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[jackhesselholt]

I am a new user of the software and it it really seems to be the best software for me. I have a few challenges and hope somebody could help. I am close to a perfect HTPC setup, just missing the final setup of JR media center to complete everything.

I am currently using a touchscreen PC to control all my media on a HTPC and have installed the media center on both the HTPC and on the PC client. All media files are located on the HTPC which is connected to my audio and TV for playback.

Now, the general idea is to use my touch PC client to remotely control the HTPC inlcuding the media center software and playback.

1. I have tried using Radmin Remote desktop software to control the media center browsing on the HTPC. This is doable and works, but the response time is quite slow and not workable for me. Specially using the theatherview.
2. I have tried another setup using the library server on the HTPC and connect from the client PC. This solution makes some kind of sync of all mediafiles, so they are accessable from my client PC, which is fine, BUT playback is happening on the client PC as well. I need the browsing on the PC client with PLAYBACK on the library server! Are there any way to use the library server functionality, preserve the good browsing performance naturally achieved by having the mediafiles synchronized on the client PC, BUT to have playback on the library server, when browsing and choosing mediafiles on the client PC.
This would really make it perfect for me, provided that I don’t loose any browsing performance on the client PC.

By the way – I don’t need any kind of editing functionality on the client PC, only need to be able to browse and choose media on the client PC for playback on the library server HTPC. One could say – the client PC only needs to be a “viewer” to remote control the library server playback.

Alternatively, does anybody know of a better solution? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JimH]

2. I have tried another setup using the library server on the HTPC and connect from the client PC. This solution makes some kind of sync of all mediafiles, so they are accessable from my client PC, which is fine, BUT playback is happening on the client PC as well.

Try that again, but look under Playing Now.  You'll see "Here" and "There".  Which you choose will determine where playback occurs.  This is the "Tremote" feature of MC.  You can search for it here for more information.

For Theater View, the skin to use is called "Obsidian Touch".

[jackhesselholt]

Hi Jim

Thanks once again for your very prompt reply. I'll check and try - if this works it will be GREAT!
You mean I just search in this forum for further info on the TRemote functionality, right.

[JimH]

Correct.  Here's where it started:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=52261.0

[jackhesselholt]

Great - it's working as expected - so this is really a good story.
One thing though - browsing audio files is working fine, and playback as well, however I experience significant slowdown in response time just browsing various videofiles using theaterview and other as well. It seems as if the external drive on the HTPC library server is working a lot even when just browsing, as if the system needs to read a lot. Could this be improved somehow? Why would the server need to do anything when just browsing and when supposedly thiings are syncronized on the client? We are talking about 1-2 seconds delay between each movement in the theaterview browser.

[rpalmer68]

Great - it's working as expected - so this is really a good story.
One thing though - browsing audio files is working fine, and playback as well, however I experience significant slowdown in response time just browsing various videofiles using theaterview and other as well. It seems as if the external drive on the HTPC library server is working a lot even when just browsing, as if the system needs to read a lot. Could this be improved somehow? Why would the server need to do anything when just browsing and when supposedly thiings are syncronized on the client? We are talking about 1-2 seconds delay between each movement in the theaterview browser.

You might find thumbnails are being built for the video files on the client machine, this does slow browsing down until they are built.

Richard

[JimH]

In MC's options, you can force thumbnails to be built.  You could run it overnight.

[jackhesselholt]

Thanks a lot! I'll give it a try and get back tomorrow.