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[Butters]

Greetings,

I am looking for a way to create a database of my family's photo albums, and I think that Media Center might be the answer.

First, please note that I do not want to use any web based solutions, mainly because I do not want all of my eggs to be in one basket (if the site goes belly up, or doubles their fees, or upgrades their web design for the worse, etc).

I also do not want to be at the mercy of an internet connection, and I do not want to share my family's photo's with any owners / administrators at the web site.  This points me to JRiver's Media Center.

My goal is to scan film based, printed photos, into digital files, and tag every photo with metadata (first and last names, occasion, date taken, etc), such that it would be easy to pull up lists of photos with simple search functions and playlists and smartlists.

I love the way you can create endless tags for .flac music files.
But when I tried to test out the tagging for "images" in Media Center, I could not figure out how to create custom tags.

1) Does Media Center allow you to create custom tags for digital images?  How?

2) Does the file format of the image limit the number of custom tags (the way .wav music files have a tagging limitation)?

3) Is there an image file format that offers the best quality?
I will be scanning endless photos.  So I want to do it only once and get the best results.

Disk space is not an issue, as terabytes of disk space is relatively cheap.  So the focus should be on best image quality.

4) Can anyone recommend a quality scanner, that is designed for creating quality digital images of film-based printed photos?

I own a HP multi-function printer.  It does a good job scanning.  But it is really just a glorified copying machine.  I imagine that there are probably some very good, stand-alone scanners that would do a better job.


Thank you for any help.

[tij]

1) yes, custom tags are possible ... i let others guide you as i am no good at this

2) no it doesnt ... you can create as many tags as you want for images

3) jpeg is good ... it can store images lossless (just make sure you set no compression that sacrifice quality)

4) i personally would get specialized company do this ... they have specialized equipment for scanning pictures and negatives (scan negatives if you have option as they give best resolution) ... these equipment cost lots of money ... plus they can do color correction on old stuff that has lost color ... doing it yourself takes lots of time and likely doing several times to get best results as you get more experience doing it

And finally ... have a backup plan ... and honestly, online backup is feasable for pictures as it is not that large (compare to say bluray rip collection) ... if dont want online backup and want absute bulletproof backup, one copy needs to be stored off site (prefarably not in same city ... seriously ... thats why online backup is really good alternative - they do it for you in transparent way)

[Butters]

3) jpeg is good ... it can store images lossless (just make sure you set no compression that sacrifice quality)

My scanning software, that came with my multi-function HP printer, offers no tweaking of the jpeg format.  It does basic scanning.
Is there compatible scanning software that you can recommend?

4) i personally would get specialized company do this ... they have specialized equipment for scanning pictures and negatives (scan negatives if you have option as they give best resolution) ... these equipment cost lots of money ... plus they can do color correction on old stuff that has lost color ... doing it yourself takes lots of time and likely doing several times to get best results as you get more experience doing it

Agreed.  But they will not enter the values for all of the custom tags.  I hope that I can figure out all of the values for the tags myself.
Most of the photos have hand-written notes on the backs, which I will have to enter myself into the tags.

And finally ... have a backup plan ... and honestly, online backup is feasable for pictures as it is not that large (compare to say bluray rip collection) ... if dont want online backup and want absute bulletproof backup, one copy needs to be stored off site (prefarably not in same city ... seriously ... thats why online backup is really good alternative - they do it for you in transparent way)

I plan on sharing the photos with family members that live elsewhere.  So there will be multiple copies.  Still, I cannot trust any of them to not edit or mess something up.  So I do my own backups.

If I were to use a cloud based option, I would upload only an encrypted VeraCrypt volume, as the cloud services use facial recognition, and probably read tags, etc.  I do not trust any strangers with my data (and cloud services are strangers).


Thanks for your help.

[JimH]

You can add your own custom tag for photos.

Tools > Options > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields > Add New Field

Any modern scanner should be fine.  It doesn't take anything special.  Make sure you set a high enough resolution.  Try a few and see what you get when you display on a good monitor or TV.

[Butters]

Any modern scanner should be fine.  It doesn't take anything special.  Make sure you set a high enough resolution.  Try a few and see what you get when you display on a good monitor or TV.

My HP multi-function printer's scanner software (came with the printer) is basic.  It does not go beyond choosing color, grey-scale, and black&white for the scanning.

Unless you can recommend a 3rd party scanning program, then are you suggesting that I purchase a stand-alone scanner?

[tij]

Photoshop can access scanner ... scanner driver will still do some preprocessing depending on its settings (brightness contrast) ... but then Photoshop gets uncompressed scan ... then can save in uncompressed jpeg.

Regarding scanner itself ... it really depends on what you want to do ... if just converting for viewing, then yes - any modern scanner will do.

If what you want is best quality scans for archiving (and printing as large as can) then really best to hire professionals to do it ... if you buy expensive equipment ... you will have no further use for those equipment once everything is scanned (negatives can be scanned at around 3000dpi)

I never done this (not yet at least) ... buy if i am to do it myself, i would at least get scanner that was designed for this ... quick google gave me Epson Perfection series scanners ... for the price of that equipment and time to do it, i would really try to find company that specializes in digitizing photoes/negatives

[tij]

Just read review on top of line Epson Perfection series 1000+usd

"Quality of scanning is excellent for prints and pretty darn good for negatives. It is not as good as a dedicated film scanner but it's also a third to a fifth the cost."

