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[fidelio]

Some thoughts of a non-pro, but strategic thinking music lover....

These days I had some time to sit back and ask myself: is MC still the right product for me?

• Apple with its itunes and ipods/iphones/touch devices, has set the standard of touch-UI and dominates the portable multimedia world. Almost nobody (but me and some other exotic people) appear to resist.
  
• Microsoft is preparing its Windows 7 which is supposed to offer similar experiences based on touch technology, but more in the stationary Mediacenter HTPC domain
  
• Logitech / Squeezebox had recent success in home audio networked systems. NOT because of the server software, but due to their approach of innovative hardware and the user interface implemented there
• JRiver's MC IMO is the best multimedia player, especially for music, and tagging / data based system, but it has one major weakness compared to the above mentioned giants: missing hardware that directly supports MC in the best possible way. Only a small group of expert users can be reached with approaches like Netremote. 
  
  Sadly, I have raised a wish for hardware in this forum several years ago, but nothing essential really happened.
  
  

JRiver have now prioritized to open up their own music shop, which I don't really care so much about.

Wouldn't it NOW be FINALLY time that JRiver teams up with an experienced Hardware manufacturer and throws a new weapon into this battle? By making all these wonderful software functions available to decent user interfaces?

I would love soooooo much to see:

• A decent device to remote control the server. Mellowares iphone app (Rivermote) is very promising, but in another post he mentions on his site that the library scan, which everybody asks for, is difficult to implement especially because, unlike Apple, he is not the owner of the server software.
  
• A web UI which has similar functionality to an iphone. I would right away buy one of those bigger touchscreens (like the 19'' iiyama ProLite T1930) and use it as a frontend to scan through my library via genre / cover arts. For example, I have defined views to show me all classical albums of classical music by composer, but only for those cases where I have complete works available. I think no other software can do this but MC. I hate the idea that some day I will want to change over to Microsoft Media Center
• A PMP (portable media player) that runs the same great functions, and has all my 120 GB library in its stomach -without having to care about format conversion because Apple armada does not support FLAC, for example. Today only a tiny company called Archos can deliver this kind of PMP, and their Archos 5 really sucks in terms of user interface and buggy firmware.... (at least when you compare it with Apple or Microsoft standards).
  why MC could not run in a light version on a PMP?

If I had enough money I would have invested since long time ago in your company and push you to move into this direction. Maybe others tried, but you have been too resistant??

I would love so much to see a.m. moves happen soon, I have been waiting all but too long.... But I will wait some longer, since I am still very reluctant to convert to Apple-podism or Microsoft-zunism and leave my beloved MC world  :-)

The fact that so far the Ipod new generation devices are not supportable by MC due to their designer's strategy, should really ring a bell to all of us. The world is waiting for an open solution - Apple or Microsoft's vision cannot be the right answer.

[HTPC4ME]

GOOD POST... similiar to what others have suggested and a few posts myself i have mentioned with a cinemar type interface built into jriver(for DVd's, lighting, temperture control, pda laptop cellphone remote control, xbox 360 etc...  but i think jriver has alot more then any other player has to offer and its tough to have it all!

i ve also mentioned here that cinemar has implemeted a JRiver plugin into there software where you can use jriver music library through the cinemar interface.. now im assuming cinemar had to ask jriver for permission... so why it doesnt\OR CAN't go the other way around? dunno i never recieved an answer. ?

[JimH]

You might want to look at xptunes by Messiahs.  It's on our third party board here.

But I agree it would be great to have a strong hardware partner.   We've knocked on doors many times at Sony, Motorola, Sandisk, Creative, iRiver, TiVo, Philips, and a few others.  We've come close several times.  The obstacles are:

1.  They don't give a priority to software.
2.  They tend to react to what Microsoft and Apple do.
3.  We're a small private company.

On the other hand, we now have a strong list of partners:
http://www.jrmediacenter.com/partnerplayers.html

and they have made it steadily easier to get the attention of hardware companies.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[JimH]

...  but i think jriver has alot more then any other player has to offer and its tough to have it all!

Thanks.

[fidelio]

Jim,

I appreciate your open reply.

I was not aware of xptunes, looks really like a great idea and piece of SW, and I will install it.

As so often, it depends on the effort of some individual, and it may be questionable how long support will be given.... (I just think of the discontinuation of sparta's lyrics finder with some earlier version...)

What I want to say is, I am getting older and prefer standard product features..

All the best

Rainer, like Markus also from Germany

[fidelio]

I just thought about Jim's topic #1. Your statement appears to very true, it explains to some extent the strength of Apple who approached this from the Software side. If I know correctly, it all started that they took over a small SW company which made the dinosaur of the itunes SW.

sad that no other HW manufacturer appears to have the ability to change the world. Even Sony is only a follower nowadays.

[JimH]

I think one of Apple's main strengths is that Steve Jobs is the CEO and he really understands and cares deeply about digital media (and many other things).

Sony has, perhaps, the best chance to compete successfully with Apple, but they are a feudal empire.  The groups within Sony don't play well together.  And the Japanese heritage seems to conflict with the European and American parts of the company.  They may eventually get it together.

Listening to: 'A Trumpeter's Lullaby' from 'Blue Tango & Other Favorites' by 'Leroy Anderson & His Pops Concert Orchestra' on Performer Media Center

[fidelio]

I myself work in a global fortune company and can understand very well the situation of Sony, especially when there was this big business to lose - and they lost it.

The challenger will need a strong visionary personality who finally teams up with an innovative SW supplier like JRiver e.g.  Let's see what Logitech / Slimserver people make here.

And of course I wish that you still get married to a HW partner....
sounds like a worried mother of an aging daughter, STUPID

[imugli]

I think one of Apple's main strengths is that Steve Jobs is the CEO and he really understands and cares deeply about digital media (and many other things).

Sony has, perhaps, the best chance to compete successfully with Apple, but they are a feudal empire.  The groups within Sony don't play well together.  And the Japanese heritage seems to conflict with the European and American parts of the company.  They may eventually get it together.

Listening to: 'A Trumpeter's Lullaby' from 'Blue Tango & Other Favorites' by 'Leroy Anderson & His Pops Concert Orchestra' on Performer Media Center

I remember reading an article a couple of years ago on just this topic. Sony were tossing up whether or not to drop their ATRAC format to go for MP3 and the article was about how the different divisions within SONY have conflicting objectives - The music label needs to sell CDs, but the consumer electronics division needed MP3 players to stay valid. The music label were arguing that MP3 players encourage piracy, which in turn costs them sales.

As we all know, common sense prevailed and we got Sony Walkman MP3 players, but do you not think if Sony REALLY wanted to compete with Apple in this realm we'd be bombarded by Walkman advertising in the same way we are iPod and iPhone? Me thinks an internal compromise was reached and Walkman is suffering for it...

As for MC, even despite the current (minor) teething bugs with v13, nothing else comes close to being SO good at SO MANY things, yet it seems to only be known within a tight circle of people.

Is there a retail shelf box version available? I can't recall ever seeing one here in Oz...

[hit_ny]

The fact that so far the Ipod new generation devices are not supportable by MC due to their designer's strategy, should really ring a bell to all of us. The world is waiting for an open solution - Apple or Microsoft's vision cannot be the right answer.

I think Apple is more guilty of this than m$ and the reason for it still escapes me.