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[gdusil]

First of all, let me say that JRiver's Media Center is by far the best multi-media player and organiser I have found to date.  For massive libraries it's fast, and it's the perfect tool for power users.  That said, my suggestions are only to make the player even better.  So please don't take offense to this list, and let me know if the function exists, but I haven't been able to find it yet:

- Backup: Backup should also backup images from video files.  Currently, during a restore, the images are generated from scratch.
- Backup: It would be great to have a function which include backups all libraries with one command.  Currently you need to load each library individually to back up each one.
- Playlists: There should be a separate Playlists function for cross libraries.  Ie. I should be able to add songs from multiple libraries into a single playlist.  Currently the playlists are unique to each library
- Views: Should be possible to save customized views into a file, so that if the Media Center software needs to be reinstalled, then the customized views could be restored.  Currently the custom view list shows as text, but you can't cut and paste from this list.  The "Columns to show" should be in a text format, for copying and pasting
- Views: Media center should integrate GSPOT into it's program to capture more detailed movie information
In Tags: Find a Replace, the last edit should remain in the fields. Often the next
- Views - there should be column choices for video frame rate, Qf (quality frame), frame aspect ratio, and pixel aspect ration
- Video display: - the detach video function does not seem to work as a default setting.  When I play videos, the display only shows within the Media Center's desktop.  I would like to have a floating video window as an automatic setting each time I play the first video in the playlist.
- Export:  Should be possible to export all entries into an excel spreadsheet from my main library, without doing it from a playlist. Seems that I first need to create a playlist from my entire collection. Then export the playlist.
Cover Art - "Paste from Clipboard", and "Copy to Clipboard" should have keyboard shortcuts.  Often you want to just quickly copy and paste cover art from one song to another (or to several other MP3's in one command)
- Custom Settings: Should be possible to save all custom settings used in "Tools - Options" into a file, which can be restored.

[ProblemChild]

I don't know about the others, but absolutely I've really missed these 3:

- Views: Should be possible to save customized views into a file, so that if the Media Center software needs to be reinstalled, then the customized views could be restored.  Currently the custom view list shows as text, but you can't cut and paste from this list.  The "Columns to show" should be in a text format, for copying and pasting
-Cover Art - "Paste from Clipboard", and "Copy to Clipboard" should have keyboard shortcuts.  Often you want to just quickly copy and paste cover art from one song to another (or to several other MP3's in one command)
- Custom Settings: Should be possible to save all custom settings used in "Tools - Options" into a file, which can be restored.

[hit_ny]

- Backup: Backup should also backup images from video files.  Currently, during a restore, the images are generated from scratch.

I will assume you are referring to thumbnail regeneration. That if you restore from a library backup that the thumbnails need to be regenerated. I don't think you want to include the actual thumbnail files in the backup as it would unecessarily increase the backup library file size. Which would mean your backup takes a lot longer and consequently its restore, not to mention eating up HD space.

There is however the question of if a thumbnail was generated previously, why does it need to start from scratch after a library restore. The only reason i can think of at this point is that it may be quicker & more consistant to just regenerate than to check if it exist for each & every file.

- Backup: It would be great to have a function which include backups all libraries with one command.  Currently you need to load each library individually to back up each one.

- Playlists: There should be a separate Playlists function for cross libraries.  Ie. I should be able to add songs from multiple libraries into a single playlist.  Currently the playlists are unique to each library

You bring up the possibility of having more than one library loaded in MC. You can customise views to give the illusion that there are more

Any reason why these can't be merged into just one library ?

One place to have everything,

- Views: Should be possible to save customized views into a file, so that if the Media Center software needs to be reinstalled, then the customized views could be restored.  Currently the custom view list shows as text, but you can't cut and paste from this list.  The "Columns to show" should be in a text format, for copying and pasting

Customised views will be restored from a library backup. THe actual column data is stored in the registry, you need to backup the specific keys to be able to restore the same order on upgrade say or even on another pc.

- Views: Media center should integrate GSPOT into it's program to capture more detailed movie information

hehe, yes, i would also like to add encspot for mp3s to that list. I decided it was quicker to call encspot from MC and then enter what it said into a custom tag in MC. Takes a while when you start off, but after you do it as you listen to each album. It should be possible to do this with Gspot (or any external utility for that matter) too.

