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[Awesome Donkey]

New Media Center? Yes! This tutorial aims to aid users into setting up JRiver Media Center 28 onto computers running the following Debian-based GNU/Linux operating systems/distributions/variants (others listed here *may* work, but your mileage may vary!);

Debian
Ubuntu
Linux Mint

Recommended distros/versions:

Debian 10 Buster
Debian 11 Bullseye
Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS Focal Fossa
Ubuntu 21.10 Impish Indri
Linux Mint 20.2 Uma


Ubuntu Studio and Linux Mint Debian Edition have not and likely will not be tested! Again, your mileage with those may vary. There will likely be issues with running Ubuntu versions prior to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS as Media Center 28 requires Debian Buster. Ubuntu 18.04 LTS simply is too old and very likely won't work with Media Center 28.

NOTE: This tutorial does borrow ideas and parts done by InflatableMouse and his excellent Debian Wheezy tutorial found here, so please thank him.

Before we continue, please note the following;

- Media Center 28 for Linux is developed on Debian Buster - support for distros other than Debian Buster, e.g. like Ubuntu and Linux Mint are not officially supported by JRiver!
- This tutorial will focus on the operating systems above, any others you're on your own with.
- This *should* also apply to Ubuntu/Mint derivatives like Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Linux Mint (MATE), Linux Mint (Xfce), elementaryOS, etc. However, extra steps may be required!
- Before installing, please read the outstanding issues topic! Many of the issues noted for Debian also apply to Ubuntu/Linux Mint!


Step 1 - Add the JRiver APT Repository:

The APT repository is required to install Media Center 28 and keep Media Center 28 updated with every new release. There's three available repositories; Latest, Stable and Beta. Decide for yourself which one you want to use. Choose and use only either the latest or stable repo - you *can* use the beta repo alongside either the stable or latest repos!

NOTE: You can run the beta repo alongside either the latest or stable repos if desired (for beta testing, etc.). Don't try to use both the latest and stable repos at the same time - only choose and use one of them!

First, open a Terminal (by either pressing CTRL+ALT+T or by searching for the Terminal in your Linux distro's search feature) and either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);

Code: [Select]

wget -q "http://dist.jriver.com/mediacenter@jriver.com.gpg.key" -O- | sudo apt-key add -
Next, with the Terminal still open, we need to download and add the correct mediacenter.list file to the /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ directory. Also, you can pick which repository you want to use (Latest, Stable or Beta - choose only one!) so either type one the following commands or copy and paste the command in and press Enter;


Media Center 28 (Latest) Repository:

This repository is using the latest up-to-date release of Media Center 28. There *may* be instability issues! NOTE: I'd personally recommend using the latest repo unless you're intending to run a "stable" system (e.g. HTPC or a Raspberry Pi).

Code: [Select]

sudo wget http://dist.jriver.com/latest/mediacenter/mediacenter28.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter28.list

Media Center 28 (Stable) Repository:

This repository is using the latest stable release of Media Center 28. It may be out-of-date compared to the Latest repository and is updated every few months (so you might have to wait for bug fixes), however these builds have been thoroughly tested and are considered stable.

Code: [Select]

sudo wget http://dist.jriver.com/stable/mediacenter/mediacenter28.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter28.list
Media Center 28 (Beta) Repository:

This repository is for beta builds - not intended for users who prefer stability! These builds are likely buggy, may crash, etc. But this repo can be used alongside either the stable or latest repos!

Code: [Select]

sudo wget http://dist.jriver.com/beta/mediacenter/mediacenter28.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter28beta.list
That's it! Now we can install Media Center 28...

Step 2 - Installing Media Center 28:

Finally, we're going to install Media Center 28! First, we need to reload the packages list, so with the Terminal still open either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter;

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get update
You can now install Media Center 28 by opening a Terminal (by either pressing CTRL+ALT+T or by searching for the terminal in your desktop environment) or re-use the Terminal from the previous step. Next either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get install mediacenter28
If during this process it should say something along the following;

Code: [Select]

The following extra packages will be installed:
  lame libcue1 libreplaygain1 musepack-tools vorbis-tools
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  lame libcue1 libreplaygain1 mediacenter28 musepack-tools vorbis-tools
0 upgraded, 6 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Just press Y (or Enter) when it asks this... however, if you receive an error like;

Code: [Select]

dependency problems prevent configuration of mediacenter28:
 mediacenter28 depends on ....
This means all dependencies have not been met. Don't fret, this can usually be taken care of by using the following command in the Terminal by either typing the following command or copying and pasting the command in and press Enter;

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get install -f
It'll show you the missing dependencies, after looking them over just press enter to install them. Now assuming all dependencies are met, you've been successful at installing Media Center 28 in Ubuntu/Mint/etc! Enjoy Media Center!

