idea, but as the things are now, it would not be a truly better product from the user's point of view. MC13 already contains a good set of audiophile features and just disabling/removing the small amount of code that is needed for video playback and image display would not make it much lighter or any cheaper. Actually, adding and supporting a new product version would increase the production cost a bit. MC's database, user interface and other features that are not directly related to playback are useful with all media types.

Perhaps an audiophile edition could have a new skin that would make it look different, more spartan in a "high-endish" way and higher price so that also the true audiophiles would believe. I'd suggest a price tag of $100 or more.

KingSparta · « **Reply #18 on:** May 10, 2009, 08:34:57 pm »

I Realized About 10 Years Ago When I Tried MJ, That I Could Not Use Anything But MJ Or Now MC, And There Is No Software Package That Has Been Developed In The Last Ten Years That Has Changed My Mind.

Frobozz · « **Reply #19 on:** May 11, 2009, 09:06:09 am »

I don't see a need for an audio only audiophile version of MC13. I use MC almost exclusively for desktop audio (mostly headphones but I also have nearfield monitors). The video features don't get in the way and don't hamper the program at all. In fact they are kind of nice for when I get a concert DVD and want to play it with the good audio equipment.

I consider MJ to be a teaser for MC. If you find the program to be a valuable part of your audio system then pony up and buy MC. Buying it supports the development and is cheap considering the costs sunk in the hardware side of an audio system.

I don't find it a problem that MJ is behind in features as long as MJ remains reasonably up to date. One area where the age will show is in support for newer iPod versions. Would be nice to have MJ updated when new iPods are released.

It is easy to recommend people try MJ because it is free and has no time trial limit. That, I suppose, is its purpose. Foobar is also free (as in beer) and that I believe is the main reason why it is popular.

Would be nice to get more audiophiles off the Foobar bandwagon. MJ and MC are just so much nicer for browsing, searching and managing a library. For audiophile audio playback MJ and MC should have just as much cred as Foobar. MJ and MC do just as well in areas where it counts and surpasses any other media player that I have tried.

that_stevens_guy · « **Reply #20 on:** May 11, 2009, 11:24:55 am »

Quote from: Frobozz on May 11, 2009, 09:06:09 am

I don't find it a problem that MJ is behind in features as long as MJ remains reasonably up to date. One area where the age will show is in support for newer iPod versions. Would be nice to have MJ updated when new iPods are released.

This is my main worry if work stopped on the project. I recommend Media Jukebox to a lot of people, and put it on PC's I build for them as an alternative to iTunes. It's graphically similar interface and easy to learn tools make it a great free alternative. But as new devices come out, I can't guarantee it supports them if they say they have recently bought the latest model. And if its no longer free it doesn't make it a worthwhile upgrade from iTunes to someone who isn't as computer literate as myself. That is just my opinion, if going completely shareware is the way this has to go, I'll probably still go with MC, just from my personal experience with MJ.

EDIT:
I actually just recently tested all the current free alternatives. Just before I reformat, or in this case build my PC, I try a bunch of software to see what I will put on the fresh operating system... and Media Jukebox has it all over them in features. I tried Foobar, Songbird, Winamp, iTunes, VLC, WMP. And MJ comes out on top for CPU usage, Formats, Interface, Library Tools... everything... If only more people knew about Media Jukebox... I keep trying to spread the word but everyone I know is so caught up in Winamp and iTunes. Whatever floats your boat I guess.

CMiner · « **Reply #21 on:** May 12, 2009, 10:14:41 am »

Here's my story, from an 'audiophile' perspective.

I have a pretty decent stereo system, and wanted to make sure I had the best media player I could. People who like Foobar swear it's the best sounding player there is. So I set up identical playlists on iTunes, Foobar and MJ. Then I closed my eyes and had my wife alternate between players without telling me which was which.

It took me leterally about a second to figure out which one was iTunes. There was a kind of "glare" around the music. So scratch that one.

We then spent probably half an hour alternating between the remaining two, and I really couldn't tell any difference in sound quality at all. This was at 24/96 so as far as I'm concerned, MJ is already an audiophile player.

buckeyewalt · « **Reply #22 on:** May 16, 2009, 06:22:13 pm »

I might be in a minority.....but I like MJ the way it is,,,and if they were to offer an upgrade I probably would buy it. I for one,,like to burn CD's....and I use it for for that and download to mu personal player. I used to have Music Match when it was the on;ly thing out there that was any good......went through all of the upgrades.and saw it purchased by Yahoo.....which promptly got rid of it over the past few years. I think that we are fortunate to have this player, and all that it can do,,,and if JIM H. does decide to offer an upgrade to the player,,,I will upgrade with it. The word free means without cost,,,,and I truely think that there had to be some cost involved in making this program. As a novice computer user,,,I like what we have,,,and if JIM H. decides to put in an upgrade to MJ13...great,,,if he decides to have a premium player,,,with added cost,,,I will support it. Either way....it's a lot better than i-tunes and the bloated software!! Just my opinion!!

MtnBeachBum · « **Reply #23 on:** September 03, 2009, 02:08:34 pm »

It would be cool to have a "tweener" option for MJ/MC. What I mean is a pay option for MJ, for those of us who use it only for audio. There are some cool features in MC 14 that I would love to have in MJ that I would be perfectly willing to pay for.

1-View Schemes- I love the panes and details view and the tabs/ link bar
2-Split Views
3-WASAPI support
4-3D Albums
5-Zones, although when I can afford to get into whole house audio and music servers I would just buy MC14 anyway

You could offer a different MJ as a package or what would be really cool is to offer a la carte and let us choose what we would like to add to MJ.

That's just my two cents, I'm sure these suggestions would just be a tremendous PITA for J River. But it would be sweet for those of who can't afford the 50 bucks for MC14.

I love J River and their products, keep up the great work everyone.

Matt · « **Reply #24 on:** September 03, 2009, 02:18:03 pm »

You can turn off images and video in Media Center 14, making it an audio only program. Look in Options > General > Advanced > Features.

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Author Topic: Will there be a Media Jukebox 13 (Read 6906 times)

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