JRiver MC + Streaming - Can they Coexist and Look Pretty

[ragnar]

Audio PC JRiver + Streaming Questions on Happy Coexistance

 

I currently have an audio PC in the listening room - SFF, SERV2012R2, 27" touchscreen display, 2Tb of local HD storage, JRiver w/JRemote(Android) 90% and JRemote (IOS) 10% usage. No user interaction via the Touchscreen monitor or local keyboard. (Until JRiver comes up with a workable touch based interface I probably wouldn't use another touchscreen monitor but the 27" size is quite nice visually)

 

In general this works really well, both easy and convenient to use and the TheaterView - NowPlaying screen looks spectacular showing album art.

 

BUT....I would like to be able to use also use Spotify or Roon/Tidal streaming as well, hopefully without having to deal with switching preamp inputs (run the streaming output through the AudioPC USB->DAC) AND either show the streaming service album art/now playing screen or ...nothing or the generic JRiver not playing anything image). Switching back and forth between JRiver and streaming should be accomplished from the tablet interface - PC outputs whatever is currently playing.

 

Has anyone successfully accomplished something like this? I am in the early stages of trying stuff out and see issues regardless of which solution I try.

 

Thoughts?

 

Ragnar

[The Computer Audiophile]

Lack of streaming audio integration in JRMC is my biggest issue with the software.

[Account Closed]

If the J people along the river don't get this figured out pretty soon their days as a front line audio software will quickly fade into the rearview mirror. Streaming is at the beginning of a long product cycle and the home stored library is in the ending phase of a very long cycle. The Roon guys have it right; serve both for now and pivot to streaming as the preferred method as it matures and retain the platform for the legacy home stored library as long as it is needed.

[JJinPDX]

If the J people along the river don't get this figured out pretty soon their days as a front line audio software will quickly fade into the rearview mirror.

 

I am beginning to feel the same way. I'm using Tidal, and am about to try Roon, but I very much like JRiver with JRemote. I'm on version 21, but that may be it for me.

[RolandGo]

It's not like they didn't try with Tidal:

No Tidal Music Service in MC

[ragnar]

It's not like they didn't try with Tidal:

No Tidal Music Service in MC

 

...sigh.... I saw that thread and it made me sad

 

I haven't had a chance to try out Tidal and Roon yet so I can't comment on their desktop or tablet UI but after a few days of Spotify I could see spending some (lots of) time grazing in their music library and being quite happy with their Android UI.

 

BUT... can I have both JRiver and SpotifyDesktop running on the Server at the same time and have beautiful music come out the USB port? Will Spotify or JRiver come to the front when active and display their playing screen on the monitor? I could probably live with the Spotify screen even though it isn't really optimized for a 10' interface. I could also (probably) live with the JRiver screen keeping focus as it seems to default to a generic wallpaper display fairly quickly.

 

I know I can configure multiple endpoints and go that route but then I lose the pretty display! NO SHINY! and that would make me sad again!... as well as having to deal with changing the preamp inputs each time (first world problems!)

 

....and then there is always the huge elephant in the room - with a single endpoint solution there will be less wailing and lamenting when the streaming service you are in love with suddenly disappears (see ongoing Tidal and Qobuz rumours)

 

ragnar

[jcn3]

i use jriver on a win10 pc. i access it primarily using remote desktop -- even on an ipad. from there i open jriver or tidal to play what i want (closing the other first). would be nice if it were all inside jriver, but not the end of the world.

 

i'm sure better alternatives will win out at some point, but i do enjoy using jriver.

[ragnar]

i use jriver on a win10 pc. i access it primarily using remote desktop -- even on an ipad. from there i open jriver or tidal to play what i want (closing the other first). would be nice if it were all inside jriver, but not the end of the world.

 

i'm sure better alternatives will win out at some point, but i do enjoy using jriver.