So again ... imho hiring ppl with right equipment and experience will give you best quality and save you lots of time ... you probably can forgo option for restoration and color correction that really adds up to cost as it is labour intensive ... and opt to do it yourself (just remember to keep originals even after you "corrected" it)

[Butters]

Photoshop can access scanner ... scanner driver will still do some preprocessing depending on its settings (brightness contrast) ... but then Photoshop gets uncompressed scan ... then can save in uncompressed jpeg.

I am on a tight budget, and do not want to incur Adobe's endless rental fees.  I do not see an outright purchase price, but I suspect it would flirt with $1,000.
Maybe gimp would have similar scanning controls?

Regarding scanner itself ... it really depends on what you want to do ... if just converting for viewing, then yes - any modern scanner will do.

If what you want is best quality scans for archiving (and printing as large as can) then really best to hire professionals to do it ... if you buy expensive equipment ... you will have no further use for those equipment once everything is scanned (negatives can be scanned at around 3000dpi)

I can absorb a one-time scanner purchase cost.  Yes, the scanner will lose its necessity once I am done.  But if the scans will be noticeably better, then I will make the purchase.

I never done this (not yet at least) ... buy if i am to do it myself, i would at least get scanner that was designed for this ... quick google gave me Epson Perfection series scanners ... for the price of that equipment and time to do it, i would really try to find company that specializes in digitizing photoes/negatives

I would gladly use a professional company.  But I suspect that the cost would be prohibitive, and they will not take the time to fill in metadata.
And after they do the scanning, it will be very difficult for me to match up the countless scans with the corresponding photos (and it is the physical photos that have information written on the backs).

[JimH]

Scanning is part of MC.  It's built in.

Many printers have scanning capabilities.  You might want to read about yours if you have one.  You might have to install the manufacturer's software.

[tij]

Well ... for prints ... epson Perfection series seems to have positive review

For negatives/films ... general concensus is dedicated film scanner produce better results than flatbed scanners ... Nikkon seems to get positive reviews

As for professional digitizing services ... best is to ask for quote ... it might be prohibitive, but if you dont ask you will never know ... it might be cheaper than you suspect

I suspect scanning part will be longest ... if it takes 30 seconds to scan one picture (putting picture in, hit preview, hit scan, wait for scan, verify its good, take picture out) ... 1000 pictures will take 500minutes ... and thats optimistic

Just ask for quotes ... and cross finger its not that expensive ... if it is, then look for doing this yourself

EDIT. Scandigital.com charge 0.59usd per photo for premium scans (0.44 for standard scan) ... seems reasonable ... you probably want to research and read customer reviews on which service is good before pulling the trigger

[Butters]

EDIT. Scandigital.com charge 0.59usd per photo for premium scans (0.44 for standard scan) ... seems reasonable ... you probably want to research and read customer reviews on which service is good before pulling the trigger

I have a several dozen photo albums, with photos spanning 3 generations.
Even at 44¢ per photo, that is going to be too expensive for me.  And if they do not do a good job, that will be a bad culmination.

Yes, reviews would be insightful.  I always check reviews.

But it still leaves the problem of having to match up every photo with every scan, in order for me to add metadata tags.  So if I do the scanning myself, I will see with my own eyes if they come out good, and I can add the tags as I go.  This is going to be a lot of work -- a lot more than whatever I expect it to be.  But I am in no hurry.  I can do a few pages each day.

By the way, the negatives are gone.  So this would be flatbed scanning only.

[dtc]

There is a lot of free software that can do basic cropping, lightening and darkening, color changes etc. for jpeg files.  Even Windows Photo does those basic functions.  Adobe Photoshop Elements is a good option for more advanced features, like taking unwanted objects out of a picture. You can get Elements for less than $100. They put out a new version each year which you can buy, but there is usually no reason to buy the new version every year.

You need to consider how you plan to display the images. You can use Media Center to  create slide shows and display image files on a TV. But, to do slide shows that automatically advance, you need to connect a PC directly to the TV. MC does not work well showing automated slide shows on a TV over a network with DLNA.

[Butters]

There is a lot of free software that can do basic cropping, lightening and darkening, color changes etc. for jpeg files.  Even Windows Photo does those basic functions.  Adobe Photoshop Elements is a good option for more advanced features, like taking unwanted objects out of a picture. You can get Elements for less than $100. They put out a new version each year which you can buy, but there is usually no reason to buy the new version every year.

You need to consider how you plan to display the images. You can use Media Center to  create slide shows and display image files on a TV. But, to do slide shows that automatically advance, you need to connect a PC directly to the TV. MC does not work well showing automated slide shows on a TV over a network with DLNA.

I have no plans for doing image editing.  My goal is to scan each photo, and add numerous tag data for each photo.
What is important to me is being able to filter photos, the same way I do so with my music files.  I want to quickly see results, based on my search criteria, and create smartlists, exclusions, perhaps ratings, etc.

