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[jmone]

I was going to post this in the "Too Complex" thread but.... it is a bit off topic, but here goes.
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The on topic bit for "Too Complex" was - I set-up and maintain MC in my house the family (myself, my wife, and two teenagers).... but I'm the only one who can do it.  When I'm not around to "fix" stuff it stays "broken" till I'm back.

... but it led me to:

Our Current Consumption Pattern
The thing I've seen is I'm the only one to get content and load it into MC for later consumption.  My family do not use MC's GUI at all to find or consume "on demand" content but instead pull stuff from websites, examples may be:
- Radio Stations:  My wife uses the local FM Radio App (MC's can do this but it is very awkward to set-up)
- Web sites like You Tube etc: for both video and music

I've been thinking about this usage pattern and at least in my house MC is only used to consume pre saved content but is not used at all to find/consume external content.  The kids are now always exploring and playing stuff from around the Web.

If I could suggest a radical approach it would be for MC to aggressively move into the discovery, aggregation and management of content that exists outside it's own library.  I think for the generation coming though this could be an opportunity for MC to stay relevant to them.

Future Consumption Pattern
What I'm thinking is a similar UI that Websites like YouTube employ.  A simple search in MC (not just a browser in a box) that displays results and lets you not only browse or play the content in MC but would let you import the item into the MC Library as either a link (or even actually download it).

From what I'm seeing at home, the consumption pattern is shifting from managing local content for playback (which MC is great at) to discovery of external content (which MC is poor at)...

...anyway just some observations from watching my family grow up.  I'm no longer their content provider.

Thanks
Nathan

[AndrewFG]

One quick thought occurred to me. If you use the new WDM driver to play external audio source material through MC, then in principle that driver could be used to record the source material and store it on disk too.

Obviously taking this to the next logical step, if MC were to have a display driver similar to the WDM, you could eventually also use it to capture video from external sources. However it would be much more complicated because you only want to capture the media stream itself, and not the Window of the surrounding application or web page...

EDIT: another idea might be to use MC as a Proxy Http server (hooking the socket connections between your browser and the external server). That would allow MC to capture and record any downloaded stream whether it be video or audio...

[JimH]

If I could suggest a radical approach it would be for MC to aggressively move into the discovery, aggregation and management of content that exists outside it's own library.  I think for the generation coming though this could be an opportunity for MC to stay relevant to them.

I've been thinking along similar lines.  It was really clear in the "Audio Trends" thread that people want to get media from more sources, not just their own.

That said, I'm still uncertain about the specific directions and methods.

Tying to bigger sites like Youtube is an obvious answer, but they are hard to maintain.

We've had streaming media in MC for years, but not many people use it.

Using this streaming and a local collection with Play Doctor might be worth exploring, but it doesn't include video, which is the way a lot of young people now enjoy music.

[jmone]

So I did some market research (sample size of 2 x teenagers).  I've edited the grunts and eye rolling out.
- They only use MC for stuff they know I've loaded like TV Shows and Movies and primarily use it when their friends are around.
- They will use MC for Audio for a party playlist (but I've seen first hand that the Amp gets taken over by some pimply idiot with his iPhone playing profanity laden screaming that apparently goes for "music".... woops just drifted of into an "old man" rant!!! - separate issue).
- They use YouTube (etc) to "find" and "watch" "stuff"

I asked if they would use MC more if they could search Youtube (etc) and then import either the link (or download a copy) into the library and they they thought it would be "cool".  They were then sceptical it would be as easy as using either their existing Youtube Web search or the Youtube app.  

So here is what I was thinking..... if Kid A could use Gizmo (et al) on their phone to browse YouTube (etc), find their content and when they "play" it, Gizmo would commence playing but give the option to import it into the Library as well (either as a link or as a copy).  It would need to also scrape some meta data on the content and also who the user was so it could be added to their playlist.

So for "fun" I managed to use the "Open URL" to add the URL to the MC library but when ever you play it it opens in a Web Browser outside MC.  Trying the "convert format" on this entry fails (no surprise).

Note: I've also looked at the YouTube T&C's and it is clear they are not keen for you to access and play content outside their browser or app, though I know there are a ton of YouTube download progs.

Anyway, for my teenagers, it is clear they now look for and consume content regardless of the "location" and MC is now but a small part of what they consume.

[JimH]

First rate research.

Dumb it down.  Turn it up.

The future is bleak.

[jmone]

I'd not say bleak, more the next opportunity.....

They don't care "where" the content is, they just want to search and play it.  MC is well positioned with the structure of the library, just needs to make it easier to populate it with the content that may exist on something other than a HDD. 

[Arindelle]

I'd not say bleak, more the next opportunity.....

They don't care "where" the content is, they just want to search and play it.  MC is well positioned with the structure of the library, just needs to make it easier to populate it with the content that may exist on something other than a HDD.  

Yes, this is what I've been looking into, unofficially, with Qobuz (more on this later, but linked to the project I accepted).

==>To use JRiver as a control point for these streaming services, not necessarily taking over the API and integrating it. This would include skip, stop functions from within JRiver.

Then tag-able links (with cover art) by artist/album/track, or video key search fields, to be determined for the geeks or aspiring deejays amongst us. New content use the external API, searched or previous streamed content add it to the database. think Mr C's perl scripts in reverse.

BTW, I agree with Jmones observations with my 20 and 23 sons. However on the bright side is that 16-25 year olds have MUCH more access to a broader music spectrum than we did (outside of educated nuclear family influence   )  

Electronic music has brought in sampling, which has brought in exploration ... these kids are listening to very esoteric soul trax from 1970's Stax records as well as Death Metal and Neo-Gangsta Rap. Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra have become hip again ... indie music, country/roots stuff etc is  being used in quality TV programming which the kids in europe ate least watch via streaming before they are broadcast not to mention Tarantino-school movies  .. With few exceptions, only "progressive"/album rock and Urban radio-R&B/pop is not going to be considered potentially "hip"/underground (substitute current equivalents) . Of course, there are the millions of Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, fans - but should these people be the target for JRiver? -- euh hope not

[glynor]

What about a browser plugin?

I'm thinking kinda like the WDM end-run, but instead, you slurp up video and audio feeds on a web page, and actually pipe it into MC "proper" (so it can be used in Display View and controlled normally).

[AndrewFG]

What about a browser plugin?

I'm thinking kinda like the WDM end-run, but instead, you slurp up video and audio feeds on a web page, and actually pipe it into MC "proper" (so it can be used in Display View and controlled normally).

Sort of like my Http Proxy server idea..

[glynor]

Sort of like my Http Proxy server idea..

Yes, though doing a Browser plugin might work around all sorts of security issues because the browser has access to the DOM, even for HTTPS encrypted pages and whatnot.  You just visit HBO Go or whatever like you normally do, when you click Play on an asset, it kicks you over to MC.

A mirror driver could do it too, but then you're doing capture which can be very slow (and is probably no small task to pull off).

[Arindelle]

What about a browser plugin?

I'm thinking kinda like the WDM end-run, but instead, you slurp up video and audio feeds on a web page, and actually pipe it into MC "proper" (so it can be used in Display View and controlled normally).

a browser plugin would definitely be nice! But for streaming in FLAC (Qobuz, Tribal) you need their desktop app to stream the higher rez format ... mp3 works through the web player but not flac (have to confirm this for tribal, but I think it works like Qobuz).

[glynor]

Right. But WDM.

Audio isn't the biggest issue now.

[AndrewFG]

On any given web page you need to capture download links to embedded media. In particular urls that look like video streams.