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[kstuart]

One problem I have is that if I open a video in MC19 using Windows Explorer without importing (because I am never going to watch it again, eg today's news), and Zone Switch changes the active zone to Video, then when I press "Stop", the active zone reverts to the previous one (Stereo) and then when I press "Play" it plays the last audio file played, instead of restarting the video.

So, it would be helpful to have an option in Zone Switch (in the part that comes up when you click  "Edit"):

Change Active Zone to this Zone

Thanks !

(By the way, this would have the software emulate the manual action of changing the active zone by clicking on the Zone Menu and selecting "Video" Zone, for example.)

[mojave]

You may need to check your ZoneSwitch rules or add a rule because this is the behavior I already have on both of my computers when controlling with a keyboard. No matter what I play whether from within JRiver or Windows Explorer (without importing), the files play in the proper zone and that zone becomes active. You may need to look at the video files you are opening from Windows Explorer to make a rule that directs them to your video zone and stops playback in other zones. When you start playback, just look at the tags in JRiver to see what common tags the files have. It might even be based on Filename (Path).  You can have multiple rules directing stuff to the same zone.

The only place zones doesn't become active is when controlling with Gizmo. In Gizmo I have to manually change zones since it doesn't follow the active zone. Is this the problem you are having?

[kstuart]

The rule makes video files play in the VIDEO Zone but it does not change the "active zone" to the Video Zone, except during the duration of the file's playback.

So, the following two examples have different results:

1 - Manually change the active zone to Video (using the Zone Menu), and then play a video file.

2 - Play a video file.


In the first case, the video file plays in Video Zone, then at the end of playback, the active zone remains the Video zone.

In the second case, the video file plays in Video Zone, then at the end of playback, the active zone goes back to the previous zone (usually Stereo).

I need the behavior to be the first case, so that if I press Stop, I don't have to manually grab a mouse and change the active zone back to Video in order to play the video again.

[mojave]

I can't reproduce your issue at all. I can hit play and stop as many times as I want on a movie and it will stay in the movie zone. Same for music. The last zone played is always my "active zone."

However, I think I figured out your problem. The default for the Play Button is to Play Visible Files. If you have music files visible in a View, ZoneSwitch will switch to the music zone and start playback.

Go to Tools > Options > General > Behavior > Play button and change it from Play Visible Files to Play Playing Now.

Once you make this change, clicking/pressing Play will always start playback in the last Zone that was used regardless of what View you are browsing. 

[kstuart]

The option is already set to "Play Playing Now".

I am using Standard View, not Theater View, by the way.

Generally, the sequence is:

1) Audio files are played, and Zone Switch will change the Zone to "Stereo" (in order to use the Bifrost stereo DAC).

2) When stop is pressed, the Zone is still "Stereo"

3) A video file is played using Windows Explorer (it is not imported because it is a disposable file which won't be watched at a future date, unlike for example a movie).  Zone Switch will change the Zone to "Video" during playback (in order to use the PC's built-in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround DAC).

4) When stop is pressed during video playback, the Zone reverts to "Stereo".   If a step is added in between 2) and 3) to manually change the Zone to "Video", using the Zone menu, then when stop is pressed during video playback, the Zone stays at "Video".

So, I want the Zone Switch software to automatically do that manual Zone change, so that I don't have to remember to do it every time.

BTW, if your last sentence is supposed to be true, then it is a bug.

[mojave]

4) When stop is pressed during video playback, the Zone reverts to "Stereo".   If a step is added in between 2) and 3) to manually change the Zone to "Video", using the Zone menu, then when stop is pressed during video playback, the Zone stays at "Video".

When stop is pressed during video playback for me, the Zone stays in Blu-ray (or whatever video zone I am using). This is even when starting a video using Windows Explorer. I can't think of anything that would cause a zone to switch just by stopping the current zone.

You could back up your Library, delete your ZoneSwitch rules, and then play in the Video zone. See if it reverts to the Stereo zone. If it doesn't, then a ZoneSwitch rule must be causing the issue.

Do you have any kind of ZoneSwitch rule for WASAPI Loopback or similar? I wonder if Windows sounds or other default audio sounds are causing the switch back to the Stereo zone.