Neither I nor my family (including extended family) members, know anything about DLNA.  If I, or a family member, were to display images on our TV, it would be via a direct connection from a laptop.  So this should not be a problem.  As long as this item came up... is there a preferred cable to use between a laptop and a TV?

USB is popular, but has severe distance limitations.  HDMI is popular, but I have never seen a laptop with that type of port.
Ideally, an Ethernet connection (wireless, if that works well and the TV supports it) would have no distance issues and would be more than fast enough.

[dtc]

USB is popular, but has severe distance limitations.  HDMI is popular, but I have never seen a laptop with that type of port.
Ideally, an Ethernet connection (wireless, if that works well and the TV supports it) would have no distance issues and would be more than fast enough.

Laptops routinely have HDMI ports these days. And that will work fine to display to a TV.  In fact, I use HDMI to display my screen all the time. For $100 you can get a monitor with a much larger screen than on the laptop. Its great for working with images and for everyday use.  If using a laptop for display, you should probably upgrade to 1920x1020 (1080) video adapter, rather than the lower end 1366x720 (720) adapter.

Using wireless to a TV, you need to use a protocol called DNLA. It is easy to display individual pictures with wireless DLNA using MC, but MC often does not work well with wireless DLNA if you want to do a slide show with a new image displayed automatically every 10 seconds or so. You can do that sort of slide show, but only when using HDMI.  Your TV may be able to pull a playlist from the laptop and play a slide show automatically. You just have to learn to do that from the TV. This is not a show stopper. Just wanted you to know the limitations.  Looking at pictures on a 75" 4K TV is pretty stunning.  Note that not all 4K TVs accept 4K inputs on their HDMI inputs.  That is why I use wireless DLNA. But, DLNA from MC also crops your pictures to 4:3. So, if you have 3:2 pictures, you lose some of the picture.

I also use Gizmo to control a slide show to a TV. It is a JRiver app for your phone that lets you control what is being played/displayed.  That means if you are using an HDMI cable, it does not have to run all the way to where you are sitting. You can put the laptop near the TV and control the display from your chair using your phone or tablet.

For HDMI cables for this type of application, I use BlueRigger cables from Amazon. They are cheap and work well. You can spend a lot more on HDMI cables, the these inexpensive ones work find for me for this type of routine usage.

Even if you do not plan to edit your pictures at this time, I would suggest jpeg is a better format than pdf. It gives you the option to edit down the road. And, with Adobe Elements you might be able to save the one great picture that has some annoying object it.  I use it to take out unwanted people, electric lines, annoying haze, etc., as well as lighted up dark pictures and tone down over exposed ones.  It really can sharpen up your pictures. When I come back from a trip or a nature walk, I run most of my good pictures through Abode, doing minor adjustments. And for a small percentage I do some big adjustments. Something to consider.

Lots to experiment with.

[JimH]

Using wireless to a TV, you need to use a protocol called DNLA. It is easy to display individual pictures with wireless DLNA using MC, but MC does not work well with wireless DLNA if you want to do a slide show with a new image displayed automatically every 10 seconds or so. You can do that sort of slide show, but only when using HDMI.  Your TV may be able to pull a playlist from the laptop and play a slide show automatically.

That's not quite right.  An HDMI connection is direct.  DLNA isn't.  It depends on the display device (Renderer) to show the pictures.  It's out of MC's control.  Different devices do it differently.

[Butters]

Laptops routinely have HDMI ports these days. And that will work fine to display to a TV.  In fact, I use HDMI to display my screen all the time. For $100 you can get a monitor with a much larger screen than on the laptop. Its great for working with images and for everyday use.  If using a laptop for display, you should probably upgrade to 1920x1020 (1080) video adapter, rather than the lower end 1366x720 (720) adapter.

Using wireless to a TV, you need to use a protocol called DNLA. It is easy to display individual pictures with wireless DLNA using MC, but MC does not work well with wireless DLNA if you want to do a slide show with a new image displayed automatically every 10 seconds or so. You can do that sort of slide show, but only when using HDMI.  Your TV may be able to pull a playlist from the laptop and play a slide show automatically. You just have to learn to do that from the TV. This is not a show stopper. Just wanted you to know the limitations.  Looking at pictures on a 75" 4K TV is pretty stunning.  Note that not all 4K TVs accept 4K inputs on their HDMI inputs.  That is why I use wireless DLNA. But, DLNA from MC also crops your pictures to 4:3. So, if you have 3:2 pictures, you lose some of the picture.

I also use Gizmo to control a slide show to a TV. It is a JRiver app for your phone that lets you control what is being played/displayed.  That means if you are using an HDMI cable, it does not have to run all the way to where you are sitting. You can put the laptop near the TV and control the display from your chair using your phone or tablet.

For HDMI cables for this type of application, I use BlueRigger cables from Amazon. They are cheap and work well. You can spend a lot more on HDMI cables, the these inexpensive ones work find for me for this type of routine usage.

