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[gappie]

i have 4 zones.

1 [Media Type]=[Audio],[Video] [Volume Name]=[D:]
2 [Media Type]=[Audio]
3 [Media Type]=[Image],[Video] [Volume Name]=[Q:]
4 [Media Type]=[Video]

this works, except when zone 3 has focus. when i start any audio, on volume D: or not, the playback will start in 3.  ?

am i not understanding something?

 
gab

[Matt]

Are you starting playback for a zone-agnostic view (like a library view)?

By design, starting playback from a Playing Now list, which is tied to a specific zone, won't engage ZoneSwitch.

[gappie]

no, i just click on play under an album in a view with albums, not in playing now. when i have an other zone like 4 (videoos) active the playback of audio will start where it should, (zone 1 or 2)



edited some dutch away 

[kstuart]

Are you starting playback for a zone-agnostic view (like a library view)?

By design, starting playback from a Playing Now list, which is tied to a specific zone, won't engage ZoneSwitch.

How do I create and then start a Smartlist in a "zone-agnostic" way ?

I have stereo audio files going to stereo DAC and multichannel audio files going to multichannel DAC, and if I have "Shuffle" as part of the Smartlist, then it seems that it needs to be able to switch back and forth within the playlist/Smartlist.

[MrC]

How do I create and then start a Smartlist in a "zone-agnostic" way ?

I think Matt means, don't start playback from the zone itself.  Instead, just play the Smartlist and let zone switch rules direct the files to the zone.  If the playlist content is already in a zone, and you initiate playback at that zone, files won't switch elsewhere.

[Matt]

no, i just click on play under an album in a view with albums, not in playing now. when i have an other zone like 4 (videoos) active the playback of audio will start where it should, (zone 1 or 2)

I configured the same layout, selected zone 3, and played audio.  It played in zone 2 as expected (it's coming off an M:\ drive).

Did you configure each rule to stop the other 3 zones?  Could you double-check something didn't get crossed with that part (since it adds up to a lot of settings)?

[kstuart]

I think Matt means, don't start playback from the zone itself.  Instead, just play the Smartlist and let zone switch rules direct the files to the zone.  If the playlist content is already in a zone, and you initiate playback at that zone, files won't switch elsewhere.

I had previously created a Smartlist that only plays audio files (and some other genre rules).

I played a video.

When I clicked on "play" for the Smartlist, it complained about settings, and sure enough, Playing Now was still in Video Files Zone.

So, how do I start playback outside of a Zone ?

[MrC]

So, how do I start playback outside of a Zone ?

Maybe the concept needs clarification.  To be played, files must be transferred to an MC-concept of the Playing Now playlist.  This special playlist is zone-specific.  When you play a Smartlist or Playlist (not to be confused with Playing Now) or any files for that matter, the contents of that list are transferred to Playing Now for the currently activated zone (or the zone specified via rules in Zone Switch).

If you are "in" a zone (i.e. the file list view called Playing Now) and start playing those items, the files won't be Zone Switch candidates.

[kstuart]

But if ZoneSwitch is designed to change zones, then the current Zone should not matter when starting playback.

[MrC]

I think it was designed to send music files to zones based on rules.  And if files are already playing in a zone, it is not clear that starting playback of those files should yank them out from underneath the Playing Now you're working with, and send them to some other Playing Now.

[kstuart]

But it isn't there always a current Playing Now ?

[Matt]

I think it was designed to send music files to zones based on rules.  And if files are already playing in a zone, it is not clear that starting playback of those files should yank them out from underneath the Playing Now you're working with, and send them to some other Playing Now.

This is exactly correct.

The file will probably never get to the wrong zone if ZoneSwitch is configured properly, so hopefully it's a mostly academic distinction.

[MrC]

But it isn't there always a current Playing Now ?