NOTE: You can start Media Center either go into the GNOME menu, Xfce menu, Unity dash, KDE menu, LXDE menu, Cinnamon menu, MATE menu, etc. and search for Media Center 28 or you can run it from the Terminal by either typing the following command or copying and pasting the command in and press Enter;

Code: [Select]

mediacenter28
Now, we're going to cover installing the license for those who have purchased in step 3!

[Awesome Donkey]

Step 4 - Installing A Media Center 28 Linux License Or Master License:

This portion of the tutorial will explain how to manually install your purchased license (either Linux license or Master license) in Media Center 28. Thanks for purchasing a license and supporting the development!

First, make sure MC28 is closed and either download the .mjr by either restoring the license here or if you just purchased a Media Center 28 Linux or Master license, then use the .mjr file downloaded with your purchase. After downloading your license file, open a Terminal and either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);

If you're using a Linux license:

Code: [Select]

mediacenter28 /RestoreFromFile "Media Center28 Linux-YYYYYY.mjr"
NOTE: Replace the X's and Y's with the correct numbers from your specific .mjr file AND adjust the path to your file.

If you're using a Master license:

Code: [Select]

mediacenter28 /RestoreFromFile "Media Center28 Master-YYYYYY.mjr"
NOTE: Replace the X's and Y's with the correct numbers from your specific .mjr file AND adjust the path to your file.

If your code is located in the default downloads directory, the following command should work (remember to replace the X's and Y's with the correct numbers and change Linux to Master if you're using a Master license!);

Code: [Select]

mediacenter28 /RestoreFromFile ~/Downloads/"Media Center28 Linux-YYYYYY.mjr"
If you do not encounter an error while restoring your license from the file, open Media Center 28 up then go to the Help menu > Registration Info... - if it's registered, congratulations, your MC28 for Linux is now registered!

Additional information and discussion regarding licenses can be found in this topic.

Once you're done, you should be ready to go! Congratulations, you've successfully installed Media Center 28 on your Ubuntu/Linux Mint machine! The next step will aid you in keeping Media Center 28 up-to-date.


Step 5 - Updating Media Center 28:

Okay, so you've got Media Center 28 installed and you might be wondering "how do I keep MC28 up-to-date?". Well, there's several different ways available to accomplish this.

The overall best way is to use your Linux distro's update manager app and check for updates that way. It *should* pick up on them (you may need to open the update manager app and hit the Refresh or Reload button to have it check for updates manually and reload the list). However, if all else fails how else can you check for updates and update Media Center 28 if an update is available? Simple! Just open a Terminal and either type the following command or copy and paste the command in and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
Let the command run and it should prompt you with a list of updates for your Linux distribution of choice. Just type Y (or yes) and the system should be updated. If you don't regularly check for updates in your Linux distro's update manager app, then it's HIGHLY recommended to run this command once a week - not just for MC28 updates but for keeping up with the latest patches for vulnerabilities and various other potential security concerns.

Other ways to update Media Center 28? Well, if you Have Synaptic Package Manager installed you can update your system from there as well. So, you've got options for updating Media Center and your operating system!

Okay, what's next? The next post contains various information and tips you may find handy. Enjoy!

[Awesome Donkey]

Uninstall/Remove Media Center (And All Files):

Okay, first, you'll need to open a Terminal window (by either pressing CTRL+ALT+T or by searching for the Terminal in your Linux distro's search feature) and either type the following commands one-by-one or copy and paste the commands in one-by-one and press Enter (you *may* be prompted for your password);

Step 1 - Uninstall Media Center from the Terminal:

To Uninstall Media Center 23:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get remove mediacenter23
To Uninstall Media Center 24:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get remove mediacenter24
To Uninstall Media Center 25:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get remove mediacenter25
To Uninstall Media Center 26:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get remove mediacenter26
To Uninstall Media Center 27:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get remove mediacenter27
To Uninstall Media Center 28:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get remove mediacenter28
Of course if you're using a version older than Media Center 23, just substitute the version number in the command in the Terminal.

Step 2 - Remove The Media Center APT repository .list File(s):

Hopefully you didn't close the Terminal window, because you'll need it again for this next part! We need to remove the Media Center repo .list file(s) from the /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ directory. The easiest way to do this is from the Terminal, so with the Terminal open choose the command(s) below that you need...

