INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => Media Center 17 => Topic started by: JimH on June 19, 2012, 10:27:03 am
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[Edit -- We have now released a Mac version. Please see the FAQ on the MAC board (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=36.0) here. Thanks.]
We've discussed porting MC to Mac in the past. I'm interested in hearing your current thoughts on the subject.
It would be a very big project for JRiver. We have about 1.5 million lines of code and changes would need to be made throughout.
[Edit -- We're asking the same question for Linux (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=72874.0).]
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I don't have, nor intend to own a Mac, so no for me.
However, I would pay extra for a Linux port that let me run the server on my unRAID server, even if all the clients still have to be windows.
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I vote "no" because I believe the future is not Win, not OSX but Android.
A tablet connected to a DAC over USB pulling its data from a NAS is my preferred setup.
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Interesting that the first two regulars who posted each want a different OS.
We have choices now.
Windows
OS X
Linux
Android
Note that porting to any of the last three should make it much easier to port to the others.
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I voted no because I will most likely never have a Mac product and don't know anyone that has anything other than a iP.... device.
If it were solely my decision I would move toward a virtual device that can work with audio/video from any program and route it through
the MC A/V engine. With something like that I would think it would be easier to make it work across multiple platforms.
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I have voted with probably as Windows user in order to open the door for Mac users. :)
But the question "MC17 for Macs" should better only replied by Mac users. Therefore should actual MC17 users show the functions, performance and usability of MC17 to Mac users to get a feedback about potential interest.
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I would add Cloud and Windows RT to Jim's list of choices.
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Voted "No", I'm not an Apple User.
I tend to think that a Linux server engine could serve different renderers and would be an interesting option.
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LOL! Yes, of course I would.
A great deal of the stuff you guys are forced to do on a Windows platform will be redundant on MacOS, meaning the port might be easier than you think. One very great advantage would be that you don't have to worry about driver support.
The cost of development tools and support is quite literally, trivial, and it's an nice introduction to UNIX style programming for Windows programmers. (MacOS is Unix under the covers.)
Moreover, streaming directly to and from iOS devices is also possible, and for heavens sake, if you guys would stream DVDs (ripped or otherwise) to an Apple TV2 or Apple TV3, you would sell at least a few thousand copies based just solely on that alone.
There is not any reliable or good way to do that at this time.
Talk about answering frustrated Apple users? People would run MC on Windows just to get that capability. (While all modern Macs run Windows just fine- the license cost for Windows is rather high. All Macs are licensed to run any version of MacOS they can run.)
Also, I think a lot of us "MacTribesman" (as I was just recently described :) would love the interface that MC has, and JRemote is very good indeed.
So yes, I would buy a new license or two on MacOS.
I would buy another license or three to get DVD streaming to an Apple TV today, even from Windows. :)
And yes, I know about jainbreaking ATVs, but even jailbroken ATV don't seem to work very well with say, VOB or MKV files.
-Paul
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To those who voted no.
Did you happen to notice the "or a friend" in the poll question? I will likely never own a Mac but I know at least 10 people who would buy JRiver if they could run it on MacOS.
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Yes.
Although I would rather see a Linux version. Debian would do nicely thanks :).
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Did you happen to notice the "or a friend" in the poll question? I will likely never own a Mac but I know at least 10 people who would buy JRiver if they could run it on MacOS.
I voted yes, and I would buy it on day one.
I would also "sell" (for sure) at least 5 or 6 copies immediately to others I know. Probably more in the end, but those are for sure.
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I probably won't buy a new Mac in the near future, although I have two at home. My htpc has reconverted me back to Win7!
I do know of at least 3 or 4 people that I could convince to buy it on osx though.
SBR
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Absolutely. Though I'm pretty entrenched in iTunes for managing ripping / cataloging, etc., I'd welcome the additional flexibility JRiver offers and would likely retag all 60k+ tracks to have that better organization.
Make it capable of bypassing Core Audio and playing in direct / integer mode (as some of the 3rd party players now can), and it'd be a must-have.
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Probably more in the end, but those are for sure.
Seeing there isn't any decent UPNP server (nor media player for that matter) for MacOS, JRiver would be huge for anyone trying to stream or do whole-house audio. They are stuck with Sonos or Asset now.
-patrick
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I voted no because I don't think I'll ever own an apple product and I don't have any friends who have an apple computer either apart from a few with iphones and ipads.
Another reason I voted no is that there is one thing that worries me a little, would we see a decrease in development of all the wonderful updates we get now? If yes, would it be most drastic during the porting process and then level out once there are multiple os versions? And roughly how long would it take to port the application to another os? I just hope it wouldn't dilute the updates or the community on the forum too much.
I do believe you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket in case windows goes belly up.
I've always been a windows user and feel I am unlikely to change any time soon although maybe one day..
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I voted No for selfish reasons only. As a non OS X user, I'd hate to see the resources of MC distracted. Also the project is not just about porting MC but about what related code from 3rd parties would be needed (video decoders/renderers etc).
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I voted "no" because I don't have and will not have a mac.
I'm not sure what about my (few) Mac-friends. When I talked to them about MC the last time they explained iTunes does exactly what they need and works best with the iPhone. They don't see a reason to change. So I also expect that no friend of mine would buy MC for Mac.
Right now I'd vote with "no" for every other OS, because I only use windows right now and have no intention to change. Perhaps I'll take a look at Windows RT.
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I voted "No" because I don't have a Mac and since I build all the computer for friends and family, neither do they. :)
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I voted maybe.
I want a full client version on a tablet device, mainly for the ability to edit tag info. If a Mac port facilitated this via an iPad client I'd definitely buy a copy.
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A definite yes for me.
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If I was JRiver I would likely ask myself: How many of the frothing-mouth Mac Faithful did I figure would leave iTunes to buy MC?
If I was King of MC, I would look for more conectivity-enhancing thingies I could charge an arm and a leg for.
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If I was JRiver I would likely ask myself: How many of the frothing-mouth Mac Faithful did I figure would leave iTunes to buy MC?
If I was King of MC, I would look for more conectivity-enhancing thingies I could charge an arm and a leg for.
Ah. A price increase. I'd never thought of that...
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really, for me, the question isn't would i buy MC for OS X... it is would i get rid of windows if MC were on OS X, and the answer is yes.
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No because of the already mentioned reason of diverting dev resources.
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really, for me, the question isn't would i buy MC for OS X... it is would i get rid of windows if MC were on OS X, and the answer is yes.
