Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[csimon]

Is there any movement on revamping the zones structure in MC?  It's been requested before and there was a discussion started on it some time ago. I know this will require changes, not only in MC itself, but in clients such as Gizmo, eos, JRemote etc, and anything else that uses APIs like MCWS and the core commands, however considering there is a move towards entering the Sonos market, this is one of the fundamental things that is not happening at the moment, together with synchronous playback. It's not enough to release a mini PC with MC on it and call it a Sonos competitor, the software needs to fundamentally change as well. There has to be a time when you move on and abandon and break links with the past, if it's not possible to maintain backward compatibility.

At the moment, zones in MC are an awkward combination of physical output device (or a room) and settings.

The zone should relate to the physical output device only.  The audio output settings (e.g. volume, mute, DSP) should be an attribute of the Playing Now queue for a zone, i.e. what is currently playing is being currently output as. There could be presets so that you don't need to set these up each time you start playing something, and assign a default preset to a group.

There should also be zone groups which can be pre-defined to collect together a number of zones, e.g. Upstairs Rooms, Downstairs Rooms, Outside.  With the structure mentioned above, each group would therefore have a Playing Now queue associated with it.

It should be possible to group zones on the fly, e.g. add a zone to an existing group or create a new group by grouping two zones together, which would create a temporary virtual group until saved as a new group. Zones can be ungrouped too.  The method of grouping and ungrouping should be a bit more straightforward than it is at the moment, built-in to the product and Theater View, rather than being buried in a right-click menu somewhere. It would be the inherent structure of Playing Now.

Zones and Zone Groups would be presented as Playing Now destinations on the same level, i.e. you get a list of all the individual zones plus all the zone groups.  Or, if you like, the individual zone definitions are just that and not exposed, and default zone groups are created consisting of the individual zones.  Maybe that's the way to think about backward compatibility - change the back-end to expose zone groups to the client as zones.

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=84670.0
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=90662.msg623229#msg623229
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=89649.msg617279#msg617279
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=90727.0

Also, see how other multiroom systems handle multiple zones and groups, such as Sonos, Casatunes (example screenshot attached).

[6233638]

I do (still) agree that Zone Groups would be a useful addition to Media Center.
However, for me, I think a lot of the need for Zone Groups would be eliminated with a revamp of the DSP Preset system.
 
In fact, some of what I had originally wanted Zone Groups for, would be handled better by DSP Presets.
DSP Presets handle the per-track changes that you want, and Zones handle per-device changes.

Zone Grouping, for me, was a way to have a single playlist for a group of disparate output devices, and have MC intelligently switch between them.
Your suggestions sound a lot more like the existing Zone Linking system, only with a way to assign a name to each link.

Where Zone Grouping would be useful to me is when I have a mixture of say 2.0 and 5.1 audio tracks that I want to play.
I want to have a single playlist which contains both types of track, but each type is handled by a separate playback device.
Currently, with no way of grouping those zones together, you end up with two separate playlists playing simultaneously. Or you have to convert everything to 2.0 or 5.1
I want to be able to play to my "Video Group" and which has a single playlist, and it will automatically switch between devices depending on which Sub-Zone it should play in.

Zones and Zone Groups would be presented as Playing Now destinations on the same level, i.e. you get a list of all the individual zones plus all the zone groups.  Or, if you like, the individual zone definitions are just that and not exposed, and default zone groups are created consisting of the individual zones.  Maybe that's the way to think about backward compatibility - change the back-end to expose zone groups to the client as zones.

This gets really tricky. If you have, for example:
 
Downstairs Rooms:

• Entryway
• Living Room
• Dining Room
• Kitchen

And you can choose to either play to an individual room or the group as a whole, you have a lot of potential conflicts to deal with.
If you are currently playing to the "downstairs rooms" group, which plays music in all rooms, what happens when someone tries to play different audio in the kitchen?
Or what if someone is listening to their own music in the living room, and someone else starts playing different music to the "downstairs rooms" group?
 
Does the last command override everything?
Should it ignore rooms which are already playing music? What if you wanted to override a room and play music everywhere?
Should it prompt the user and ask every time?
What if you're playing music in the kitchen, start playing different music to the group but not the kitchen, and then 20 minutes later decide you want to add the kitchen back in without interrupting playback?