Even if you do not plan to edit your pictures at this time, I would suggest jpeg is a better format than pdf. It gives you the option to edit down the road. And, with Adobe Elements you might be able to save the one great picture that has some annoying object it.  I use it to take out unwanted people, electric lines, annoying haze, etc., as well as lighted up dark pictures and tone down over exposed ones.  It really can sharpen up your pictures. When I come back from a trip or a nature walk, I run most of my good pictures through Abode, doing minor adjustments. And for a small percentage I do some big adjustments. Something to consider.

Lots to experiment with.

Lots of helpful info.  Thank you.

My TV is a 50" flat-screen plasma monitor from 2006.  Back then, it was the only decent HD TV, and all TVs that size were expensive back then.  I got mine at an employer discount, and it still cost $2800.  But no regrets on its picture quality.

Since flat-screens back then almost all sucked, is why I went with a 50" commercial monitor, and not a TV.  It has no tuner; only inputs for HDMI, S-Video, and (maybe) Coax.  It goes to 1080i.  My cable box is my tuner, and it sends the picture to the TV via a short HDMI cable.

But it still looks great (as long as it never sits next to a new 4K TV).  Anyway, I have no need to use my TV for photo viewing.  However, family members in other households do.

HDMI would be a good option, except that I believe that beyond 5 meters things get dicey.  Also, I suspect that family members would rather not have a cable running from their laptop to their TV, even for temporary viewing.

Do TVs these days all (or most) have Ethernet ports, or wireless Ethernet?
If yes, does Media Center support Ethernet connections?

Wireless Ethernet would seem to be ideal for distance, speed, and reliability, as well as no cables for the cats to chew on.

[dtc]

That's not quite right.  An HDMI connection is direct.  DLNA isn't.  It depends on the display device (Renderer) to show the pictures.  It's out of MC's control.  Different devices do it differently.

I have tried a timed slide show using DLNA on Sony, Samsung and LG TVs. None of them work.

I have suggested a work around before, but with no response. There are solutions that should work. They are just not currently implemented.

[dtc]

Lots of helpful info.  Thank you.

My TV is a 50" flat-screen plasma monitor from 2006.  Back then, it was the only decent HD TV, and all TVs that size were expensive back then.  I got mine at an employer discount, and it still cost $2800.  But no regrets on its picture quality.

Since flat-screens back then almost all sucked, is why I went with a 50" commercial monitor, and not a TV.  It has no tuner; only inputs for HDMI, S-Video, and (maybe) Coax.  It goes to 1080i.  My cable box is my tuner, and it sends the picture to the TV via a short HDMI cable.

But it still looks great (as long as it never sits next to a new 4K TV).  Anyway, I have no need to use my TV for photo viewing.  However, family members in other households do.

HDMI would be a good option, except that I believe that beyond 5 meters things get dicey.  Also, I suspect that family members would rather not have a cable running from their laptop to their TV, even for temporary viewing.

Do TVs these days all (or most) have Ethernet ports, or wireless Ethernet?
If yes, does Media Center support Ethernet connections?

Wireless Ethernet would seem to be ideal for distance, speed, and reliability, as well as no cables for the cats to chew on.

Wireless MC connects to a TV go through DLNA. The TV needs to support DLNA for it to work.  You can give it a try with MC, you just have to learn to use DLNA, which is a different discussion.

[tij]

I have a several dozen photo albums, with photos spanning 3 generations.
Even at 44¢ per photo, that is going to be too expensive for me.  And if they do not do a good job, that will be a bad culmination.

Yes, reviews would be insightful.  I always check reviews.

But it still leaves the problem of having to match up every photo with every scan, in order for me to add metadata tags.  So if I do the scanning myself, I will see with my own eyes if they come out good, and I can add the tags as I go.  This is going to be a lot of work -- a lot more than whatever I expect it to be.  But I am in no hurry.  I can do a few pages each day.

By the way, the negatives are gone.  So this would be flatbed scanning only.

Scanning negatives is always better as it gives maximum possible resolution. But without them this makes things simpler/cheaper.

As I mention before Epson Perfection series scanners seems to be specifically designed to scan photoes. Problem is they have lots of model from cheap 99usd to 1000+usd models (last one can be color calibrated from my understanding ... expensive model also have LED light source)

My advice is to see around your area if you can rent one to try out. Then can compare different scanners to your current scanner and see if buying one is worth the money.

[rolf_eigenheer]

Mediacenter is ideal for organizing large photo collections. I use my own tags for people, places, occasions and trips to organize >200'000 photos.
Regardless of how the files are stored, chronological slideshows can be made with recordings from different cameras at the same time. Even mixed views with photos and short video sequences are working well. Two things I miss here: 1) Play the video silently and allow music to be played in parallel. 2) Allow to automatically play just a random part out of a video.

The image reproduction is OK. But not great. Mediacenter does not support cropping for images. Images that do not correspond exactly to the screen ratio are always displayed with black borders.
Pan & Scan is very limited. There are no setting options for the strength of the effect. Above all, there is no automatic centering on the focus measuring point, which is recorded in the metadata of most cameras.
Mediacenter allows the recording location (GPS) to be opened in Google Maps. But only manually. This is not possible as an overlay during the slideshow.
It is also not possible to obtain the place names from the GPS data. Other programs must be used for this.