I agree. When I inventory the applications keeping me on a Windows platform it is primarily MC. Most of the other apps are needed to keep Windows alive (e.g. backup, defrag, virus checking, ...) or are also available on Mac (e.g. Lightroom, Photoshop, ...).
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I voted "NO" . I will never own a Mac. Linux port Yes.
Bring it on Jim... Linux port. I am building a new server, every hardware is ready except a couple of hard drives.... X58A- 24 gig of memory etc.
Note- I do not mine paying more for the current MC and a Linux Port.
Ekpen.
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No:
1. very unlikely, that you will catch the "needed" critical amount of Apple users, for I think (unfotunatly) most of them are happy having a system giving them 70-80 % well working functions compared to windows world as 100%...and sometimes I envy them for their simple minds.
2. I would rather expect you guys to develop a Unix NAS based (stable running) Server, for this really seems to be a very reasonable tendency in ourdays, not only for music.
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I'd use what ever platform MC was for. MC is the ONLY thing I run on my HTPC's. If I had a choice however, I would never go for Apple products. Simply because they have a very bad habit of treating their costumers badly and trying to deliberately hurt competition. I'd never ever go for a closed solution from Apple if there was any other way.
I pray that you'll not end up going this way! It will take LOTS of time porting the product, and we'll forever suffer of slower development time because you'll have to develop, test and fix problems for both platforms. It will seriously hurt the development for all the others that are JUST FINE with the windows platform as a basis. How many more users would you gain with a port? Those users that are on a Mac today? Probably not many of them. Most of them are iSheeps (my term for people who follow the new trends of shiny and easy to use products with limited options), and they will probably be terrified of leaving iTunes. And they'd STILL need iTunes because they probably have a iPhone or other iDevice that forces the users to keep iTunes.
What about those that use MC today but want to go to Mac only? What do you gain of pleasing those people? They do just fine by running Windows in the background for their HTPC today, and they will still do fine with it tomorrow. The development will probably be on halt for very long time, and you'll loose some customers because of the lack of updates and fixes. Not because others also lack progress for long periods, but because the MC users have come to expect continuous improvements and features in MC. Take that away for a long period, and you're bound to make some mad customers.
As others mention, a simple library sharing port for NAS' however. That might be a better goal than a full OSx port imo.
*EDIT* This is my personal opinions, as usual. I'm not a trend, software or OS researcher :)
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I have voted no for similar reasons already expressed, primarily dilution of resources preventing keeping the pace up on the Windows platform. The market still seems strong for MC on Windows as Jim has told us. I would be more enthusiastic about a NAS Linux server solution, as has already been mentioned.
Nick.
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I wouldn't purchase it on OSX because I refuse to purchase an Apple device.
If you guys are looking at opening up the biggest pond of prospective purchasers, I would have thought an Android (and therefore Linux (somewhat)) port would pose the biggest potential for return on investment...
Android has 50% of the smartphone market and a lot of NAS run Linux as standard...
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I wouldn't purchase it on OSX because I refuse to purchase an Apple device.
If you guys are looking at opening up the biggest pond of prospective purchasers, I would have thought an Android (and therefore Linux (somewhat)) port would pose the biggest potential for return on investment...
Android has 50% of the smartphone market and a lot of NAS run Linux as standard...
+1 for Android
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My opinion on Macs is pretty clear, i just don't like the company and their ideas of a closed and fully controlled eco-system.
IMHO, it would be a serious waste of development effort, and most likely cause a development stall on new features for us that are happy with their Windows systems, unless you plan for plenty of new sales so that you would actually get more developers to avoid this.
Regarding Android.
I don't think Android needs a full blown MC17, it just does way too much for such a small device to handle.
If Gizmo would be improved a bit, extending it to also manage local media and some other general improvement, i would be set for my needs on my Phone/Tablet.
I will however agree to the Linux posts above, at least offering a Library Server that can run on Linux, because many people (including me) run their NAS servers on some kind of linux based system.
I realize this won't be easy, and the chances of it happening rather low, but one can dream. :) My VM with Windows just for MC17 on the NAS server is running strong, so i'm fine either way.
Considering that all video tasks are done using DirectShow, no other OS will be easy, because you'll have to setup a completely new video pipeline, and possibly end up with a discrepancy in your feature set because of it.
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Yes without a doubt.
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My opinion on Macs is pretty clear, i just don't like the company and their ideas of a closed and fully controlled eco-system.
IMHO, it would be a serious waste of development effort, and most likely cause a development stall on new features for us that are happy with their Windows systems, unless you plan for plenty of new sales so that you would actually get more developers to avoid this.
+1
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I voted probably.
In our household we now use iphones, ipads and a appletv. I plan to probably buy at least one mac to see how good it will ty all our devices together. If MC is available on the mac it will be the first app I will install on it.
But the one thing I would even prefer is a rich ipad client that is optimized for easy tagging on the device. I know use photosmith and really prefer doing tagging and rating on the ipad instead of in lightroom. But it would be even better if I could do all my tagging directly in the jrmc datatbase with an easy to use yet powerful interface on the ipad.
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Several people have mentioned that there is a risk of neglecting work on our Windows version if we do another OS. I don't think it will now slow us down much. Here's why:
The Source (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=72849.msg493575#msg493575)
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For me, it really depends on if the library server ever gets the ability to serve more than one library simultaneously. If I'm able to serve different libraries from the same source to different clients, I could see buying an OSX device in the future to marry with my current iOS devices.
Also, would this mean MC could sync with the iPad/iPhone?
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It's Obvious that people who don't have Macs are voting no... You should as someone mentioned earlier ask the ones who owns OSX. There is no solution like JRiver in OSX, so JRiver should capture the market before someone else does.... I think you should port to all of those OS, but start with OSX.
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It's Obvious that people who don't have Macs are voting no...
I think a lot of users are really happy with MC on Windows (either as a server, HTPC, or just a PC) and can't fathom dropping $1000+ for the sole benefit of using OS X. If you are a Mac-only type of person, you aren't on this forum.
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I think a lot of users are really happy with MC on Windows (either as a server, HTPC, or just a PC) and can't fathom dropping $1000+ for the sole benefit of using OS X. If you are a Mac-only type of person, you aren't on this forum.
And as I've said in the past, that is the whole trouble of this type of poll :)
You're asking entirely the wrong usergroup- You should be asking your potential customers with Macs, not the established users who will already be running Windows. (Except in a few cases, and those don't count!)
