INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 30 for Windows => Topic started by: JimH on August 19, 2022, 03:25:05 pm
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DESCRIPTION
Alexa is now an integral part of MC.
It requires Amazon access from the Internet. More below.
It requires Media Server to be running and accessible.
The Net Access (http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Network_Access) topic on the wiki tells you how to do the two items above.
In the new Alexa Skill called JTalk, you will do the setup below one time. You'll then have voice access to Media Center from a phone or other mobile device. The access is similar to what you might have from any JRiver Remote, but the control is by voice.
SETUP
A phone or other mobile device that can run Alexa is required. The mobile device is only necessary for setup. You can use any Alexa device after that.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Make sure your MC 30 server is running and accessible from the Internet. Note that MC's built-in SSL will NOT work so you will have to make the non-SSL port available.
2) Open the Alexa app on your mobile device, go to Skills & Games, and search for JTalk.
3) Tap on the ENABLE TO USE button for JTalk.
4) When it shows the account linking page, type in the access key and credentials for your server and then tap Connect.
After setup, you can then issue voice commands like the sample below. Voice commands will work on any Alexa device using the same Amazon account used for setup.
"Alexa, open j talk"
"play playlist random songs"
"next"
"pause"
"cancel"
SESSIONS
You open a command session by saying "alexa, open j talk" or "alexa, ask j talk to (specify command)". You can issue multiple commands while the session is open. You can close the session yourself by saying "cancel". Otherwise, if you don't say anything for a while the session will automatically close. This time is controlled by the specific Alexa device and is not currently editable. You will have to open the session again to issue more commands.
EXAMPLE COMMANDS
play
pause
previous
next
stop
set volume to [3]
what's playing
list zones
set zone to [player]
play playlist [random songs]
start play doctor with artist [ziggy marley]
play artist [kenny loggins]
play album [martina]
You can also append desired zone and playback options to most commands:
play playlist [random songs] on zone [player]
play playlist [random songs] with options [shuffle]
play playlist [random songs] on zone [player] with options [add]
Complete Command List
JTalk Command Reference for Alexa (https://files.jriver.com/jtalk/jtalk_command_reference.html)
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This is working now.
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I have a large number of devices I use with Alexa. Some are retail devices, and some are homebrewed with ESP32 chips and such. I would really like to help in the testing and development if needed.
Ken
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Not available in Germany?
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Not available in Germany?
It looks like the Amazon Alexa products are available in Germany so this should work.
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Skills are region limited. It needs to be specifically designed (and translated) for every country you want to offer it in.
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For anyone that wants to test the beta, please PM me the email address associated with your Amazon account.
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Is it available for users in the UK?
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Is it available for users in the UK?
It should be.
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We hope to have this generally available very soon.
Name change: JTalk
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Sounds brilliant
I do not see the Skill "Media Center" in my skill search on my Alexa app on my tablet yet
Cheers Steve
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Send a private message to cncb to ask to be in the beta group.
It will probably be in the Alexa store soon.
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Send a private message to cncb to ask to be in the beta group.
It will probably be in the Alexa store soon.
I did this yesterday, and, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, I logged into amazon.com with my amazon.co.uk credentials, which allowed me to add the skill, which shows up in the Alexa app on my phone as enabled, however, it does not work.
When I get to this step:
5) Type in: open media center
Alexa does not know what to do and replies asking if I actually meant "media server".
I guess this means it's not available in the UK.
-marko
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Did you enable it?
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When I get to this step:Alexa does not know what to do and replies asking if I actually meant "media server".
Please try again with: open j talk
When it's published (in the store, not in beta) it is supposed to be available in other English language locales.
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Did you enable it?
Yes
Please try again with: open j talk
When it's published (in the store, not in beta) it is supposed to be available in other English language locales.
Still nothing. See second attachment. Shame. Will wait patiently till it's available.
EDIT:
Jeez those attachments were HUGE! Fixed it now, is why I hate using my phone for these things :)
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Are you using the Dev version?
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Yes. From the link Craig gave me last night. Is there another?
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Not yet, as far as I know.
Open J Talk works for me now.
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Does case matter?
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In searching in the app? Don't think so.
Talking to Alex, I just say "open jtalk".
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I'm talking to Alexa on an Echo device, not in the phone app. Just checked a Dot and it works there also.
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I just tried the Alexa app on an Android and I don't see a way to get it to work there. It may only work on a device other than the phone.
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I just tried the Alexa app on an Android and I don't see a way to get it to work there. It may only work on a device other than the phone.
If you are typing it in you need to have a space: "j talk". Otherwise, it works with voice on my phone.
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Mark,
You're on 30.0.1. I don't think it matters, but try updating. You have to download manually once, then auto update will work again.
Also probably not related, but did you test access from the outside world?
Login / password?
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This is all getting too confusing.
I am running 30.0.4
I use JRemote daily whilst driving. External access is all good.
I use a different port than the default. Assumed there would be a place in setup to specify that.
There is a login/password, but I can't get the skill to open in order to enter any details.
The launch phrase has changed to 'open j talk'?
The first post states that as a first time only thing, everything has to be typed, but later reading suggests this is no longer required??
Could the first post be updated with current instructions as and when they change?
It's flat-out not working for me. I'm guessing because I have a USA skill enabled on a UK account.
-marko
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This is all getting too confusing.
I am running 30.0.4
I use JRemote daily whilst driving. External access is all good.
I use a different port than the default. Assumed there would be a place in setup to specify that.
There is a login/password, but I can't get the skill to open in order to enter any details.
The launch phrase has changed to 'open j talk'?
Yes.
The first post states that as a first time only thing, everything has to be typed, but later reading suggests this is no longer required??
Could the first post be updated with current instructions as and when they change?
Yes.
It's flat-out not working for me. I'm guessing because I have a USA skill enabled on a UK account.
Yes. Probably. We believe that will change when it's available through the Alexa store (not beta). We don't know how long it will take.
Thanks for testing.
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This is all getting too confusing.
Sorry for the confusion. The only change is the launch phrase: open j talk. You still have to do the setup once, please point me to where it suggests otherwise and I will fix it.
As Jim said, it looks like the beta is not accessible outside the US, but once it is accepted by Amazon and published, it is supposed to be available in other English-speaking locales. Thanks for your help.
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Does it have an option to FF/RW the video by a variable (i.e. non standard) amount.
e.g. "Alexa FF 50 seconds"
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Does it have an option to FF/RW the video by a variable (i.e. non standard) amount.
e.g. "Alexa FF 50 seconds"
It does not support seeking yet.
