The updates that cost money almost always have enhancements that if you were to add via a plugin would be more than the upgrade price so it is actually a bargain.
This doesn't account for all of the improvements that are made that aren't available through a plugin.
The upgrades are on roughly a 12month cycle so it comes out to $1.50-$2.00/month depending on how quickly you update which is far from unreasonable IMO.
Is it not worth 7 cents a day to have the best? Don't know about you but when I think about it that way it is quite cheap.
One other thing that make it worth every penny is the direct route to the development team, and don't think that my MC Beta Team status has anything to do with
that. I have only been a part of the team for a few months and I feel that I had as much influence then as I have now maybe more because they already know I am hooked.
Are there any plugin type programs or an API for FREEVIEW. I can't imagine it being too difficult to make something work.
This information would be the first step in resolution even if it doesn't come from the JRiver dev team as there are many very intelligent and resourceful people here.