Once again, I'll personally state that I'm prepared to pay on *either* Mac or Linux. (Prefer Linux, but getting off Windows is worth it's weight in gold)
-Leezer-
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You're asking entirely the wrong usergroup- You should be asking your potential customers with Macs, not the established users who will already be running Windows.
How would you suggest doing that? I could try posting on Apple's forums, but I doubt it would be allowed.
I did post at ComputerAudiophile (http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/jriver-media-center-mac-12458/) and at AVSforum (http://www.avsforum.com/t/1416485/jriver-media-center-on-mac).
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As I do not own or plan to own a Mac (nor do I have HTPC friends using Macs) I did not vote so as not to skew the statistics.
However, my movie server is on Linux (Ubuntu) sharing ISO files to my HTPC computers throughout the house, using good old Samba. Those Win machines are using MC with local libraries of remote files. Music and pictures, being much smaller, are duplicated locally.
I would be delighted to have a Linux variant of the server part of MC !
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How would you suggest doing that? I could try posting on Apple's forums, but I doubt it would be allowed.
I did post at ComputerAudiophile (http://www.computeraudiophile.comf11-software/jriver-media-center-mac-12458/) and at AVSforum (http://www.avsforum.com/t/1416485/jriver-media-center-on-mac).
That's all well and good testing what is effectively vaporware and asking people to sign up just to vote for a possibility to get a *proper* idea of demand, IMHO you need to make promises:
* Preorder with a reasonable timeframe (Beta within 6 months say)
* Realistic promises, not just a 'version' but features
* A page allowing just names/ email addresses. (I appreciate this may be seen as open to abuse)
* A promise of support in the technical sense.
Basically, the only way to get this to work is to go to market with it.
--Leezer-
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Thanks. At this point, I'm trying to measure interest. It looks like about 30% of our community might buy a copy.
If we poll a more general community of Mac owners, results will depend heavily on whether they know about JRiver.
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Thanks. At this point, I'm trying to measure interest.
Exactly.... everyone is getting a little too excited about this casual poll you posted.
There is no decent (legit) media player for Mac OS. They have basically zero options for a robust UPNP Server.
The market opportunity is HUGE.
Take a stroll around Naim, Linn, Boulder, and other hifi mfrs websites. You will see a TON of threads about how to do what they want on MacOS. They would droll over your product.
Good luck,
Patrick
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Is the type of user drawn to Apple also interested in the features and complexity of MC or are they just satisfied with itunes? I'm also a bit surprised Jim posted this given his experience over the years with the now defunct support for ipods (which is a far bigger market). I'd rather see dev work going back into ipod/ipad client support.
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Go forth into the multi-platform universe with guns blazing, and don't look back!!!
Congrats on The Source, exciting work.
P.S. At this point, most of my new hardware purchases revolve around MC compatibility. A better survey question is: "If JRiver released MC for OS X, would you buy a Mac?" :)
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Thanks. At this point, I'm trying to measure interest. It looks like about 30% of our community might buy a copy.
If we poll a more general community of Mac owners, results will depend heavily on whether they know about JRiver.
Yes, but again I'll say the problem is that you're pushing what's effectively vapourware.
If you make concrete promises to this community of Mac owners, then you will get more interest than in the current situation where you're pushing maybes. IMHO the only way to get this truly moving is to put your money where your mouth is. Actually build something (Perhaps limit it to a MJ build- This way you don't need to consider nearly so much in terms of the video playback and Theatre View), and while it may be a little slow to get off the ground, it will get there in time.
As an alternative, have you considered doing something like starting a Kickstarter (or similar) project?
That gives a tangible promise and goal, while allowing a much more accurate gauge of interest :)
-Leezer-
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How would you suggest doing that?
Unfortunately, it would be very difficult. Though, I agree. We are probably the wrong people to ask in the long-run.
Short term, we're your primary evangelists, so it is good to know where we stand. But long-term, we're a group of users who are (obviously) already interested in a Windows-exclusive software product. A few of us are also Mac users, but we certainly aren't core Mac users.
Anecdotal evidence isn't evidence at all. However, I'll still tell you this...
I've been trying for years with LOTS of my friends to evangelize MC. Almost every time someone new comes over to my house, and I fire up Theater View to play some music or a movie or whatever, I get "oohs and ahhs" and questions about the software that drives it. I always explain.
Of my Windows-using friends (probably something like a 50/50 split), I have one guy that has long been interested, but won't pay the $50 when "iTunes and VLC is good enough". He totally agrees that MC is WAY better (and really wants JRemote now that it does streaming), but... He's using a $600 laptop from two years ago. He doesn't have a HTPC, and he just doesn't spend much money on software unless he absolutely has to to accomplish the goal. This is typical. People are interested, but they don't have decent hardware, and... Everyone else drops their interest immediately when they find out the price.
Of my Mac-using friends, I've only once heard someone grumble about the price. I've gotten a bunch of "that's all?" style responses, and "Man, I wish they had a Mac version, I'd buy that in a heartbeat." I explain (and demo) that they can use it with Parallels and a Win7 VM, but that usually generates frowns. That takes the price up to several hundred dollars, if you don't otherwise need the Windows license or VM software, and it is still a little fidgety in a few ways. Plus, you need to run Windows, and most of them really, really don't want to for their own reasons.
Apple doesn't sell $450 netbooks. The worst machine they sell right now (the low-end Mac Mini) still has a 2.3GHz Core i5 Sandy Bridge, and almost all of my friends who have Macs have $1k+ laptops (and nice home theater setups at home now that they already use with their laptops). It is a different market, and they're less price-conscious by default, or else they wouldn't have chosen an Apple.
And, I think, they're trained by all the other Mac developers out there that software costs money. When you're a graphic designer trying to figure out how to scrape together $1500 for the latest version of Adobe Creative Suite, or even $200 for Lightroom, the price for MC and the functionality it provides "feels" like a bargain.
Plus, almost every single one of them I've ever talked to loathes iTunes, and really wishes for an integrated solution that handles audio and video, just like what I have, to use with their home theater systems and HDTVs at home, and on their laptops when they travel.
But, to be clear, when I said I would "sell" a few extra copies to friends, I'm not even counting these people. For that, I'm talking about copies we'd buy here at the office. We'd buy those in a heartbeat.
There is this though...
Also, would this mean MC could sync with the iPad/iPhone?
