jriver showing duplicate minim filenames

[DavidHB]

(08-08-2014 23:18)magister Wrote:  

(08-08-2014 08:43)NWTStuff Wrote:  Anyone got any suggestions for some nice free software ?

On Windows, try foobar2000. Setup can be a pain (there is help on the 'net if you don't have an audiobuddy who knows foobar). But with the right plugins, it will play double-rate DSD and use MinimServer's browse tree when run as a UPnP controller. Various tablet/phone remote controls available. And it does gapless. You can adjust tagging within foobar, particularly useful when you spot an error and don't want to fire up a tag editor like mp3tag. And--something I have seen nowhere else and find very useful--it will show you the properties of a file. Sometimes I need to locate a file and can't remember the where I put it, or I want to see the 'Comments' field while listening. Did I mention that it's free?

+1 to all of this.

By way of a starter, here are some very basic pointers to getting foobar2000 up and working.

Download the software from http://www.foobar2000.org/. Install it and check that it works with your locally stored files. If you like it as a player (I do), you can use the dialog accessible from File|Preferences to manage the file associations and make foobar2000 (rather than, say, Windows Media Player) the default player for the file types you suggest.

To use foobar2000 as a control point, you need to work through several more steps. First, you need to download and install the foo_upnp component, the author of which is none other than bubbleguuum of BubbleUPnP fame. This is one of those cases where you do need to read the documentation, which is pretty complete if a little bit cryptic in places.

You will find that the component when first installed opens in a separate window from the player. If the player's main function is to work as a control point, this is not what you want. To spare you the complexities of foobar2000 layout editing, the documentation provides a link to a ready made DUI or theme, and the instructions for installing it. I found that this UI fully integrates the Control Point into the player and provides all the functionality I need.

I hope that these pointers help.

David

[simoncn]

(09-08-2014 12:33)DavidHB Wrote:  You will find that the component when first installed opens in a separate window from the player. If the player's main function is to work as a control point, this is not what you want. To spare you the complexities of foobar2000 layout editing, the documentation provides a link to a ready made DUI or theme, and the instructions for installing it. I found that this UI fully integrates the Control Point into the player and provides all the functionality I need.

I did this some time ago but I find I don't like it as much as the default UI. Do you know how I can revert to the default UI?

[magister]

(09-08-2014 12:33)DavidHB Wrote:  I hope that these pointers help.

Thanks, David -- useful indeed. For those new to foobar, I also suggest "Foobar for Dummies" and its 'Part 2' continuation (see link at the left under Digital).

For those wanting to play DSD, which is even trickier than PCM playback, see this Audiostream article. Also, some manufacturers of DSD-capable DACs have prepared their own instructions for DSD with foobar. I have seen these from Schiit, exeSound, and PS Audio, and there may be others.

[NWTStuff]

Thanks for the tips DavidHB & magister.

I'll give a go next week and see how I get on.

[DavidHB]

(09-08-2014 12:38)simoncn Wrote:  

(09-08-2014 12:33)DavidHB Wrote:  You will find that the component when first installed opens in a separate window from the player. If the player's main function is to work as a control point, this is not what you want. To spare you the complexities of foobar2000 layout editing, the documentation provides a link to a ready made DUI or theme, and the instructions for installing it. I found that this UI fully integrates the Control Point into the player and provides all the functionality I need.

I did this some time ago but I find I don't like it as much as the default UI. Do you know how I can revert to the default UI?

In part; I've forgotten what the default UI was! Try File|Preferences|Default User Interface, then under Theme Management, press the Quick Setup button. In the dialog that appears, choose one of the Main Layout options (left hand pane). Press OK and back out. The Control Point browsing functionality is then available in a separate window accessed through View|UPnP Browser, and View|UPnP Player is used to control the external player. At which point it is probably best to leave you to to experiment to discover how to send particular music to a particular device ...

I suppose that it's a good plan (which I didn't follow!) to use the Theme Management option to export the default theme before you start messing with it. The file saves with a .fth extension, and the theme can then be recalled using Import Theme in Theme Management. For those who want to get into the details of layout editing in foobar2000, the documentation is here.

David

[DavidHB]

(09-08-2014 19:08)magister Wrote:  For those new to foobar, I also suggest "Foobar for Dummies" and its 'Part 2' continuation (see link at the left under Digital).

These are useful and interesting articles. Unfortunately, unless I missed something, they don't cove the foo_upnp component.

David

[simoncn]

(10-08-2014 22:54)DavidHB Wrote:  In part; I've forgotten what the default UI was! Try File|Preferences|Default User Interface, then under Theme Management, press the Quick Setup button. In the dialog that appears, choose one of the Main Layout options (left hand pane). Press OK and back out. The Control Point browsing functionality is then available in a separate window accessed through View|UPnP Browser, and View|UPnP Player is used to control the external player. At which point it is probably best to leave you to to experiment to discover how to send particular music to a particular device ...

I suppose that it's a good plan (which I didn't follow!) to use the Theme Management option to export the default theme before you start messing with it. The file saves with a .fth extension, and the theme can then be recalled using Import Theme in Theme Management. For those who want to get into the details of layout editing in foobar2000, the documentation is here.

David

Thanks very much! Unfortunately, Quick Setup didn't seem to provide a way to get back to the installation default (or I couldn't find it), so I uninstalled foobar2000 and reinstalled it. If I try changing the UI theme again, I will follow your suggestion to export the original theme before I make any changes.

[NWTStuff]

WOW guys, cheers for that

I'd forgotten what it was like to hit a button and for something to happen instantly. Agree, enormous potential cf all the graphics dominated User Interfaces.

[DavidHB]

(11-08-2014 07:12)simoncn Wrote:  Unfortunately, Quick Setup didn't seem to provide a way to get back to the installation default (or I couldn't find it) ...

No, I couldn't find it either. The foobar2000 use of the term "default user interface" is somewhat misleading ...

David

[PieterM]

Thank you all. Some interesting stuff here. For now I'm not quite ready to jump ship I guess. Foobar is Windows only I believe and I am on a Mac.

When not using Jriver as a control point but just as a - agreed - overly luxurious music manager / tagger it works perfectly.

When I also use Jriver as a upnp controller the double files issue that started this thread shows up again. As soon as I use the Jriver upnp features the issue is right back (also when I select Jriver to work as a controller only).

As I use plugplayer on the Ipad (which shows the minim tree) as my main control point, I can live with this. But would of course have preferred a solution so that I could have jriver working as a control point too.

Thanks again.