There may be many zones playing at once, each with their own Playing Now, but you are only controlling one at any given time.  It is the one last selected (e.g. you select a tab used for a zone, you click a zone under Playing Now in the tree, ...).

See this for an example:

   http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=76766.msg525370#msg525370

[gappie]

I configured the same layout, selected zone 3, and played audio.  It played in zone 2 as expected (it's coming off an M:\ drive).

Did you configure each rule to stop the other 3 zones?  Could you double-check something didn't get crossed with that part (since it adds up to a lot of settings)?

now that helps. i took all the stop rules away and it plays well. the moment i start too add a zone to stop, things get confused.

to not get too confused myself. lets say the rules are bound too the zones (not necessarily true)

1 [Media Type]=[Audio],[Video] [Volume Name]=[D:]
2 [Media Type]=[Audio]
3 [Media Type]=[Image],[Video] [Volume Name]=[Q:]
4 [Media Type]=[Video]

ill playback audio on disk Q.
when i add to the second zone something to stop an other zone, for instance 4, and all the other ones have no stop rule, the behaviour is: when zone 3 is active, playback start there, when an other is active, it all works as expected.
now when i take the rule for zone 4 away. the behaviour is only right when when zone 2 or 4 is active. when the others are active the files in zone 4 start to playback, or when pln in 4 is empty it says, 'there is nothing to play'.

when i take away the zone to stop in the second zone, all works.
when i add other stops to other zones, it gets more confusing, but i did double check, and there was not somekind of loop.

later ill try otherthings, maybe the pattern gets clearer..

 
gab

[gappie]

i rebuilt all my zones.. well: that was not it.

but i tried something else. i let rule 3 start playback in zone 4. that would mean that zone 3 would never playback anything. when zone 3 has focus though, the audiofiles from disk Q still will playback there. its as if it all got to complicated. it does not matter if im playing back anything anywhere.

 
gab

[gappie]

ok.. i found it.
Changed: ZoneSwitch rules that don't specify zones to stop will always be evaluated, regardless of the current zone (rules that specify play and stop zones only engage when the current zone is in the play + stop zone set)
ive red and reread this very often, and i think i understand it now... so it means, i can not get it to work the way i set it up as above.. since i did not want zone 2 to stop playback in zone 3, when zone 3 has focus, the rules for zone 2 are not evaluated, and the files play in zone three..

this means i can not startup radio in zone 2 when im watching images in zone 3 without stopping playback in zone 3, and when i stop watching but zone 3 still has focus, and i start playback of an album, it will play in zone 3...

i think it is that.. ?

thanks
 
gab

edit: at least i can sleep again.. this got me so puzzled, and i dont understand why it should work this way, but i can make something that works for me good enough.. happy 

[Matt]

It sounds like you understand it perfectly.

The sum of Play Zone + Stop Zones defines a relationship.  Zones outside that relationship are ignored.  That way, your ZoneSwitch rules won't fight with trying to play to something unrelated like a DLNA device.

I only imagined stopping all the other zones in a relationship.  It gets complicated if only some zones in the relationship stop only some other zones in the same relationship.

It's possible a couple simple tweaks would help here, but I'm not sure how to do it.

Any suggestions?

[gappie]

not really, i still have no idea what a dlna device is, or does.  
the only thing i could think of is a switch saying ' always evaluate this rule', but that would make things even more complex. on the other hand it would make clear that apparently this is not always the case..

and for me, for instance, when i switch to w7/8 i would like to use the livething, i guess in its own zone. because maybe i still want to have music while listening too some news, but when its over and i forget to switch zones... but then again one can always make an extra 'escape' switch, or more, like when its audio always play it there, without any stops added.

 
gab

[gappie]

for me, the problem is that i have two zones that never should play at the same time. so they need to turn each other of always, but when a zone is active that turns of nothing, then those rules will never be evaluated and the result is not to nice for my ears, and seeing which zone is active is not always clear with a remote or in Theater View (although i did add that)...  
 
gab