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I cannot connect to my 2 servers. I have j talk enabled on my Android phone. On my phone I type "open j talk" and then type "help" and get the help message. So, I am connected to the app. But, when I do "set up access key xxxxxx" I get an error message "Sorry I have trouble doing what you asked. Please try again". I have tried accessing 2 different servers, both of which Gizmo and JRemote can access from on the LAN and remotely and which can be accessed from MC on other Windows systems using the access keys. The two Windows 10 systems are running .5 and .6. I have double and triple checked the access codes. I have tried this with the phone on the LAN and with the WiFi on my phone turned off. Same result. This is in the US. Probably something obvious - I just don't see it. Any suggestions?
EDIT : Media [url=http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Network_Access]Network Access (http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Network_Access)[/url] Key - Test Access to this Server does not give an error. Authentication is turned off.
Working now. I needed the whole funky low, cap syntax for the access key.
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First, thanks for doing this. It is a significant effort, but voice command is really the way of the future.
Here are some initial impressions and some issues.
The setup, especially the low, cap, num syntax is is cumbersome. Hopefully that process can be made easier.
J Talk times out much too quickly. I am not sure if this can be controlled, but hopefully so. Otherwise, commands like Play can go to the default Alexa source, which is a pain. Hopefully, that can be set to some long time. Otherwise, the Tell J Talk will have to become the main usage.
The command list is very comprehensive and well thought out. Users will ask for tweaks, as they do to all of MC, but this is a great start.
I have tested many of the commands and most work correctly when typed in, but few work when spoken. I have tried speaking them on both my phone (Android) and a Dot and few other than Play and Help work when spoken. Are others able to use the voice commands? That may still be in development.
The Tell J Talk voice command makes you "announce" the command which is an extra step and seems unnecessary. Is this a debugging tool? Hopefully it is not a general feature. The command should just execute.
Some issues, again all while typing commands. I fully understand this is under development, so I expect problems like these, although some of them may be just me.
Higher is not recognized. Lower works most of the time, but not always. Quieter and Louder seem to work consistently.
Set Volume To a higher value only works some of the time.
Commands for View, Track, Album, etc. require the correct capitulation, which is understandable, but making them case free would be nice. Hopefully the voice commands will be case insensitive.
Play Artist "Artist" always starts at the same song. That should be randomized.
It might be nice to have Unmute rather than using Play to unmute. You can get use to this, but my first inclination is to unmute. Play seems to apply to what is playing not to volume.
Will continue testing.
Thanks.
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The setup, especially the low, cap, num syntax is is cumbersome. Hopefully that process can be made easier.
J Talk times out much too quickly. I am not sure if this can be controlled, but hopefully so. Otherwise, commands like Play can go to the default Alexa source, which is a pain. Hopefully, that can be set to some long time. Otherwise, the Tell J Talk will have to become the main usage.
I have tested many of the commands and most work correctly when typed in, but few work when spoken. I have tried speaking them on both my phone (Android) and a Dot and few other than Play and Help work when spoken. Are others able to use the voice commands? That may still be in development.
The Tell J Talk voice command makes you "announce" the command which is an extra step and seems unnecessary. Is this a debugging tool? Hopefully it is not a general feature. The command should just execute.
Commands for View, Track, Album, etc. require the correct capitulation, which is understandable, but making them case free would be nice. Hopefully the voice commands will be case insensitive.
Play Artist "Artist" always starts at the same song. That should be randomized.
Setup is a little messy, but you only have to do it once. We might improve this in the future.
Unfortunately, we seem to have no control over the session timing out. It apparently varies per Alexa device type.
You are getting unexpected results, because all the commands were tested via voice and should work. What happens when you say "play playlist random songs"? This should play the default smartlist "Audio -- 100 Random Songs".
I'm not sure what you mean by "announce" the command? "tell j talk to play playlist random songs" will open the session and execute the command.
Case does not matter even when typing commands in. I'm not sure why you are seeing this.
You have control over how things are played by adding the optional "with options" at the end of the command. For example, "play artist sting with options shuffle" will do what you want.
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I'm not sure what you mean by "announce" the command? "tell j talk to play playlist random songs" will open the session and execute the command.
It asks me "Do you want to announce this command" or something like that. If I say yes it repeats the command, complete with my voice. It is expecting a Yes or No answer. If I say no, nothing happens. It may be an Alexa setting, but I have not heard it before.
I will do more testing of the voice commands. But most of them do not seem to work. But now that I know they are supposed to work I will look further.
Thanks.
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It asks me "Do you want to announce this command" or something like that. If I say yes it repeats the command, complete with my voice. It is expecting a Yes or No answer. If I say no, nothing happens. It may be an Alexa setting, but I have not heard it before.
I see that now. When you type it in the command is executed as expected. If you say "ask j talk to..." it will execute the command. I will update the first post. Thanks.
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I see that now. When you type it in the command is executed as expected. If you say "ask j talk to..." it will execute the command. I will update the first post. Thanks.
It makes the Tell or Ask command very annoying, especially since it announces it on all Amazon devices that are connected. Any way to turn that off?
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It makes the Tell or Ask command very annoying, especially since it announces it on all Amazon devices that are connected. Any way to turn that off?
It will only ask you if you want to announce with "tell j talk to...". Use "ask j talk to..." to avoid the announcement.
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It will only ask you if you want to announce with "tell j talk to...". Use "ask j talk to..." to avoid the announcement.
OK, ASK works as expected and the commands work with ASK J TALK. I think the Announce function with Talk was the reason I could not get the commands to work with voice. Thanks.
When I OPEN J TALK my dot only has an orange ring for about 5 seconds after I end giving commands. I thought J Talk was still connected, but apparently as soon as the orange ring goes off, it stops J Talk. That means I have to use Open J Talk for almost any command. That makes that whole interface less useful. But, with ASK maybe I will not need it. Using ASK for everything also means I can use other Alexa commands while the music is playing.
I think my capitilzation problems may have been related to time outs. The commands seem case insensitive how.
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When I OPEN J TALK my dot only has an orange ring for about 5 seconds after I end giving commands.
Interesting. The session on my phone also stays open for only about 5 seconds but on my Echo Show it stays open for about 30 seconds. It's too bad this is not a device setting for the user.
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Interesting. The session on my phone also stays open for only about 5 seconds but on my Echo Show it stays open for about 30 seconds. It's too bad this is not a device setting for the user.
I've only seen about 5 seconds on an Echo and a Dot.
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Interesting. The session on my phone also stays open for only about 5 seconds but on my Echo Show it stays open for about 30 seconds. It's too bad this is not a device setting for the user.
Perhaps a discussion of this issue is in order. If people know that the "orange ring" going out or reverting to Home on a phone cancels the skill, they can adjust their thinking as appropriate. My phone also does about 5 seconds.