To Remove Media Center 23's .list Latest/Stable Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter23.list
To Remove Media Center 24's .list Latest/Stable Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter24.list
To Remove Media Center 25's .list Latest/Stable Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter25.list
To Remove Media Center 26's .list Latest/Stable Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter26.list
To Remove Media Center 27's .list Latest/Stable Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter27.list
To Remove Media Center 28's .list Latest/Stable Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter28.list

Now, if you're using the beta repository for any installed Media Center versions, use these commands in the Terminal as well...


To Remove Media Center 23's .list Beta Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter23beta.list
To Remove Media Center 24's .list Beta Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter24beta.list
To Remove Media Center 25's .list Beta Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter25beta.list
To Remove Media Center 26's .list Beta Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter26beta.list
To Remove Media Center 27's .list Beta Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter27beta.list
To Remove Media Center 28's .list Beta Repository File:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mediacenter28beta.list
Again if you're using a version older than Media Center 23, just substitute the version number in the command in the Terminal.

Step 3 - Remove Media Center's Settings Folder(s):

You can leave them if you want, especially if you need to reinstall the older Media Center version, but if you want to remove the older Media Center folders you'll need the Terminal again, and use these command(s) for the older Media Center versions that were installed...

To Remove Media Center 23's Settings Folder:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/Media\ Center\ 23 && sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/MC23 && sudo rm -rf ~/.jriver/Media\ Center\ 23
To Remove Media Center 24's Settings Folder:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/Media\ Center\ 24 && sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/MC24 && sudo rm -rf ~/.jriver/Media\ Center\ 24
To Remove Media Center 25's Settings Folder:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/Media\ Center\ 25 && sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/MC25 && sudo rm -rf ~/.jriver/Media\ Center\ 25
To Remove Media Center 26's Settings Folder:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/Media\ Center\ 26 && sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/MC26 && sudo rm -rf ~/.jriver/Media\ Center\ 26
To Remove Media Center 27's Settings Folder:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/Media\ Center\ 27 && sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/MC27 && sudo rm -rf ~/.jriver/Media\ Center\ 27
To Remove Media Center 28's Settings Folder:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/Media\ Center\ 28 && sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jriver/MC28 && sudo rm -rf ~/.jriver/Media\ Center\ 28
Yes, again, if you're using a version older than Media Center 23, just substitute the version number in the command in the Terminal.

And that should do it, removing all traces of previous Media Center versions.



Adding Additional Skins In Media Center 28:

Media Center 28 for Linux supports additional skins, like the Windows and Mac builds. I've created Linux-based skins (based on the excellent Modern Cards) with a Adwaita skin for GNOME 3 (the default theme is Adwaita), a Ubuntu Ambiance (GNOME) skin, a Arc Theme skin, a Mint-X Cinnamon skin, a Elementary OS skin and others. You can find them in this topic.

Now the easiest way to add skins is by doing the following; open the Home folder (using the native file manager on your distro), pressing CTRL+H to show the hidden files then going to the .jriver folder. From there open the Media Center 28 folder and you're met with multiple folders, including a Skins folder. Open Skins then Standard View and the folders inside contain the additional skins. Just drag and drop the skin you want to add (make sure you drag and drop the extracted skin folder from the Skins/Standard View directory inside the downloaded skin's archive) and change the skin within Media Center 28. If you don't see your skin listed, then the skin probably wasn't installed correctly.



Q&A:

Q: Do I need to remove older Media Center versions to install Media Center 28?

A: Nope! If you desire, you can keep older versions of Media Center installed alongside the current version. But if you're going to use only the newest version of Media Center with the Media Network feature, I'd recommend going into the older Media Center's Options > Media Network and disabling Media Network, as it *could* clash with the newer Media Center version running. I'd also recommend if you run Media Center at startup of your Linux distro to go into the older Media Center's Options > Startup and making sure the startup option is set to Nothing. From there you can set the newer Media Center to start at your Linux distro's startup.


Q: Can I uninstall/remove older Media Center versions if I don't need them anymore?

A: Yes you can! Just follow the uninstall/remove portion of the tutorial above for the older Media Center version(s) you have and want to remove.


Q: I'm running into an issue doing this, help!

A: Okay... take a deep breath and try going through the tutorial again, triple checking each step. However if you still have issues, please post a reply below!



Tutorial changelog:

1.0 (06/25/2021): Media Center 28 tutorial is up!

[steinmanngd]

I have been running media center on a Lenovo T440p and have installed many versions of MC over the years without any problems. Currently running Ubuntu 20.10.  Installing MC28 recently I've noticed some differences. I again followed Awesome Donkey's wonderful tutorial.

