INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 21 for Windows => Topic started by: ldoodle on August 11, 2015, 09:30:20 am
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Hey,
My brother is trialling MC21 at the moment. He's got his main PC in the lounge with a local Windows Storage Spaces volume of content. He uses this PC as his one-stop-shop, so broadcast TV, ripped film and TV shows, photos, music etc.
He wants his bedroom PC to have the same config. so he's asked me to help him export his current settings (including Theater View skins and customizations). I'm not sure how to do this correctly. Basically, he wants both PC's to be identical.
Then it got me thinking. He should really be going the server/client route, which has it's own questions:
1) Is it possible for both server and client to have their own TV cards so they have independent broadcast capabilities.
2) If his bedroom PC didn't have a TV card, could he use the 'server' hardware for this purpose (almost like remote/streaming TV). He could then keep a central recording location
3) In server/client mode, is everything in sync. So Standard View settings, Theater View skins, Theater View customizations, audio/video options etc.
4) Is it easy to setup
I'm sure there's 100 more questions coming up!!
Thanks
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Hey,
My brother is trialling MC21 at the moment. He's got his main PC in the lounge with a local Windows Storage Spaces volume of content. He uses this PC as his one-stop-shop, so broadcast TV, ripped film and TV shows, photos, music etc.
He wants his bedroom PC to have the same config. so he's asked me to help him export his current settings (including Theater View skins and customizations). I'm not sure how to do this correctly. Basically, he wants both PC's to be identical.
Then it got me thinking. He should really be going the server/client route, which has it's own questions:
1) Is it possible for both server and client to have their own TV cards so they have independent broadcast capabilities.
I don't think so, but Yaobing can confirm, however
2) If his bedroom PC didn't have a TV card, could he use the 'server' hardware for this purpose (almost like remote/streaming TV). He could then keep a central recording location
Yes, part of the client server setup is that the server can stream TV to clients, which is why not being able to run tuners on the client isn't such a big issue.
3) In server/client mode, is everything in sync. So Standard View settings, Theater View skins, Theater View customizations, audio/video options etc.
Not everything syncs automatically, but the majority of the things you'd want to sync do sync. The library and metadata sync, the standard view and theater view view schemes and most related configuration sync, playlists will sync, and certain other settings will also sync. On the other hand, you'll probably need to install skins on the client, and depending on what you mean by customizations, those might also need separate configuration. A good rule of thumb is that if it relates to library database and how the database is organized or displayed, it probably syncs; if it relates to playback (audio device settings, video playback settings, etc.) or requires extra files (like skins or VST plugins) it probably won't sync.
As a one time step you can create a library backup of the main instance, and then restore it on the client. That will capture 99% of settings (not skins or plugins, but almost everything else). If you then turn the "cloned" client into a client of the server, you'll have 99% overlap of settings, but certain settings will not be automatically synced in the future, which is probably a good thing unless you have identical audio and video hardware in both places.
4) Is it easy to setup
Yes. If you just want to setup client/server, you can literally just turn on media network on the server, and then walk over to the client and select the server's library in library manager. You will then have a basically working server/client setup. There are best practices that will improve how well it works especially for certain media types. For example you'll get better overall results if the drives on which the actual media files reside are shared and accessible to the client PC, with the same path as on the server (see http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Media_Server#Access_from_another_PC_on_your_LAN for details). But that step is strictly optional for many setups, although it will make everything work better and is strongly recommended (quick caveat, if you have DVD .ifo rips, it's mandatory).
And if you want to do the library backup and restore mentioned above that will add a step obviously.
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Thanks!
depending on what you mean by customizations
I mean if I add/change/delete a view or roller/category item in Theater View. Not customize a skin, for example.
What about things like an audio setting change, like enabling bitstreaming, or choosing ROHQ?
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I mean if I add/change/delete a view or roller/category item in Theater View. Not customize a skin, for example.
Those all sync. Any "view" type changes sync with the library. One "gotcha": future changes to views have to be made on the server, but once made there, they will propagate to all clients. By contrast, most metadata-type changes can be made either on the server or the client (with one or two exceptions).
What about things like an audio setting change, like enabling bitstreaming, or choosing ROHQ?
Those don't sync (audio settings and ROHQ definitely don't, I've never tested bitstreaming, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't sync). In most cases you wouldn't want them to sync unless you had identical video and audio hardware in all locations (i.e. audio settings from one machine would fail on another machine with different hardware, etc.).
If you do want to carry those settings across, a library backup on the server and a restore on the client will bring them over, but they won't be kept in sync in the future.
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No, I wouldn't want those to sync across, as you say, due to hardware differences. Just wanted to check they wouldn't.
In my brother's case, he has a high spec main PC in the lounge, and a 1st gen Acer Veriton (so not amazing).
So great :)
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Ok, so definitely don't do the library backup and restore.
The good news is if he tries the client/server setup and doesn't like it, it's very easy to switch back.
The wiki on this was recently updated, so it's worth a read:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Media_Server
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1) Is it possible for both server and client to have their own TV cards so they have independent broadcast capabilities.
I don't think so, but Yaobing can confirm, however
Yaobing answered that question recently. If the client has its own TV cards, they can only be used when the client is connected to a local library. That is, the client would be operating as an independent stand alone installation of MC, and not a client of the server. The client TV cards can't be shared with the server, and the client can't use the server's TV cards and its own TV cards at the same time.
So, the client would need to disconnect from the server library, and connect to its local library to use its own TV cards. It would also need to be connected to its local library at any time that it was supposed to be recording TV locally.
So not a good configuration to use.
PS: I never did a server backup and restore to the client. I just connected up the client to the server and it sync'd the library. Works fine.
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PS: I never did a server backup and restore to the client. I just connected up the client to the server and it sync'd the library. Works fine.
It's definitely not necessary; I was just responding to his expressed desire to have "all" the settings the same which can't happen without a library backup and restore. I've never done it either, it's not necessary (or even recommended).
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the settings the same which can't happen without a library backup and restore.
I was just coming back to check if a library backup/restore does include the settings I mentioned, which it does from the sounds of it.
I'm doing a clean install of Windows 10 soon. Does it do madVr settings, as I've customized mine. If not, can madVr settings be backed up?
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I'm doing a clean install of Windows 10 soon. Does it do madVr settings, as I've customized mine. If not, can madVr settings be backed up?
Mine came across, but I didn't do a "full" uninstall of MC20 before installing MC21, so I'm not sure if it came across with the library backup, or through auto-migration.