The ASK command seems to Open J Talk and leaves it open until it times out. Which means if you do 2 ask commands in a row, the second one errors since J Talk does not know what to do with ASK J Talk. Perhaps ASK should be a one time command that does not leave J Talk open. That's at least how I interrupted it. That is, use Open J Talk to open the skill and keep it open and use ASK J Talk to do a one time command.
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I am not sure what Set Volume is doing. It uses a range of 1 to 10, which I would translate to 10% to 100%. However, when increasing the volume, it does not seem to do that. With the volume at 20%, using Set Volume to 10 only changes it to 25%. I would think it would set it to 100%. I am using Internal Volume and Maximum Volume is set to 100%. I can manually set volume to 100%.
EDIT: It looks like Set Volume to 10 actually adds 5% to the current volume, just like Louder.
Higher is not a recognized command.
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What's Playing tells you the song that is playing
What Is Playing tells you the current zone rather than the song, I guess because What Zone Is Playing gives you the zone. It seems like if the word Zone is not present, it should tell you the song, not the zone.
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Yes.Yes.Yes. Probably. We believe that will change when it's available through the Alexa store (not beta). We don't know how long it will take.
Thanks for testing.
Long time UK-based J River user here (7+ years). Alexa integration might be the key feature to get me to upgrade this time round. The Alexa skill is still only available in the US Alexa store (see screen shots from the Alexa skill list on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk) so it looks like you pressed the "Certification" process on the developer page and it is now live - just not available in all regions. I think UK English is treated as a different language to US English.
This might help - it talks about .. "you must deploy your AWS Lambda function code to multiple AWS regions" https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/docs/alexa/smarthome/develop-smart-home-skills-in-multiple-languages.html (https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/docs/alexa/smarthome/develop-smart-home-skills-in-multiple-languages.html)
Hope you can get a wider deployment going for testing.
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I am not sure what Set Volume is doing. It uses a range of 1 to 10, which I would translate to 10% to 100%. However, when increasing the volume, it does not seem to do that. With the volume at 20%, using Set Volume to 10 only changes it to 25%. I would think it would set it to 100%. I am using Internal Volume and Maximum Volume is set to 100%. I can manually set volume to 100%.
EDIT: It looks like Set Volume to 10 actually adds 5% to the current volume, just like Louder.
I cannot reproduce this. "set volume to..." sets the volume for me as expected using Internal Volume or Application volume. Are you using some kind of digital output that might be causing unexpected behavior?
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What Is Playing tells you the current zone rather than the song, I guess because What Zone Is Playing gives you the zone. It seems like if the word Zone is not present, it should tell you the song, not the zone.
Alexa handles all the voice processing, so we will probably have to remove the "what zone is playing" to fix it. Likewise, we might have to change "higher" since it is not being recognized.
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The Alexa skill is still only available in the US Alexa store (see screen shots from the Alexa skill list on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk) so it looks like you pressed the "Certification" process on the developer page and it is now live - just not available in all regions. I think UK English is treated as a different language to US English.
Working on it.
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Alexa handles all the voice processing, so we will probably have to remove the "what zone is playing" to fix it. Likewise, we might have to change "higher" since it is not being recognized.
How about Which Zone is Playing?
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How about Which Zone is Playing?
Yes, we can try that. Thanks.
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I cannot reproduce this. "set volume to..." sets the volume for me as expected using Internal Volume or Application volume. Are you using some kind of digital output that might be causing unexpected behavior?
I am using a Chord usb DAC with WASAPI. Nice DAC but don't think it should be affecting this command. It is a Chord driver. I will try some other DACs.
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I cannot reproduce this. "set volume to..." sets the volume for me as expected using Internal Volume or Application volume. Are you using some kind of digital output that might be causing unexpected behavior?
The problem is caused by having Volume Protection turned on. I guess it only allows a limited change in volume at one time. Volume Protection is a nice feature, so it would be nice to figure out how to still have it on and have Set Volume work when increasing the volume.
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The problem is caused by having Volume Protection turned on. I guess it only allows a limited change in volume at one time. Volume Protection is a nice feature, so it would be nice to figure out how to still have it on and have Set Volume work when increasing the volume.
It seems that Volume Protection is working as intended and it would not be good to bypass this in Alexa.
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It seems that Volume Protection is working as intended and it would not be good to bypass this in Alexa.
Volume protection is not meant to stop you making normal changes to the setting. With Volume Protection on, you can click anywhere on the slider and the volume is changed. If the volume is at 20% and you click on 80%, the volume goes to 80%. even if volume protection is on. Seems like the Set Volume command should behave the same as clicking on the volume slider. My guess is that whatever mechanism you are using to set the volume is different than clicking on the slider and is getting caught by volume protection as an unintended side effect.
Volume Protection is a pretty commonly used feature. I think the Set Volume command needs to work with it enabled, just like clicking on the slider does.
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If the volume is at 20% and you click on 80%, the volume goes to 80%. even if volume protection is on.
Volume Protection will stop you from making a big change like that. That's the entire reason behind volume protection.
I have used it for many years and really appreciate it.
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Volume Protection will stop you from making a big change like that. That's the entire reason behind volume protection.
I have used it for many years and really appreciate it.
But shouldn't is function the same as clicking on the volume slider? This is not an uncontrolled increase, it is just the same as on the volume slider.
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But shouldn't is function the same as clicking on the volume slider? This is not an uncontrolled increase, it is just the same as on the volume slider.
If you click way in advance, it increases just a little and moves your mouse. It seems that the same with Alexa makes sense.
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If you click way in advance, it increases just a little and moves your mouse. It seems that the same with Alexa makes sense.
You are right. My mistake. I have it set on my main system but not on my other systems and was confusing them. Sorry.
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JTalk is now available in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
"Higher" is now working for volume and "what is playing" now works too (had to remove "what/which zone is playing" because Alexa was not able to distinguish these).
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Thanks. Most of this is very solid.
What is the upgrade strategy and mechanism? Do changes like this take effect automatically or do people need to update the Alexa skill? Will there be an ongoing update process like MC, or will changes be accumulated and done as one big update? Thanks.
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What is the upgrade strategy and mechanism? Do changes like this taken effect automatically or do people need to update the Alexa skill? Will there be a ongoing update process like MC, or with changes be accumulated and done as one bigger update? Thanks.
The skill is hosted online, so you are automatically using the latest without any action required.
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Thanks. That is awesome.
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It seems like Play Artist has changed its selection criteria. It used to randomly select tracks. Now, it seems to select an album and play all of that, then continue on to another album and play all of that, etc. I am not sure why this change happened. It seems like playing random tracks is the preferred option. That would be consistent with how other online services work.
Play Artist also seems to include Christmas songs. Most services do not include them in a Play Artist type command. Can they be excluded from Play Artist?
