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More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 23 for Windows => Topic started by: JimH on July 15, 2017, 05:50:34 pm

Title: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: JimH on July 15, 2017, 05:50:34 pm
I'm going to start several polls to see how people are using some of the more advanced playback options in MC.  Thanks for taking time to vote. 

Comments are also welcome.

Here's the Car Radio topic  (https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Car_Radio)on our wiki.

Instructions (short form):  Play audio of any kind -- specific artist or a playlist.  Then find the car radio button row in Playing Now (numbered buttons at the middle right).  Press and hold one.  This saves the list.  Press the button to play the list.
Title: Re: Do you use Car Radio
Post by: blgentry on July 15, 2017, 05:53:49 pm
I use it all the time, but probably not in the way that it was designed.  I have one playlist that I play very often.  It's on car radio. 

I also use Car Radio to save my Playing Now when I'm going to listen to my one "all the time" playlist.  I call it "was playing".  "Was Playing" is my save area for on the fly mixes that I don't want to lose before I get to listen to the entire list.

I'll vote that I "use it sometimes", but for me it's almost every day.

Brian.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: dtc on July 15, 2017, 06:36:53 pm
It seems like another option is needed. Something like this

I have not tried it since I am not interested in this type of functionality.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: jmone on July 15, 2017, 06:47:53 pm
I voted "I tried it and didn't find it useful" but it is probably as I don't use Playlists in general.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: JimH on July 15, 2017, 07:06:58 pm
I voted "I tried it and didn't find it useful" but it is probably as I don't use Playlists in general.
You're too old.  You play albums.  You're probably playing one now.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: styxx10 on July 15, 2017, 07:56:03 pm
I use it to stream Online Radio Stations that I store in the Buttons,
Such as Radio Caroline, Radio Luxembourg etc.
Just like a Car Radio, funny that ?  :D
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: jmone on July 15, 2017, 07:58:30 pm
You're too old.  You play albums.  You're probably playing one now.
;D  Yup!  After a decade of MC use I have made only a half dozen playlists and would rarely use them.  Even for Various Artists I make up Albums in MC (eg 2017 Top 100 etc). 

While OT - it does raise the old "What do you use MC For" (feel free to move to a better thread).  Our MC usage reflects wanting to have high quality Video Library (which you can not really get with streaming at any price).  The Audio only usage in MC has faded as the Kids (well now young adults) have moved to online services played on their iPhones for personal consumption.  I still keep up a collection of Top100 style Music Video and Audio files for parties, background music as well as using Streaming Radio but in reality these could all be replaced with YouTube, Spotify, TuneIn etc.  I would occasional use the MC Audio library for active listening of an Audio Album but most usage is more for background music where "quality" is less critical by zone sync is.  Hence why I'm more after the improvements for MC to better support Whole House audio and to do it well. 
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: RD James on July 15, 2017, 09:41:27 pm
You're too old.  You play albums.  You're probably playing one now.
I play albums too, but I have a selection of smartlists in Car Radio which either play random albums, shuffle albums from my favorite artists, or play random albums from a selected genre.
Using it for static playlists doesn't really interest me.
 
Perhaps a feature where clicking an unused Car Radio button would prompt you to enter an artist or genre, and have it automatically generate a smartlist which does that might increase the feature's popularity.
 
Some way to quickly undo accidental clicks of the Car Radio buttons would be very useful too.
And an annoyance of mine has always been that the buttons are above the splitter instead of below it, so they remain visible when you hide the playlist. I would prefer not to see them at all in video zones.
 
While OT - it does raise the old "What do you use MC For" (feel free to move to a better thread).  Our MC usage reflects wanting to have high quality Video Library (which you can not really get with streaming at any price).
That's the thing which got me to use JRiver in the first place.
I was already happy with how I was handling my music library elsewhere.
I do now prefer JRiver for music playback too, but it has many limitations that prevent me from expanding my use of it (gave up on multi-room), and development for audio is not focusing on things that matter to me, so video is still the main appeal.
However it's starting to fall out of favor with the prevalence of 4K media, since 4K video crashes the player all the time for me, or if I'm watching a 1080p video and the audio analyzer runs at the same time.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: mark_h on July 16, 2017, 02:48:27 am
"I use it all the time" isn't one of the poll options...?

Since the smartlist fix was applied it has become truly useful for me.  I use it to trigger all sorts of things that I regularly want to access.  An essential feature.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: Spike1000 on July 16, 2017, 03:16:04 am
It took me about 12 months to find the car radio function  :-\

I thought it was something to do with synchronising files into a format that would play on a car radio :) I may have understood it quicker in the word 'Preset' or 'Memory' had been in the name.

Spike
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: robt on July 16, 2017, 03:30:36 am
It took me about 12 months to find the car radio function  :-\

I thought it was something to do with synchronising files into a format that would play on a car radio :) I may have understood it quicker in the word 'Preset' or 'Memory' had been in the name.

Spike

Agreed. When I first started finding my way around MC, I too didn't understand the (simple) functionality and the name was the problem. I get why the name was used but it is confusing.
Do I use it? Yes, occasionally but my main access is via Theatre View so it doesnt help there. Should it stay? Yes  :)
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: BillT on July 16, 2017, 06:47:50 am
It seems like another option is needed. Something like this

I have not tried it since I am not interested in this type of functionality.

Yes.

I'm old and listen to albums or individual works (not "songs").

The only use I have for playlists is "recently ripped" for tagging.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: syndromeofadown on July 16, 2017, 09:33:25 am
Quote
I voted "I tried it and didn't find it useful" but it is probably as I don't use Playlists in general.
Quote
You're too old.  You play albums.  You're probably playing one now.

This describes me perfectly. I have never made a playlist and was listening to an album while reading it.
Title: Re: POLL: Do you use Car Radio?
Post by: JonnyRedHed on July 17, 2017, 09:46:59 am
I use it every day.  Used to save my playing now lists, current, soundtracks, audio books.