[mwillems]

The zone should relate to the physical output device only.  The audio output settings (e.g. volume, mute, DSP) should be an attribute of the Playing Now queue for a zone, i.e. what is currently playing is being currently output as. There could be presets so that you don't need to set these up each time you start playing something, and assign a default preset to a group.

While I generally agree that zone grouping as you describe could be useful, I couldn't disagree more with this portion.  The only reason that zones are useful to me is because the DSP settings are baked into the zone, as the DSP I use is a function of my output hardware, not a function of the music I'm listening to (the playing now).  

I recognize that the current DSP preset system is useful to some people, but, with a few narrow exceptions, I have no interest in changing my DSP based on the program material.  My DSP (and there's quite a lot of it) is very much hardware and room focused (room correction, etc.).  There's a large contingent of folks here doing the same, which is part of the reason that certain zone features were implemented (e.g. zone copy).  

If I sound a little touchy about this, it's because I have multiple audio setups where I do active crossovers in JRiver, and several zones with headphone outputs or normal speakers needing minimal correction.  Being unable to set a fixed DSP profile in a zone for a given hardware profile (that's independent of the files being played) would completely break my setup (as in, no sound coming out of some of the speakers).  So it's not just a convenience issue for me, it would require re-engineering/investment if that functionality went away.

That said, as noted above, I agree that better grouping, switching, and additional refinement of the current DSP preset system would be helpful.

I do (still) agree that Zone Groups would be a useful addition to Media Center.
However, for me, I think a lot of the need for Zone Groups would be eliminated with a revamp of the DSP Preset system.
 
In fact, some of what I had originally wanted Zone Groups for, would be handled better by DSP Presets.
DSP Presets handle the per-track changes that you want, and Zones handle per-device changes.

I agree entirely.

[csimon]

In fact, some of what I had originally wanted Zone Groups for, would be handled better by DSP Presets.
DSP Presets handle the per-track changes that you want, and Zones handle per-device changes.

Not sure, but I think your DSP Presets is the same way of thinking as my audio settings presets. It's an attribute of the Playing Now list.

To get switching of settings automatically on a track-by-track basis, isn't that just enhancing Zone Switch to work that way?  (ISTR there were technical issues though with the current implementation of Zone switch that meant it would be difficult to do?)

Your suggestions sound a lot more like the existing Zone Linking system, only with a way to assign a name to each link.

Well, yes...   but changing the emphasis to that of rooms and room groupings, rather than output device and audio settings, making more sense for a multiroom system.  Playback/audio settings are not necessarily related to the room, so this needs to be changeable on the fly at playback time.

Where Zone Grouping would be useful to me is when I have a mixture of say 2.0 and 5.1 audio tracks that I want to play.
I want to have a single playlist which contains both types of track, but each type is handled by a separate playback device.
Currently, with no way of grouping those zones together, you end up with two separate playlists playing simultaneously.

Ah, so the playback device itself could be an attribute of Playing Now, rather than a one-to-one relationship with Room...as you could have several sets of speakers or different inputs into an amp in the same room.

The way I'm trying to see this is that a room is a different concept from playback settings.  It may need several goes at defining the model! But the moment an MC Zone is an awkward mixture of the the two and this is what cuases problems when trying to separate them.  With your comment above, you're still in the mindset that a zone has to be an output device rather than a room, hence there's an issue when you want to use a different output device in the same room.

I want to be able to play to my "Video Group" and which has a single playlist, and it will automatically switch between devices depending on which Sub-Zone it should play in.

I suggest that what you want to play to is your "Living Room", rather than a "Video Zone", and then Zone Switch selects the appropriate audio settings preset for each track as Playing now progresses. Although of course you could name your zones as you wish! I'm just calling it Living Room to show the conceptual difference between the location and the audio settings. But maybe what we're saying is the same thing anywey, as your video group could consist of several rooms?

If you are currently playing to the "downstairs rooms" group, which plays music in all rooms, what happens when someone tries to play different audio in the kitchen?
Or what if someone is listening to their own music in the living room, and someone else starts playing different music to the "downstairs rooms" group?
 
Does the last command override everything?
Should it ignore rooms which are already playing music? What if you wanted to override a room and play music everywhere?

Well, maybe it should use the same logic as it does now when you're already plyaing music somewhere then someone else tries to use that zone, whatveer it does now.