I know you can't (easily) make MC sync directly with iOS devices. But it would need a better sync solution for these devices, because I can't think of a single one of the people I described above that don't also carry an iPhone. I think using iTunes as a handheld, similar to Prod's plugin, but less clunky and integrated is the best choice.
It can be a "we're working on it" thing, and it doesn't need to be perfect at first, but something that allows them to add iTunes as a "handheld" and then just sync to it like they would sync to any other handheld in MC directly would be key.
But, I also think this would appeal to people like Joshua Topolsky, who use a Mac and an Android device, of course. I've heard him, in particular, complain incessantly on the Verge podcast about the crappy sync solutions available for Android phones. That'd be some real exposure there.
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Yes, but again I'll say the problem is that you're pushing what's effectively vapourware.
I think that's not accurate. We're not pushing anything and we're not saying we have anything. We're asking if you would be interested if we did do the work.
Vaporware refers to a product that has been announced as if it was real, and before it ever exists. Not the same.
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I think he just misread contemplation for condensation. ;) ;D
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glynor is so right in his last post, totally agree
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Almost every time someone new comes over to my house, and I fire up Theater View to play some music or a movie or whatever, I get "oohs and ahhs" and questions about the software that drives it. I always explain.
I get the same. Then the natural question arises "Do they have a MacOS version?". Answer, "No". They ALWAYS respond with either "darn!" or "why not?".
Then you show them JRemote, Zone support, sending different streams to different zones, theater view etc.... Then they say "Why cant iTunes do this?"
You dont even need to show them the insane video support. One mention that they could delete VLC and import ALL video in MC and they start entertaining building a little PC they can jam under the floorboards. It never happens though.
If they ever happen to get into a streaming/DAC device, they start calling and texting again "How do I......?". My answer, "Get a cheap PC." Conversation usually ends there with typical prejudice not unlike what we are seeing in this thread. "I dont care what it can do, I dont care if it solves every problem, I will never own a XYZ product"
I say use the best tool for the job. For media replay and streaming your choices are PC-based, or proprietary system (Sonos, Squeezbox, Meridian, Soloos etc....). I choose PC since I already have and use them.
Those with Macs are left out in the cold. Stuck with Kinsky, PlugPLayer or Eyeconnect or something equally deplorable.
For the UPNP features alone MC would be HUGE for a small segment (still a big number though) of serious media users who use Mac exclusively.
lastly, I dont think iOS support for syncing is fully needed. I have ZERO problem using iTunes to put some music on there or to sync my contacts and calendar to Outlook. Once again, use the best tool for the job. The pain in the ass for me on that specific is I have to convert FLACs first.
-p
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I think a lot of the market research on this will have to be dead reckoning. Certainly Mac users are accustomed to paying through the nose for software, but I'm not sure if they're the most broad-minded critters on the planet, and how that would factor in to their acceptance of software from a company they might view as an outsider (bearing in mind what the Apple Software logo is a picture of).
Somebody mentioned price hike, and I'm going to take a moment to be a complete $%#$%^$# (rhymes with "glass bowl"). Compared to other paid programs that I use, MC is easily worth $199 at purchase, if not $299. Now, many of the more expensive programs don't put out new paid versions very often, while JRiver seems to have figured out that if they charge cheaply and frequently, most customers don't seem to notice that they're on a subscription service. Of course, the only way to keep that going is to continually bring out compelling new features, which they do.
So my opinion is that the JRiver crew keep comparing their great product to what's out there, and keep eyeballing the upside on price, while maintaining loyalty discounts.
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I think that's not accurate. We're not pushing anything and we're not saying we have anything. We're asking if you would be interested if we did do the work.
Vaporware refers to a product that has been announced as if it was real, and before it ever exists. Not the same.
Sorry, but I disagree :)
Vapourware isn't perhaps the best term, but essentially it's accurate for the situation as it stands.
You're asking the general populace if they'd be interested in the 'maybe', without providing any real specifics, timeframes or anything else. This will essentially generate scepticism as to whether this 'maybe' will ever materialize.
We'll agree to disagree I think- I'm trying hard to describe the situation as I see it, not make criticisms.
Wandering off onto another tack, have you considered the options this might bring with store content?
I haven't tried the Performer store overly much, but being able to provide a secure audio path and a means to promote store content through an alternative commercial player must be worth something? It'd be interesting to see the stats for music purchased through online stores on the different operating systems.
-Leezer-
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Sorry, but I disagree :)
Vapourware isn't perhaps the best term, but essentially it's accurate for the situation as it stands.
You're asking the general populace if they'd be interested in the 'maybe', without providing any real specifics, timeframes or anything else.
The question was this:
"Would you (or a friend) buy a Mac version of JRiver Media Center if it were possible?"
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Is the type of user drawn to Apple also interested in the features and complexity of MC or are they just satisfied with itunes? I'm also a bit surprised Jim posted this given his experience over the years with the now defunct support for ipods (which is a far bigger market). I'd rather see dev work going back into ipod/ipad client support.
+1
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I've been a Windows person for years and years, but the next laptop I buy will be a MacBook Pro Retina because there's no comparison in terms of hardware quality. I will probably buy it to run Windows. But, since it would be marginally more convenient to run MC in OSX, I might buy such a version.
An iOS version would be more attractive since my ability to play content on my iPad is limited right now.
Still, I think it's important to recognize the opportunity cost of J River developing for other operating systems. I'd honestly rather have the time that would be spent porting it to OSX be spent, instead, on blu-ray menu support, recording support on library server clients, streaming live TV to library clients and to WebGizmo, etc. etc.
The bottom line is that if I want to run MC on a Mac, there are already ways. But if I want new features and a more robust MC, only J River can do that, so that's what I'd hope their time would be spent on.
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Although, for the people that voted no. You can take your existing PC and make it run OS X.
Why would i do that?
MC17 is mature on Windows, even if a Mac version will exist in the future, it'll take years to reach the same level of maturity (its not only about the app itself, but also interaction with Video and Audio pipelines)
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Yes I will. A little bit more than the windows version if need be. I am currently using my MC in Parallels on my mac and also running MC on a media center running windows 7. My ideal utopia will be that both can run natively and work with each other like how it is working now between machines.
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Yes I will. A little bit more than the windows version if need be. I am currently using my MC in Parallels on my mac and also running MC on a media center running windows 7. My ideal utopia will be that both can run natively and work with each other like how it is working now between machines.
+1 on this one. I would also like to run JRiver MC natively on my Mac mini. I do have Windows PC's as well. However, I started out in the Computer Audiophile fourms where MAC minis are mostly used. This just may get a lot of interest there.
