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[trentino]

I'd like to be able to watch Netflix through Media Centre but I only see a list of recommended titles.

I thought, "no problem" -- I will just surf the Netflix app on my phone and add the titles I want to watch to "My List".  Then, on JRiver, I can just find what I want to watch from the Instant Queue menu.  This is what I do with Hulu and it works well!

But I've found that Media Center doesn't reload the queue unless the whole program (including server) is restarted.

So...  is it possible to restart JRiver via remote control?  I tried the MCC_SHUTDOWN command with parameter 3 but that just restarted the whole computer.

Does anyone have any other tricks for using Netflix through Media Center?

[CountryBumkin]

I would be nice to reload the Netflix queue with having to restart MC. Not only is it a pain, but you lose all the previously watched "checkmarks" on the Series in Netflix that reload.

[imugli]

I've changed the Netflix Theater View item to the Netflix webpage. Far better functionality. Only downside is need for keyboard / mouse but it works really well. 

[trentino]

So is it possible to send a command that restarts Media Center without restarting the computer?

[imugli]

You don't need to leave MC in the first place - just create a Website roller item in Tools > Options > Theater View.

Get rid of the original Netflix menu item and you're good to go :-)

Everything is still run from within the MC ecosystem.

[glynor]

So is it possible to send a command that restarts Media Center without restarting the computer?

Yes.

Does it need to close Media Server as well, or just the MC UI?

[trentino]

Thanks imugli, yes I could load in a web page but I would like to be able to select movies on Netflix from 10' away via remote and that doesn't seem to work so well from the website (unless you know some tricks).

glynor, yes in does need to close Media Server as well.  Do you know how I can close MC completely and restart it via remote?  If you could point me in the right direction, that would be great, thanks!

[CountryBumkin]

I don't need to restart the Server to reload the Netflix queue on my client machines. I just use the remote to select "Restart Computer" from the Theater View Exit menu and that gets my Netflix queue reloaded without having to grab a keyboard. I never restart my Server.

[glynor]

glynor, yes in does need to close Media Server as well.  Do you know how I can close MC completely and restart it via remote?  If you could point me in the right direction, that would be great, thanks!

You just need to point a remote control button at this command, somehow:
mc19.exe /restart

If you want this to be in Theater View directly, you just have to add a new entry to Theater View, wherever you'd like it to show up, of the type External Program.  It automatically prefills with mc19.exe selected as the executable, so you just need to name it and put /restart in the command line arguments box.

You could also, I suppose, assign this as a button on your remote directly, though that seems somewhat dangerous.

[glynor]

I should add, there might be another "refresh" command that can make the Netflix queue refresh without this, but I don't know what it is, and don't have Netflix to test some of them there.  MC has a stunning array of automation commands, though.  There very well could be one in there.

[trentino]

glynor, this is really helpful - thanks very much. I'm having trouble implementing it though because I can't get MC to learn a remote trigger command. Would you consider testing this functionality on your system to see if it works for you?  The strange thing is that it will learn a "blaster command" but if I try to assign a function to a remote button it doesn't do anything.  I saw another post indicate that JRiver wasn't learning remote triggers and I'm wondering if maybe the functionality is broken?

To be clear, in Options under Remote Control I click Commands.
If I select a command (such as 'Menu') and click 'Start Learning' MC19 indicates that it is "Learning..." but no matter how many times I press the button on my remote it doesn't do anything.
But if I edit 'Menu' and 'Add Blast' it will Learn a remote code that way.
This makes me think that it's not my system but perhaps a but with MC19 in that learning a remote trigger code doesn't work.

Thanks again,
Trent

[glynor]

I don't have a remote like that (mine is a RF remote controlled by Girder), but...

You'd really probably be better off adding it to Theater View itself, as a menu option.  If you assign it to a remote button, one errant press of the button will stop MC (even mid-playback) and restart it.  That seems like a poor choice for a button.