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It seems like Play Artist has changed its selection criteria. It used to randomly select tracks. Now, it seems to select an album and play all of that, then continue on to another album and play all of that, etc. I am not sure why this change happened. It seems like playing random tracks is the preferred option. That would be consistent with how other online services work.
Play Artist also seems to include Christmas songs. Most services do not include them in a Play Artist type command. Can they be excluded from Play Artist?
It has always sorted like this. Append "with options shuffle" to the command if you want random.
There is not an easy general way to exclude certain genres.
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It has always sorted like this. Append "with options shuffle" to the command if you want random.
There is not an easy general way to exclude certain genres.
I am pretty sure Play Artist used to select songs from different albums. I am pretty sure one of my artist selections always started with one Christmas song then skipped to other songs. That has been one of my test cases. In any case, random seems like it should be the default. Having to add a shuffle command every time is a bit of a deal breaker for my family, given it is not necessary on other services.
Having to explicitly exclude Christmas music with the Play Artist command seems like a limitation. I think it should be the default. That is standard in other online services. I think people are going to be surprised when Christmas music starts playing.
Please consider these changes to Play Artist.
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We could probably safely assume the list should be shuffled by default and even omit Christmas music by default.
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"Higher" is now working for volume and "what is playing" now works too (had to remove "what/which zone is playing" because Alexa was not able to distinguish these).
Higher works.
How about a simple Where command to tell you the zone. Maybe Alexa will allow that.
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We could probably safely assume the list should be shuffled by default and even omit Christmas music by default.
Thanks Jim.
Play Artist also sees to always start with the same song. It would be nice to randomize that also.
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Play Artist also sees to always start with the same song. It would be nice to randomize that also.
It may be that you have a Christmas compilation album so there would only be one song by that artist from that album and then it would move on to their other individual albums. Shuffle will randomize the first song.
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@cncb if you need help for the french translation you can count on me
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Just thinking ... what about shuffling artist by default, but allowing an "unshuffled" option?
Christmas is an odd one. I don't think you'd ever want to play a little Christmas music. It's all or nothing.
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It may be that you have a Christmas compilation album so there would only be one song by that artist from that album and then it would move on to their other individual albums. Shuffle will randomize the first song.
It seems like if the genre is Christmas it should be excluded. If it is a Christmas song but with another genre, then I would expect it to be played.
I believe the idea of Play Artist is to play a random list of songs. Starting at the same song every time only works if it is a well known hit from that artist and after that things are randomized. Some services try to do that. I guess you could always start with the song with the highest rating, if there are ratings. Other than that, I really think it should be a random starting point. Adding a shuffle option each time you use Play Artist is really not an option. I like the unshuffle option, although I am not sure it will be used much.
Thanks.
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It seems like if the genre is Christmas it should be excluded. If it is a Christmas song but with another genre, then I would expect it to be played.
I believe the idea of Play Artist is to play a random list of songs. Starting at the same song every time only works if it is a well known hit from that artist and after that things are randomized. Some services try to do that. I guess you could always start with the song with the highest rating, if there are ratings. Other than that, I really think it should be a random starting point. Adding a shuffle option each time you use Play Artist is really not an option. I like the unshuffle option, although I am not sure it will be used much.
I was just trying to explain what was probably happening. It always starts with the same song because it is not shuffling by default.
I will try shuffling "play artist" and "play genre" by default. I will also try excluding Christmas, but we probably need a way of setting that since people might be using a different genre name.
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@cncb if you need help for the french translation you can count on me
Thanks.
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I was just trying to explain what was probably happening. It always starts with the same song because it is not shuffling by default.
I will try shuffling "play artist" and "play genre" by default. I will also try excluding Christmas, but we probably need a way of setting that since people might be using a different genre name.
Thanks! And, yes, I use XMAS for a genre so it goes to the bottom of any genre sort. Others may use other names. Maybe a new Christmas tag (Y or N) would help, like the Playability tag. Or maybe a Playability Alexa tag, like the current Playability tag. Or maybe an Include modifier which could include any Genre you specify.
EDIT : I did turn off Playability on all my Christmas albums and that works. Christmas albums are excluded from Play Artist. That may be a temporary work around.
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EDIT : I did turn off Playability on all my Christmas albums and that works. Christmas albums are excluded from Play Artist. That may be a temporary work around.
I just was about to write this as I didn't see your edit. I think you are saying the same thing. If you uncheck the "Playable" tag for your Christmas files, then they don't play with other artist tracks. Is this sufficient or would you prefer a new library field specifically for the JTalk Play Artist? We could potentially use the "Custom" tag for this.
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I just was about to write this as I didn't see your edit. I think you are saying the same thing. If you uncheck the "Playable" tag for your Christmas files, then they don't play with other artist tracks. Is this sufficient or would you prefer a new library field specifically for the JTalk Play Artist? We could potentially use the "Custom" tag for this.
Ideally I would like a way to play albums and songs at any time on my own but not have them included in commands which do a random selection of tracks, like Play Artist and Play Doctor. The Playability tag turns off all playing, which means I would have to toggle it at Christmas time or if a family member wanted to play a Christmas album off-season. I would prefer a mechanism that, once set, does not need to be reset, and that only applies to the random commands. I know that is pretty picky, but having to change tags should be avoided if possible. I think (not sure) Play Doctor may already have a mechanism for not playing Christmas, but that is probably built into the MC Play Doctor code.
People already use the Custom tag, so I would suggest not using it for these specific Alexa commands.
Thanks for working on this.
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Matt came up with a good idea to use the Users feature to exclude certain genres from playback for JTalk. So, go to "View | User | Add user..." and put this in the Files To Show field: -[Genre]=[XMAS]
Select this new user in the "View | User" menu and when you use JTalk it won't attempt to play any Christmas music. When you want to be able to play Christmas music, simply select the original Administrator user in the same menu.
Note that this won't work completely until the next version of the skill and MC30 build.
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Matt came up with a good idea to use the Users feature to exclude certain genres from playback for JTalk. So, go to "View | User | Add user..." and put this in the Files To Show field: -[Genre]=[XMAS]
Select this new user in the "View | User" menu and when you use JTalk it won't attempt to play any Christmas music. When you want to be able to play Christmas music, simply select the original Administrator user in the same menu.
Note that this won't work completely until the next version of the skill and MC30 build.
The idea is to be able to play Christmas music directly, but have it not play in commands like Play Artist. I have not been a big Play Doctor user, but I believe it excludes Christmas. Can you incorporate that logic into a Play Artist implementation? Excluding Christmas is probably enough. I would not worry about Xmas.
Unfortunately, Matt's solution is just too complicated for the average user and I do not believe it addresses playing Christmas directly but not include it in Play Artist. If I want to exclude Xmas from playing, then setting Playability is probably easier, but again not particularly user friendly for the average user.
