More > JRiver Media Center 21 for Linux
Setup JRiver Media Center 21 In Ubuntu/Linux Mint
Awesome Donkey:
This tutorial aims to aid users into setting up JRiver Media Center 21 onto computers running the following Linux operating systems;
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus
Ubuntu 14.04.4 LTS Trusty Tahr
Linux Mint 18 Sarah
Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa
Ubuntu Studio and Linux Mint Debian Edition has not and likely won't be tested! Your mileage may vary.
NOTE: This tutorial does borrow ideas and parts done by InflatableMouse and his excellent Debian Wheezy tutorial found here, so please thank him.
Before we continue, please note the following;
- Media Center 21 for Linux is developed on Debian Wheezy 32-bit and Debian Jessie 64-bit - support for distros other than Wheezy 32-bit and Jessie 64-bit, like Ubuntu and Mint is not officially supported!
- This tutorial will focus on the operating systems above, any others you're on your own with.
- This *should* also apply to Ubuntu/Mint derivatives like Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Linux Mint (MATE), Linux Mint (Xfce), etc. However, extra steps may be required!
- Before installing, please read the outstanding issues topic! Many of the issues noted for Debian also apply to Ubuntu/Mint!
Step 1 - Add the JRiver APT Repository:
The APT repository is required to install Media Center 21 and keep Media Center 21 updated with every new release.
First, open a Terminal (by either pressing CTRL+ALT+T or by searching for the terminal in your desktop environment) and either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);
--- Code: ---wget -q "http://dist.jriver.com/mediacenter@jriver.com.gpg.key" -O- | sudo apt-key add -
--- End code ---
Next, with the Terminal still open, we need to download and add the correct mediacenter.list file to /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ depending if you're using 32-bit or 64-bit so either type one the following commands or copy and paste the command in and press Enter;
If you're using 64-bit Ubuntu/Linux Mint:
--- Code: ---sudo wget http://dist.jriver.com/latest/mediacenter/mediacenter21jessie.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter21.list
--- End code ---
Or...
If you're using 32-bit Ubuntu/Linux Mint:
--- Code: ---sudo wget http://dist.jriver.com/latest/mediacenter/mediacenter21.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter21.list
--- End code ---
Finally, we need to reload the packages list, so with the Terminal still open either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter;
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get update
--- End code ---
NOTE: If you're using Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus you may encounter an error about the repository is insufficiently signed, this is currently just a warning that can be ignored.
That's it! Proceed to step 2!
Step 2 - Installing Media Center 21:
It's finally time to install Media Center 21! First, open a Terminal (by either pressing CTRL+ALT+T or by searching for the Terminal in your desktop environment) or re-use the Terminal from the previous step. Next either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get install mediacenter21
--- End code ---
During this process it should say something along the following;
--- Code: ---The following extra packages will be installed:
lame libcue1 libreplaygain1 musepack-tools vorbis-tools
The following NEW packages will be installed:
lame libcue1 libreplaygain1 mediacenter21 musepack-tools vorbis-tools
0 upgraded, 6 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
--- End code ---
However, if you receive an error like;
--- Code: ---dependency problems prevent configuration of mediacenter21:
mediacenter21 depends on ....
--- End code ---
This means all dependencies have not been met. Don't fret, this can usually be taken care of by using the following command in the Terminal by either typing the following command or copying and pasting the command in and press Enter;
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get install -f
--- End code ---
It'll show you the missing dependencies, after looking them over just press enter to install them. Now assuming all dependencies are met, you've been successful at installing Media Center 21 in Ubuntu/Mint! However, I recommend rebooting since this will allow MC to load up fonts correctly - otherwise if you run MC without rebooting first, fonts may look pretty horrendous!
Now, after rebooting you can start Media Center either go into the Unity dash, Mint menu, etc. and search for Media Center 21 or you can run it from the Terminal by either typing the following command or copying and pasting the command in and press Enter;
--- Code: ---mediacenter21
--- End code ---
Now, we're going to cover installing the license for those who have purchased in step 3!
Awesome Donkey:
Step 3 - Installing A Media Center 21 Linux License Or Master License:
This portion of the tutorial will explain how to manually install your purchased license (either Linux licence or Master licence) in Media Center 21. Thanks for purchasing a license and supporting the development!
