INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: slikvik on February 02, 2005, 04:32:10 pm
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Hi,
I just wanted to mention the things that I am DESPERATE to see in MC11...
Theatre View plugins:
I would like to be able to write an XMLTV guide, a MAME plugin.
Theatre View options:
Can we have some of the other MC features in Theatre View such as CD Writing, CD Ripping, CoverArt download, file management (or at least allow us to write these options.)
Cover Art:
Could you please improve the cover art search by allowing it to search for Various Artist. This will improve the results for Soundtracks and Compilations by no end. (I have tested this to be true.)
Cover Art:
Could you please add options for how you would like your cover art stored.
AlbumArtist(Auto):
Could we please use Various Artists instead of Assorted (for folders) and Multiple Artists (for AlbumArtist(Auto)).
AlbumArtist:
Could we have a tagging option to fill the AlbumArtist tag with what is listed in AlbumArtist(Auto). I would like the AlbumArtist tag filled in (its quite usefull,) with a fixed tag.
DVD:
More filter and codec options such as ffdShow postprocessing. Almost all non-codec players include these options.
I think the Zones, Dual Display, Client/Server and Database make MC11 the single most powerfull media player for around the house and home theatre audio and video. Unfortunately the one thing that goes hand in hand with this technology is the requirement to do everything with a remote and 10 foot visuals. This is what I would love to progress to.
What do you think?
Regards
Vic
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Also,
Rating Locking Option
It's to easy to accidently change your ratings....
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Bookmarking for web broadcasts would be nice too. It has been talked about before. I personally do not care for the Web Media area.
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Bookmarking is possible. I have several radio station addresses in my library. I have opened them from File > Open Url... and imported & added them to a playlist from Playing Now. They can also be tagged (except the name field that gets updated from the stream.)
My wishlist includes this:
A simple "Play all image files from the file folder in a slideshow when the playback of a music file is started" option. Perhaps the name should be a bit shorter.
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Exactly! Which is fine, but it would be nice if it could go back to a default name.
Also, try to repair your mc database sometime or move your files from one location to another (also uncheck “Fix or remove broken links” when importing media). It completely defuncts the stream target and you have to go get the pls target again.
I do keep a backup local pls, but sometimes the stream target changes (sigh, it can be frustrating)
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- Complete localization for non english languages
- Improved organization of tag info categories in action window(long standing request since version 8 )
- Framing (http://en.easyart.com/scripts/framing/index.ghtml?pid=50531) of images and image slide shows
- Saving combined image/audio playlists as screensavers, .exe.-files with simple menu interface to burn on a cd
- Exporting images to a cycling wallpaper engine
- Improving tile view to make it configurable depending on media type
One of the things I definitely would like to do is to share some tagged images (photos) burned on a cd with friends. They always make nice presents. Of course I can export the images and use one of the many specialized tools available for that. Unfortunately none of them has the capacity to make use of the image tags created within MC. We spend plenty of time tagging and then we cannot make any use of them outside of MC11. That would be a big winner.
Also framing of images would be a great hit. A slide show simply looks nicer if the images are displayed inside nice frames.
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Theatre View options:
Can we have some of the other MC features in Theatre View such as CD Writing, CD Ripping, CoverArt download, file management (or at least allow us to write these options.)
I'm sorry but I don't think Theater View needs these. I can't imagine needing to rip a cd from across my lounge room with my remote!
What Theater View DOES need is some basic tweeks:-
1. Add a "remove" option to the playing now menu. There's currently no way to select and remove individual items from the list.
2. An option which controls how items are added to Playing Now JUST LIKE STANDARD VIEW. For example, opting to play a song from your library shouldn't add the entire album the song belongs to and blowing away your current Playing Now list in the process!
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... Unfortunately none of them has the capacity to make use of the image tags created within MC. We spend plenty of time tagging and then we cannot make any use of them outside of MC11. That would be a big winner...
This could possibly best be handled by Media Center using standard EXIF or IPTC tagging for images, rather than proprietary... which is what I added my 2 cents worth to in this thread: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=19432.0
Maybe if more people begin to see the value of this they will also ask JRiver to consider making the change in MC11.
Regards,
Kwake
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My wishlist includes this:
A simple "Play all image files from the file folder in a slideshow when the playback of a music file is started" option. Perhaps the name should be a bit shorter.
It may not be simple (or even what you want!), but you can put the images folder and a music file(s) in a playlist and they'll display / play simultaneously when the playlist is selected.
How about "Ply ll img fls frm th fle fldr in a sldshw whn th plybck of a msc fle is strtd"?
Ian G.
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How about "Ply ll img fls frm th fle fldr in a sldshw whn th plybck of a msc fle is strtd"?
:) :D ;D
I do what you suggested all the time. (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=22841.0)
It works for full albums. It would be nice to see the other images also when playing mixed playlists. If I put images to a slideshow from several albums they will not show up at the same time with the relevant music tracks.
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I'm sorry but I don't think Theater View needs these. I can't imagine needing to rip a cd from across my lounge room with my remote!
Why would you think it doesn't need the ability to do these things. The people who use Meedio and MS Mediacenter certainly do! One of the points of a home theatre PC or small media client is that they are plugged into a TV (no monitor,) and just left to operate without a keyboard.