Logically, I guess f it's the smae user then the last command takes precedence. But if it's a different user then zones that are already in use are greyed out.

I wonder what porper multiroom systems like Sonos do in this situation?

What if you're playing music in the kitchen, start playing different music to the group but not the kitchen, and then 20 minutes later decide you want to add the kitchen back in without interrupting playback?

Drag the kitchen to the group that is currently playing?  That would stop the individual kitchen playlist and join it to the group one.

[Castius]

I don't have a defined preference to how is done.
However I do agree I would like the ability to just control the output of jriver sometimes.

Mostly to switch from speakers to headphones. Especially when trying to use the new wdm drivers.
I'm not using the jriver audio drivers right now because it makes using jriver to complicated for the whole family.

[csimon]

If I sound a little touchy about this, it's because I have multiple audio setups where I do active crossovers in JRiver, and several zones with headphone outputs or normal speakers needing minimal correction.  Being unable to set a fixed DSP profile in a zone for a given hardware profile (that's independent of the files being played) would completely break my setup (as in, no sound coming out of some of the speakers).  So it's not just a convenience issue for me, it would require re-engineering/investment if that functionality went away.

I don't think I'm suggesting any functionality is taken away, it's to make it more usable. As mentioned, it may take several goes to get the model right!

[csimon]

Not sure, but I think your DSP Presets is the same way of thinking as my audio settings presets. It's an attribute of the Playing Now list.

To get switching of settings automatically on a track-by-track basis, isn't that just enhancing Zone Switch to work that way?  (ISTR there were technical issues though with the current implementation of Zone switch that meant it would be difficult to do?)

Well, yes...   but changing the emphasis to that of rooms and room groupings, rather than output device and audio settings, making more sense for a multiroom system.  Playback/audio settings are not necessarily related to the room, so this needs to be changeable on the fly at playback time.

Ah, so the playback device itself could be an attribute of Playing Now, rather than a one-to-one relationship with Room...as you could have several sets of speakers or different inputs into an amp in the same room.

The way I'm trying to see this is that a room is a different concept from playback settings.  It may need several goes at defining the model! But the moment an MC Zone is an awkward mixture of the the two and this is what cuases problems when trying to separate them.  With your comment above, you're still in the mindset that a zone has to be an output device rather than a room, hence there's an issue when you want to use a different output device in the same room.

I suggest that what you want to play to is your "Living Room", rather than a "video Zone", and then Zone Switch changes the appropriate audio settings preset from the default for that room, for each track as Playing now progresses.

Well, maybe it should use the same logic as it does now when you're already plyaing music somewhere then someone else tries to use that zone, whatveer it does now.

Logically, I guess f it's the smae user then the last command takes precedence. But if it's a different user then zones that are already in use are greyed out.

I wonder what porper multiroom systems like Sonos do in this situation?

Drag the kitchen to the group that is currently playing?  That would stop the individual kitchen playlist and join it to the group one.

[6233638]

While I generally agree that zone grouping as you describe could be useful, I couldn't disagree more with this portion.  The only reason that zones are useful to me is because the DSP settings are baked into the zone, as the DSP I use is a function of my output hardware, not a function of the music I'm listening to (the playing now). 

I recognize that the current DSP preset system is useful to some people, but, with a few narrow exceptions, I have no interest in changing my DSP based on the program material.  My DSP (and there's quite a lot of it) is very much hardware and room focused (room correction, etc.).  There's a large contingent of folks here doing the same, which is part of the reason that certain zone features were implemented (e.g. zone copy).   

Yes, that's largely how I use this as well.
 
And situations like yours are exactly why I think the DSP Preset system needs overhauled in the ways that I have previously outlined.
Because DSP Presets currently store the entire state of DSP Studio, it would completely break in your setup where each device has its own room correction setup, because that room correction setup would now be associated with a track - which you obviously do not want.
 
We need some way of creating DSP Presets which only store the state of user-defined items in DSP Studio, so that the presets which are assigned to tracks can be zone/device agnostic.
E.g. only turning on an EQ preset, and not changing Output Format/Room Correction/Headphones DSP all at once.

To get switching of settings automatically on a track-by-track basis, isn't that just enhancing Zone Switch to work that way?  (ISTR there were technical issues though with the current implementation of Zone switch that meant it would be difficult to do?)

