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Author Topic: Switching Libraries with Media Network and JRemote  (Read 3370 times)

garyi

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Switching Libraries with Media Network and JRemote
« on: June 17, 2014, 03:34:23 pm »

Great thanks for that.

My only other question relates to the remote app. I have the main library and a DNLA server. I can find no way on the remote app (iphone) to switch between libraries, which was sort of what got me excited about JRiver as a solution. Perhaps I am missing something obvious?
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glynor

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Switching Libraries with Media Network and JRemote
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2014, 06:04:32 pm »

I'm going to answer your question with some questions:

Why do you want to switch Libraries?  What are you using the separate Libraries for?

If the answer is something to the effect of: I have different types of media files (different owners, different purposes, etc), and I need them to be displayed separately, where they aren't "polluted" by other unrelated media, then... That's not what Libraries are for.  You can do this in MC, quite well, all from within one Library.

It, generally, should be very rare to need to switch Libraries for most users (even ones with weird needs).  JRemote does not (that I know of) expose a mechanism to switch Libraries.  You could rig something up if needed, since there are commands that let you do it in MC's Media Network API (MCWS).  However, where separate Libraries are most useful is when you have separate physical sets of media, which cannot be accessed simultaneously, and which require certain pre-conditions for use.  For example, I have a "work" Library (the media which all lives on file shares at work, and which I cannot access from home without VPN), and a "home" Library.  Another good example might be having a separate Library on a self-contained external disk, that can only be used with that disk when it is powered on and connected to a computer (and when you are using that disk, you'd never want to "switch back to" your main Library for any reason except for when you are done and unplugging it).  Those kinds of usages work well.

But, having separate Libraries for my Wife and for Me, or for keeping Classical separate from Rock music, is not what they're for, and there are other (better) ways to do that.
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JohnAV

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Switching Libraries with Media Network and JRemote
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2014, 06:10:37 pm »

It is what it is.  MC is gradually being improved, but please don't buy it if you think it's "a bit harsh" or that it's "half a product".
Haven't logged in for awhile, but it seems like the mac releases have slowed down again, is there a another major release in the works for later this year?   
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garyi

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Switching Libraries with Media Network and JRemote
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2014, 02:16:26 am »

OK, the library thing is not the end of the world, a nice to have I guess. If you are going to have options for different locations for music including dnla which you appear to have, it follows perhaps that one might expect to be able to switch those libraries when required, or at least amalgamate them a bit like netstreams software.

It would be nice in the future if art work can be found by simply right clicking a bit like itunes, I see no way of applying art work to albums right now other than copy paste.

I also swear that there was an option to get artist art work but for the life of me cannot find it now.

All of my music already has artist artwork, which shows up fine in itunes and via other mediums but in JRiver it defaults to one of the album covers, so is not picking this up.

In general though I like the software, the menus are extremely unmac like but with jremote one will not need to be exposed to that too often. Some sort of method to show 'whats playing now' on screen would be super, a bit like screensleeves for mac, which sadly only works with itunes.
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glynor

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Switching Libraries with Media Network and JRemote
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2014, 06:54:13 am »

OK, the library thing is not the end of the world, a nice to have I guess. If you are going to have options for different locations for music including dnla which you appear to have, it follows perhaps that one might expect to be able to switch those libraries when required, or at least amalgamate them a bit like netstreams software.

If you explain what you're using the separate Libraries for, I'm happy to explain a way you can unify them into one Library and still maintain the separations you'd like.

In general though I like the software, the menus are extremely unmac like

Yeah, there's a thread about it.  Suffice to say that improvements here are planned, but there's no firm timeline.  Bigger fish to fry right now.

Some sort of method to show 'whats playing now' on screen would be super, a bit like screensleeves for mac, which sadly only works with itunes.

JRemote does have a Playing Now screen.  Is that what you mean?  If you tap on the album thumbnail in the lower-left corner while something is playing, it opens the Playing Now view.  Perhaps you mean something else, though...
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garyi

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Re: Switching Libraries with Media Network and JRemote
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2014, 10:50:57 am »

OK getting to grips with it now. I notice that multiple folders do combine into one library view which is nice, just need to work out the artist view and I should be there.

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