This time with MC28, after the first step in adding the JRiver APT Repository (wget -q "http://dist.jriver.com/mediacenter@jriver.com.gpg.key" -O- | sudo apt-key add -)  I got the comment - Warning: apt-key is deprecated. Manage keyring files in trusted.gpg.d instead (see apt-key().
OK

Is this a problem and should something be done in response to this?

I went ahead and installed MC28 anyway and got this response after typing in the install command:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree     
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  mediacenter28
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/46.4 MB of archives.
After this operation, 218 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Selecting previously unselected package mediacenter28.
(Reading database ... 183551 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../mediacenter28_28.0.48_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking mediacenter28 (28.0.48) ...
Setting up mediacenter28 (28.0.48) ...
Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (2.0-1) ...
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.24-1ubuntu4) ...
Processing triggers for mime-support (3.64ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.36.0-1ubunt

(seems to have installed okay)

I ran MC28 from the terminal and it seemed to work okay, but I can not add the program to my favorites list or run the program in any way except from the terminal. I noticed that the program calls itself "packageinstaller" and not media center 28.

Any help is appreciated!

[Awesome Donkey]

It's a known effect from the packageinstaller thing being added. It also messes with the GNOME extension Dash to Dock, which is what Ubuntu uses for the Ubuntu Dock by default, but as of right now there's no way to fix it or workaround it. Basically you can favorite Media Center 28 (by searching for it in the applications menu and adding it to favorites), but it'll still open multiple icons in the dock (the packageinstaller icon) and not use the "favorite" icon.

[steinmanngd]

Interesting. I was not aware of the packageinstaller details, but now see that it helps install skins and other applications. Mabe there will be a work around in the future. Thank you for the information and quick reply.

[ths61]

When will there be a "STABLE Repository" for MC28 ? 

The above instructions indicate "not available yet".

Thanks much.

[Awesome Donkey]

When it's ready and JRiver determines MC28 is stable enough for the creation of that repository, as right now it doesn't exist server-side, the intended URL for the MC28 stable repo just 404 errors currently.

[bob]

Probably pretty close to calling a build stable. Either 48 or 55 depending on feedback.

[voodoo5_6k]

When it's ready and JRiver determines MC28 is stable enough for the creation of that repository, as right now it doesn't exist server-side, the intended URL for the MC28 stable repo just 404 errors currently.

This reminded me of a thing I wanted to ask for quite some time. For MC27, the "stable" repository link outputs the "latest" list. Hence, one could conclude that for MC27 "stable" doesn't exist. Is this a mistake or was this just a "clean-up" for the end-of-life MC27 (i.e. MC27 latest=stable)? And for MC28, will there be a separate "stable" repository again?

[bob]

This reminded me of a thing I wanted to ask for quite some time. For MC27, the "stable" repository link outputs the "latest" list. Hence, one could conclude that for MC27 "stable" doesn't exist. Is this a mistake or was this just a "clean-up" for the end-of-life MC27 (i.e. MC27 latest=stable)? And for MC28, will there be a separate "stable" repository again?

I believe that was a EOL cleanup but I'll check.

[voodoo5_6k]

I believe that was a EOL cleanup but I'll check.

Thanks Bob, for looking into this

[bob]

It's a known effect from the packageinstaller thing being added. It also messes with the GNOME extension Dash to Dock, which is what Ubuntu uses for the Ubuntu Dock by default, but as of right now there's no way to fix it or workaround it. Basically you can favorite Media Center 28 (by searching for it in the applications menu and adding it to favorites), but it'll still open multiple icons in the dock (the packageinstaller icon) and not use the "favorite" icon.

Fixed in the next release.
In the meantime if you want to fix it on your end, go to /usr/share/applications
edit media_center_packageinstaller_28.desktop as root or sudo
Remove the line that says StartupWMClass=Media_Center_28
Add a line that says NoDisplay=true

[Awesome Donkey]

Indeed, works! Thanks Bob!

[Awesome Donkey]

The MC28 stable repo is now available!

[madbrain]

I'm running into the following on Ubuntu 22.04 .

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 mediacenter28 : Depends: libpangox-1.0-0 (>= 0.0.2-5) but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Apparently this was fixed in MC29, according to
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,132755.msg920530.html#msg920530 .

I know we are at MC30 now, but I purchased my license for MC28 on 10/26/2021, merely a year and 2 months ago.

If there is any chance the fix could be backported, I would appreciate it.
If not, is there any possible workaround ?

[JimH]

You've got mail.

[madbrain]

You've got mail.

Thank you very much.