In theater mode, the images always are displayed on the same screen where you browse the library. I found no way to operate Mediacenter in theater mode on one screen and send the images to another. Both share the same 'full screen' setting.

And what has been said regarding DLNA - it sadly is true. It does not work for slide shows controlled from MC. It works only the other way round. The TV must pull the images from MC. 

[Butters]

Wireless MC connects to a TV go through DLNA. The TV needs to support DLNA for it to work.  You can give it a try with MC, you just have to learn to use DLNA, which is a different discussion.

So Wireless Ethernet is not supported via Media Center?
Or is it that TVs do not have Wireless Ethernet connectivity, or even wired Ethernet connectivity?

[Butters]

Scanning negatives is always better as it gives maximum possible resolution. But without them this makes things simpler/cheaper.

As I mention before Epson Perfection series scanners seems to be specifically designed to scan photoes. Problem is they have lots of model from cheap 99usd to 1000+usd models (last one can be color calibrated from my understanding ... expensive model also have LED light source)

My advice is to see around your area if you can rent one to try out. Then can compare different scanners to your current scanner and see if buying one is worth the money.

The scanner rental idea is a good one.  I hope I can find a store that offers that service.
Or I can have them scan a few photos and give me / send me the files from those scans.  That will allow me to see how they compare to my nothing-special scanner.

[Butters]

And what has been said regarding DLNA - it sadly is true. It does not work for slide shows controlled from MC. It works only the other way round. The TV must pull the images from MC.

I do not know what DLNA is (wikipedia only confused me more).  I do not understand why DLNA seems to be the only way to make a wireless connection to a TV?

Is Media Center not able to make an Ethernet connection to your TV?
Ethernet has been around forever.  It is a stable and mature protocol, and is reliable for hundreds of feet (wired) and wireless will have no distance issues, even in a gigantic room, since there will be no walls to reduce the signal's path.

Can anyone state, conclusively, one way or the other, whether or not Media Center supports Ethernet connectivity?
Can Media Center send video to a TV via an Ethernet connection?

[Manfred]

Ff you are planning to manipulate your images in the future or want to make high dpi prints out of i, TIFF format is better than jpg.

[dtc]

I do not know what DLNA is (wikipedia only confused me more).  I do not understand why DLNA seems to be the only way to make a wireless connection to a TV?

Is Media Center not able to make an Ethernet connection to your TV?
Ethernet has been around forever.  It is a stable and mature protocol, and is reliable for hundreds of feet (wired) and wireless will have no distance issues, even in a gigantic room, since there will be no walls to reduce the signal's path.

Can anyone state, conclusively, one way or the other, whether or not Media Center supports Ethernet connectivity?
Can Media Center send video to a TV via an Ethernet connection?

Media Center can certainly send images and video to a TV via Ethernet. But that is only part of the solution. Ethernet and WiFI are means for transporting bits from one device to another. However, the receiving device needs to know what those bits are and what to do it them. Ethernet just provides the bits, not the instructions as to what to do with them.

Originally companies developed  proprietary systems for its devices (e.g. cameras and TVs) to talk to each. DLNA was developed to allow this type of communications between devices made by different companies.

DLNA is a set of standards that allow devices to communicate various types of data and know what to do it that data.  The receiving device has to announce to the sender what formats it knows how to deal with.  Maybe the receiving device understands jpeg but not pdf.  The sending device can then send a format the receiving device understands (jpeg) and can also send a set of instructions what do do with them.  In a simplified form the instructions may be something like "This is a jpeg image. Display it" or "This is a flac file. Play it" 

DLNA is a set of specifications for  sending data from one device to another (e.g. PC sending data to TV) and pulling data by one device from another (TV pulling data from PC).    Unfortunately, each manufacturer implements their own version of DLNA software and those implementations may not work together in all cases. So, most of the system works fine, but sometimes specific operations do not work as expected.  So, DLNA provides a wonderful platform for devices from different manufacturers to work together, but it is, and never will be, perfect.

Here is a brief explanation of DLNA. The beginning of the article describes the basics. The latter part has a lot of detail that probably is not as important to you.

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-dlna-1847363

[dtc]

Ff you are planning to manipulate your images in the future or want to make high dpi prints out of i, TIFF format is better than jpg.

TIFF is a lossless format, whereas jpeg uses a compression algorithm that is lossy. TIFF files, unfortunately, are typically larger than jpeg files and not all image software deals with TIFF files. Some software like Adobe deals with different levels of compression for jpeg files. TIFF is comparable to RAW format in today's digital cameras. The lossy nature of jpeg is much less a problem than, by comparison, the conversion of cd quality audio to mp3. But, for absolute quality TIFF is prefered over jpeg. The question is whether you will see the difference.

