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More => Old Versions => Media Center 14 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: Osho on September 11, 2009, 06:11:20 pm

Title: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: Osho on September 11, 2009, 06:11:20 pm
Hi,

I use MC14 as a client to connect to Library Server. I also use MC14 as the default player for all audio/video files as I like its playback capabilities a lot. My default library is to connect to my Library Server.

This creates a problem when MC14 is not running and I want to play a local audio/video file (say an email attachment which has my voice mail in audio .wav file). This creates a problem that when MC14 starts, it spends couple of minutes to connect to library server machine and download the entire library before playing back my message.

The feature request I have is to see if MC14 was started to play back a local file and if so play it immediately (while downloading the remote library in background or just load another library that is local). Is this possible?

Thanks,
Osho
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: Alex B on September 11, 2009, 07:10:28 pm
I have requested a setting for the default startup library. Then MC could be set to always load a certain local library regardless of the last used library. Startup would be lightning fast if the loaded local library is empty or very small.

Naturally the default startup library could also be a server library if the user has added it to the list and prefers to always load it.

I always seem to forget to load my preferred startup library before closing MC. Because I use several server connections and test libraries a setting for the default startup library would be very useful.
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: Osho on September 12, 2009, 09:27:54 am
Yes, a setting for the default startup library would be great. Though, what I am requesting is a little more than that.

I actually want my remote library server library as the default startup library if MC14 was started "regularly". If MC14 was started by clicking on a file in a explorer window to play that file then it should have another default startup library (which would be local and completely empty in my case).

Thanks,
Osho
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: Osho on September 15, 2009, 01:46:10 pm
bump :)

Thanks,
Osho
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: marko on September 15, 2009, 03:12:40 pm
Hi,

I use MC14 as a client to connect to Library Server. I also use MC14 as the default player for all audio/video files as I like its playback capabilities a lot. My default library is to connect to my Library Server.

This creates a problem when MC14 is not running and I want to play a local audio/video file (say an email attachment which has my voice mail in audio .wav file). This creates a problem that when MC14 starts, it spends couple of minutes to connect to library server machine and download the entire library before playing back my message.

The feature request I have is to see if MC14 was started to play back a local file and if so play it immediately (while downloading the remote library in background or just load another library that is local). Is this possible?

Thanks,
Osho
It's for this very reason that I have turned off all MC file associations. I never start playback from Explorer, I browse around my media using MC, and always start playback from somewhere or other within MC, so file associations are not a problem for me.
There's too much lag involved when I just want to see a short video clip attached to an email.
Quite often, WMP has opened and played the video\audio in the time it takes MC to start playback.

My 'playing now' list is preserved this way too, which is nice.

This subject has been touched upon in the past, where on at least one occasion, the ACD Systems approach of a fast loading 'lite' version of their image viewer was cited as a possible solution for MC.

There are so many different scenarios to consider, it's kind of hard to imagine a workable solution.
I would want my existing playing now list preserved, but how is MC to know that?

Should MC behave differently depending upon whether or not it's already running?

Initially, I'd say this one's definitely a case of  'more questions than answers'

-marko.

Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: glynor on September 15, 2009, 03:44:31 pm
It's for this very reason that I have turned off all MC file associations. I never start playback from Explorer, I browse around my media using MC, and always start playback from somewhere or other within MC, so file associations are not a problem for me.
There's too much lag involved when I just want to see a short video clip attached to an email.
Quite often, WMP has opened and played the video\audio in the time it takes MC to start playback.

Same here, except that I use Media Player Classic for all "quick play" type of playback as opposed to WiMP.  If only Windows would implement an analog to the OSX "Quick View" feature, which is insanely awesome, then I wouldn't have to worry about this.

I do associate MC with many audio file types (other than WAV), since I very rarely have the need to "quick play" them from within Windows Explorer.  Other than that and optical media, though, I don't associate MC with anything directly, even though I'd consider it my primary audio and video playback application.
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: Osho on September 18, 2009, 04:03:55 pm
I may have to go over that route but I really hate to use other Media applications when I have one that I like - MC14 :).

Osho
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: gappie on September 18, 2009, 04:17:35 pm
I don't associate MC with anything directly, even though I'd consider it my primary audio and video playback application.
yes, that is also what i do. and windows mediaplayer or zoom for audio and video quickplay and the windows image player for pictures. i actually like the seperation. my music just goes on and i keep my library clean.

 :)
gab
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: DWAnderson on September 18, 2009, 04:44:25 pm
The feature request I have is to see if MC14 was started to play back a local file and if so play it immediately (while downloading the remote library in background or just load another library that is local). Is this possible?

I would find this quite usefull as well. I also use Windows default apps for this because of the time MC takes to loan the library (although MC 14 seems significantly faster than prior versions).
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: Osho on September 24, 2009, 10:34:20 am
An alternative way to solve this problem would be to start MC14 when windows starts and always keep it running? It could be set up so it minimizes to system tray. Suppose I am connected to my library server - will client automatically update the library when any changes happen to the library on the server?

Thanks,
Osho
Title: Re: Feature request: local file playback and library server connection
Post by: JimH on September 24, 2009, 10:49:43 am
An alternative way to solve this problem would be to start MC14 when windows starts and always keep it running? It could be set up so it minimizes to system tray.
If you tell MC to start Media Server on Windows startup, I think that's what you'll get.  Take a look in the wiki for more on this.