 

I find that accessing JRiver using RDP somewhat problematic because logging in remotely locks the desktop and then I have to relog in via local keyboard to unlock the display. This is already a problem when JRiver TheaterView wanders to the wrong view or unexpectedly closes, I have to go to the keyboard and make changes. I have found an Android VNC program that works sort of OK from a tablet - RemoteRipplePro (!) BUT 1. It is not particularly "CasualUser/Wife" friendly. 2. It is awkward for anything more than a couple of keypresses or mouse clicks. What is needed is the ability to put some macro/custom command buttons on the JRiver/JRemote screens - (switch to a particular/specific view, switch to a different source... Hmmm....just thinking about JRiver/Spotify coexistence, wonder if virtual desktops might be a workaround here - have both running at the same time, use a hotkey seq to switch between screens....more experimentation seems to be warranted here!

 

ragnar

[Johnseye]

Lack of streaming audio integration in JRMC is my biggest issue with the software.

 

And it doesn't appear that will ever happen based on what I've read over the past year. I haven't seen any integration for Google Music either. Granted that's 320k but Google does allow an upload of "50,000" songs. It can essentially be a one stop low-fi shop if you're not an Apple fanboy.

 

I'm very tempted by Roon. Now if it could host my Blu-ray collection to stream my movies....

[Cebolla]

And it doesn't appear that will ever happen based on what I've read over the past year. I haven't seen any integration for Google Music either. Granted that's 320k but Google does allow an upload of "50,000" songs. It can essentially be a one stop low-fi shop if you're not an Apple fanboy.

Not necessarily. Assuming as a non-Apple fanboy you have an Android device and are familiar with UPnP/DLNA network file streaming, you should be able to get the JRiver Media Center to stream from online services such as Google Music, even TIDAL & Qobuz! The excellent BubbleUPnP Android app can control the streaming of those and other cloud services by any standard UPnP/DLNA renderer, so includes JRiver if you switch on JRMC's built-in standard UPnP renderer.

[Johnseye]

Not necessarily. Assuming as a non-Apple fanboy you have an Android device and are familiar with UPnP/DLNA network file streaming, you should be able to get the JRiver Media Center to stream from online services such as Google Music, even TIDAL & Qobuz! The excellent BubbleUPnP Android app can control the streaming of those and other cloud services by any standard UPnP/DLNA renderer, so includes JRiver if you switch on JRMC's built-in standard UPnP renderer.

 

JRiver will stream Tidal using UPnP/DLNA from a PC? If only through Android then is the interface JRemote? If Bubble is the interface that defeats the purpose.

[Cebolla]

Defeats what purpose, exactly? Do you find it particularly difficult to switch apps when using Android?

[Johnseye]

Defeats what purpose, exactly? Do you find it particularly difficult to switch apps when using Android?

 

I can do that already. The purpose is a single interface to access all media content whether located on a NAS, local drive or streaming service. Isn't that the point of this thread?

[Cebolla]

No I don't think that's the point of this thread, if you read the original post. The original poster was resigned to JRiver Media Center's user interface currently not supporting online streaming services. So the OP was looking for a "Pretty" way to switch between JRiver and a different application altogether that would provide those streaming sevices instead, running on the same Windows Server 2012 computer, ie, "Coexist", so as not to have to switch the inputs to the DAC if forced to use a different computer.

 

My suggestion to you actually goes one better and does not require another application on the same computer with JRiver to do the streaming from the TIDAL online service, as JRiver would be doing it with its built-in UPnP renderer. I still don't get why you are so preoccupied with having to use JRiver's user interface or its own remote control Android app to get JRiver to stream from TIDAL, especially as you can just use another app on the same Android device to get JRiver to stream from TIDAL.

[StephenJK]

Streaming isn't for everyone! And for a lot of us it isn't an option.

 

I live in the forest, a long ways from any high speed connection. We use something called a Turbo Hub that hooks into the 3G digital phone system. It's limited to 4GB per month and isn't very fast. We can get email and maybe surf news sites but that's about it.

 

All this talk about streaming is just a curiosity to me. I have to do it the old fashioned way, ripping CD's and recording LP's.

[Johnseye]

No I don't think that's the point of this thread, if you read the original post. The original poster was resigned to JRiver Media Center's user interface currently not supporting online streaming services. So the OP was looking for a "Pretty" way to switch between JRiver and a different application altogether that would provide those streaming sevices instead, running on the same Windows Server 2012 computer, ie, "Coexist", so as not to have to switch the inputs to the DAC if forced to use a different computer.

