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[jroyale]

A while back I was looking at a solution to have mc running in my basement act as a server then have another instance of mc running upstairs pic that up and play the music playlists from it.  After many posts and because I couldn't use a common library it ultimately wasn't acheivable.

Would this be acheivable now in the DLNA?  It sounds like it would an if so do the file paths of music files have to be the same or does the playlists from the servier simply show up in your library?  If so this would be great and then I wouldn't have to constantly export my playlists from my downstairs computer then reimport them upstairs.

[zirum]

You haven't written about what was the reason for the failed usage previously, but I suppose you should be able to accomplish this with either dlna (if using something else than a computer) or just the library server feature. There are still some sync issues with library server, but if you would be ok with dlna, I guess this is not a requirement for you...

[jroyale]

Frankly it was a while ago and I have forgotten most of it but it was a large thread that we tried a lot of things.  The 2 biggest reasons why a common library didn't work was because of the network pathsb being different on the 2 computers and because the 2 computers needed a different theatre (both on how things were sorted and the files that were being imported).  The only common files were audio.  That was the biggest.

At any rate just looking to have MC running in the basement, and the upstairs computer running MC and the upstairs computer being able to access and play the basement's playlists and music without having to share a common library.  I don't necessarily need to sync (and not sure if that will work because the file paths of the music are different).  If I can run it as a server that other instances of MC running on other computers can access I'll pick it up.

Thanks. 

[pcstockton]

Would a NAS solve the problem?

[jroyale]

It would for the path but not the theatre view.

At any rate just looking to see if this feature will do what i want it to do explained in the original post and from the initial reply i gather it will.  However i'd like to have a somewhat definitive answer before i pay for the new version.

Thanks.

[stricko]

I think I've just finished doing almost exactly what you are suggesting, and have even paid for my license as a result..... (using the upgrade deal, thanks guys!)

I've a common library for music video and images, and have a server with these on. MC16 on the server generates the library that the MC16 clients (and other media players) uses. My MC16 clients operate exclusively under theatre view, so the solution had to be workable from the big screen.

Just using the library, and without messing with path names, worked great for music and pictures, but was next to useless for video. Large avi's took forever to load on the clients and DVDs would not play at all.

The solution was to use a common pathname on both the server and clients, and to use the play local copy option. So on the server, I load local folders using their full network path name, rather than their local drive letter/folder path, so on SERVER, I auto-import \\SERVER\Music\ instead of D:\Music\. When the client picks up the library, it uses the path information to look for a "local" copy. As it has the full network path name, it tries to read this (even though it is not strictly "local"), and loads it directly.

So you get the advantage of the centrally managed library, but with the performance of directly addressed network files. 

But this all assumes a common Theatre View front end. I asked about the way Library Server worked for Theatre View queries, and the answer was that it was a mix of local config and centralised. Under the current release of MC16, Theater View queries under the standard headings (Audio, Images, etc) seem to part of the server library, whereas if you create new root items, these may be managed locally, but seem to be overwritten under certain circumstances. Might be worth playing about with this.

But if your clients need radically different Theater View front ends, I can think of a couple of options;

a) Add root items which allow you to switch between your central library for music, and a local libray for everything else.
b) Use full network path names for the music files, and just pull them into your local library, ie, without using MC16 on the server at all. This would work just as well from a NAS, but if you've already got a server, why spend more money.
 

[jroyale]

Thanks and yes it sounds very similar.  What I'm ultimately looking for is effectively a playslist sync for music.  The theatre views are radically different so I'd have to see how that plays out but in my last attempt, the local settings were overruled by the remote and I couldn't link the other way because I need to manage my playlists on the remote and then have them sync on the local (htpc).  this was in the last post where I thought this could be accomplished by library sync option and checking merge playslists for for several reasons, it can't unless that is changed in mc16.

I actually didn't think about the consequences of video and how that would affect my theatre view when I was questioning about server as library.  I think I'll have to get a demo and play around with it to see.  Likely something that can't be handled in broad strokes through posts but I appreciate your help.

Thanks.

[bste007]

Hi
I am totally new to both forums and jriver! JRiver is just fantastic - i have been looking for a sollution for literally years and it seems this is it. Here's my problem:

1.I have pretty high end equipment naim/linn combo and even purchasing new power cables recently made a difference to sound.
2. I am trying to use my wife's notebook to control my linn. but as i understand using catwalk the music is streamed wirelessly from server to my wife's laptop and then back again (i do notice a difference in sound quality - it is real - just like there is a difference with speaker cabling etc) don't ask me how!! as I am an idiot when it comes to this stuff.
3. So the latest version includes an option to stream direct from a NAS storage device to the Linn directly - see (http://getcatwalk.net/using): "Using JRiver Media Center v16 with Twonky Media Server" But twonky doesn't show up as an option to load to jriver - just asset upnp server - and it now says playing from asset upnp -
Question - have i set it up ok - does that mean it is streaming directly from nas to linn? I kept everything simple so just loaded the beta version of v16 and catwalk. Also if I purchase both can i load them on multiple devices - thinking of getting a archos9 to control.

I guess if i close the laptop down and if it still plays it must be going direct from nas storage to linn? sorry i feel like an idiot but spent heaps on a system and just want the best performance thanks!
Many thanks!

[blinky_bill]

Did you enabled Universal Plug & Play (UPnP) protocol in your WLAN router? Check your firewall settings on the machine running JRiver MC16. JRiver MediaCenter must be enabled for commincation in your private network. Check the 'friendly' name of your Twonky server (vissible on the web config page of your Twonky server.

I'm running Twonky 6.0.32 on a ReadyNAS Duo and the Twonk DLNA server shows up in MC 16.0.49 under Playing Now.

[bste007]

hi sorry now went and purchased an archos 9 to use with catwalk an j river but can notseewhereto ger cat walk from as the link no longer worjs?

[JimH]

That's an Android device, I believe.  Did you try Gizmo?

[struct]

strico,

very interested in your use of the "local files".  I have my server set up the same way with full network paths.  I have been manually copying the library to the laptop as MC is useless at serving video files. 

I have also set up MC to "use local files" But my laptop doesn't access videos "locally" and as such becomes unusable over the wireless network due to the excess wait time for a 2GB file, if I am using the library server. 

Did you do anything else to make it work?  What version of MC16 are you using?

Thanks
Craig

[JimH]

very interested in your use of the "local files".  I have my server set up the same way with full network paths.  I have been manually copying the library to the laptop as MC is useless at serving video files. 

If you have MC on both sides, try using Library Server, not DLNA.