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Discussion split:
Cross platform (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=72870.0)
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Just to note... A few people mentioned that OSX already comes with a home theater "front end" built in. That's true, I suppose. It has a feature called Front Row now, that can, in a pinch, serve that function.
However, it hasn't been updated in years, and it certainly doesn't even come close to comparing to MC's Theater View. Also, since many of you aren't heavy Mac followers who try the betas and follow the threads, I thought I'd pass along: Apple discontinued Front Row in the forthcoming (next month) Mountain Lion release of OSX. It is being removed when you upgrade. And, if you know anything about OSX release uptake rates, just about everyone will update by the end of this year (especially since it is only $20). EDIT: I was wrong (I didn't realize because all my Macs are still on Snow Leopard). Front Row was discontinued and removed with Lion. It is already gone.
I also disagree that "competing with iTunes on a Mac would be too hard". The same could be said on Windows. Windows comes with Windows Media Player, after all, and iTunes is ubiquitous and free. Plenty of companies "compete" with Apple branded or built-in software by offering things that are in the same category, but do more.
Now, if MC was just a clone of iTunes, with no substantial additional value, then I'd agree. But it isn't. At all. It does WAY more than iTunes, and does it WAY better. That's like saying there's no reason for Adobe to make Photoshop and Premiere for Macs because they already come with iPhoto and iMovie. That's just absurd. Like I said before, most of the Mac users I know personally (who, generally, are "pro" or "scientific" users, not "grandmas") loathe iTunes. They love iPhoto and Keynote, but iTunes is not a favorite. And it isn't a home theater front-end, and it barely handles video (and not well).
Also, as a side note, I think one of the most appealing features for many Mac users would be Theater View. The aesthetic of Theater View is already VERY Applesque, and it would work splendidly with the Apple Remote that comes with most Macs (since it only requires the arrow keys, enter, and the "green button" that could be remapped to the remote's menu button).
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A couple of years ago I would have called JRiver on a MAC absolute nonsense.
The MAC user does it the Steve Jobs way. Period.
Today there are a lot of players for OSX ranging from free to rather expensive.
http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/OSX/Players.htm
Obvious there is a market but I haven’t the slightest idea how profitable it is.
One thing is for sure, Sonic studio Amarra started with $999 and where forced to drop their prices substantially.
Pure Music at $129 seems doing fine and is often recommended on audiophile forums.
All of them are audio only.
If JRiver OSX would sell at $49 it would be the low baller.
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Nope. Have no intention of ever running an Apple OS. My few friends who run Macs are fairly techtarded, think iTunes is Gods gift and could never and would never have the desire to figure out MC.
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Agreed on Front Row. It is weak.
I believe most Mac peeps are looking to things like Plex for a HTPC look and feel. I have never seen it in action though. Something tells me it cant do all that MC can.
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Agreed on Front Row. It is weak.
It doesn't matter if it is weak or strong. It is discontinued and has been removed, and is, therefore, not competition. That was my point.
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Oh I know. I was just trying to participate. My buddy must be rolling an old OS because he always runs it when I go to his house. He tries to compete with Theater View..... hilarious.
-patrick
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Nope. Have no intention of ever running an Apple OS. My few friends who run Macs are fairly techtarded, think iTunes is Gods gift and could never and would never have the desire to figure out MC.
Also, there are already lots of MAC media players out there that's going to bring the same sort of issues that JRiver is experiencing with new users. EYE CANDY. Yep it's back. Not only does XBMC have lots of it, now we have to deal with Plex users as well. Plex is a different beast altogether. It now can run as a service on some unix and windows servers.
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Actually, on Lion it is disabled. You can renable Front Row in Lion.
Yes, I found that when I was looking, and also that it had been pulled completely from the Mountain Lion developer builds. But no one does that (a handful of geeks aside), and it won't work in a month in any case.
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Yes, I'd buy it in an instant. We run all major OSes at home: Win7, OSX, Linux (unRaid), iOS and soon Android.
It would be great to have MC on my wife's MacBook. No more VLC!
I also agree with all glynor says.
My only stipulation is that it's a full port to OSX, including an equivalent of RedOctober. That means support for lossless audio too, providing of course that the hardware is capable.
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My only stipulation is that it's a full port to OSX, including an equivalent of RedOctober.
This is not going to be easy. As nevcairiel points out, all the code for the splitter, decoders, and renderers required for RedOctober are 3rd party and use the MS DirectShow framework. I have no idea how JR plans to tackle this one or what the current state of inbuilt media support is on OSX.... as the last time I had someone try a whole heap of test files on the Mac we found all sorts of unsupported combinations such as DTS in a MPG container. Also, good luck with BD playback on OSX as I have not heard of any on the fly decryption options for OSX either.
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An OS X version of MC would be the only reason for me to use MC again.
After changing to the Mac some years ago, i use iTunes and i'm very happy with it, because it supports the Apple ecosystem very well.
Before i was a very satisfied user of MC, but iPhone support lacked.
You certainly would win me back to MC with an OS X version.
Besides, i find it funny that most of the comments here come from PC users, that never would use a Mac 8).
I'm sure they never need MC on OS X, too ;D.
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An OS X version of MC would be the only reason for me to use MC again.
After changing to the Mac some years ago, i use iTunes and i'm very happy with it, because it supports the Apple ecosystem very well.
Before i was a very satisfied user of MC, but iPhone support lacked.
You certainly would win me back to MC with an OS X version.
Besides, i find it funny that most of the comments here come from PC users, that never would use a Mac 8).
I'm sure they never need MC on OS X, too ;D.
Porting MC to OSx would not automatically mean that JRiver would support newer iDevices. It will still be locked down unless JRiver spends time on decrypting those things.
It's not strange at all that most comments here comes from PC users that don't use Mac. JRiver MC is a Windows only software. Why would there be much Mac only users in here? Most people use or know windows.
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It's not strange at all that most comments here comes from PC users that don't use Mac. JRiver MC is a Windows only software. Why would there be much Mac only users in here? Most people use or know windows.
But notorious windows users are not the target group of this poll ;D.
And there are many, many hybrid users that well know both of the worlds!
To speak for myself, i have used MC for many years on windows, but i don't do it anymore for a couple of years.
First step was, i wanted to sync my iDevices with MC and it didn't work well.
On my job, i'm working with PCs (as a software engineer).
But my private computing has changed to Macs completely and i'm happy with it.
