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Author Topic: How do i get all clients to see what is playing on other clients in playing now?  (Read 4885 times)

HTPC4ME

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have 1 server, all clients connect to server, when playing back a file on htpc (batman) then going to server/standard view/playing now/ HTPC it shows the batman cover, the name, and the progress bar moves. Also at the bottom of jriver it shows the title of the movie, If i click on overview on server it shows HTPC and the file playing with cover art.

Now if i goto another client that is connected to server, then chose overview, or playing now/HTPC. there is no cover, no title, but yet the progress bar moves.

How do i get all clients to see what is playing on other clients in playing now and in overview while all connected to same server?
Thanks
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Arindelle

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Quote
How do i get all clients to see what is playing on other clients in playing now and in overview while all connected to same server?
I'm not sure I understand you ... but you can't see or control clients from clients (well unless they are running merdia servers too). Each client can be allowed to control the server and see whats playing, and each client can watch identical media.

Now by server I'm talking media server not a NAS of course.

Quote
have 1 server, all clients connect to server, when playing back a file on htpc (batman) then going to server/standard view/playing now/ HTPC it shows the batman cover, the name, and the progress bar moves. Also at the bottom of jriver it shows the title of the movie, If i click on overview on server it shows HTPC and the file playing with cover art.

Now if i goto another client that is connected to server, then chose overview, or playing now/HTPC. there is no cover, no title, but yet the progress bar moves.
Sorry I have no idea what you mean here. What are you trying to do ? Have all clients watch Batman? Or are you having a porblem with the server zones showing up identically on all the clients ??
 
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mwillems

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I don't know of a way to see what other clients are doing on a client.  However, you can control clients from other clients by enabling DLNA renderer and DLNA controller on each client.  This will cause each client to appear as a renderer on all the other clients, and you can control playback on a client from a client.
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Arindelle

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I don't know of a way to see what other clients are doing on a client.  However, you can control clients from other clients by enabling DLNA renderer and DLNA controller on each client.  This will cause each client to appear as a renderer on all the other clients, and you can control playback on a client from a client.
nice one ... learned something  thanks
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HTPC4ME

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below are screenshots of each machine running JRiver... each screenshot is in overview mode, (jriver from each machine has something in playing now) all jriver programs are in stopped mode (doesn't change if actually playing).

You will notice all JRiver programs from EACH machine's overview show all JRiver machines (that's working), HOWEVER none of the 4 screenshots are similar, and not one of them shows what is playing on ALL 4 machines, only 1 shows the cover art (HTPC). (being HTPC is connected to server and it shows cover art, shouldnt the other screenshots show there cover art for (Current) as well? (ESPECIALLY the server itself being the files are stored there?)

Another helpful piece of info perhaps, this has been like this since overview was introduced (16, 17?) I've never had all machines Overview sync'd and have never noticed others commenting on this, hence why i feel this maybe a setting ive screwed up on each machine)

Why is it so inconsistent? and how do i get them all sync'd so that when on any machine all overviews are sync'd, up to date, and filled in.
Is this normal? if not could anyone recommend settings i need to tweak, to get these all sync'd?

Also note SC-65 in overview on all screenshots is a Receiver, but have no clue how to remove/hide it from all JRiver machines (we never use it, send to it... so that's why that one is empty in all screenshots)

Server\Liege (all clients are connected to & using this library)
NOTICE... Workstation & Masterbedroom is empty even though they have files in playingnow)



HTPC (Client-Connected to Liege/Server)
NOTICE... Workstation & Masterbedroom is empty even though they have files in playingnow)



MasterBedroom
(Client-Connected to Liege/Server)
NOTICE... 3 of the 4 show info BUT Workstation is empty even though they have files in playingnow)



Workstation (Client-Connected to Liege/Server)
 NOTICE... 3 of the 4 show info BUT Masterbedroom is empty even though they have files in playingnow)



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HTPC4ME

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JRiver?

I have brought this up in the past as well with no reply.

Can someone from the team let us users know if this is a feature that is broke, or if it's user error. so your users don't spend hours troubleshooting something they will never be able to fix. (note... i have spend hrs in the past trying to fix this, with no luck)

June 2013 - http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=81281.0

Nov. 2012 - http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=75641.0





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Arindelle

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I don't think its broke, I think it never worked the way you want it to. I did have some issues when I renamed media server zones like they used to        say "there" before each name. I removed that and couldn't get them back.

But I just learned the only way that makes sense tha I didn't know before was what MWilliams said setting up clients as DLNA so they can be treated as  physical zones like I think is what you want. Most of my zones are not physical emplacements they are different configurations or audio devices or DSPs setups on local machines.

So sorry can't help, but I'm pretty sure you'd have to follow Mwilliams advice.
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6233638

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Tools → Options → Media Network
 
  • Check that you have Media Network enabled on all devices.
  • Check that you have the DLNA server/renderer/controller options enabled.
  • Check that "Show playback zones from the server on the client" is enabled.

