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Control4 media library scanning


wappinghigh

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You are not limited on the zones in J river.

Well no. But 2 of these new autonomic players will give you 2 HDMI Video zones (here's hoping: with the full itunes/UV/mkv/iso/and other format support..and around 8 x 24/192 Audio zones...All easily controlled via a Control4 driver.. Now that to me doesn't seem to bad..

J river does the other zones via DLNA' date=' but with the new thunderbolt fiber optical cables coming out. My server and new video card that can do DisplayPort. I just have to buy a 1080 P monitor (DisplayPort 1.2) or the new Apple iPanel. Then I can do video in the other zones. This the new video card from Nvidia [url']http://www.nvidia.com/object/quadro-k5000.html#pdpContent=0 Why Nvida, so you can make it Mac OSX as well. This video card would be capable to run 4 displays. That video card is about $2K. Can run 4k video though.. My distance limitation would be 30 meters. That is current limitation based on the new fiber cables that send video and audio out. Eventually, that limitation will go to 40 meters. I probably buy used amps for each room. Essentially J River members uses amps, and DAC's http://www.exasound.com/

My new server is my main pc, but uses the new Gigabyte Motherboard, that allows up to 12 thunderbolt devices. Has several USB ports including 3.0. Anyway, I could run 5.1 or 7.1 depending on the amps. So, basically, I could SACD in almost every room.

That is one way or you can go with Control4 or Savant. Savant Systems said they would build a driver for J River. There was no haggling or anything. J river should go to Mac OS X by the end of the year. (Audio only). Savant is rather nice. Ipad Mini's soon...

Sure Nitro. We would *all* love a JRiver Driver for Control4 too :)

Look, Nitro there seems to be a fundamental problem understanding the issue here..

My guess is the target market for a product like control4 are folks who just want (and are prepared to pay) for a device that you simply plug into the power socket, connect to the TV and hit the "search", then "play" button..

That is the philosophy behind the original Universal Remote experience.. That is how the whole thing started... It's the reason control4 exists in the first place.

It's all about simplicity. Plug and play.

Now if something like my experience with the control4 media library, or you with JRiver, or Patrick fooling around trying to get a Win7 driver happening..whatever..If this experience breaks down because it simply can't be achieved simply, or reproduced consistently? Then it fails.

It's the "grandma" philosophy. If you can't hand Grandma a Movie on a disc, then a remote and get her to play the movie in 30 seconds..then the whole setup has FAILED.

That is the whole point of developing a library solution and a player that will handle all this for the customer.

And "the quest" is such a solution that will handle *ALL* formats..

Now sure, a computer setup like your JRiver, or MyMovies, or my 6 different sources for the Control4 media library might achieve this in the long run..but at what cost?> And how many days/weeks/months do we spend on it? !! And how many times do we have to tweek things to make it work...or visit forums like this to seek help..,

Do you understand this principle? If a company can do all this for us, test it and make it plug and play, then it just might be worth our while buying and installing their product.. We are in essence paying them for making it simple for us.

A perfect example is Sonos. That product has been a huge hit because it was the first plug and play, easy to set up, multi room digital music streamer. And it synced beautifully with the no. one music format hitting the market at the same time (itunes mp3 resolution music..and equivalent.)

Sure, a guy like you could set up a multi room digital music streaming experience with computers and make it happen. But that is not the point. The point is Joe Public can walk into a hifi store, buy a couple of Sonos zoneplayers, take them home and get multiroom music happening in under an hour..

So that is what we are after here with an equivalent digital video or movie experience. Or at least that is what I'm after anyway.

Cheers :)

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You will have plug and play (JRiver) with Savant Systems.

How? Where? When? Links on a new thread please...maybe the JRiver thread.....please.. ;)

Control4 just stuck their noses up at the product,

Ummm.. Well, sure, the mothership never seems to listen... so it's up to an enthusiastic dealer. But the whole point is there has to be money to be made. A proven business model for driver development. :)

and continues to turn out crap.

Are..what do you expect at this price point? But you are correct. The Control4 media library is way overdue for a make over. Hence my original post. Nobody is arguing against that!!

Soon it will be 2013 and still no out of box solution for Media management Which means no external drivers allowed. 3 years later and you still haven't got DRM.

Well yes...

Your patient though.

:lol::lol::lol: One needs to be in this hobby :lol:

J river is rather easy on multichannel. I found a great link on beta tester that knows his stuff on it. It just matter setting up with your sound card or DAC. DAC probably be easier.

Great. Please post on the JRiver thread.. :cool:

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Wow' date=' Nitro, you must be a politician. I have never seen someone post with such authority and confidence and be so wrong.

I think you need to read up on file formats especially mkv. There is no compression on a mkv file especially made with makemkv. Its called a container for a reason.

Back sorta on topic, does the xbmc driver work like the my movies one. Are you able to get rid of the composer media scanning and use xbmc's?[/quote']

I have been in computers for over 30 years. I used all those codecs in the past, it just more headache than it is worth. I been on Doom9.org and videohelp.com, there was always a new video codec.