In the beginning i used MC under Parallels, but that was not fun at all.
So i used iTunes for my music (on a MacMini that is always on and consumes nearly no energy) and after some struggles because of the transition i'm happy with it, too.
That doesn't mean, that i would not like to have more than iTunes on my Macs.
I can remember that MC was very well configurable.
So me and my friends (all audiophile Mac users 8)) would appreciate MC on OS X!
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Also, good luck with BD playback on OSX as I have not heard of any on the fly decryption options for OSX either.
There isn't a good on-the-fly solution for Macs. Apple hasn't (and won't in all likelihood) ship a computer with a BluRay drive built-in, so the market is too small. The best on-the-fly decrypter for DVDs is Fairmount (which is free), but they don't support BluRay. They might be able to plug-in to something like Macgo's BluRay Player (http://www.macblurayplayer.com/). I don't know.
There are a BUNCH of great BluRay rippers though. MakeMKV, of course, is an OSX application as well (which is what I'd use). If you want to rip the whole disc to your drive intact, DVDFab makes a full-featured Mac version of their product (but not Passkey, unfortunately).
Otherwise, OSX has a very nice set of media playback APIs, comparable to DirectShow/Windows Media Foundation. And, as I mentioned elsewhere, Perian is an open-source, full featured expansion to the included Quicktime engine that provides support for the media types that don't work out of the box. I don't know about support for DTS Master Audio. Aside from that, you should be able to support anything you want with Quicktime+Perian.
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a native iOS MC...
Not sure if it would help much. I have a lot of apple stuff and run a windows htpc with a nas as my main music distribution. I am not sure if I need iOS clients on my laptops or desktop. Plus, with apps becoming increasingly available across all apple operating systems, one could use jremote on all apple devices to play and use MC.
Glynor summarized it well in this thread. Apple users will gladly pay more, so if you market it as a stand alone media center for iOS, I am sure there is a market, but it will be a different market than the people currently on these boards discussing their audio/techie/nerdie installations...
One more vote for a control4 driver though.
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Plus, with apps becoming increasingly available across all apple operating systems, one could use jremote on all apple devices to play and use MC.
There is a HUGE chasm between a full-fledged MC installation and JRemote. There is really no comparison.
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There is a HUGE chasm between a full-fledged MC installation and JRemote. There is really no comparison.
+1
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First, I have barely touched a MAC in 20 years, so this is heresay/supposition.
It seems to me the draw of MAC is that everything 'just works' great. That's what I've always thought Apple did well. A 5 year old can use an iPod. My friends 18 month old uses an iPad without assistance.
My mother installed and troubleshot networks for a living 20 years ago. She gives up on MC rather quickly. She has a licensed version, but barely touches it. She builds her own machines (with my help). MC is just "too complicated" for the benefit she gets out of her effort.
I don't know if that would be 'acceptable' on a MAC.
Perhaps I'm totally wrong, but I thought it worth considering. Even if you could get the full MC experience on a MAC tomorrow, you'd surely sell hundreds of copies, probably thousands; but would they complain more than us about "usability" issues? Could you keep up with all the extra complaints, if it were to happen?
No disrespect meant, just 'food for thought' :)
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Consider the the audiophile market. JRiver is king here, and many audio gearheads exclusively use Mac machines.
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Absolutely. Especially if it can play blu-ray iso's from my network server and bitstream the lossless audio via hdmi to my pre-amp.
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I think it is absolutely irrelevant if Windows-Only-Users vote against a Mac version of MC because they will never use the Mac-MC.
In this case only Mac users will ever buy this software.
And as said before, there are many Mac audiophiles that are waiting for a really elaborate software for their needs.
Contrary to the perception of many Windows-Only-Users, not all Mac users are too stupid to use a computer in a complex manner.
So even Mac users might be able to use a software like MC :).
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I think it is absolutely irrelevant if Windows-Only-Users vote against a Mac version of MC because they will never use the Mac-MC.
In this case only Mac users will ever buy this software.
And as said before, there are many Mac audiophiles that are waiting for a really elaborate software for their needs.
Contrary to the perception of many Windows-Only-Users, not all Mac users are too stupid to use a computer in a complex manner.
So even Mac users might be able to use a software like MC :).
Yes Fred1,
It would be very interesting to see how the community over at ComputerAudiophile would embrace JRiver MC for Mac's.
Maybe it'll be a good idea to set up a poll over there? Just an idea.
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It would be very interesting to see how the community over at ComputerAudiophile would embrace JRiver MC for Mac's. Maybe it'll be a good idea to set up a poll over there? Just an idea.
I posted there:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/jriver-media-center-mac-12458/
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I posted there:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/jriver-media-center-mac-12458/
Your way ahead of me Jim.. However, I see the poll points back to here. What if the users over there are not members over here, would they still be able to vote?
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Interesting thread.
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/mac-os-x-only-what-playback-software-do-you-use-12311/
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really, for me, the question isn't would i buy MC for OS X... it is would i get rid of windows if MC were on OS X, and the answer is yes.
Me too. We have 3 computers at home, and only the HTPC is windows. I would ditch it in a second and run and and buy a mac mini if there were a mac version of MC.
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How would you suggest doing that? I could try posting on Apple's forums, but I doubt it would be allowed.
I did post at ComputerAudiophile (http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/jriver-media-center-mac-12458/) and at AVSforum (http://www.avsforum.com/t/1416485/jriver-media-center-on-mac).
Great heavens, I cannot imagine why anyone would object. But mostly, if you get serous about it, a lot of folks are going to give you word of mouth coverage. Jaon Sell over at Macworld (and a few others) are music fanatics as well, and will surely give you plenty of coverage when you have a port ready.
Build a better mousetrap type of thing.
Paul
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JimH--
I followed the links to the polls on both C Audiophile and AVS. In both cases there are comments that people didn't wasnt to register to vote. I can only guess at the number of people who didn't bother joining in because of that. IMO it is worth going the extra mile to get these people involved--can the polls be reconfigured so that they can participate on their own sites?
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It seems to me the draw of MAC is that everything 'just works' great. That's what I've always thought Apple did well. A 5 year old can use an iPod. My friends 18 month old uses an iPad without assistance.
My mother installed and troubleshot networks for a living 20 years ago. She gives up on MC rather quickly. She has a licensed version, but barely touches it. She builds her own machines (with my help). MC is just "too complicated" for the benefit she gets out of her effort.
