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[pjasper]

I'm unable to play WMA audio from either MC15 or MC16 to my TiVo through the MC TiVo Server running on Windows 7 64-bit. With MC15, I sometimes hear a short burst of the track, whereas MC16 makes no sound at all. Both quickly skip to the next track. Here's an excerpt from the server log:

04/23/11 15:41:31 - Browsing File: E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-02-Is Wrestling Fixed-.wma
04/23/11 15:41:31 - Sharing (with conversion): E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-02-Is Wrestling Fixed-.wma
04/23/11 15:41:32 - Browsing File: E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-02-Is Wrestling Fixed-.wma
04/23/11 15:41:35 - Browsing File: E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-02-Is Wrestling Fixed-.wma
04/23/11 15:41:38 - Sharing (with conversion): E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-02-Is Wrestling Fixed-.wma
04/23/11 15:41:46 - Sharing (with conversion): E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-03-The Only Living Boy in New Cross.wma
04/23/11 15:41:46 - Browsing File: E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-03-The Only Living Boy in New Cross.wma
04/23/11 15:42:01 - Browsing File: E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-04-Suppose You Gave a Funeral and Nobody Came.wma
04/23/11 15:42:01 - Sharing (with conversion): E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-04-Suppose You Gave a Funeral and Nobody Came.wma
04/23/11 15:42:16 - Browsing File: E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-05-England.wma
04/23/11 15:42:16 - Sharing (with conversion): E:\Users\Paul Jasper\Music\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine\1992- The Love Album\Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-05-England.wma

With a little experimentation, I've narrowed down the problem a little. From the TiVo Server Options dialog, if I change "Convert unsupported formats" to "Always convert" I get the same problem when I play any audio file type, including MP3. It doesn't seem to make any difference which encoder or encoding settings I use.

This used to work with MC13. Any ideas on how to get it to work? Anyone else able to reproduce this problem?

[gunoo]

I would like to add that I also have this problem. I made a big leap from MC12 to MC15; I'm always wary of changing stuff around because in my experience two things break for every one thing that gets fixed. I upgraded because I wanted the multiple server feature to provide optimal streaming for my mix of PlayStation 3, TiVo devices, Linksys wireless radios and computers.

Anyway my experience is consistent with what pjasper reports. TiVo works with MC12 but not MC15 (15.0.174). I've always had "always convert" because my music is a mix of WMA, AAC, and MP3. Playback starts but there is no progress, if I wait several seconds I get a quick burst then it goes to the next track, and the cycle repeats.

If I reset to "never convert" then I can get MP3 files to play only, on the TiVo.

Playback to my PS3 is fine, that is set to never convert.

Playback to my Linksys devices is also fine for the most part. And those always get converted, which strikes me as odd. I can play converted MP3, WMA, or AAC on those.

Also, my Media Center crashes out every time if I go to the Tivo Server page, stop server, change settings, and start server.

One other thing, the options for setting the encoder in Media Network seem a bit limited. On MC12 I used to use gogo with constant bit rate, it was really responsive and the Linksys radios never ever glitched with it. On MC15 I notice sometimes a song seems to end prematurely when I use the Linksys radios. I have it set to MP3 high bandwidth stream. Is that using LAME I take it? Is it CBR or VBR?

Media Center is running on headless windows server 2003.

[pjasper]

Yes, I'm in a similar situation. I've been using MC for years, primarily to play music through my TiVo connected to my TV and audio system. I want many of the new features, such as DLNA support, as I add new media devices, but it's important for the TiVo Server to continue working.

How do we draw this issue to JRiver's attention so they do something about fixing it? It's probaby something really simple, such as mirroring a change to file conversion elsewhere in MC to the TiVo Server code.

[bob]

I would like to add that I also have this problem. I made a big leap from MC12 to MC15; I'm always wary of changing stuff around because in my experience two things break for every one thing that gets fixed. I upgraded because I wanted the multiple server feature to provide optimal streaming for my mix of PlayStation 3, TiVo devices, Linksys wireless radios and computers.

Anyway my experience is consistent with what pjasper reports. TiVo works with MC12 but not MC15 (15.0.174). I've always had "always convert" because my music is a mix of WMA, AAC, and MP3. Playback starts but there is no progress, if I wait several seconds I get a quick burst then it goes to the next track, and the cycle repeats.

If I reset to "never convert" then I can get MP3 files to play only, on the TiVo.

