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[notbananas]

1) I have been trying many software to see if it can display all my movies in my library in menu format just like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. and with a click of the remote, show the details and then another click will start the movie. I don't want to waste my time setting up JRiver if it can't do that. I already have Serviio which works fine, but no cover art, no synopsis, etc. I have DLNA setup in my HT to connect to my PC and I'm able to watch movies from it through the Sony BR player's DLNA menu. The only problem is it only shows the movie titles, but no cover art, synopsis, etc.
I already wasted $400 and many weeks on Cinemar's "Main Lobby" which is great if you want to display the library on your tablet or phone, but it can't do it on the TV screen like Netflix.

2) I just installed JRiver and took several hours to scan my PC for all the movies I have (four 4TB drives, 16TB total) in an external eSATA tower and using one of these 4TB drives for my movies (almost full), another 4TB for TV shows, etc. I have over 550 various BR and standard DVD rips on this one drive. These movies are arranged by a folder for each movie title, the folder name being the title. Then the folder contains the actual movie (avi, mkv, mp4, etc. file types), a jpg image of the cover art and a txt file of the synopsis. After the scan was completed, I noticed an xml file in most all of the folders, but not all. It sure would have been nice if JRiver made it clear that it will add this file for each movie! The main reason is that the 4TB drive is almost full and it should have warned me that extra space on the hard disk is needed for these xml files!!!!!
 
After the scan, I displayed the library on my PC and found many problems. Some had no cover art, some took what appears to be the first few seconds of the movie to be the cover art (this is usually the logo, such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount, etc.)

Another problem is that it created a folder for Movies and another for Shows. What's the difference? The Shows folder are movies, so what is used to determine which category goes to where. One example the movie Elysium is in the Shows folder, not in the Movies folder in JRiver. WHY?

The next problem is I have a folder structure for all the movies and a sub-folders for movie series like James Bond, Harry Potter, etc.  It created the xml file for each movie in the sub-folder, but no entry in the Video section of JRiver.

The next puzzle is how to move the 40 movies that are in Shows to Movies where they belong?

[struct]

I suggest you don't worry about the missing cover art etc at the moment.  It should be possible to get most of it within JRiver.  Get the coverart and metadata for a few using the Get TV/Movie Info by right clicking.   It may not get 100% of what you want, but it is pretty good, and there are some other tools out there that can also help later (e.g. sickbeard for tvshows).

JRiver attempts to guess if your file is a TV Show or Movie and this is controlled by the Media Subtype field.  Click TAG in the Action window in the lower left and select a file to see what the Media Subtype is set to.  If it gets it wrong, simply change.  There are rules set for the Movie and Shows folder that filter based on this field. Right click on the Movies in the left pane and Customize the view to see the rules and later on make your own.

I would spend time making sure JRiver can send information to your player in the way you want.  You need to enable the Media Network in Tools->Options.  You can then ensure that JRiver is a DLNA server for your BD player.  You then click on Advanced and then Customize Views....  Just you can control what you see on your PC, you can control what is delivered on the DLNA server. 

I don't think you can get the Netflix experience you are after, but happy to be corrected.  JRiver has TheaterView on the PC (select from the View Menu) and this gives you something akin to the netflix experience, but this requires your PC.  I don't think this can be delivered by DLNA by JRiver or anyone??  Maybe you can hack some text delivery for synopsis etc, but not sure.

Good luck.

Craig

[JimH]

Netflix can't be viewed over DLNA.

[notbananas]

Thanks for all your helpful info. So basically JR is a fancy cataloging system that can only play movies on the PC?

After discovering that I can setup JR as a DLNA server, I was able to see the JR server on my Sony BR player (along with the Serviio, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, etc.), but the same problem: only movie titles were displayed, no artwork, no synopsis, etc.

So, before I spend another few weeks of experimenting, looks like JR can't be used to display and select movies on my TV screen the same way as Netflix. I am willing to PAY for that feature, so there's a business opportunity for someone to develop this type of system.

NEXT!

[connersw]

No, MC is much, much more than a fancy cataloging system.  It is a very powerful cataloging system, and is currently the best program for audio and video playback on a PC.  It can also serve files to a DLNA device. 

The problem you are experiencing is related to the limitations of DLNA.  Your DLNA player only displays files within the shell your BluRay manufacturer provides.  If you change to a different DLNA player (ie new BluRay player, TV, receiver, etc), the new manufacturer may have a different shell that displays the files in a way you like.  However, it is typically not customizable, and usually very difficult to find out what it looks like before buying a device and testing it out. 

No other software you try will display the files differently through DLNA on your current BluRay player.   

[Vocalpoint]

No other software you try will display the files differently through DLNA on your current BluRay player.   

True dat. DLNA is the culprit here along with your BR player - not MC.

If you want a "10 foot netflix movie" experience in MC - you have to put in some effort and use it as intended - as part of a HTPC layout. And trust us - it's worth it.

VP

[notbananas]

That makes sense now. None of my DLNA devices (Panasonic Region Free BR, Sony BR, Sharp 80" LCD TV) display anything other than the title in alphabetic order, except when I use Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, etc. who must have their own software to display on screen. I assume these are displayed through the DLNA to my HTPC and out to the internet via my computer, so there must be a way to accomplish that with JR.

I guess we are the pioneers of HT and breaking new ground as to how to integrate all the devices and wanted features into one HT system.

[Vocalpoint]

I use Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, etc. who must have their own software to display on screen.

Those are apps built into the firmware of your BR player and none use DNLA at all.

These apps send a normal audio/video signal out of our BR player via HDMI to your TV or HT AVR and away you go - just like watching a disc.

MC is the same thing - only it's an app on your PC and does the same thing - sends AV out of the PC via HDMI to the TV or AVR and it's movie time

VP