No, Zone Switch will route different files to separate zones, so if you added a mixed selection of 2.0 and 5.1 tracks, all the 2.0 tracks will be routed to the stereo zone, and the 5.1 tracks will be routed to the multichannel zone.
So you have two separate playlists, that will play simultaneously to separate devices.
 
What I want is a single playlists of those 2.0 and 5.1 tracks, which plays to separate devices depending on the track.
An example might be a playlist which is "All albums by [Artist]"
If I have a 5.1 album, that is my preferred format to listen to - but few artists have all their albums available in 5.1, so it ends up being a mixture of the two formats.
And yes, I do play my 2.0 and 5.1 tracks to completely separate devices, rather than only playing to the left/right channels in a 5.1 signal.
But that's only one example of where the feature might be useful.

Well, yes...   but changing the emphasis to that of rooms and room groupings, rather than output device and audio settings, making more sense for a multiroom system.  Playback/audio settings are not necessarily related to the room, so this needs to be changeable on the fly at playback time.

Could you provide a more concrete example?
It seems like you really just need to rename your zones so that "<AVR Model XYZ>" is now "Living Room" rather than being a "device" in the Zones listing.
 
I'm just not clear on what your goal would be by separating the "room" from the "device".

[csimon]

Could you provide a more concrete example?
It seems like you really just need to rename your zones so that "<AVR Model XYZ>" is now "Living Room" rather than being a "device" in the Zones listing.

No - otherwise I'd have 4 zones all called "Living Room"!  (DD5.1, DD5.1 Volume Levelling, Digital Stereo, Analogue Stereo)

I'm looking for a structure that will allow me to send music to the Living Room, but then change the output setting depending on file type, or just on whim.  Or send music to all upstairs rooms at once.

It may well be as "simple" as:

1. Allowing a set of linked zones to be saved under a name.
2. An easy front-end for editing a set of linked zones, and changing the zones that a playlist is currently playing in (i.e. reversing the role of playlist and zone).
3. Allowing presets of audio output settings (e.g. DSP presets, but maybe including output device).
4. A default preset to be assignable to a zone or set of zones.
5. Zone Switch to be enhanced to allow track-by-track switching of audio preset or complete zone, or zone set.
6. Zone Sets to be presented to clients as destinations as though they were a single zone.

[ferday]

While I generally agree that zone grouping as you describe could be useful, I couldn't disagree more with this portion.  The only reason that zones are useful to me is because the DSP settings are baked into the zone, as the DSP I use is a function of my output hardware, not a function of the music I'm listening to (the playing now). 

I recognize that the current DSP preset system is useful to some people, but, with a few narrow exceptions, I have no interest in changing my DSP based on the program material.  My DSP (and there's quite a lot of it) is very much hardware and room focused (room correction, etc.).  There's a large contingent of folks here doing the same, which is part of the reason that certain zone features were implemented (e.g. zone copy).   

If I sound a little touchy about this, it's because I have multiple audio setups where I do active crossovers in JRiver, and several zones with headphone outputs or normal speakers needing minimal correction.  Being unable to set a fixed DSP profile in a zone for a given hardware profile (that's independent of the files being played) would completely break my setup (as in, no sound coming out of some of the speakers).  So it's not just a convenience issue for me, it would require re-engineering/investment if that functionality went away.

That said, as noted above, I agree that better grouping, switching, and additional refinement of the current DSP preset system would be helpful.

I agree entirely.

+1

Although my use of zones is not complex (so it works great for me) the idea of attaching DSP to audio rather than the room/device makes me cringe

Grouping would be handy, I currently have zones like HT coax, HT multi, HT hdmi, HT headphones, etc. so it would be nice looking to group them into HT....but currently it works fine to just send to the desired zone and/or let zone switch do it based on the content.

[mwillems]

+1

Although my use of zones is not complex (so it works great for me) the idea of attaching DSP to audio rather than the room/device makes me cringe

I didn't think I was the only one.  It really seems counterintuitive to try and decouple audio output settings and audio output hardware.  

1. Allowing a set of linked zones to be saved under a name.
2. An easy front-end for editing a set of linked zones, and changing the zones that a playlist is currently playing in (i.e. reversing the role of playlist and zone).
3. Allowing presets of audio output settings (e.g. DSP presets, but maybe including output device).
4. A default preset to be assignable to a zone or set of zones.
5. Zone Switch to be enhanced to allow track-by-track switching of audio preset or complete zone, or zone set.
6. Zone Sets to be presented to clients as destinations as though they were a single zone.