[tij]

TIFF is a lossless format, whereas jpeg uses a compression algorithm that is lossy. TIFF files, unfortunately, are typically larger than jpeg files and not all image software deals with TIFF files. Some software like Adobe deals with different levels of compression for jpeg files. TIFF is comparable to RAW format in today's digital cameras. The lossy nature of jpeg is much less a problem than, by comparison, the conversion of cd quality audio to mp3. But, for absolute quality TIFF is prefered over jpeg. The question is whether you will see the difference.

jpeg compression can be lossless though files are as huge as tiff ... most stuff on internet is lossy jpeg for bandwidth reason ... but indeed tiff seems what professional use

On the other hand, jpeg is more widely supported ... which is good for sharing

EDIT: i would probably stick with tiff ... since most professional use it ... and there is probably good reason for that

I havent embark on digitizing my photo library (as i am still stuck on video and audio) ... but this is thread is prooving to be useful for future reference

[Butters]

Media Center can certainly send images and video to a TV via Ethernet. But that is only part of the solution. Ethernet and WiFI are means for transporting bits from one device to another. However, the receiving device needs to know what those bits are and what to do it them. Ethernet just provides the bits, not the instructions as to what to do with them.

<snip>

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-dlna-1847363

So for Ethernet to work, the TV would have to have an application designed for receiving image files and be able to display those images?
Sounds like a lot of trouble and something that TVs will not have?

But since Media Center and DLNA have some issues (others posted in this thread), then my solution might be to use two laptops.

Laptop #1 would be connected to the TV via either a USB or HDMI cable, and would be running Windows Pro, which has Remote Desktop server enabled.
Laptop #1 would also have Media Center installed.

Laptop #2 would be any Windows PC that would run Remote Desktop client (they all have the client app enabled), and could easily connect to laptop #1 via Ethernet.

The end result would be that laptop #1 (running Media Center) would have a basic, trouble-free connection to the TV, and laptop #1 would be controlled remotely by laptop #2.
Basically, laptop #2 would be a glorified remote control.

I just wonder if, since Remote Desktop sends the video to the client laptop, will the image still be displayed on the TV?

Assuming this works... it means an upgrade from Windows Home to Windows Pro, and that is somewhat expensive and my family members that are living elsewhere will probably not want to get into that.  But it might be a viable solution to anyone reading this thread.

I had technical issues upgrading my laptop to the Pro version.  Luckily, I purchased my license directly from Microsoft, so they were able to fix the problem.  But I had to allow them to connect to my laptop.  I cannot expect family members to go through that.  Maybe there is other software that can do the remote job.  TeamViewer?  But the question of laptop #1 being controlled by laptop #2 while laptop #1 sends images to the TV remains a question.

By the way, the reason I am considering the two laptop solution is because it is what I had to do for playing music.
I use a USB cable to connect laptop #1 to my DAC.  But USB cables must not be more than 3 meters (some say 5 meters).  Either way, my seated listening position is a little over 5 meters from my DAC.  So I have Remote Desktop send the video to my client laptop (the one on my lap), while sending the bit-perfect data stream (the digital audio stream) to my DAC.


And thanks for the link to the DLNA page.

[tij]

Didnt read whole thread yet ... but if its any help, Nvidia Shield can run JRiver ... even shield PRO is cheaper than laptop

EDIT: also JRemote on ios and android can control JRiver instances on PC

Or use JRemote on handheld to select stuff ... then send that stuff for JRiver on PC to play

[Butters]

jpeg compression can be lossless though files are as huge as tiff ... most stuff on internet is lossy jpeg for bandwidth reason ... but indeed tiff seems what professional use

On the other hand, jpeg is more widely supported ... which is good for sharing

EDIT: i would probably stick with tiff ... since most professional use it ... and there is probably good reason for that

I havent embark on digitizing my photo library (as i am still stuck on video and audio) ... but this is thread is prooving to be useful for future reference

Since TIFF is better quality, I would prefer to use it.  However, the software that came with my multi-function printer offers only jpeg and pdf, and no options for compression levels or to disable lossy compression.

I was able to perform a scan via Media Center.  But I could not find a TIFF option.  And for JPEG, I could not find compression settings or lossy vs lossless setting.
Perhaps my apps are offering options based on my scanner model's capabilities?

I understand that PNG is also lossless.

If I figure out (maybe with a new scanner) how to choose lossless TIFF and lossless PNG and lossless JPG, will it matter which one I use, in terms of quality?
If the quality is all the same, and it comes down to one format is more edit friendly (for fixing up photos, if I decide one day to go down that road), then which format is best suited for both quality and ease and compatibility for editing?

And does Media Center support all of the above formats?

[JimH]

JPG or PNG are fine.  You'll never see the difference with TIFF.

What is the make and model of your scanner or printer?  Did you install the manufacturer's software for it?

[dtc]

So for Ethernet to work, the TV would have to have an application designed for receiving image files and be able to display those images?
Sounds like a lot of trouble and something that TVs will not have?

But since Media Center and DLNA have some issues (others posted in this thread), then my solution might be to use two laptops.

Laptop #1 would be connected to the TV via either a USB or HDMI cable, and would be running Windows Pro, which has Remote Desktop server enabled.
Laptop #1 would also have Media Center installed.

Laptop #2 would be any Windows PC that would run Remote Desktop client (they all have the client app enabled), and could easily connect to laptop #1 via Ethernet.