[kstuart]

When stop is pressed during video playback for me, the Zone stays in Blu-ray (or whatever video zone I am using). This is even when starting a video using Windows Explorer.

So when you tried this,

* The video was never imported
* You were using Standard View (not Theater View)
* Prior to starting video playback, the Zone was in a different Zone than used for video playback ?

When I press stop, it is not changing the Zone - it is reverting to the previous Zone prior to video playback.

And if I manually select "Video Zone" prior to playing the video, then when I press Stop, it is in Video Zone, because that is the previous Zone.

That is why "Windows Sounds" has nothing to do with it - because it is not changing to "Stereo", it is reverting to the Previous Zone.

[mojave]

* The video was never imported - Correct, never imported by JRiver. I tested with a safety video on the company network to make sure.
* You were using Standard View (not Theater View) - I was using Windows Explorer. In JRiver I set Tools > Options > General > Behavior > Jump on play (Video) to both Display View and Playing Now with the same results. This would launch the video in either Display View or Standard View. Launching a video from Standard View > Drives and Devices > Explorer or Theater View > Gadgets > Explorer also has the same results.
* Prior to starting video playback, the Zone was in a different Zone than used for video playback ? - Yes, it was actually playing music in my Music zone. Music stopped and playback started in my Video zone. Stopping the video kept the Video zone active.

[kstuart]

Hmm... this is another weird intermittent one... starting to look like a bug - a bug that the OP Request would "workaround".

Any chance anyone could look through the Zone Switch code and see if maybe some other conditions in the player can affect what happens after the end of playback ?

[Matt]

One problem I have is that if I open a video in MC19 using Windows Explorer without importing (because I am never going to watch it again, eg today's news), and Zone Switch changes the active zone to Video, then when I press "Stop", the active zone reverts to the previous one (Stereo) and then when I press "Play" it plays the last audio file played, instead of restarting the video.

I'm confused by this.  I hit stop and the active zone remains the same.  Tips?

[kstuart]

Aargh.   These ZoneSwitch problems are weirdly intermittent.  They happen or do not happen without any perceivable pattern.

So they don't seem to be able to be reliably duplicated, and as a programmer myself, I can see why that makes it too difficult to deal with when there are lots of other priorities.

[kstuart]

So, I think I have figured this out - although I think it is a Bug.

Since I first started using JRiver MC. I immediately decided that I wanted the Playing Now for the Stereo Zone always visible, so I set it up to have a split view with 2 views, and the bottom one locked to Playing Now for the Stereo Zone.

On a hunch, I removed the lock (and for good measure, removed the Split View).

Once I did that, it then stayed in the Zone of the last played item - just as Mojave and Matt observed on their system.

So, locking a view will then "lock" the Active Zone to the same Zone as the locked view - unless the Zone is manually changed, or the Zone is changed by ZoneSwitch.   But then, whenever playback stops, it goes back to the locked view's Zone.

This seems like a bug to me - a locked view should not determine the Active Zone.

If a moderator sees this, can the thread be moved to MC20 Forum for Windows ?  Thanks

[Matt]

A showing Playing Now will set itself to the active zone.  That seems pretty reasonable.

[kstuart]

A showing Playing Now will set itself to the active zone.  That seems pretty reasonable.

But the situation was the reverse.  The active zone set itself to the locked Playing Now view's zone.

So, if I played a video and pressed stop, then when I pressed Play, it would play the Stereo Zone (music), instead of playing the video again - since the remote control is evidently tied to the active zone.

[kstuart]

Here is an example:

Suppose you want to have a "Kid's Bedroom Zone" and then in Display View, you wanted to lock one of the two split views to the Playing Now of "Kid's Bedroom Zone", so that you always knew what was playing there (and if nothing was playing there).

When you stopped doing something in other Zones, you would not want a) the Player on the top of Display View, and b) the Remote Control to automatically be assigned to "Kid's Bedroom Zone".  This might mean that if you pressed play at 11:00pm, it would start music in "Kid's Bedroom Zone" where they were sleeping.

So, upon pressing Stop, the Active Zone should not revert to the locked View of Playing Now.