Track by track zone switch would be great, and the best way to do that would be allowing the creation of more concrete "zone groups," which would also allow for better room management.  So I'm with you about 60%.  I just have no idea how 3 is meaningfully different than what we have now, and I don't know why 4 is added value.  3 can be completely accomplished using the existing zone structure and DSP preset structure (depending on your goals).  We already have 4 in most circumstances (in that each zone has customizable settings that remain static).  

If you're trying to get the DSP preset feature to interface better with zone settings, I'm with you that far, but I'm not a fan of decoupling zones and audio settings/DSP.  I'd much rather the DSP preset feature be modified to be more customizable, additive, and subtractive.

[Matt]

I'm going to be a bucket of cold water and say I'm dazzled by the current zone implementation.  I think it's handled really elegantly.  And strangely it's a feature that's totally unique to MC.

[csimon]

It doesn't handle multiroom elegantly at all, it's designed for multiple output settings where you're sitting at a PC with a mouse and keyboard.  Like Theater View, it wasn't designed from a user point of view, as in someone who wants easy control of music throughout the house, and it's awkward.

On the other hand, proper multiroom facilities and synch are unique to Sonos (oh, and Denon Heos, oh and Qualcomm Allplay, oh and Airplay, oh and a myriad of other major technologies) and MC can never compete as a true multiroom system.

[JimH]

Are you using a remote like JRemote or Gizmo?

[6233638]

change the output setting depending on file type, or just on whim

This could be problematic. There's currently no way to override Zone Switch without disabling it entirely.
I've requested it a number of times before, but Send To Zone overriding Zone Switch would solve this.

1. Allowing a set of linked zones to be saved under a name.

Linked Zones always play the same thing in all zones.
I think you want "Zone Groups" as I had previously defined; from what you had been describing up until now, I thought it was more like Linked Zones that you were asking for.

Although my use of zones is not complex (so it works great for me) the idea of attaching DSP to audio rather than the room/device makes me cringe

It depends on what DSP you are assigning. The current DSP Preset system is useless for this (actually, worse than useless: it's destructive) but if you could create presets which only affected certain parameters, there are certain types of DSP that should be set on a per-track basis, rather than a per-zone basis.

I didn't think I was the only one.  It really seems counterintuitive to try and decouple audio output settings and audio output hardware.

Keep in mind that many things can be set in DSP Studio, some of which you may wish to apply on a per-file basis. For example, I have a few films in my library where the channel assignments are messed up. How that made its way onto a commercial Blu-ray/DVD release, I have no idea, but I need to selectively swap around the channel order. That's an ideal candidate for DSP Presets, since it would have to be applied wherever the file is played.

We already have 4 in most circumstances (in that each zone has customizable settings that remain static).  

I think what is meant by this, as I've seen it mentioned in the DSP Preset topics too, is that when a DSP Preset is applied, those changes are currently permanent rather than temporary.
Rather than creating a specific preset and saying "this is the default for Zone X" I think what people mean is that the current Zone settings should stay fixed, and and any changes made by a DSP Preset should be transient, being removed if a file is stopped or another file is played.

I'm going to be a bucket of cold water and say I'm dazzled by the current zone implementation.  I think it's handled really elegantly.  And strangely it's a feature that's totally unique to MC.

You're right, the existing Zones feature is great. But it can be quite inflexible in some areas.
Everything that has already been discussed aside, I still have trouble with Zone Switch. I've never been able to set up rules which cover all use cases due to the "backwards" (in a literal sense) way that rules are run and frequently find myself having to disable it or manually send files to a specific zone.

[mwillems]

Keep in mind that many things can be set in DSP Studio, some of which you may wish to apply on a per-file basis. For example, I have a few films in my library where the channel assignments are messed up. How that made its way onto a commercial Blu-ray/DVD release, I have no idea, but I need to selectively swap around the channel order. That's an ideal candidate for DSP Presets, since it would have to be applied wherever the file is played.
I think what is meant by this, as I've seen it mentioned in the DSP Preset topics too, is that when a DSP Preset is applied, those changes are currently permanent rather than temporary.

