Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Andyd]

I am currently using XBMC as my primary movie/tv show viewer and Album Player (with a touchscreen) as my primary music player.

Trying to decide if I would like to change over to JRiver.
Soooo, I have a few questions.

I have about 800 music videos. Is there a way to incorporate these with the regular cd browsing.
For example when browsing through a bands cd's I would like there to be an additional selection called videos for each band (that has videos)
My videos are all stored in a Videos folder with a sub folder for each band and a sub folder called videos... ex. Videos\Bad Religion\Videos\song.mkv

At the moment I imported all my videos and they simply show up under the video tab in the 'other' category. And they are listed by the file names which makes it way to cluttered to find anything especially when it mixes every other non tv/movie in there as well.

About the video tab... underneath we have movies/tv shows/guide/netflix/youtube.... etc.
Is there any way to delete the ones I don't use and also add custom ones with select content? For example, Music Videos?

Also as I mentioned above, I use XBMC. So I already have artwork and NFO files for everything I have. I'm the type of person who likes to have total control when it comes to things like this. I have put an insane amount of time into these things especially when it comes to tagging my music files. One thing I want to be certain of is that JR is not going to try to alter any of my files with any kind of tagging and such.
Is there any way JR can use the info I already have (movies and tv)... I know it will my music tags? It did pick up the coverart for the movies I let it scan. Does JR have the ability to show background fanart when a movie is selected?

I'll have more questions but I'll just start here for now...

Thanks

Oh yeah... as meticulous as I am with tagging, after using JR for my music. The way it works things compared to how I have AP setup it did point me to a few errors I had. So I altered my tags on a few cd's. What's the easiest way to get JR to rescan and find the altered files?

[Matt]

Welcome.

Views in both Standard View and Theater View are fully customizable.  It's one of the strengths of JRiver.

However, it's sort of the deep end of the pool.  So start slow, and ask here if you get stuck.

As for backdrops, Theater View shows them automatically for movies, television, and music.

[InflatableMouse]

Oh yeah... as meticulous as I am with tagging, after using JR for my music. The way it works things compared to how I have AP setup it did point me to a few errors I had. So I altered my tags on a few cd's. What's the easiest way to get JR to rescan and find the altered files?

Select the files that have changed, right click, Library Tools/Update library from files.

[Samson]

I have about 800 music videos. Is there a way to incorporate these with the regular cd browsing.
For example when browsing through a bands cd's I would like there to be an additional selection called videos for each band (that has videos)

Yes, you can include music videos under "Audio" mixed in with your CD albums. It is pretty straightforward to have them lay alongside your CD albums (say all grouped under the respective artist) or create a separate library of purely music videos,still listed under your audio media.people with more sophisticated needs use special rules or expressions which give MC enormous flexibility in the way it searches and filters the database to throw up custom views.

At the moment I imported all my videos and they simply show up under the video tab in the 'other' category. And they are listed by the file names which makes it way to cluttered to find anything especially when it mixes every other non tv/movie in there as well.

Your music videos are all presumably tagged Media type =[Video] and Media subtype=[Music Video]. If not, select them all and in one foul swoop tag them in the "Action window" (bottom ledt of the Standard screen, AW > tag. If you dont see tags you need , r click > show more (tags). make sure you also fill in the [artist] tag

Go to Audio (under playing now) and r click > add Library View> Leave Location under Audio and choose "empty view" and name it something like artist/CD & Videos. Right click the new library >customize view.Set rules for file display "Media type"  next box  "is"  next box "Audio;Video". Add New Rule, "Media sub type" "is not" ""Movie" and click the pull down menu and click on other video sub types to exclude.

Uncheck "use parent rules" (just for this view)

To the left "View as" pull down categories (or panes or whatever)

Below this is "show categories in this order", Add "Artist" ,the below this add "album" (you can fiddle around endlessly here and you will soon get the gist of it. Click OK and see how this populates your custom library view.

I have my library set up a bit differently so hope this works. Even if not exactly what you want this should hopefully get you started.

[Andyd]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will check into all of this after work today.
I've used programs like I mentioned in the first post for a long time so I'm hoping once I play around with JR a little more it will become pretty intuitive.
Always something different though... this is a pretty cool program.