The end result would be that laptop #1 (running Media Center) would have a basic, trouble-free connection to the TV, and laptop #1 would be controlled remotely by laptop #2.
Basically, laptop #2 would be a glorified remote control.

I just wonder if, since Remote Desktop sends the video to the client laptop, will the image still be displayed on the TV?

Assuming this works... it means an upgrade from Windows Home to Windows Pro, and that is somewhat expensive and my family members that are living elsewhere will probably not want to get into that.  But it might be a viable solution to anyone reading this thread.

I had technical issues upgrading my laptop to the Pro version.  Luckily, I purchased my license directly from Microsoft, so they were able to fix the problem.  But I had to allow them to connect to my laptop.  I cannot expect family members to go through that.  Maybe there is other software that can do the remote job.  TeamViewer?  But the question of laptop #1 being controlled by laptop #2 while laptop #1 sends images to the TV remains a question.

By the way, the reason I am considering the two laptop solution is because it is what I had to do for playing music.
I use a USB cable to connect laptop #1 to my DAC.  But USB cables must not be more than 3 meters (some say 5 meters).  Either way, my seated listening position is a little over 5 meters from my DAC.  So I have Remote Desktop send the video to my client laptop (the one on my lap), while sending the bit-perfect data stream (the digital audio stream) to my DAC.


And thanks for the link to the DLNA page.

MC has the capability of running a client system which connects to the main server via Ethernet or wireless. You could have a client PC (laptop) connected to the TV and maintain the library of photos on the main server (which could also be a laptop).  Look at Media Center in the Wiki if you have not used client/server before.  You can use client/server within a LAN or over a WAN, so family members could draw images from your central server, either locally or remotely.

Most modern TVs from major producers have DLNA and MC can typically send to them fine wirelessly. The main drawbacks are the pictures are only 4:3 and you cannot do timed slide shows controlled by MC. You can use Gizmo or JRemote to control the playback yourself, so the PC does not have to be in the same room as the TV.

Many TVs (like my Sony) can draw images from a PC and display them directly, using the TV remote control. In that case, MC is simply the library and the TV controls the playback.   The TV can connect to MC through DLNA and pull the files from MC. I also use an app called PC Serviio that is a DLNA server and my Sony simply draws pictures from that. Serviio is independent of MC and just makes the image folders or playlist files available to my Sony. In that case, MC is simply used for organizing and tagging the image files.  That takes away the spontaneity of using smartlists to select a group of photos to show, but is good for more standard slide shows.  The playback capability just depends on what your TV image software can do.

If your TV has Chromecast built in or have a connected Chromecast or if you have a Roku or similar device, you can also cast the images using Gizmo or JRemote.

There are lots of options.

[Butters]

JPG or PNG are fine.  You'll never see the difference with TIFF.

What is the make and model of your scanner or printer?  Did you install the manufacturer's software for it?

HP OfficeJet Pro 6978

The software is called HP Scan, and it uses an "HPScan.exe" program, that forces/installs its way into the directory:
C:\Program Files (x86)\HP\HP OfficeJet Pro 6970\bin (you have no option to install it elsewhere).

It is such marketing BS for them to call this $89.99 multi-function printer "Pro".  But for occasional scanning and printing, not destined for an art gallery, I have no complaints.
HP probably expects to profit from the consumables.  But since my printing needs are very light, I signed up for their Instant Ink program.  I chose the "free" plan (no longer available for new subscriptions), which is good for 15 pages per month.  Exceed that and you pay.  Otherwise, free ink for life! -- including free shipping from HP.  It has been 2½ years, and I never exceeded 15 pages in a month.

I have never had an issue with it -- but I rarely use it.  I got it because I need to occasionally send a fax.

For the big scanning job ahead of me, I do not have faith in its construction to perform thousands of scans, as well as even expecting the lid's hinges to not break.

[Butters]

MC has the capability of running a client system which connects to the main server via Ethernet or wireless. You could have a client PC (laptop) connected to the TV and maintain the library of photos on the main server (which could also be a laptop).  Look at Media Center in the Wiki if you have not used client/server before.  You can use client/server within a LAN or over a WAN, so family members could draw images from your central server, either locally or remotely.

Most modern TVs from major producers have DLNA and MC can typically send to them fine wirelessly. The main drawbacks are the pictures are only 4:3 and you cannot do timed slide shows controlled by MC. You can use Gizmo or JRemote to control the playback yourself, so the PC does not have to be in the same room as the TV.

Many TVs (like my Sony) can draw images from a PC and display them directly, using the TV remote control. In that case, MC is simply the library and the TV controls the playback.   The TV can connect to MC through DLNA and pull the files from MC. I also use an app called PC Serviio that is a DLNA server and my Sony simply draws pictures from that. Serviio is independent of MC and just makes the image folders or playlist files available to my Sony. In that case, MC is simply used for organizing and tagging the image files.  That takes away the spontaneity of using smartlists to select a group of photos to show, but is good for more standard slide shows.  The playback capability just depends on what your TV image software can do.