I just trying to reproduce what other online services do by default.
Thanks.
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This may now work (or soon will work) with MC29.0.86 if you have installed an MC30 license.
The license install lets you remove the old license and install the new one if necessary. Help > Registration
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It looks like Play Artist now plays a random selection of tracks and excludes Christmas music. I need to do more testing, but this looks great.
THANKS.
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Alexa has a feature that allows you to define your own routines that execute a command using your own trigger. I have been experimenting with it with JTalk and it looks very promising.
For example, I have implemented
J River Pause Ask J Talk to Pause
J River Play Ask J Talk to Continue
J River Playing Now Ask J Talk to Display Playing Now
J River Collins Ask J Talk to Play Artist Judy Collins on Zone Player
I am finding these routines very nice for some routine commands, although you cannot customize them on the fly for specific artists, etc. You need the full JTalk implementation for that. And you have to be sure that Alexa sees your routines as unique. For example, Alexa plays using the default music server rather than using J Talk for the routine trigger J River Judy Collins. But these routines may be useful for some common tasks, including common playlists or commonly used Play Doctor commands.
Routines can also be used to do a set of tasks at a given time, like bedtime, and even when you get home or leave using geo-fencing.
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Neither JRiver nor JTalk have a space.
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Neither JRiver nor JTalk have a space.
Please see the first post in this thread. The J Talk command clearly has a space in it. I am just using what is in the instructions.
The space in my use of J River as a routine name is to not confuse Alexa.
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The names of the skill and the application have no space.
Since Amazon requires two words, the skill must be pronounced as if it is two words.
I realize that's a little confusing, but leaving the space out of the product names is important for an Internet search.
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The new version of JTalk has been accepted by Amazon with the following changes:
- Works with MC29 if the user has an MC30 license installed
- Playing by search automatically shuffles if an album is not specified
- Added "sort" to options to avoid automatic shuffle
- Playing by search ignores Christmas/holiday music if album or genre is not specified
- Added "unmute" command
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The new version of JTalk has been accepted by Amazon with the following changes:
- Works with MC29 if the user has an MC30 license installed
- Playing by search automatically shuffles if an album is not specified
- Added "sort" to options to avoid automatic shuffle
- Playing by search ignores Christmas/holiday music if album or genre is not specified
- Added "unmute" command
Hi Craig, @cncb
Our private message exchange has fallen foul of some sort of 3 messages per hour limit so in answer to your questions, yes all devices on same Amazon account, JTalk skill is not recognised via voice from either Alexa on Dot or phone. I reckon that link I sent you might be worth reviewing.
Question to curious others. I’m in the (UK) and the skill will open and works just fine when typed at from the Alexa app on my iPhone but wont open via voice.
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I’m in the (UK) and the skill will open and works just fine when typed at from the Alexa app on my iPhone but wont open via voice.
I will keep looking for a cause, but JTalk is certified in the UK with the same launch name as the US: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BCX6FST8
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4) Tap Home in the Alexa app and tap the little keyboard icon in the top left corner. You have to type in the setup commands. Voice will not work.
Android on Samsung Note 9.
I don't see the keyboard icon and I have tried everything I can think of to enter typed commands.
Google did not help.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Android on Samsung Note 9.
I don't see the keyboard icon and I have tried everything I can think of to enter typed commands.
Google did not help.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
When I have the main Alexa screen up, I have a blue and white circle in the upper left. This is the icon to do voice commands. When I hit it that, at the bottom of the screen there is a little keyboard icon. When I hit that I get the keyboard to enter commands. At least, that is now it works for me. May depend on the version of Android and Alexa.
Assuming you see the keyboard in other apps.
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When I have the main Alexa screen up, I have a blue and white circle in the upper left. This is the icon to do voice commands. When I hit it that, at the bottom of the screen there is a little keyboard icon. When I hit that I get the keyboard to enter commands. At least, that is now it works for me. May depend on the version of Android and Alexa.
Thank you. Must be a quirk of the Note 9. I dug out my old Samsung S7 and was able to see the keyboard and configure JTalk.
Now I have another problem. It reports "MC Server did not respond. Check that's it's running and accessible from the internet."
I confirmed JRemote is working ok with the same credentials.
Perhaps this is the problem?
1) Make sure your MC 30 server is running and accessible from the Internet. Note that MC's built-in SSL will NOT work so you will have to make the non-SSL port available.
What is SSL and how do I make the non-SSL port available?
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Use Google to learn about SSL. It's a security layer for the connection. By default, MC doesn't use it. Read about Media Server on the wiki.
You may have a typo in the login / password. Use it without until you have it working.
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Question to curious others. I’m in the (UK) and the skill will open and works just fine when typed at from the Alexa app on my iPhone but wont open via voice.
You have to separate J and Talk a little when you speak. Alexa often mistakes what I say for another skill whose name is at all similar other than it starts with a J. Speak loudly also.
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Use Google to learn about SSL. It's a security layer for the connection. By default, MC doesn't use it. Read about Media Server on the wiki.
You may have a typo in the login / password. Use it without until you have it working.
I have 3 Alex devices and have automated much of my house including lighting, appliances, heating, and my AV system using a Logitech remote control.
I have used many Alexa skills and created many sophisticated routines.
JTalk is an order of magnitude more confusing and complex to set up than anything else in the Alexa ecosystem.
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Thank you. Must be a quirk of the Note 9. I dug out my old Samsung S7 and was able to see the keyboard and configure JTalk.
That problem wasn't with JTalk. That was Alexa.
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I confirmed JRemote is working ok with the same credentials.
I turned off authentication just to make sure there was no issue with that check. Worth a try.
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I have 3 Alex devices and have automated much of my house including lighting, appliances, heating, and my AV system using a Logitech remote control.
I have used many Alexa skills and created many sophisticated routines.
JTalk is an order of magnitude more confusing and complex to set up than anything else in the Alexa ecosystem.
Typically Alexa devices can be "discovered" by the Alexa skill. That automatically creates the connection between Alexa and the device. JTalk does not use that method. It requires the user to enter an access code/login information that is then sent to Media Center. That process makes the initial setup more complicated. If JTALK used the standard Alexa discover method, it might make the whole setup process easier. Hopefully that will be considered in the future.
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We hope to make the setup process easier in the near future (although there will be no automatic "discovery", you will still have to enter your server info and credentials like everywhere else).
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Thanks for working on making it easier.
Discover would be nice. That is the standard in the Alexa world. Sort of like the wps key on a modem - send a signal and let the devices connect to each other and exchange information. Just turn on a signal in MC and let Alexa discover it. Manual entry can always be an option, but people who are used to Alexa will find it primitive.