Playback to my PS3 is fine, that is set to never convert.

Playback to my Linksys devices is also fine for the most part. And those always get converted, which strikes me as odd. I can play converted MP3, WMA, or AAC on those.

Also, my Media Center crashes out every time if I go to the Tivo Server page, stop server, change settings, and start server.

One other thing, the options for setting the encoder in Media Network seem a bit limited. On MC12 I used to use gogo with constant bit rate, it was really responsive and the Linksys radios never ever glitched with it. On MC15 I notice sometimes a song seems to end prematurely when I use the Linksys radios. I have it set to MP3 high bandwidth stream. Is that using LAME I take it? Is it CBR or VBR?

Media Center is running on headless windows server 2003.

You are probably changing the options in the wrong place.
For the Tivo, you change it in the tree at:
Services & Plugins->Tivo Server->Options button.
Under "Advanced" you can change the encoding options to whatever you want.

The Tivo's got more options than in the Media Network options since we've simplified the Media Network options a lot to make the conversion transparent to the DLNA device. That requires that the conversions be CBR.

[bob]

Yes, I'm in a similar situation. I've been using MC for years, primarily to play music through my TiVo connected to my TV and audio system. I want many of the new features, such as DLNA support, as I add new media devices, but it's important for the TiVo Server to continue working.

How do we draw this issue to JRiver's attention so they do something about fixing it? It's probably something really simple, such as mirroring a change to file conversion elsewhere in MC to the TiVo Server code.

Your guess is likely correct concerning the conversion. We'll check into it...

[gunoo]

You are probably changing the options in the wrong place.
For the Tivo, you change it in the tree at:
Services & Plugins->Tivo Server->Options button.
Under "Advanced" you can change the encoding options to whatever you want.

The Tivo's got more options than in the Media Network options since we've simplified the Media Network options a lot to make the conversion transparent to the DLNA device. That requires that the conversions be CBR.

Thank you for your reply.

I did notice that the TiVo Server has its own set of advanced options in MC15 as it did in MC12. The options panel does look much as it did in MC12.

I understand from what you say above that the converted output from Media Network is always CBR

[gunoo]

Just an update on this issue.

I am now running MC 16.0.119

I can see that the TiVo is working better now. Thank you for the effort on this. I can now play WMA, AAC, and MP3 from my library on the TiVo successfully.

I also see that the Advanced options button on the TiVo server options window has been removed; but I guess as long as it is working, with a good snappy response, no loss there.

I have uncovered something else TiVo related that doesn't work in 16 but worked in 12; this issue also affects my Linksys devices. With Media Center 12, I used to be able to stream Internet radio to the TiVo or Linksys devices by way of MC. For example, in my library I have Playlists -> Radio -> Other -> 181.fm Awesome 80's.  In that folder I have one entry that goes to http://mp3uplink.duplexfx.com:8000/  In MC 12 when I navigate to it from the TiVo the MC software streams from the source, reformats for the TiVo, and I hear it there. In MC 16 it fails immediately, telling me on the TiVo that "The requested file was not found."

The Linksys devices also can stream Internet Radio from MC 12 but not from MC 16.

The entry is playable from Media Center 16 itself.

Thank you for reading

[bob]

Just an update on this issue.

I am now running MC 16.0.119

I can see that the TiVo is working better now. Thank you for the effort on this. I can now play WMA, AAC, and MP3 from my library on the TiVo successfully.

I also see that the Advanced options button on the TiVo server options window has been removed; but I guess as long as it is working, with a good snappy response, no loss there.

I have uncovered something else TiVo related that doesn't work in 16 but worked in 12; this issue also affects my Linksys devices. With Media Center 12, I used to be able to stream Internet radio to the TiVo or Linksys devices by way of MC. For example, in my library I have Playlists -> Radio -> Other -> 181.fm Awesome 80's.  In that folder I have one entry that goes to http://mp3uplink.duplexfx.com:8000/  In MC 12 when I navigate to it from the TiVo the MC software streams from the source, reformats for the TiVo, and I hear it there. In MC 16 it fails immediately, telling me on the TiVo that "The requested file was not found."

The Linksys devices also can stream Internet Radio from MC 12 but not from MC 16.

The entry is playable from Media Center 16 itself.

Thank you for reading

I believe it should not try to convert the stream. The next build >=16.0.124 will do that for DLNA. The TiVo server was changed to do that as well but it will need some testing since our TiVo here is broken.