I don't know if that would be 'acceptable' on a MAC.
Perhaps I'm totally wrong, but I thought it worth considering. Even if you could get the full MC experience on a MAC tomorrow, you'd surely sell hundreds of copies, probably thousands; but would they complain more than us about "usability" issues? Could you keep up with all the extra complaints, if it were to happen?
I expressed similar concerns in another thread but not as well as you did.
Bill
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It seems to me the draw of MAC is that everything 'just works' great. That's what I've always thought Apple did well. A 5 year old can use an iPod. My friends 18 month old uses an iPad without assistance.
My mother installed and troubleshot networks for a living 20 years ago. She gives up on MC rather quickly. She has a licensed version, but barely touches it. She builds her own machines (with my help). MC is just "too complicated" for the benefit she gets out of her effort.
You can throw "it just works" right out the window once you move beyond what grandmothers and infants are trying to do with their Macs. Hit up people trying to do anything media related beyond buying a movie on iTunes and sending it to a Apple TV from their iPad.
There are TONS of people who want to stream different music to different areas of the house (zones). Good luck. You want to play FLACs on your Mac, have a blast with Fluke or whatever. Want to play that obscure video codec? Close iTunes and open up VLC.....
Anyone pushing the outside of the envelope with audio and video will welcome J River with open arms.
Just imagine all of the people who were/are willing to spend up to a $1000 for Amarra :o
-Patrick
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First, I have barely touched a MAC in 20 years, so this is heresay/supposition.
I understand where you're coming from, but your entire premise is based on old prejudices from the Mac/Windows "wars" of days of old, that were never particularly justified, and certainly are not in the modern era.
OSX is BSD UNIX with a very fancy GUI shell on top. You can open up a full-featured BASH console, and it comes with Apache, PHP, Perl, and all sorts of "advanced" development tools built in. Sure, there are some grandmas who use it, but probably no more than there are of Windows users, percentage wise.
Many Mac users will expect a design that fits "at home" with other Mac applications. For example, the Close Min/Max buttons should be where they belong on the top-left, the toolbar needs to work "right" (attached to the system toolbar, not the application Window), and the dock icon should behave properly with its associated bounce and right-click menu and whatnot). But the days of the strict adherence to the HIG are long-since past (Apple themselves being one of the worst violators).
There is plenty of popular "advanced" software packages available on OSX, especially in the Multimedia "space".
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A preliminary consideration: as MC is currently Windows only, this forum is possibly visited mostly by Windows users, so will this poll reach a broad audience of Mac users and give a complete representation of the full potential of MC with Mac audiophiles?
Back to the initial question: YES, I would buy it.
I think many are in the same situation as me: I consider Mac as an excellent hardware in many respects and although I am not fully convinced by iTunes and am missing a MC-like solution for Mac OS X, I just intend to stay with Mac.
But if MC becomes available for Mac OS, I will be among the first to buy. MC will not replace iTunes for the broad consumers market, but based on what I can read on audiophile forums, I am convinced it has a great potential within the Mac audiophile niche.
I very much like MC for the sharp audiophile quality, the superb customisation options, the excellent management of large libraries, and last but not least, the excellent JRemote (so much better than the ageing Apple Remote.app).
The only thing that I am missing is the Apple Lossless support, but as it is now an open format, I assume that this could be addressed easily?
Thanks, js
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The only thing that I am missing is the Apple Lossless support, but as it is now an open format, I assume that this could be addressed easily?
MC supports ALAC. But maybe you want encoding to ALAC, which it doesn't do.
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MC supports ALAC.
Thanks for correcting and pointing this out. It makes it even more attractive for me as a Mac user with an existing ALAC library.
js
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I would definitely buy it. I just think Mac laptops have the best combination of hardware design, ergonomics, and parts (e.g., nice screens). I have a Macbook Pro retina on order now. It's simply not matched by any Windows laptop for power/portability, screen quality, and trackpad responsiveness. Being a student, I would also say at least a third of students at my university have macs (I swear, the next time a professor quips about how many macs there are in the auditorium, I'm going to scream). Macs are the only computers a lot of people know, and I bet that usage is only going up, especially because the price of the macbook airs are becoming within reach of more people. I plan on running JRiver within a Windows virtual machine when my mac arrives. Hopefully I'll have a native app one day!
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Now, if MC was just a clone of iTunes, with no substantial additional value, then I'd agree. But it isn't. At all. It does WAY more than iTunes, and does it WAY better.
Also, as a side note, I think one of the most appealing features for many Mac users would be Theater View. The aesthetic of Theater View is already VERY Applesque, and it would work splendidly with the Apple Remote that comes with most Macs (since it only requires the arrow keys, enter, and the "green button" that could be remapped to the remote's menu button).
Couldn't agree more.
For me, the major strengths of MC are
- numerous possibilities of customization,
- Theater View,
- excellent tagging tool,
- handling of DSD.
I have been a Mac user for a long time now, and I have purchased Windows and Parallels Desktop licenses just to use MC on my iMac ! (and I am delighted with it).
So, if you decide to release an OS X version of MC, it is too late for me, but I think it would be a great alternative to the hegemony of iTunes (and built-around-iTunes players) on this platform.
Keep up the excellent work !
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If I had any Macs, yes. I don't so wouldn't ;D
But, I also would love a native Linux version. As good as Windows is for most things, it's bloatware for a slim HTPC.
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I asked a friend who only uses Mac computers. His response was yes because of the DSD support. One software to play everything is very attractive. He makes the point that to be THE, media software, a company need to cover all systems so,"just for ...," is not part of the equation but ,"for everyone," is.
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Apple is not the evil empire... Actually, Apple builds quality products. The evil empire is Microsoft, and the only thing that Microcrap is good at is copying other companies ideas for products.
You seem to be the only one ranting about an evil empire in this thread.
Bill
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I am already using JRiver media center on my Macbook pro. I use the mac only when I travel but I am allergic to Itunes. I have purchased a license of vmware fusion and a copy of windows7 for the only purpose to have JRiver mediacenter on my Mac! And it works very well even if in that case it cannot be bit perfect which I don't mind. I have some music on the hard disk but most of my library is in Flac on my home computer and I can listen to it in a Hotel anywhere on my mac and high quality Bluetooth headphones .
So yes of course I will buy a Mac version of JRiver but it must have the database and audio functionalities of the windows version. ie flac, dlna, remote access.