Thanks again.

[Andyd]

As for backdrops, Theater View shows them automatically for movies, television, and music.

Well, let's say my HTPC that will be running JR wont be hooked up to the internet.
I'm using XBMC at the moment. So lets say I rip a tv series or a dozen BD movies on my main pc.
I would then use a program called ember media manager to acquire artwork and generate nfo's for everything.
All of this data would be stored in the movie folder or tv series folder along with the actual video files.
And then I would simply get this exported to my HTPC and it is all ready to go. XBMC would use the files and nfo's generated with no internet required.
Can I still do something like this with JR?

Select the files that have changed, right click, Library Tools/Update library from files.

Simple enough, thank you.

[Andyd]

Yes, you can include music videos under "Audio" mixed in with your CD albums. It is pretty straightforward to have them lay alongside your CD albums (say all grouped under the respective artist) or create a separate library of purely music videos,still listed under your audio media.people with more sophisticated needs use special rules or expressions which give MC enormous flexibility in the way it searches and filters the database to throw up custom views.

Your music videos are all presumably tagged Media type =[Video] and Media subtype=[Music Video]. If not, select them all and in one foul swoop tag them in the "Action window" (bottom ledt of the Standard screen, AW > tag. If you dont see tags you need , r click > show more (tags). make sure you also fill in the [artist] tag

Go to Audio (under playing now) and r click > add Library View> Leave Location under Audio and choose "empty view" and name it something like artist/CD & Videos. Right click the new library >customize view.Set rules for file display "Media type"  next box  "is"  next box "Audio;Video". Add New Rule, "Media sub type" "is not" ""Movie" and click the pull down menu and click on other video sub types to exclude.

Uncheck "use parent rules" (just for this view)

To the left "View as" pull down categories (or panes or whatever)

Below this is "show categories in this order", Add "Artist" ,the below this add "album" (you can fiddle around endlessly here and you will soon get the gist of it. Click OK and see how this populates your custom library view.

I have my library set up a bit differently so hope this works. Even if not exactly what you want this should hopefully get you started.

Hey Samson, I followed this to the letter.
I have the new library view set up but when I enable theater view and go to audio the videos are nowhere to be found.

To summarize... I gave all of my music videos a media subtype of 'Music Video'
The album for every video is simply 'Videos' so when an artist is selected there will be a 'videos' album along with the rest.

I created a new media library under the audio list called 'Music Video'
Pulled up the customize view screen... unticked 'use parent scheme rules'
Clicked set rules for file display.... created the 2 following rules
Media type IS Audio;Video
Media sub type IS NOT (selected everything except 'music video') this included movie, tv show, empty, other

Left 'view as' panes
Under show categories in this order I added
Artist
Album

So like I said, when I go to theater view I cannot find my videos any where under the audio tab.
Here is one thing that confused me... with the rules set up like I had them, specifically the media sub type IS NOT settings...
When I had the music video library selected it would only display the music videos. I would assume it should display ALL of my music. So I tried changing the media sub type entry and removed 'empty' since my music files do not have a sub type. This made all files visible in the standard view.
I figured this would have solve my problem but when I went back to theater view still no luck.

Any thoughts?

[Samson]

This made all files visible in the standard view.
I figured this would have solve my problem but when I went back to theater view still no luck.

MC has a certain way of doing things which seem initially strange but are for probably good reasons. Changes in Standard view schemes are not automatically carried over to Theatre view schemes as they can be configured independently. I think of "Standard view " as like a "back end" or "back of house" where you do all your main work and then transfer it, if required, to Theatre view which is meant as the pretty 10 foot viewing platform (my view ).It is awesome in its own right.

So, once you have things displaying as you would expect in standard view then Tools > Options > Theatre View. You first go, what...I have to start all over here? No, click Add > Library item from standard view and select your customized scheme you carefully crafted.