If your TV has Chromecast built in or have a connected Chromecast or if you have a Roku or similar device, you can also cast the images using Gizmo or JRemote.

There are lots of options.

I am not familiar with several of the options that you described.
My goal is to use Media Center's interface to send images to the TV.

Slide shows are not a priority.  I will circle back to that one day.
For now, I just want to scan my photos, tag them all with lots of data, and be able to use Media Center's plethora of filtering and sorting options to choose which images I am viewing on my computer.

Having them appear on the TV is a plus.  I would appreciate if you would narrow down the options you laid out, to one or two that will allow me to have my scans, via Media Center, to show up on my TV, with the understanding that I will be seated 15+ feet away from the TV (in case cable length is an issue).

Thank you.

[JimH]

Thanks.  Please confirm that you're able to scan from within MC.  I believe there are also some settings available there.

[dtc]

Does your TV Support DLNA? If it is the old 2006 model it may or may not. And, even if it does, it may be such an old version it does not work well with MC.

Do you have a Roku or a Roku type device attached to your TV?

Do you have a Chromecast attached to your TV?

Do you have a phone/tablet that will run Gizmo (Android) or JRemote (Apple or Android)?

If your laptop has a HDMI output and you are OK with a 15+ foot cable snaking across the floor, that is an easy option. A 15' or 25' Blue Rigger HDMI cable may be all you need.

[DJLegba]

Thanks.  Please confirm that you're able to scan from within MC.  I believe there are also some settings available there.

I learned something here. I have an HP Officejet Pro 8610. I went down to the "Action" window, clicked "Camera", then the "Acquire" button and MC scanned an image.

[Butters]

Thanks.  Please confirm that you're able to scan from within MC.  I believe there are also some settings available there.

Yes, via:
Tools -> Acquire Images...

[Butters]

Does your TV Support DLNA? If it is the old 2006 model it may or may not. And, even if it does, it may be such an old version it does not work well with MC.

No DLNA for my TV.  My TV questions are for family at other households.  They have somewhat recent TVs.  My plasma monitor from 2006 has a very good picture (not as good as today's TVs, but still no issues).  So I have no plans to upgrade.

Do you have a Roku or a Roku type device attached to your TV?

No.  I have my ISP's cable box connected to my TV, which acts as a tuner (my TV has no tuner).  It is connected via an HDMI cable.  Nothing else is connected to my TV.

Do you have a Chromecast attached to your TV?

No.

Do you have a phone/tablet that will run Gizmo (Android) or JRemote (Apple or Android)?

Yes.  But I do not install apps on it.  I am averse to spyware and tracking, so I install nothing.  Soon I will be ditching Windows, and all Microsoft apps, in favor of free and open source Linux.

Most of my family members install apps, without a second thought.  Most people do.
But using a tablet as a remote control, I would think, will hinder the easy control of Media Center that you have via a keyboard and mouse?

If your laptop has a HDMI output and you are OK with a 15+ foot cable snaking across the floor, that is an easy option. A 15' or 25' Blue Rigger HDMI cable may be all you need.

Yes, I and all of my family members have an HDMI port on our laptops.  It will be their call to run a long cable, assuming the HDMI specification does not have distance limitations similar to USB cables.

Maybe there exists an adapter that will allow for the laptop to wirelessly connect to a short HDMI cable?

[dtc]

Yes, I and all of my family members have an HDMI port on our laptops.  It will be their call to run a long cable, assuming the HDMI specification does not have distance limitations similar to USB cables.

Maybe there exists an adapter that will allow for the laptop to wirelessly connect to a short HDMI cable?

HDMI should work up to 25'. So direct connecting your laptop to the TV via HDMI should be fine.

If you want to connect wirelessly, then you need another computer or some other device close to the TV that can connect wirelessly to laptop and by HDMI to the TV. 

Given what you said, I suggest that the 25' cable is the best solution.  You can deal with your family later.

[dtc]

I learned something here. I have an HP Officejet Pro 8610. I went down to the "Action" window, clicked "Camera", then the "Acquire" button and MC scanned an image.

The manufacturer's software typically provides options like output file type and dpi and often does edge detection for prints.  I do not think MC can provide that. I would stick with the manufacturer's software or some tool meant for photo scanning.

[JimH]

The manufacturer's software typically provides options like output file type and dpi and often does edge detection for prints.  I do not think MC can provide that. I would stick with the manufacturer's software or some tool meant for photo scanning.

I believe we have access to the settings of the scanner.  Maybe you could try it.

[dtc]

I believe we have access to the settings of the scanner.  Maybe you could try it.

I did try it and did not get the options I get from the manufacturer's software. I am using an HP printer/scanner with HP Smart software. 

[GaryG45]

For scanning information take a look at website scanyourentirelife.com.  When I did photo scans a couple of years ago, I found the site to have some useful information.  I used some of the information; such as file naming, and modified it to my criteria.  I used an Epson V500 scanner.  I believe it has been replaced by either a V550 or V600.  The Epson Scan software was easy to use, and the color restoration feature helped with some old, faded photos from the 1940s.  VueScan is another scanner software that many people like to use, but it isn't free.