First, make sure MC21 is closed and either download the .mjr by either restoring the license here or if you just purchased a Media Center 21 Linux or Master license, then use the .mjr file downloaded with your purchase. After downloading your license file, open a Terminal and either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);
If you're using a Linux license:
--- Code: ---mediacenter21 /RestoreFromFile "Media Center21 Linux-YYYYYY.mjr"
--- End code ---
NOTE: Replace the X's and Y's with the correct numbers from your specific .mjr file AND adjust the path to your file.
If you're using a Master license:
--- Code: ---mediacenter21 /RestoreFromFile "Media Center21 Master-YYYYYY.mjr"
--- End code ---
NOTE: Replace the X's and Y's with the correct numbers from your specific .mjr file AND adjust the path to your file.
If your code is located in the default downloads directory, the following command should work (remember to replace the X's and Y's with the correct numbers and change Linux to Master if you're using a Master license!);
--- Code: ---mediacenter21 /RestoreFromFile ~/Downloads/"Media Center21 Linux-YYYYYY.mjr"
--- End code ---
If you do not encounter an error while restoring your license from the file, open Media Center 21 up then go to the Help menu > Registration Info... - if it's registered, congratulations, your MC21 for Linux is now registered!
Additional information and discussion regarding licenses can be found in this topic.
Once you're done, you should be ready to go! Congratulations, you've successfully installed Media Center 21 on your Ubuntu/Linux Mint machine! The next step will aid you in keeping Media Center 21 up-to-date.
Step 4 - Updating Media Center 21:
Okay, so you've got Media Center 21 installed and you might be wondering "how do I keep MC 21 up-to-date?". Well, there's several different ways available to accomplish this.
The easiest method to check for updates and update Media Center 21 if an update is available? Simple! Just open a Terminal and either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
--- End code ---
Let the command run and it should prompt you with a list of updates for your Linux distribution of choice. Just type Y (or yes) and the system should be updated. It's HIGHLY recommended to run this command once a week - not just for MC 21 updates but for keeping up with the latest patches for vulnerabilities and various other potential security concerns.
The other ways to update Media Center 21? Well, if you Have Synaptic Package Manager installed you can update your system from there as well. Or you can just use the built-in update manager, if one is available for your Linux distro of choice! :)
Okay, what's next? The next post contains various information and tips you may find handy. Enjoy!
Awesome Donkey:
Get Pulseaudio Output Working:
If desired, you can also output using Pulseaudio - keep in mind though that ALSA is bit-perfect. I'd highly recommend sticking with ALSA instead of Pulseaudio since Pulseaudio requires resampling to one sample rate, but if you wish to use Pulseaudio for whatever reason you'll need to set it up...
Pulseaudio *should* work out-of-the-box on Ubuntu 14.04+/Linux Mint 17+ 64-bit however if you want to cover all your bases on getting Pulseaudio working try the following commands in a Terminal by either typing the following command or copying and pasting the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get install libasound2-plugins
--- End code ---
NOTE: You don't need to use this command in Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet 64-bit.
Just open Media Center up, go to Tools > Options > Audio > click the Device settings... button and select pulse as the output device but keep in mind you may need to specify the default output device Pulseaudio uses via the pavucontrol utility.
Setting Default Pulseaudio Device Via PulseAudio Volume Control (pavucontrol):
When trying to use the Pulseaudio output in Media Center, you might find yourself with this type of error when trying to play music...
This means the correct output device for Pulseaudio isn't being used, thus why this error is encountered. Fortunately, there's a way to fix this. Open up a Terminal window and either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get install pavucontrol
--- End code ---
After installing, either start PulseAudio Volume Control by typing pavucontrol into the Terminal or by typing in Pulseaudio into the Unity dash until you see PulseAudio Volume Control. Once open, you'll want to go to the Configuration tab like seen here;
Notice how there's multiple output devices listed here? As seen above, what I want to use as the default is my Schiit Modi 2 Uber aka USB Modi Device. In this example, to set this card up I setup the Configuration tab to the following...
And take a look at the Output Devices tab now. See how it's using the USB Modi Device as the default device?
Please setup your device(s) accordingly for your own needs! And if desired setup your input devices via the Input Devices tab! If everything looks good, try playing music through Pulse again in Media Center. If sound works, congrats, you have working sound via Pulse!
