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[jcisbig]

Hey All,

I'm a total noob to JRiver, but I'm thinking about purchasing it if it will allow me to do some of the things I'm looking to do.  Apologies for asking questions that have probably been asked an answered 100 times before.

First a little background.  I was using iTunes for a number of years, but when I put together a rather fantastic audio system I moved from mp3 files to FLAC files, which iTunes obviously doesn't play.  That was the factor that lead me to search for another media player.

Another "big deal" for me is being able to "clone" my media center between two computers.  With iTunes, there were about five files that I could copy to the other computer and replace it's config files and I would have all my playlists, ratings, etc. exactly as it was on my "master" computer.

So, my questions:
1) Can I sync my media library between multiple computers?  If so, does it "clone" playlists, ratings, etc.?
2) I've seen some talk about being able to stream your media library to your android device.  Is it limited to streaming, or can I actually put selected songs/artists/playlists in my phones storage and play them through my phone directly?
3) I see that MC19 is coming out soon, is there a list of improvements that it makes to MC18?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

[adamt]

From the questions you asked, it looks like Media Center will be the perfect match for you.

1) Media Center has many ways of doing this.  If you want to keep all your files on one computer you can use "library server".  This way, all the files in your library will be able to stream to any other computer running media center.  If you want to actually transfer the files to another computer you can also "Sync Library" where it keeps files synchronized between multiple computers.  

2) There are several ways of streaming music to a device using Media Center.  Unless it's an iPhone and you want the files on your device to play through your phone directly, you can plug it in via USB and "Sync Handheld".  It will synchronize the files on your device with the files you've selected in your library.

3) There isn't currently a list of improvements in 19, but keep in mind, buying an MC18 license right now will let you use MC19 when it comes out.  

Feel free to ask any more questions you might have!

[jcisbig]

Adam,

Thanks for your response!

Just for clarification, buying MC18 right now for $50 through the website will allow and automatic upgrade to MC19 when available?

When streaming from a "library server" computer to another computer or capable phone, does this need to happen over a LAN, or could I stream music to my laptop/phone when I'm at work or at a friend's house?

If I had a master "library server", can I choose specific playlists to sync to my laptop (instead of the whole library), similar to how you can choose which playlists to sync to a phone?

Is it easy to enable/disable the WASAPI mode?

Also, if I buy a new computer in a year, can I install JRiver on the new computer without re-purchasing a license?

[mojave]

Just for clarification, buying MC18 right now for $50 through the website will allow and automatic upgrade to MC19 when available?

Yes. The current license available is a combination MC18/MC19 license. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "automatic." You will need to download and install MC19, but it will use your settings, etc. from MC18 so the process is easy and quick.

When streaming from a "library server" computer to another computer or capable phone, does this need to happen over a LAN, or could I stream music to my laptop/phone when I'm at work or at a friend's house?

You can stream from anywhere you have internet access. LAN, WAN, or in a VAN.

If I had a master "library server", can I choose specific playlists to sync to my laptop (instead of the whole library), similar to how you can choose which playlists to sync to a phone?

Yes. You also only need to store your files in a lossless format. Syncing will automatically convert the files as needed for the phone, etc.

Is it easy to enable/disable the WASAPI mode?

You can easily choose ASIO, WASAPI, Kernel Streaming, or Direct Sound as your method of communicating with your audio device.

Also, if I buy a new computer in a year, can I install JRiver on the new computer without re-purchasing a license?

Yes, and "you may use the program on your work PC and on your home PC's with a single license" per the Purchase page.

[adamt]

If I had a master "library server", can I choose specific playlists to sync to my laptop (instead of the whole library), similar to how you can choose which playlists to sync to a phone?

To clarify,  I don't think we have a dedicated tool to "Synchronize" files of specific playlists between computers.  It is easy to use Media Network to play these files from another computer anywhere with internet.  If you really wanted the files to actually be on your laptop it wouldn't be difficult to set up the "Sync Handheld" tool to do that.