 

My suggestion to you actually goes one better and does not require another application on the same computer with JRiver to do the streaming from the TIDAL online service, as JRiver would be doing it with its built-in UPnP renderer. I still don't get why you are so preoccupied with having to use JRiver's user interface or its own remote control Android app to get JRiver to stream from TIDAL, especially as you can just use another app on the same Android device to get JRiver to stream from TIDAL.

 

Then I must have misunderstood the OPs question. Apologies. I'd personally like to have it all in one interface, like what Roon does, but with JRiver. It doesn't look like that will happen though as JRiver seems to have given up on Tidal. I'm preoccupied with JRiver because I can configure it to use my DAC, organize my music and movie library, customize smart and playlists all while controlling it from a single app. It performs well and I trust it to play media in the format I want.

[ragnar]

Then I must have misunderstood the OPs question. Apologies. I'd personally like to have it all in one interface, like what Roon does, but with JRiver. It doesn't look like that will happen though as JRiver seems to have given up on Tidal. I'm preoccupied with JRiver because I can configure it to use my DAC, organize my music and movie library, customize smart and playlists all while controlling it from a single app. It performs well and I trust it to play media in the format I want.

 

To clarify my original post -

-"pretty" means to feed relevant album art or "generic" wallpaper to the audio computer screen while music is playing. This only really applies to an audio computer located in the listening area, between the speakers, displaying the desktop to the listener that is sitting >10' away.

-"coexist" means the ability to easily change music sources and adjust playback volume on the audio computer/component stack without having to resort to the keyboard or walking over to the preamp.

-on the "easily" spectrum, switching between multiple apps on the control tablet (me as the user) is "Acceptable" while integrated and obvious one app control with no need of significant instructions or training for wife/casual users would be ">Fantastic".

 

For an update of what I have figured out since my initial post - I have achieved "semi-pretty" and "+/- Acceptable". I figured out how to feed Spotify output through the JRiver WDM driver so I am getting (seemingly pretty good) output via the WASAPI driver as well as playback volume control via JRemote. Also getting a generic blank screen on Jriver's Display View when Spotify is playing which is OK. User interface on the tablet is a bit of an inconvenience while playing Spotify because I have to flip back to JRemote to adjust volume - not ideal, but not a deal breaker. If I leave Spotify open full screen on the computer as well, I can Alt-Tab between the 2 apps and see Spotify's borderline acceptable "Now Playing" screen on the display - the album art/playlist display sizings are not the best but better than nothing. The only real issue is the need to go over to the keyboard and Alt-Tab between screens. I can do this from the tablet using a VNC app but it is super not convenient and will definitely fail the Wife/CasualUser test. I am pretty sure I can make things a bit easier if I can figure out how to easily send keyboard sequences to the computer and then find an app that can be configured to attach these sequences to some BIG onscreen buttons - I'm thinking that a Harmony remote might be an optione or possibly a bluetooth keyboard emulator on the tablet. Research is ongoing.

 

Pretty sure I could get Tidal and Roon outputting the same way though not sure how they would coexist if all programs were open at the same time. From what I understand, I could probably control Roon pretty easily via tablet in this scenario but I'm thinking Tidal might become "Not Easy" without requiring VNC control.

 

Some random observations-

-it would appear that the Spotify Connect functionality is a major game changer - they have now made it possible to listen anywhere and also control what is playing anywhere possible and made it essentially idiot proof. To ME, at present, a Spotify Premium subscription is a no brainer and is already changing my listening habits ...again.

-Spotify >>Tidal for music discovery and number and quantity of service or user generated playlists. I may not have dug into Tidal enough, but, for now, Spotify seems to be pretty damn compelling.

-Roon+Tidal - very nice, huge time sink but maybe a bit too pricey $25/m for 320MP3 or $35/m for HQ ....not sure yet. Not entirely sure I see the need to link Roon to my local files, Tidal definitely has enough music to keep my listening queue filled.

 

 

ragnar