How To Remove Media Center 20 and Media Center 21:
If you've updated from Media Center 20 to Media Center 21, you might find yourself with two versions of Media Center installed. If you don't want multiple versions of Media Center installed, you can remove the old Media Center
Step 1: Backup your library and settings. Read the wiki article on how to backup your library and settings.
Step 2: Open a Terminal and input the following (you *may* be prompted for your password - answer yes when it prompts!);
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get remove mediacenter20
--- End code ---
Step 3 (Optional): If you want to completely remove Media Center 20's files, with the Terminal open and input the following (you *may* be prompted for your password - answer yes when it prompts!);
--- Code: ---sudo rm -rf '/usr/lib/jriver/Media Center 20'
--- End code ---
And...
--- Code: ---sudo rm -rf '~/.jriver/Media Center 20'
--- End code ---
Now, if you want to remove Media Center 21 (for whatever reason, like a clean install), just repeat step 2 and use this command instead;
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get remove mediacenter21
--- End code ---
If all goes well, your Media Center 20/21 installation(s) should be removed.
Enabling Copy And Paste Buffers:
Currently Media Center 21 for Linux supports one copy and paste buffer system (cut buffers) and it can be challenging to use. For further information please read Bob's topic about this here (I HIGHLY suggest you do!). The current downside is I've not found a working way to add these copy and paste commands to the X startup scripts for Ubuntu/Mint. I'll continue looking into this but for those who want copy and paste working only while Media Center 21 is open, this is the best way to do it.
Step 1: Close MC21 if its open and open a Terminal window and input the following (you *may* be prompted for your password);
--- Code: ---sudo apt-get install autocutsel
--- End code ---
Step 2: Once this is installed, leave the Terminal open and input the following;
--- Code: ---autocutsel -fork &
--- End code ---
Again, make sure to leave the Terminal open and input the following;
--- Code: ---autocutsel -selection PRIMARY -fork &
--- End code ---
Remember to leave the Terminal with the commands running open for as long as you need copy and paste functionality. If you close the Terminal you'll lose the ability to copy and paste!
Step 3: Open MC21 and you should be able to successfully copy and paste.
Once you're done with copy and paste, close the Terminal window. To re-enable copy and paste, just follow step 2 again.
Adding Additional Skins In Media Center 21:
Media Center 21 for Linux supports additional skins, like the Windows and Mac builds. For Linux, I highly recommend the ModernCards skin!
Now the easiest way to add skins is by doing the following; open the Home folder (using the native file manager on your distro), pressing CTRL+H to show the hidden files then going to the .jriver folder. From there open the Media Center 21 folder and you're met with multiple folders, including a Skins folder. Open Skins then Standard View and the folders inside contain the additional skins. Just drag and drop the skin you want to add (make sure you drag and drop the extracted skin folder from the Skins/Standard View directory inside the downloaded skin's archive) and change the skin within Media Center 21. If you don't see your skin listed, then the skin probably wasn't installed correctly.
Tutorial changelog:
2.1 (04-11-2016): Updated for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus and added/removed some things to help simplify everything.
2.0 (01-10-2016): Added information regarding updating required libs for Ubuntu 14.04.x and Linux Mint 17.x. Also added the skins tutorial!
1.0 (08-10-2015): First version of the Ubuntu/Linux Mint tutorial for Media Center 21!
El Sliva:
I want to know how to retrieve all settings, preferences and libraries from mediacenter20 to mediacenter21: avoid all the settings again would be great! ;)
I confirm that mediacenter20 as well as mediacenter21 are included in the list of packages referenced in Synaptics; once you add JRiver deposits in your authorized deposit list, you no longer need to go through the Terminal. 8)
Awesome Donkey:
--- Quote from: El Sliva on September 18, 2015, 03:49:00 am ---I want to know how to retrieve all settings, preferences and libraries from mediacenter20 to mediacenter21: avoid all the settings again would be great! ;)
--- End quote ---
It's already part of step 1 of that section of the tutorial - the backup of your library and settings.
The easy way: Open Media Center 20 and go to File > Library > Back Up Library... and save the backup somewhere (e.g. Desktop). Then open Media Center 21 and go to File > Library > Restore Library and restore from the library backup you did in Media Center 20. That's it. :)
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