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It's not really an Alexa device, more like a service. Think of Spotify where you have to link your account manually by typing in your account details for setup.
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MC is not a service like Spotify. My PC is a physical device that I can touch and control. But whatever you want to call it, it seems like discovery would be a much better way to do the connection - push a button on MC and it connects to JTalk. Something to consider.
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It is not an Alexa device that can just be discovered. Even with Ring, I have to first connect my Ring account by typing in my account details, and then the devices are "discovered" by Alexa. That's basically what we are talking about here.
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The real problem is the access code and the whole low, cap nomenclature. It's kind of like asking for a serial number in an awkward format. Hopefully you can fix that.
Thanks.
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You have to separate J and Talk a little when you speak. Alexa often mistakes what I say for another skill whose name is at all similar other than it starts with a J. Speak loudly also.
Thanks Jim, Craig.
It now works most of the time if I leave a 2 second pause between "J" and "Talk" so the problem is with my speaking and not your end. However, it'd suggest that it's a bit unruly as a wake phrase. I wonder if you had set it as JAYTALK if you wouldn't need the pause between the "J" and the "Talk"
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It now works most of the time if I leave a 2 second pause between "J" and "Talk" so the problem is with my speaking and not your end. However, it'd suggest that it's a bit unruly as a wake phrase. I wonder if you had set it as JAYTALK if you wouldn't need the pause between the "J" and the "Talk"
Weird. Mine always detects it no problem even if I purposely try to have no pause. Maybe you have something with a similar name installed (or Alexa likes my mumbly voice)?
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I'm getting "Cannot authenticate on M C Server" from my Alexa device. (It successfully launches JTalk, but when I give a command - Play Pink Floyd - I get the cannot authenticate message.)
I've been careful to follow the capa lowb process. In the Alexa app, I get a confirmation: Access key is {MyAccessKey}, User name is {bob}, Password is {x} characters, Connection is {http}. I note that my password is actually x+1 characters, but repeated attempts to set this value always returns a message that "Password is {x} character".
Any help is appreciated.
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I'm getting "Cannot authenticate on M C Server" from my Alexa device. (It successfully launches JTalk, but when I give a command - Play Pink Floyd - I get the cannot authenticate message.)
Please hold on for a little while. The current difficult setup will be replaced with something easier very soon.
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The new version is now available which uses Alexa account linking for setup. This means you now type your access key and credentials into a web page instead of the messy "capa, ..." syntax. There is no error checking yet, so be sure to be accurate with what you type in.
Seeking was also added. For example, you can say "seek backward" or "seek forward 2 minutes" to jump around. You can also say "seek to time 5 minutes 30 seconds" to go to an absolute position. See the command reference for more details.
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Using the new version (with the simplified login) I launch Jtalk, but all commands other than Help are met with "Cannot process that request."
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Using the new version (with the simplified login) I launch Jtalk, but all commands other than Help are met with "Cannot process that request."
The Access Key may be wrong.
Make sure the server is running.
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Using the new version (with the simplified login) I launch Jtalk, but all commands other than Help are met with "Cannot process that request."
It sounds like you might have the session closing on you or you are trying to open it multiple times. Can you post some sample dialog?
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During setup (account linking) it now confirms that it can connect to your server with the specified access key and credentials before it will successfully link the server.
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Apologies I have not read the whole thread yet.
I got the skill working quickly without any problem.
BUT I am having a less than 50% hit rate with Alexa, she more often than not hears Jay Talk and I am clueless with how to annunciate the difference between J and Jay.
Very frustrating so far.
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Craig, are you able to set the wake word to “Jaytalk” - I’m still having problems too.
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Craig, are you able to set the wake word to “Jaytalk” - I’m still having problems too.
It has to be 2 words, so we can try "jay talk" to see if it is better.
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It's working fine for me. I just say, "Open JTalk" with no separation between J and Talk.
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Me too. It must be a UK thing...
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It has to be 2 words, so we can try "jay talk" to see if it is better.
Sounds like a plan! Let us know when it goes live and we non-English speakers can let you know if it helps :-) BTW grew up in Canada so combo of UK English and accent might throw things. But it does not work any better for my wife fro Yorkshire aka not to be argued with ;-)
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Sounds like a plan!
So much for that plan. It gives me an error of "You cannot change the invocation name for a live skill.". Are there any users in Australia or Canada that have the same problem?
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For those in foreign countries like England (or probably Australia) try speaking like a 'Merican
J tôk
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Hello all,
When I go into the Alexa app and open the JTalk skill, when I get to the point of connecting by using the Access Key, I get this error: "Could not authenticate on the MC server. Please check your credentials and make sure the server is running and accessible over the internet."
I'm confident that the Access Key is working because I connect to the main server library using that key from another computer in the house and it works fine.
When I run a network map app on the phone, it does see my music server (which has MC30 running on it) and it even identifies it by name, so I'm more confident that it's an Alexa issue and not just a broader issue with the phone. I do not see a setting in Alexa app or in iOS Privacy/Local Network settings to allow Alexa to see devices other than smart-home devices, and the smart home thing is on and it sees plenty of devices around the house.
Any help much appreciated!
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Make sure you are using the correct username and password. The server also has to be accessible over the internet which requires opening ports if you have not done that.
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Make sure you are using the correct username and password. The server also has to be accessible over the internet which requires opening ports if you have not done that.
And get it working locally before you leave home.
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Make sure you are using the correct username and password. The server also has to be accessible over the internet which requires opening ports if you have not done that.
I disabled requiring authentication, at least for now. It is set to allow "everyone".
I'm assuming the port stuff is done by logging into my router...can you please remind me which ports need to be open?
That said, I can already access the MC server with a computer on the network, though it's a wired connection rather than wireless, but not sure that should make a difference.
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I'm assuming the port stuff is done by logging into my router...can you please remind me which ports need to be open?
Yes, it will be port 52199 unless you changed it. See the link in the first post for more information.
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Yes, it will be port 52199 unless you changed it. See the link in the first post for more information.
THANK YOU!!!
Port forwarding in the settings for my router was the answer.
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I think that in Italy, JTalk is not available.
I search it into Alexa app on my Iphone in Skill menu but I didn't find it.
Do you know if it is available in Italy (or will be available) ?
Thanks a lot.
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I think that in Italy, JTalk is not available.
That is correct. It needs to be translated first which might happen if someone is willing to do it.
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That is correct. It needs to be translated first which might happen if someone is willing to do it.
Is possible to have the original to be translate?
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Is possible to have the original to be translate?
Yes, we would give the translator a list of strings to translate.
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Just started using this. Easy to setup and works great. Couple of suggestions.