You can then refine it and all the other possibilities under the various sections. Pay careful attention to the "customize file info panel" under Appearance, as it will change what info you see or dont see in theatre view tabs

You should be able to create just about any view you want like this but it may take some hours of learning how it all works and then much more sophisticated views often require as said previously, also getting into code (expessions, core commands etc....there are sections in Wiki)

[Andyd]

MC has a certain way of doing things which seem initially strange but are for probably good reasons. Changes in Standard view schemes are not automatically carried over to Theatre view schemes as they can be configured independently. I think of "Standard view " as like a "back end" or "back of house" where you do all your main work and then transfer it, if required, to Theatre view which is meant as the pretty 10 foot viewing platform (my view ).It is awesome in its own right.

So, once you have things displaying as you would expect in standard view then Tools > Options > Theatre View. You first go, what...I have to start all over here? No, click Add > Library item from standard view and select your customized scheme you carefully crafted.

You can then refine it and all the other possibilities under the various sections. Pay careful attention to the "customize file info panel" under Appearance, as it will change what info you see or dont see in theatre view tabs

Heh, I thought XBMC was overly complicated when I first started using... it got pretty simple after awhile but this program seems to blow it out of the water in the not so user friendly department
Yeah, I figured the only purpose of the 'standard view' would be to set things up for 'theater view'! I would have never thought to do that.

Anyway, I added 'music videos' library to my theater view. Now when I go to theater view there is a 'music video' tab. It lists all my music but not my music videos  ?
You mentioned the 'file info panel'... Well, to be honest I looked at it but didn't do anything there. Didn't really know what I would do? I notice under the template dropdown tab there is 'audio, image, netflix, tvshow, movie' etc. Should my 'music video' template be listed there? Because its not...

I know this will get easier once I actually get this working and understand this program a little better. It does seem to be more complicated then it needs to be. I have to be missing something simple at this point....

[Samson]

If your standard view library is displaying as you like it then it should be okay also when added to theatre view.However it will depend where you have placed it.....if nested under a parent object it will inherit the parent rules.Try unesting it for now to see how it looks. I have my library set to mix muic with music videos so will try and post more detail tomorrow.

[Samson]

Here's some pics.

[Andyd]

It all seems pretty straight forward... just not working
I may just do a complete reinstall of JR and start over.

BTW: thank you for all the time and effort you have put into helping me through this!!

Here are pics of what I did.
Here is my standard view... as you can see the video folders are available


Here is the options >theater view windows


Here is my theater view... the music video tab is there


Here is a selected band with all their cd's buy no videos

[Matt]

The rules from the parent view apply to children in Theater View.

So you may need to change the root 'Audio' to allow the music videos to be used.

You'll probably want to blank the rule at the root and set the audio rule into each child view that's not music videos.

[Andyd]

The rules from the parent view apply to children in Theater View.

So you may need to change the root 'Audio' to allow the music videos to be used.

You'll probably want to blank the rule at the root and set the audio rule into each child view that's not music videos.

I thought unchecking 'use parent scheme rules for file display' in my music video library took care of that issue?

[Matt]

I thought unchecking 'use parent scheme rules for file display' in my music video library took care of that issue?

It might, but I'm not sure in Theater View.  Could you give it a try and let us know if it helps?

Thanks.

[Andyd]

It might, but I'm not sure in Theater View.  Could you give it a try and let us know if it helps?

Thanks.

Sorry, should have mentioned in that last post. I actually did try it... no good.
Just to confirm.
I right clicked on the 'Audio' and went to the customize view... and set the same rules I made for music videos

When this didn't work I did it for every sub category and disabled the use parent settings on all. Still no luck.

[Andyd]

For the hell of it. Uninstalled JR and did a reinstall and started over.
Still no luck. In my experience with many different softwares things like this are always something simple.
I have to be missing one minor setting or something... After playing around with it, it really isn't that complicated... (well, I think this program can be, but not really what I am trying to do right now!!)

[Matt]

Just to be sure, you're editing the Theater View rules for file display in Options > Theater View, and not the Standard View views?

If that's not it, maybe you could send a library backup to logs (at) jriver (dot) com.  Include what view you expect to be able to see that you can't.

Thanks.

[Samson]

I right clicked on the 'Audio' and went to the customize view... and set the same rules I made for music videos


When this didn't work I did it for every sub category and disabled the use parent settings on all. Still no luck.