I think you and I are on the same page here; these kinds of things are partly what I mean by suggesting that DSP presets should be additive or subtractive.  I'd like to see DSP presets that can temporarily alter existing settings instead of replacing them wholesale, and then return to the zone defaults when done.  That would make the presets feature more useful (I think), or at least easier to use.  The part I don't understand is what is to be gained by going to a pure preset system as csimon seems to be suggesting?

I'm going to be a bucket of cold water and say I'm dazzled by the current zone implementation.  I think it's handled really elegantly.  And strangely it's a feature that's totally unique to MC.

It's a great feature, and it currently meets my own needs more or less perfectly (with correct configuration).  It does have limits, but I think it's one of MC's most useful features.

[csimon]

Are you using a remote like JRemote or Gizmo?

Still using JRemote for the moment but also using VoxCommando. Playing with eos too but it's only on a 3.5" phone, haven't got a suitable Android tablet as yet. JRemote has a zone linking function but is awkward to use, especially for oft-used cases, i.e. manually linking and unlinking zones each time, it also has trouble when zones are linked, frequently getting confused with polling current status and odd behaviour with pausing, it also doesn't handle remote switching of zones well especially video zones. Theater View not good for linked zones.

[mojave]

Zones and ZoneSwitch are one of my favorite features of JRiver. Love it!

The Zone system works great when you have a multi-channel output device. It is more difficult when using multiple devices.

With a multi-channel audio device (MOTU 24ao for example), one can create the following zones:

1.  Master bedroom (channels 1 & 2)
2.  Family room (channels 3 & 4)
3.  Kitchen (channels 5 & 6)
4.  Main Floor (channels 1-6)

This allows the All Main Floor zone to really be a zone group of the other 3 zones. It is easy to pick the zone for playback and control volume with eos or JRemote.

If you have an Id or similar at each zone you have to always have either Zones 1-3 or Zone 4 (Zones 1-3 linked). You can't have it both ways like in my multi-channel example. A Zone Group would solve the problem. Zone 4 could then be a Zone Group comprised of Zones 1-3.

[kstuart]

This could be problematic. There's currently no way to override Zone Switch without disabling it entirely.
I've requested it a number of times before, but Send To Zone overriding Zone Switch would solve this.

I could also really use Send To Zone overriding Zone Switch .

Or at the very minimum, move "Enable/Disable Zone Switch" toggle to the Zone menu, instead of first having to choose "Zone Switch" and then click the checkbox (three extra actions needed in order to disable it).

Thanks.

[csimon]

As I've mentioned, the actual model and structure can be thrashed out but generally I'm sure the opinion is that this whole area could do with a bit of a rework.  Technically, zones work great for different output settings however you just have to play with something like Sonos for half an hour to see how elegant multiroom handling can be. But the situation with MC is complex becuase there can be different output devices going to different rooms, they can be DLNA clients in the different rooms, or they can be MC clients in different rooms (and the latter in particular is awkward when it comes to diffent zones on clients appearing on servers and vice versa and controlling this via a remote app, it's just so confusing and convoluted). I can see that there are various use scenarios for zones and probably fall into two main areas - multiple audio settings and multiple rooms - hence my wish to separate and structure them a bit better. It could well be a many-to-many relationship!

[csimon]

I don't know if it helps to think of it in this way but I'm currently handling multiroom distribution with an audio matrix switch!

I have a number of MC zones, relating to physical output devices and different settings for each. Their outputs are fed into inputs of the switch and I can therefore control which rooms get which audio at the push of a button. They can have independent audio or the same audio in any combination, and in perfect sync. That's by far the easiest way of doing it and, technically, it's quite an elegant solution but seems a bit "manual". It can also have audio fed into it from any device, not just MC.

[csimon]

<bump>
Request to revmp zones.

[csimon]

<bump>

[Hendrik]

There are no plans to revamp how zones work at this time.

[6233638]

That's disappointing.
 
As I expand my Media Center system, I find that I am increasingly having to manually switch between zones every time I start playing any kind of media, or having to change DSP settings on a per-file basis.
Ideally I would just be able to set up three or four different zones for video, group them all together so that they share a playlist, and have Zone Switch automatically route files where they need to go.
 
This is probably up there in the top 5 improvements I'd like to see for MC21.

[flac.rules]

Yeah, at least making it easier to play to several zones would be great.