Add an optional starter trigger to include 'tell JTalk' instead of just 'ask'. I'm used to using the word 'tell' for another custom skill that also controls media center, indirectly.
Allow the word 'the' to be added in when saying commands like ask JTalk to play the song.... I find myself wanting to talk to it in more normal conversational language but it doesn't work unless the commands are exactly right. I think some fuzzy optional words could be allowed when issuing the commands to make it more likely the commands will work.
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Add an optional starter trigger to include 'tell JTalk' instead of just 'ask'. I'm used to using the word 'tell' for another custom skill that also controls media center, indirectly.
Allow the word 'the' to be added in when saying commands like ask JTalk to play the song.... I find myself wanting to talk to it in more normal conversational language but it doesn't work unless the commands are exactly right. I think some fuzzy optional words could be allowed when issuing the commands to make it more likely the commands will work.
Sorry, we don't have control over the trigger word. If you use "tell", it will try to announce something on your Alexa device.
Adding "the" should work for most commands. For example, "ask JTalk to play the song better" and "ask JTalk to play the artist blues traveler" works as expected for me. Can you give me a specific example that is not working? Thanks.
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Ok, using it again today, it appears that saying Ask JTalk to play the song XYZ does work. I must have been saying something slightly different last night that it wasn't recognizing it.
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@cncb if you need help for the french translation you can count on me
I sent you a personal message.
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Anyone willing to do the Spanish translation for JTalk, please send me a personal message.
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JTalk now includes some Cloudplay commands:
play radio j river station [jazz]
start cloud play with genre [classical]
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cncb
Been following this thread with interest as we have expanded our Alexa universe quit significantly here at the house in the last few months. Added several new echos including the Link etc and now I am hoping to get access to my MC library as easy as say our Spotify stuff.
Can you clarify that once I get V30 of Media Center rolling, the port forwarding, the JTalk skill and all the rest ironed out - will I be able to instruct Alexa to play music directly from my MC FLAC library to ANY Alexa hardware device in the house (OR a known smart speaker that Alexa offers as a target like my JBL Bar 5.1 Surround)?
If this is possible - I am willing to consider changes - but I need to know for sure.
Cheers
VP
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AFAIK it is not possible to get MC to play anything through the Echo hardware.
JTalk just acts as a remote control of MC.
So will only be able to play music to an existing zone setup in MC.
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AFAIK it is not possible to get MC to play anything through the Echo hardware.
JTalk just acts as a remote control of MC.
Ah - thank you for the clarification - disappointed for sure. I was hoping this would be that "missing" link to be able to get my local music library "freed up" from the server via MC and out to the new listening points in the house.
Sadly - after testing several music services over the last month with our new hardware "freedom" - it seems inevitable that the end is near for MC given that these other services can play what we want, when we want and most importantly to "where" we want via simple voice command or the Alexa app.
Continued success with this new feature for those that can use it.
Cheers
VP
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thecrow is correct, it currently only controls the server. I think you can hook up a server zone to the echo via bluetooth and have it play on the device but I have not tried it.
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thecrow is correct, it currently only controls the server. I think you can hook up a server zone to the echo via bluetooth and have it play on the device but I have not tried it.
Thanks for the update.
VP
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Hi!
It's available in Italy?
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It's available in Italy?
We would need to find someone willing to translate first.
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Am really happy to see this feature finally integrated in to JRiver! Have been playing around with it and have been able to get it to work pretty well for what I want. I find opening a J-talk session to be really cumbersome since I just want to issue short commands and have them executed. For anyone else having this problem my workaround is to set up individual routines in Alexa where the input i something short like 'Alexa play the good stuff' and the output is a verbal string to Alexa such as 'Alexa tell j-river to start playlist The good stuff'. Although it may seem like a small difference, i've found it to be incredibly useful.
***As an aside, is there any functionality to include commands to set star ratings for actively playing tracks? This is something that would be a great add on for me.***
Thanks again for bringing JRiver in to the modern smart home with this feature. I hope there will be continued work on this!
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***As an aside, is there any functionality to include commands to set star ratings for actively playing tracks? This is something that would be a great add on for me.***
This will be considered for a future update.
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I'm able to connect Alexa to JTalk, however it is only playing the last song played on my computer, and on the computer system not my iPhone. If I instruct it to play Santana or any other specific artist in my collection, it will not work. "Sorry, I had trouble doing what you asked. Please try again." Suggestions?
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I'm able to connect Alexa to JTalk, however it is only playing the last song played on my computer, and on the computer system not my iPhone. If I instruct it to play Santana or any other specific artist in my collection, it will not work. "Sorry, I had trouble doing what you asked. Please try again." Suggestions?
It only controls your server at this time. It does not play to the local device.
What specific commands are you trying?
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Hi, just installed the skill and it worked for the first few minutes but somehow it changed the zone and now everytime I ask it to set zone it just tells me what the current (wrong) zone is. I can get it to list zones but it won't let me change to any other than the one it is stuck on right now. Is there any other way to change what zone JTalk is using if Alexa won't recognize the name of the one I'm asking for? I could rename the zone in JRiver but I'd rather not. I've been using the syntax "Set zone to..." and I've tried "Denon" as well as its full name "Denon AVR-X1200W".
EDIT: Just answered the last question myself. I went to the server instance of JRiver 30 and changed the zone there by clicking the desired one. That caused Alexa to recognize the zone that was playing. Now the zone is changed to one that JTalk lists using the "list zones" command, namely Denon AVR-X1200W, but Alexa then says current zone is unknown. Is that a known issue?
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Hi, just installed the skill and it worked for the first few minutes but somehow it changed the zone and now everytime I ask it to set zone it just tells me what the current (wrong) zone is. I can get it to list zones but it won't let me change to any other than the one it is stuck on right now. Is there any other way to change what zone JTalk is using if Alexa won't recognize the name of the one I'm asking for? I could rename the zone in JRiver but I'd rather not. I've been using the syntax "Set zone to..." and I've tried "Denon" as well as its full name "Denon AVR-X1200W".
See the first post. It talks about "Sessions" and there is a link to the complete command list at the end. Basically there are 2 ways to open a session - either "open j talk" or "ask j talk to ...". Once the session is open you can issue multiple commands until it closes on its own (differs depending on the device). After the session is open you do not prepend "ask j talk to..." to the subsequent commands so if you are doing that Alexa won't understand.
I am considering closing the session after each command to make it less confusing. So, you would issue commands with "ask j talk to..." every time. What does everyone think about this?
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See the first post. It talks about "Sessions" and there is a link to the complete command list at the end. Basically there are 2 ways to open a session - either "open j talk" or "ask j talk to ...". Once the session is open you can issue multiple commands until it closes on its own (differs depending on the device). After the session is open you do not prepend "ask j talk to..." to the subsequent commands so if you are doing that Alexa won't understand.