That is what I am aiming for and a large proportion of the people on avsforum, all the companies that make HTPC's (like Alienware,) and makers of other Theatre Front Ends are all aiming for the same.
Alienware have just included DISCover which allows you to install and load PC games with no mouse or keyboard intervention.
Certainly I think ripping a CD, selecting a TV show to record or removing an old video file are all part of being able to leave my PC on a TV with a remote. Besides if JR don't want to include it, at least let me write my own plugins for it.
Regards
Vic
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I do what you suggested all the time. (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=22841.0)
Ah! Sorry - teaching granny to suck eggs! :-[ :-X
Ian G.
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[li]Improved organization of tag info categories in action window(long standing request since version 8 )[/li]
Yes, this would be very useful.
If we could define our own categories and the order how they are displayed in the action window this would be great for tagging.
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Why would you think it doesn't need the ability to do these things. The people who use Meedio and MS Mediacenter certainly do! One of the points of a home theatre PC or small media client is that they are plugged into a TV (no monitor,) and just left to operate without a keyboard.
That is what I am aiming for and a large proportion of the people on avsforum, all the companies that make HTPC's (like Alienware,) and makers of other Theatre Front Ends are all aiming for the same.
Alienware have just included DISCover which allows you to install and load PC games with no mouse or keyboard intervention.
Certainly I think ripping a CD, selecting a TV show to record or removing an old video file are all part of being able to leave my PC on a TV with a remote. Besides if JR don't want to include it, at least let me write my own plugins for it.
Regards
Vic
Yes, I see your point. I guess I'm just a bit frustrated with how JR made such significant improvements in v11 with Theater View but seem now to have left some other basic features and configurations aside like the ones I've listed above. I'm hoping when the product is finally released that this will no longer be the case. My post was just intended to suggest that your requests are valid and warranted but in terms of priorities, there are still other basic fetaures/functions which need attention first.
Anyway, I certainly support your desire to improve Theater View.
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Why would you think it doesn't need the ability to do these things. The people who use Meedio and MS Mediacenter certainly do! One of the points of a home theatre PC or small media client is that they are plugged into a TV (no monitor,) and just left to operate without a keyboard.
One of my points would be NOT to have a noisy ugly PC in my media room. Much less think "Hey I'll go get some blank CD-Rs and put one in the media center. Now I'll walk back to my chair and start burning." Nah.
That is what I am aiming for and a large proportion of the people on avsforum, all the companies that make HTPC's (like Alienware,) and makers of other Theatre Front Ends are all aiming for the same.
There have been MANY programs and devices made by big companies that the public simply ignores. Microsoft Bob anyone? You know, sometimes a company goes down a road because someone in charge loves this or that. They can't imagine that the public does not really want to have recipes on a computer for example. They think its cool and figure everyone wants to do the same.
Alienware have just included DISCover which allows you to install and load PC games with no mouse or keyboard intervention.
Good luck entering serial numbers without intervention.
Certainly I think ripping a CD, selecting a TV show to record or removing an old video file are all part of being able to leave my PC on a TV with a remote. Besides if JR don't want to include it, at least let me write my own plugins for it.
As I said, I don't want a "computer" in my living room. A nice quiet device that can access a PC/Media Center would be cool. Then I can go to the computer room and do maintenance tasks.
If MC goes that way, that is up to JRiver. I'd hope that the functionality already started is finished and polished before any further expansion is done.
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As I said, I don't want a "computer" in my living room.
...Then this discussion shouldn't concern you. The fact of the matter is that HTPC's are an extremely hot topic and will continue to grow in popularity as good front-end's like MC's Theater View are enhanced.
... I'd hope that the functionality already started is finished and polished before any further expansion is done.
This, I agree with.... but let's not forget slikvik's original request which is the ability for him and others to write these enhancements himself if JR can't/won't.
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Thanks Raym, I agree.
GHammer, my PC does not look anything like a PC. It looks like the rest of my Hi-Fi equipment. It's also silent.
I think your comment that the public ignore these HTPC apps is unfounded. I'm 'the general public', and I want these things, as does Raym, as do the thousands of members of the many HTPC forums out there.
Regards
Vic
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Vic,
We'd like to be able to help, but we're stretched a little thin right now.
Are you aware of the weather program IlPadrino did for Theater View? You might be able to do something similar for a TV guide.
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=23436.0
Jim
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Hi Jim,
Thanks for at least replying to the post. It's always nice to know that we aren't getting ignored.
Could you see how you get on and at the very least get the 'Program' custom item section working properly. I tried adding one called Mame and then put the path and exe in the parameters section. It didnt load Mame. Instead it flicked out of Theatre View for a second and then back again.
If you can get that working, then I could possibly (time permiting,) write a wrapper that allows plugins to load with the wrapper app that looks like Theatre View and accesses the MC11 SDK.
Regards
Vic
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I'm not sure of the syntax, but I just added a button called Test and the parameter "notepad". It brings up notepad. Play with it a little to see if you can get it.
To get Acrobat Reader to work, I used:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe
I had to add quotes around it because of the space in the path name.
I think it's working as it should be.