- Export:  Should be possible to export all entries into an excel spreadsheet from my main library, without doing it from a playlist. Seems that I first need to create a playlist from my entire collection. Then export the playlist.

You can export from a MC library to mpl  or CSV text, i'm under the impression that excel would then be able to import this and do the necessary formatting.

- Custom Settings: Should be possible to save all custom settings used in "Tools - Options" into a file, which can be restored.

Again this is nearly 100% possible if you save the registry keys for them. Some settings need to re-entered manually.

[tombert]

I would suggest you to export the registry settings with regedit - thats the way I did to keep my settings at least for the options ...

[sherbs]

If we can find and export registry keys, how hard would it be for MC to do it when you hit the backup button?

[JimH]

We could come and pick up your socks, too, but we have other things more pressing.   

[JustinChase]

We could come and pick up your socks, too, but we have other things more pressing.   

Yeah, but can you do it with the press of a button?

Seriously, I would really love to see MC backup everything to make setting up a new machine, or upgrading far more painless.

auto import settings, custom library fields, option settings, and other things are not so fun to re-create.

I suppose I could try to find the registry settings and copy those, and put those on the new machine, but I think MC keeps some things in the documents and settings, specific user settings area also.

Maybe it's not easy for MC to just back all of that up for us (I honestly have no idea), but I'm guessing it wouldn't be too hard, as most programs back all of your user settings.

I know this has been asked for MANY times by MANY people, so there's obviously demand for this "feature."

Maybe one day.

I'm still excited for MC to pick up my socks though!

[MrHaugen]

I would suggest you to export the registry settings with regedit - thats the way I did to keep my settings at least for the options ...

Bingo. It would be nice to have MC back up the settings too. Not all are familiar or bold enough to do stuff in the registry.
It would require a choise during restore though... To include setting or not. Default: No.

[vine-au]

im with you on the external settings file. and xml doc maybe?
Its a real pain having to customise MC after an install.

pleaaaaaaase

[mark_h]

Extended backup has been requested many times before.  NOBODY should be forced to regedit in order to gain access to configuration options... 

I for one would like to see all configurable options stored in backups; it's the sensible solution.  Having switched computers a number of times since starting to use MC I know what an absolute pain it can be to rebuild... and having lost one computer, how galling it can be to lose one's hard built configurations.

Mark

[tombert]

My personal (not MC) opinion: how often do you reinstall MC?
Anyhow - features of MC are changing so rapidly that I think it"s better to go though all options again and see whats new resp. has changed.
So I think - this is not a pressing point - but of course a personal opinion.

[benn600]

The best solution, in my opinion, is to simply start storing what is now in the registry in the library database.  This is what everyone backups because it's somewhat obvious.  It would be great to get rid of the registry requirements and would have many other advantages.

Don't bother backing the registry up--just fix the problem--move it to a text file in the database folder!

[MrHaugen]

My personal (not MC) opinion: how often do you reinstall MC?

About every second month. At least for my HTPC. And I'll probably keep doing that untill my setup is flawless.
And yea, I use ghost images, but I'm picky in what order I install drivers, applications and doing OS tweaks.

So it would be very time saving. For me, not you

[rjm]

Adding my support for a backup that saves everything.

[benn600]

I also reinstall Media Center on a regular basis and create a new library because I like to flush out the old things that were left over from previous versions (assuming there are some).

However, I use the same database on different computers and if this database stored all configuration settings, then there would be no modification on the other computer!  So if I change the skin on one computer, it should be changed on the others!  If you look at how Firefox stores profiles, everything is stored in the profile folder, including skins!  That way, I can use the same Firefox profile anywhere and it works EXACTLY the same as anywhere else I'm using that profile.

Anything the user sets should be stored in this database.  The registry, in my opinion, is somewhat of a deprecated storage mechanism because it doesn't follow the My Documents idea--that everything the user creates goes in ONE central location that can easily be backed up.  No one in their right mind would backup their registry because it usually gets filled with junk!  The good stuff should be in the profile, where many users are likely to remember to backup before a format.

Of course this is a good intermediate step but I'm still hoping for my long server/client idea in another thread a few weeks back.

[Jonas]

You bring up the possibility of having more than one library loaded in MC. You can customise views to give the illusion that there are more

Any reason why these can't be merged into just one library ?

One reason would be that you could make "local" playlists, stored in a local library, containing songs from a remote Media Server library.  This would be a great feature for some of us.