I am considering closing the session after each command to make it less confusing. So, you would issue commands with "ask j talk to..." every time. What does everyone think about this?
By trial and error I figured out the sessions/open/ask. I have found at least on my Echo that a session times out after 10 seconds, so "ask JTalk" is more expedient anyway.
I noticed a problem with the session remaining open if I issue multiple commands in sequence. This may be because of the annoying "unknown zone" problem. It seems that Alexa is able to resume only if I let JTalk time out:
1. Ask JTalk to Pause
2. Alexa:OK (JRiver pauses)
3. A few seconds later Ask JTalk to Play
4. Alexa: Current zone is unknown
5. Alexa: JTalk timeout signal (bloomp)
6. Ask JTalk to Play
7. Alexa:OK (JRiver plays)
So I wonder if having the JTalk session remain open is actually causing this inability to resume?
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So I wonder if having the JTalk session remain open is actually causing this inability to resume?
As I said, when the session is open you do not prepend "ask j talk to...", so in #3 you should just say "play".
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Thanks for the clarification. My mistake. I didn't realize (but should have) that "ask JTalk to..." starts a session. My preference would be "Ask JTalk" all the time. I find the distinction between initial and subsequent command formats confusing.
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Is anyone else having success getting Alexa/JTalk to change the zone? With zone actually set to Denon, Alexa still says the zone is unknown and when I attempt the "set zone to" command to any zone, Alexa always responds with the answer to "what's playing". Occasionally, she will respond to "set zone to" with "Sorry, I had trouble doing what you asked."
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It only controls your server at this time. It does not play to the local device.
What specific commands are you trying?
Thanks for your response and sorry for the delay getting back. I was trying to use JTalk for streaming access to my phone which I recently set up successfully. Sounds like your saying I can't use this feature whilst out of the house and streaming.
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As far as I can see, there is no version for German yet? I would be happy to help with the translation.
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Thank you!
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As far as I can see, there is no version for German yet? I would be happy to help with the translation.
Thanks, please check your messages.
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JTalk is now available in French (France and Canada). A big thanks to @vairulez for making this possible! The launch word for the French version only is "media center" because "j talk" was not working consistently.
Note that the session now closes after each command for both language versions. Therefore, it is recommended to issue all commands starting with "ask j talk...".
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It looks like the Amazon Alexa products are available in Germany so this should work.
Hi, is the skill available now for Germany?
I still cannot find it in the skill search
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Hi, is the skill available now for Germany?
Not yet. We need someone willing to translate it.
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Not yet. We need someone willing to translate it.
Can you send me a list of all english terms in JTALK to be translated?
Than I will doublecheck how quick I can translate them
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I sent you a Personal Message.
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I am very excited about this new feature with Alexa. I have upgraded to MC31 (currently, in the trial period and unlicensed), installed the JTalk skill, linked to my MC with the key and tried a few commands. However, I receive the message from Alexa, "Sorry, MC30 or later is required to work with Alexa. I checked my internet connection through MC31 and it seems to be working with the same port I had for my older version of MC. Thoughts?
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It sounds like the old version of MC may still be running (maybe you had it set to run MediaServer on startup). Make sure 31 is the only version running.
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Thank you for the response. However, this is a brand new PC/Media Server. I installed MC31 on it and that is the only version of MC on the new PC. I can control MC31 with Gizmo from my smartphone with no problem. Thoughts?
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Do you have an older version of MC on a different PC that might be running?
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My older version of MC (MC18) is on a laptop that is not running. The only version of MC running is on a new machine I mentioned and it is MC31.
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I figured out the issue thanks to your help! First, I was wrong. There was another computer on my network running an older version of MC. Secondly, I had exported my library from my old MC to my new MC31 and I did not realize the old network Key imported as well to the new MC31. So both MCs had the same network key. I generated a new key on the new machine/MC31. Thirdly, I had to set up port forwarding in my router for the new machine running MC31.
Once I made all these changes and shut down the older MC running on another computer, everything works. It is odd that just having an older version of MC (with a different network key and no port forward for this machine on the router) still keeps JTalk from communicating with the MC31 machine that has its own key and its own port forwarding. I would think that the older machine/MC would have no impact on Jtalk given it has a separate key and no port forwarding.
But it all works now and I am very happy. Thank you! ;D
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Thanks for posting the solution.
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hello everybody, an italian user here...Jtalk not yet available in Italy, if you need a translator here I am! let me know!
many thanks!
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hello everybody, an italian user here...Jtalk not yet available in Italy, if you need a translator here I am! let me know!
I sent you a Private Message. Thanks
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I am a long time JRiver user and would like to use J Talk to interface with amazon dots to play music to my living room amp
I have the port forward open and all is good there,
I do not understand what non-SSL port is and how do I set that.
Sorry but I did not find that anywhere
Help
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I have the port forward open and all is good there,
I do not understand what non-SSL port is and how do I set that.
Port 52199.
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I guess i missunderstood what JTalk does.
I thought it would play the music from the jriver database thru the dot.
It is simply a way to ask by voice for jriver to play a song.
Cool but not what I was looking for.
My problem i am trying to solve is the ability to export songs from jriver with the voice leveling (normalization) already applied.
I use My Media (works well) to play thru the echo dot, but the music is not normalized and some songs are louder than others.
Is there a way to export a playlist with the normalization already done when jriver exports the playlist?
Thanks Jim. I have been a big supporter for a long time.
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If your server has bluetooth output, you could connect your dot that way and make the dot an MC zone.
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your comment "If your server has bluetooth output, you could connect your dot that way and make the dot an MC zone."
How does that allow me to speak to the dot and have the dot communicate with jriver to select a playlist from friver to play through the dot.
I can make the dot a MC zone but would simply be an out zone for jriver to play through. I would still need to select the playlist on jriver from my computer.
I am sorry I don't see the ability i am looking for. Help me understand
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The JTalk skill controls the MC server. Bluetooth would just be another local zone for your server. The Dot will be basically a bluetooth speaker for audio playback but you can still issue Alexa commands to the Dot to control what is playing.
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so you are saying I would use J talk on dot to control jriver on computer and play to a zone that is the same dot and that dot can be connected to my family room receiver for nice sound.
Is that correct?
Sounds right.
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Right, but it will be bluetooth audio so probably not the best.
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The echo dot does not show up in my bluetooth devices and it is right next to my computer
I am sorry I don't know how to do this pairing and connection
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There should be a Bluetooth button on the dot to put it in pairing mode or maybe it can be done through the Alexa app.
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Pump this up
Can someone help me with normalization (volume leveling) when I export songs from jriver, I want them normalized?