My guess here is you are doing this in Standard view since theatre view has no "use parent setting" afaik (perhaps a feature request for later )

I may have misled you in using standard view as a "back of house" for theatre view. I meant getting it sorted  initially and then adding to theatre view (if you like to have a matching view schemes in both).However, as said before, there is no carry over for view customisations. So if you alter the standard view you must manually make a similar change in Theatre view OR remove the theatre view library and re-add from the updated standard view library.

As theatre view doesnt have "use parent rules" to Check/UNCHECK you achieve this by where and how you "nest" things.

Go back to your original rules setup for "music videos"  in Standard view (the one that worked in standard view).Return the main "audio" rules to the way it was.
Remove whatever messed up library in Theatre view.
Readd the newly updated and working standard view "music video" library to the Theatre view.
Have as top  root item "Music videos" for now (like where I had "test").
If works, you can move it up or down as you like (still a root item).See if nesting it somewhere screws things up.If so create a 'dummy' blank parent item with no rules.Experiment with adding "Root item" vs "category" /"main" vs "secondary roller"
Don't double up on rules for parent and child.
Once its under a new 'dummy' parent you can nest other stuff there also, just add the original parent rule set to the child before nesting under a new blank parent.

sounds complicated but is easy once you get going.

[Andyd]

Fina-freaking-ly!!! I knew there was something wrong when your 'test' was in the main menu lineup and mine was a submenu of 'audio'
Got her there now.


Got her running.
Its couch time... I'll get into the details tomorrow.
Thank you very much guys. Very helpful and patient. I appreciate it.

[Samson]

hey, thats great !!
Now check out these clever folks
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=68960.0
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=78206.msg531771#msg531771
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=79840.msg546723#msg546723

[Andyd]

Thanks for the links! Great info.
Things like this will make learning this program much easier. Definitely easier then a wiki!

On another note. One thing I learned while reading and experimenting with the first list is that somehow without me knowing it JR scanned every single drive on my pc and added every audio, video, image and everything else you can imagine. Literally 1000's of files that will never have anything to do with this program were added.
I don't like that. I'm not the type that likes things done automatically without my knowledge.
If I would add cd's or anything else in the future, at least for now I would prefer to have it rescan the directories at my bidding.
It even scanned external drives that are not always hooked up!! Probably imported over 10,000 files from that drive alone!!!

I've deleted all those from the library and disabled auto import :-)

Besides that I'm really starting to like this program.

Quick question... one of those things that should require no thought but I don't see how to do it.
The first time I have JR scan a directory for files. When you click a main category like Audio, Images, Video for the first time it tells you there are no files. Double click to add files to the library.
No problem. Just do it.
Now, once I have files in say the audio category. No matter where I right or left click I see no way to pull up a directory or anything to add more files....
To get around I've simply been dragging folders from Windows Explorer.

One other question. When I made tags for all of my video files it created an xml file for each one with the info. Can these tags be applied right to the videos like you would a regular audio file so the xml's are not needed?
I've used a program called Tag and Rename for years for my audio collection and I love it. This program would also display my music video files when using it so I tried to tag them with it. Even though it then showed those tags on the videos, it rendered the files unplayable in any media player. Can these video files even be tagged?

[Samson]

JR scanned every single drive on my pc and added every audio, video, image and everything else you can imagine.

Caught me off guard the first time too.There is a warning screen I think from memory which you can stop it before it gets going.

disabled auto import :-)

me too and good idea.You can set up things like tag on import for your different folders etc I think I included a link in previous post.

Besides that I'm really starting to like this program.

Quick question... one of those things that should require no thought but I don't see how to do it.
The first time I have JR scan a directory for files. When you click a main category like Audio, Images, Video for the first time it tells you there are no files. Double click to add files to the library.
No problem. Just do it.
Now, once I have files in say the audio category. No matter where I right or left click I see no way to pull up a directory or anything to add more files....
To get around I've simply been dragging folders from Windows Explorer.

Tools > Import will give you options to Import a single folder, Configure auto import to what you want or just run auto import "now". If you are playing a file not previously imported (like right click play with MC) I think it also gives the option to import


[/quote]