Do you need one? No! You can build a big array and not use it. I have 18TB array right now, and all DVD or bluray or SACD or CD. Anyway, malware can be installed in a dummy MKV. So, you guys just keep downloading and have the BSOD's.

I don't use XBMC driver at all. I just use J river now. I do have My movies installed, but I use that primary for keep my collection in order. I am going to eliminate Control4 out of the equation...

You can use J River and My Movies together. $45 for J river and My Movies is $100. So, I wonder why do you need Control4?

Well just for the record, I never mentioned anything about downloading MKVs. I buy my movies and rip using makemkv. No compression. I dont download illegal mkvs.

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^ fair enough. One should never jump to conclusions. But people do!

Like you, it slightly annoys me as well.

It's actually outrageous that folk who actually pay for content are somehow tarred with the same brush as bit torrent downloaders and pirated movie users....

And it is extremely irritating that honest people who actually buy Apple or Amazon DRM content, or an UV or itunes copy along with a disc: have to actually struggle *harder* to store their content in the library of their own choice..and play this content the way they want. They have to somehow jump thru endless hoops to achieve the same result.

It's *Way* harder for legit purchasers...who actually pay the royalties, than it is for those who use a bit torrent copy..

AND way more expensive for them to buy suitable players..

...I mean Go Figure.. :rolleyes:

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^

Actually Nitro (yeh he can be a bit out there I know) ..No offence Nitro.. :)

But Nitro chirping in on threads like this does raise a *Very* good issue..

Just "when" is this finally going to be all sorted for good law abiding Control4 users?

And why is it that Control4 continues to not have a library solution that makes it easy for legitimate users to play all content?

Why don't they spend the money on their OWN media library development to make it easier for us?

Why don't they buy an itunes or UV license?

Why don't they themselves do something like a JRiver Driver. Where is *their* driver development team?

When is the penny going to drop that Control4 needs to do something directly themselves about making an "all content" platform finally happen?

Why do they continue to leave it to third party dealers to develop these sort of drivers..none of whom have the capital or desire, or are really able make any money on such a task...?

Do they actually have a testing Lab themselves? Do they realise how difficult it is right now for end users to put together a legit all content experience?

It shouldn't just be about making money from the individual drivers... It should also be about an easy final end user Control4 experience :)

Isn't this something the actual C4 company should spend some resources on ?..

The Autonomic Controls solution (to me anyway) looks close. Has anybody in Control4 got a demo of this product? Are they putting it thru it's paces? Are they in co-development of a Driver?

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Forever...

There is no solution that will solve all issues.

There are workarounds, and I'm sure plans to improve and then there is down right vaporware.

Right now, DRM is the limiting factor, and there is no good adoption of open platform DRM.

Apple is your enemy here. It is a closed ecosystem. Yes, some have made workarounds, but for a solid fix, you will simply either have to wait for Apple to open up its environment, or wait till they get into the home automation game...

Accept the fact that the media playback of content is not a core competency of Control4, since they seem to focus on controllers, zigbee devices and a driver platform so 3rd parties can fill the gaps.

Nothing is perfect (except for Nitro's computers and his install of J river).

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^^Its alright, I appreciate your passion and agree with alot of what you say. I'm worried that all the time I spent converting one thing into one format will be wasted in 5-8 years and then have to turn around and convert into something else. I wish, I wasnt some damn anal. :)

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Well just for the record, I never mentioned anything about downloading MKVs. I buy my movies and rip using makemkv. No compression. I dont download illegal mkvs.

MKV got started by downloading, but most still do that. You spend more time converting to a file, than ripping it to hard drive. So, I don't know why people bother with it. I used to do Divx for a portable player that I had.

I can understand on portables, but not for home.

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I am so lovin this thread right now :lol:

Brent: that cartoon was a hoot. Well put!

Nitro: as strange as it seems to you: yes folks might actually want to buy content on disc then convert to mkv (in order to backup and not to lose any resolution and have the movie format as the one easy to handle file) Shock horror....YES...there are people out there who don't wish to rip off the studios and artists! Yes. There are good people out there who want to do the right thing!!

Me23...thanks for the support.

Patrick: yep I agree. Well put. And thanks for the smb ghost clues. All sorted now. Very appreciative.

Party on everyone !!! :)

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Nitro, here is the JRiver thread:

http://www.c4forums.com/viewtopic.php?id=12427

Would you be able to continue to update us with links about JRiver<>Savant news, multiroom DLNA JRiver news, Multichannel audio with JRiver, JRiver driver news, what you are personally doing with JRiver etc etc on that thread.

Otherwise we won't be able to pull it all together later on down the track..

Cheers

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Anyway, threads been deleted.

Gee I wish you would stop doing that! :D

And believe it or not I wish you'd just post a summary of any serious JRiver developments that you spot on the appropriate thread on our forum.. So we call all follow what you are up to..

Yeh. And believe it or not, I actually like following what you have to say... :) But I can't help feeling you'll get less flack from others if you stick to posting stuff about JRiver on the relevant C4forums JRiver thread..

Anyway.. WTF do I know? :)

You have a good one too!

Cheers

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