With these settings all devices running Media Center on the network show up in the Playing Now list, and can be controlled from any of them—even if they are using different libraries.
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HTPC4ME

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Quote
3. Check that "Show playback zones from the server on the client" is enabled.
does this need to be checked on ALL clients? or just the server?
Thanks
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HTPC4ME

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Check that you have Media Network enabled on all devices
all pc's have this checked

Quote
3. Check that "Show playback zones from the server on the client" is enabled.
all pc's have this checked

Quote
Check that you have the DLNA server/renderer/controller options enabled.
I'm assuming these options are located here Tools → Options → Media Network → Advanced all pc's have these checked

Under Tools → Options → Media Network → Advanced it offers TCP Port... Do all pc's have to have a separate port? or can they all be on same port? (52199)

Under Under Tools → Options → Media Network → Add or configure DLNA servers → Advanced (there are lots of options, anything need to be ticked there?)


Thanks for the help.



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kensn

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Watching this thread...

I think I have everything enabled also. I get the same types of overview that you do. If 623... is getting a proper view of everything, for all clients, I would like to find out what I am missing.

Ken
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HTPC4ME

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Kensn,
how many pc's do you have with jriver on them?
are all of your ports the same 52199? or do you have a different port for each pc?

at least we both know it should work, and it's not a jriver bug (just can't believe ive not been able to get it working)
Quote
Insert Quote
Tools → Options → Media Network
 

    Check that you have Media Network enabled on all devices.
    Check that you have the DLNA server/renderer/controller options enabled.
    Check that "Show playback zones from the server on the client" is enabled.


With these settings all devices running Media Center on the network show up in the Playing Now list, and can be controlled from any of them—even if they are using different libraries.
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kensn

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Main PC, Library server and where I do all my tagging & views. 3 Zones (5.1, Video, Stereo)

Bedroom HTPC, Client. (1 Zone)

Living Room HTPC, Client. 3 Zones (Patio, Audio, Video)

Small Touch Screen PC, Client. (used only for control)

Gizmo on Tablet and Phone.

All Ports are on 51299.

All options you mentioned are on.

Just did some tests. Views are not dynamic for me. I have to click into a clients column to get it to refresh.

From my Main Pc, right clicked an Artist name - Send to - Bedroom Pc. Main Pc showed 80+ songs in Bedroom Pc Column, Cover art for the column did not change.

Bedroom PC only had 2 songs in the Overview Column, added songs to the column as they start to play. Would think it would show the whole list like The Main PC.

Bedroom Shows full list of songs for Main PC in Main PC column. What I expected the Bedroom Client to show when I sent the Artist to it.

Seems to kinda a random thing.

Ken

Edit: I am on 20, but this was the same on 19 for me also.
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HTPC4ME

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Seems to kinda a random thing.
Yeah i think so too, if you look at my screenshots from yesterday you will see someone was watching good ole freda on htpc, BUT yet we watched multiple movies since ON the HTPC, and tonight we watched guide, and now i'm listening to music, and when i goto the workstation click on playing now-HTPC it still shows Good Ole Freda? AND it doesnt even allow me to pause, change tracks, nothing, just shows Good Ol Freda, if i click on Green Play symbol on Good ole freda on workstation/HTPC playing now then error pops up... there is nothing to play. but yet the workstation has stopped the music in htpc room.

It's as if we don't have ports open, or networking isn't sync'd properly. I dunno.

Another thing that's goofy is I've had to force kill HTPC tonight to watch our news (due to the something went wrong with playback error) so one would think being i restarted the HTPC and it connects to server that good ole frida would not show up anywhere else on network, ALSO i tried force killing Workstation then restarting, going to htpc, playing an audio playlist, went back to workstation playing now\overview, and Good ole freda is still there.

i guess another question i'd have would be, how often do the server and clients look for changes? umm 24 hours and workstation is still seeing Good ol Freda on htpc?

In the time ive written this reply, 3 songs have passed on HTPC and workstation still shows as Good Ole Freda.

I've also checked Server and other clients, and those show Good Ol Freda as well for HTPC, even though as mentioned above, it's not been played or viewed in over 24 hrs.
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kensn

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If you click back into a different view and go back to Overview does anything change?

I am in line with you on how I believe it should act, but it just doesn't seem to handshake that well.

Ken
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HTPC4ME

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If you click back into a different view and go back to Overview does anything change?

I am in line with you on how I believe it should act, but it just doesn't seem to handshake that well.
Now we're getting somewhere, i went to server AND workstation clicked on playing now, chose overview (good ole frida) tried all other clients under playing now, then went back to playing now HTPC, and it was still Good ole Freda.

I then went to workstation (all clients) clicked on Audio then went back to playing now overview, and HTPC changed to current track thats playing showing it as 1. (no info, no cover work.. but progress bar moves, and play controls work.

In writing this HTPC has went through 2 more songs, and the songs seem to be changing now on server (can see title and cover work in overview) All of the other clients see "something is playing" and allow you to control it, but no info at all or covers. Which is really confusing, Imagine a house full of jriver's playing, going to overview and each client states 1. _______ for filename.
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kensn

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Yesterday i sent an Album from my Main-PC to Bedroom client and all the tracks showed up at once, which is different than my previous test.

So I am not sure what influences this.

Ken
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