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[dvogel1]

Hi,

I have MC on two computers. Each computer has a distinct audio configuration. The office computer has a simple stereo receiver with one pair of speakers. It uses the motherboard L/R channel output. The HTPC has a 7.1 soundcard and uses DSP to filter audio to multi-driver loudspeakers. Both computers are rarely on at the same time.

I plan to maintain a single Library, based on the HTPC, that I will restore to the office computer when I make changes  to the HTPC (playlist updates, etc.). In other words, I intend to keep both computers current with the same "options".

The first step is to create a new zone for the office computer (Office Zone).

I would like to setup a zone switch that recognizes which computer MC is working on so that the audio is handled properly. The switch would look something like this:

[Computer Name] = ["Windows office PC name"], Play in this Zone: Office Zone

or perhaps

[Windows Username] = ["my Windows user name on the office PC"], Play in this Zone: Office Zone

I would like the switch to happen automatically so that I don't ruin my little office speakers.

Thanks for your help.

[mwillems]

Hi,

I have MC on two computers. Each computer has a distinct audio configuration. The office computer has a simple stereo receiver with one pair of speakers. It uses the motherboard L/R channel output. The HTPC has a 7.1 soundcard and uses DSP to filter audio to multi-driver loudspeakers. Both computers are rarely on at the same time.

I plan to maintain a single Library, based on the HTPC, that I will restore to the office computer when I make changes  to the HTPC (playlist updates, etc.). In other words, I intend to keep both computers current with the same "options".

The first step is to create a new zone for the office computer (Office Zone).

I would like to setup a zone switch that recognizes which computer MC is working on so that the audio is handled properly. The switch would look something like this:

[Computer Name] = ["Windows office PC name"], Play in this Zone: Office Zone

or perhaps

[Windows Username] = ["my Windows user name on the office PC"], Play in this Zone: Office Zone

I would like the switch to happen automatically so that I don't ruin my little office speakers.

Thanks for your help.

If you're open to the idea of leaving the HTPC on continuously, have you considered setting up JRiver's media server functionality?  You might find that it does almost everything you want with very little additional configuration.  If you setup the HTPC as the server, and the office pc as a client of that server, the client pc will use the same library as the server.  You don't even need to setup an extra zone: you'll see two separate zones on both PCs, one for the office and one for the HTPC which will be clearly and automatically labelled.

I have a very similar setup: a main HTPC (with bi-amped speakers and all my media) and an office PC (with small bookshelf speakers).  It was more or less as simple as enabling media server and logging into the server library from my office PC.  The only hitch is that the HTPC needs to be on for the whole thing to work correctly.

If you need the office PC to function without using the HTPC as a server, syncing the library becomes more challenging, and I'm not sure of a good way to do it automatically.  The way to do it manually is to back up your library on the HTPC, copy the backup files over to the office PC and restore the backup.  That will migrate the settings over manually, but won't move any of your actual media files.  To move the files, you either need to do it manually or to use something like the library sync function, but I've had mixed success with library sync (which is what led me to use the server solution).

Sorry I don't have a perfect fix, but hope this helps.  Others may have better suggestions.

[JimH]

If you're open to the idea of leaving the HTPC on continuously ....

You can put the PC to sleep when it's not in use and wake it with Wake On Lan.

[dvogel1]

Thanks, please add this capability to your long user wish list.

I've had trouble with Gizmo when the HTPC goes to sleep so I disabled that feature in Windows. Gizmo loses the connection and cannot regain it while the computer is asleep, even though the HTPC continues to play music (windows sleep setting).

[csimon]

I think you should be able to do this by not restoring the settings when you restore the library. This is an option on the Restore. Then you can set up both PCs independantly with regard to their audio zones but only restore the libray itself.

[dvogel1]

Restoring the library without the settings seems like a good solution. I'll try it. Thanks

[dvogel1]

In a recent topic (Zone Switch rule based on time of day?) @gappie suggested using a custom expression to execute the desired zone switch.

I was able to use a similar solution for switching zones based on what computer is being used.

1. Create an empty file, "c:\Office Computer.txt"
2. Create a new zone switch rule with a custom field.
3. In the expression field enter [=ismissing(c:\Office Computer.txt)]=0

The goal is to determine if the file exists. If it does then switch zones. In my case the file is present on the office computer only. The expression is like a double negative, is the file missing (no), is the expression false (no). The output is a logical true.