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homeserver gain in popularity. redmont has missed that train. besides audio and video level unmatched in my opinion MC is unrivaled powerfull in a streaming / remote environment...in would favor a linux package for the synologies/qnap's of this world....just a thought. Apple is certainly represented in the audiophile world but definitly more on the creation (studio recording ala protools) front.
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I am previous user from the early days of JRiver Media Center. I switched to OSX and probably my only loss was this program! I now use iTunes but would purchase MC in a heartbeat!
I realize that most or all here are windows users but I'm disappointed to see such negative attitudes towards OSX. My switch to Mac came after using both windows and Mac. I'm much happier with my Apple products. To each his own but being close minded and steadfast in the "I will never use an apple product" might be limiting your options.
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As a long time Media Center user before switching to Macs a couple years ago, I would be very interedsted in buying MC for Mac. I heard about this through your email that mentioned it.
You might post your poll on the MacRumors Forum to gauge the interest in your software for OSX. Pretty meaningless here with so many Apple haters. Their opinion is pretty much irrelevant since they will not be your target market anyway. Mac users are ripe for an iTunes competitor. Lots of profit potential. Good luck!
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You should have asked the same question in a way that didn't invite non-Mac users to vote. I have a sneaky suspicion most of the 'no' votes come from users who would never purchase a Mac ... probably because they hate iTunes as much as I do(!)
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Yes, Oh Yes
For me, and I've used MC since version 10, I prefer the Mac hardware. In truth I only maintain a Windows 7 box because of MC. That doesn't make me a PC hater, far from it. I use PC at work all the time and I can't UK hospitals moving to a Mac platform in my lifetime.
I also think the Mac platform is a huge business opportunity for MC. itunes is a pile of ?, but a nice little mac mini attached to some decent HiFi would be heaven for a huge bunch of people.
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I'd get MC in a heartbeat if it became available for the Mac. Used to use MC, but have been forced to iTunes as my world shifted to macs... and I could use VM Ware etc, but I don't want to deal with the hassle.
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As a Mac and iTunes user I would be seriously interested especially when it appears Apple with the upcoming iTunes 11 is heading more and more towards a product aimed specifically as iOs support and streaming/cloud type system. I would be interested in both library management and playback capabilities.
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I like JRM 15 in Win xp. Tried Linux too but prefer sound quality I am getting with Win XP. Found sound quality of Win 7 inferior to XP. Don't plan on moving to OSX.
Bill :)
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I voted yes too, would buy it as soon as it comes out.
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I moved to a Mac some years ago, and there is absolutely no product like this for Mac. iTunes, for all its hype, is awful and sucks when managing a large, meticulously tagged collection. For example, it tags things the way it wants, does not read tags properly (some albums labeled as artists), and little advanced features.
By the way, that "large, meticulously tagged collection" was organized using Media Center. In fact, iTunes screwed up my media files and copied them all over the place.
I am writing this on a Mac, and 2 years of using Songbird on Mac, I installed VMware Fusion just to use Media Center!
So yes, please develop a Media Center for Mac. People that say "develop for Linux" are in a minority - how many mainstream users use Linux? And while Android is a very decent OS, it is mostly smartphone and tablet based.
Will Media Center "replace" iTunes? No! People use it to sync their iPads and i-devices, plus many official account changes must be done through iTunes. It sucked when Microsoft integrated IE into Windows, and it sucks now that Apple is doing it with iTunes, but those are the rules made by the ones playing the game.
For one, I would love a Mac option. Sell it for half the price for a limited time and prepare yourself for some serious revenue.
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I vote "no" because I believe the future is not Win, not OSX but Android.
A tablet connected to a DAC over USB pulling its data from a NAS is my preferred setup.
I like this idea as well though how does one export the signal from the droid based tablet to a USB DAC?
There are plenty of good idevice docks out there that supply a good signal to a DAC & even some decent idocks with built in digital analog converters. I'd rather use what I am familiar with, droid, but in the immediate future I'd settle for 16 bit sound from an iPad with JR MC installed.
How long until we see MC on a droid that can be hardwired to DAC via USB?
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Here's a progress report on our Mac version:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=75129.0
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I've started to replace all windows machines in our office with macs.
Cheaper(!) on the long term and hassle free.
I seem to be able to find replacement software for everything except one thing.... building playlists that include images, audio and video. Sounds simple but there's nothing that would do that on a mac.
So I have to buy windows lincenses again to do my job ... I wish I could just give you guys the money instead.
:(
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I've owned a few "real" macs and built a couple of hackintoshes over the past few years, and the only reason I boot into windows at all is for MC and gaming.
Everything else I use a computer for is much slicker / friendlier / better on OSX (this is a personal opinion so please don't get touchy!), so I would most definitely buy an OSX version to allow me to move almost entirely away from the bloatware known as windows!
I've used several alternatives for media browsing & metadata management on OSX; itunes, plex, xbmc etc
and whilst plex and xbmc are very slick and pretty for 10 foot use, they don't stack up playback quality wise to MC.
I've also used "quality" driven applications such as amarra and pure music, which prove that the audio quality is also possible on OSX.
But these don't stack up from a media management perspective, very expensive, and also aren't particularly user-friendly for an HTPC (even "her indoors" is now more than capable of using MC in theater view with a logitech harmony!)
There are also uPnP servers for OSX which work very well; ps3 media server being one of the best (from the top of my head) in particular for transcoding on the fly, but this is completely disconnected from the media library so not very convenient.
So as you can see, I think MC for OSX would really fit a niche market, and a market not known for being tight with cash either!
From what I understand, it should be technically easier to develop for OSX than windows, due to the confined hardware support requirements (assuming you don't condone encourage hackintoshes!), and generally better internal kernel and audio device control (e.g. native class 2 usb 32/384 support, easier bit-perfect playback etc).
Although there would no doubt be a steep learning curve in the early days.
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YES! I used MC for years. Now I have a mac and I'm trying to use iTunes and it's torture. I can't control or do anything. I check every couple months for news for a mac version and I would definitely buy it as soon as I learned it was available.
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It would interesting if JR could share its imagined timeline for developing "MC for OSX". That is ... even if JR delivers a player next year, will we still be relying on MC+Windows to serve up its library for some time after?
I need to replace my 3yo PC soon, but the need isn't urgent -- come next year, should I be considering a new PC or a Mac Mini?
TIA :)
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I've posted what we know in this thread:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=75129.0
If you have any specific questions, please post there.
We expect a Mac audio version in a couple of months. It will have perhaps 80% of the audio feature set of MC.