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More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 26 for Windows => Topic started by: JimH on May 26, 2020, 09:04:46 am

Title: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: JimH on May 26, 2020, 09:04:46 am
There are a number of components in the JRiver world.  Here are a few:

Media Center itself

Remotes

Media Server

Library Server

DLNA Server

JRiver Servers (Forum, YADB for cover art, License Server, Cloudplay, etc.)

JRiver Id (hardware)

This is only a partial list.  There are many more components.

I'm interested in your opinions of where it's weak and could be improved without adding a new component.

As an example, I'd like to have a single login and password for everything.  Licensing, forum, Pix01, Cloudplay.  That's a common source of confusion for new users.  They try to use their license server login and password for the forum, or vice versa.

What else would make things smoother and easier?

(This isn't a feature request thread.  There's one here:
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,122571.0.html )

Thanks for your help.
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: tij on May 26, 2020, 11:49:13 am
for power users nothing is missing.

in 'family' department ... imho its a bit lacking. Sitting in front of PC and looking onto MC standard view, is probably domain of power user or for library management.

For 'family' front ends there are TheatreView and remotes like JRemote. Sure they are pretty to look at ... but for very large libraries ... scrolling is a bit daunting.

There is simple search ... but true power of MC tags seems inaccessible from these front end.

Search that easily done in Standard View are not accessible in front ends.

    1. Search Action movie from 1990 with Nicolas Cage
    2.Search pop music from 1980 by female artists with ratings 3stars and above ... add result to playlist and shuffle
    3.Search photos of Wedding in 2005 with Dave or Susan in them

Some pane with search/filter options that allow users to quickly filter through library would really be useful. List of tags that is available for each media category should be user defined.

As you enter each tag ... live update of search result will be pretty neat.

PS. if this is already possible ... then excuse my ignorance and pls point me in right direction :)

Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: BryanC on May 27, 2020, 01:50:45 pm
Library server client for Roku.
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: tij on May 27, 2020, 02:24:50 pm
Also ... Progressive Web App sounds good on paper ... might be good direction for Panel ... so it feels more like native app rather than web page (then hopefully can finally use AplleTV as a client) ... pwa might be flexible enough to give Panel a better looking interface
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: DangerJP on May 28, 2020, 07:48:02 am
for power users nothing is missing.

in 'family' department ... imho its a bit lacking. Sitting in front of PC and looking onto MC standard view, is probably domain of power user or for library management.

For 'family' front ends there are TheatreView and remotes like JRemote. Sure they are pretty to look at ... but for very large libraries ... scrolling is a bit daunting.

There is simple search ... but true power of MC tags seems inaccessible from these front end.

Search that easily done in Standard View are not accessible in front ends.

    1. Search Action movie from 1990 with Nicolas Cage
    2.Search pop music from 1980 by female artists with ratings 3stars and above ... add result to playlist and shuffle
    3.Search photos of Wedding in 2005 with Dave or Susan in them

Some pane with search/filter options that allow users to quickly filter through library would really be useful. List of tags that is available for each media category should be user defined.

As you enter each tag ... live update of search result will be pretty neat.

PS. if this is already possible ... then excuse my ignorance and pls point me in right direction :)

This!

Some sort of "live filtering'' or ''live panes'', where the user can build smartlists on the spot through JRemote or Theater View. I see it as a simple, cute-face, pane view for remotes and living room, where I could use checkboxes/switches to filter whatever I want to hear.
Examples :
- Chamber works from Johannes Brahms composed between 1853 and 1873.
- All artists from the UK in the prog rock scene;
- Albums released by Blue Note records in the 70s;
- EDM tracks issued as singles in the last two years;
- etc.

I know I can pre-programmed these smartlists, but building them on the spot (and bookmarking them for future references) would be much more powerful.

Some programs have already implemented this feature for music and it works great, but their ecosystem and customization possibilities doesn't even come close to what JRiver offers.
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: Manfred on May 29, 2020, 09:46:27 am
If you have multiple DAC's and zones it's hard to compare the options and adjust them and also easy to miss something. Some spreadsheet-like view of all the options as different columns per  zone would be very helpfull.
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: BigCat on May 29, 2020, 01:56:40 pm
If you have multiple DAC's and zones it's hard to compare the options and adjust them and also easy to miss something. Some spreadsheet-like view of all the options as different columns per  zone would be very helpfull.

Actually, that is a brilliant idea. It would be nice to not only be able to see the settings, but change and test them, too.

And thanks for the links, BryanC. I don't want to hijack this important thread (sorry, Jim, I love that you never stop asking these kinds of questions!). Can someone give me an Interact link to a good discussion on this (edit: playing various zones together in sync over WiFi, that is)?
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: darky on May 29, 2020, 02:27:25 pm
For me there is hardly any thing missing.
I only miss ( as some one mentioned as family issue) the look of modern theatre view
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: theriverlethe on May 29, 2020, 03:24:16 pm
JRemote could use a fullscreen interface for the last few generations of iPhone. I'd like to see a completely headless server option, but a web interface to configure all the features of JRiver would likely be a massive undertaking. I don't know if VST's would even be possible.
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: tzr916 on May 29, 2020, 03:38:51 pm
Re-work the "View>User" feature, so that:
1. Clients can be set to startup as a different user than the Server.
2. Remotes like android, jremote, panel, etc. can utilize the "User" feature / don't have to use the same user as the Server.

I have lived with (worked around) this on Clients. But this is main reason I won't use panel, and won't pay for a remote.

Thanks
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: justsomeguy on May 29, 2020, 06:28:25 pm
Re-work the "View>User" feature, so that:
1. Clients can be set to startup as a different user than the Server.
2. Remotes like android, jremote, panel, etc. can utilize the "User" feature / don't have to use the same user as the Server.

I have lived with (worked around) this on Clients. But this is main reason I won't use panel, and won't pay for a remote.

Thanks

Yes! Absolutely yes. User controls are very lacking for use in a family environment with kids that you want to restrict to certain content.
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: JimH on May 30, 2020, 04:53:56 pm
Split Whole Home Audio (https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,125564.0.html)
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: JunoAudio on June 01, 2020, 04:36:50 am
Under DSP, better support for VST plugins with setting available to the user in the form of simple UI – eg. Airwindows VST’s.
Thanks.
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: daveman on June 02, 2020, 08:07:26 am
I have allowed other family members to connect to my MC. 

What is missing is an easy way to see who is connected and what media is being served.  This would be best seen through the "playing Now" section which currently only shows devices that are connected through the local network. 

This is a big hole, in my opinion, to be able to fully monitor ones Media Server.  Also, it would abetter allow me to see if outside connections are impacting on the speed of my internet connections / computer speed.

Thanks

dave
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: JimH on June 03, 2020, 05:59:39 am
Split JRemote Request (https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,125617.0.html)
Title: Re: JRiver Ecosystem -- What's Missing?
Post by: BigCat on June 03, 2020, 12:52:52 pm
What is missing is an easy way to see who is connected and what media is being served.  This would be best seen through the "playing Now" section which currently only shows devices that are connected through the local network. 

Actually, the more I think about this the more I agree with Dave. Dave's scenario makes Dave the administrator. And the Playing Now "Overview" provides the perfect place to monitor and control this.

Also, you need to allow the administrator to block zones if they choose so they can have "Private Zones" and "Public Zones". Maybe also make them invisible or encrypted or something for privacy and security. Otherwise, wouldn't users be able to see what all the zones are doing?

More broadly, this ties into the growing "JRiver is pro-privacy" concept.