Okay, we’re pushing out a quick maintenance release to address a couple of issues with 2.2.8. Most importantly, this release addresses an issue where we are possibly downloading TV metadata much too frequently when you have Internet Providers turned on.

In addition, there are a few other minor bug fixes.

Please do download and install this new version especially if you use Internet Providers.

Changelog

As always, Thank You for your Support.

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MediaBrowser 2.2.9 (Orion SP1) Released

Introduction
So for that past couple of months i have been working on the bringing music to MediaBrowser (MB). With this blog i just want to give you guys an idea of how it works and what it supports. I know there are several people (wink wink) that like to tinker with MB and hopefully this will give you an idea of the limits. I will also hint at future developments that i am currently thinking about. Also maybe give you some insight into why i did what i did. I don’t want to make this to long because i know people don’t like to read but rather see results .

So currently (not released yet) music can come from two sources (this can be simultaneously setup) one is from a normal folder setup another from iTunes’ XML library. As for the former you specify the base folder and it displays as is. As for the latter you specify the XML file and it builds a MB compatible library (or cache).

Normal Library
I decided to go with a view by folder paradigm because that makes the most sense to me. If i play music i can find it the faster by the folder structure that i setup. Apart from that if i did it another way i would have had to force a specific folder structure and as all of you know reorganizing a lot of music is a cumbersome task.

iTunes Library
As for the iTunes setup, the cache is built up just like it is in iTunes with various options to switch off genre and artist, this however is only allowed in a hierarchy fashion. One point on this setup i have to make is i use the xml file because reading it directly from iTunes via their supplied COM interface is really slow. The disadvantage to using the xml file is that the cache has to be rebuilt if any changes occur to the iTunes library. Lastly on this setup, it requires the internet to get the xml definition file. You will get an error if it is not available.

General
In general in order for the music plugin not to “break” existing functionality if there is a avi or any video file in the music folder it is seem as a “movie”. Also the plugin will deal with backdrop and folder images as MB does currently. This is both in the normal and iTunes setup. Having said this it wont use the folder image to display as the album cover while playing. For this it uses the image on the ID3 tag. I suggest you use a 3rd party program to save the folder.jpg into the ID3 tag. When it comes to ID3 tags, i did not make use of them because it is also very slow. Maybe in the future i will revisit this.

Ok, so there were various posts asking which media support is required. Currently the plugin will only consider the following as “music”: m4a,mp3,m3u,wma,acc,flac and wpl. Beware of the playlists, they might cause unexpected results especially when it comes to queuing a folder. As part of the options you can enable a playlist folder in the base folder. This is a special folder that media player (MP) saves the playlists that it (you) create. This you will see if you view the queue, there is an option to save the playlist. If you save it and go look in the enabled playlist folder it should be there.

With regards to playlist, i have added the ability to queue folders/songs and as per existing functionality you can play the whole folder. Just push play on the folder/song and a menu will appear. This is however only possible with some remotes. Once again this is something within MB that i cannot change, now.

Things to come
You will notice that the feeling (without tweaking) within the plugin is very bare in terms of information and different views. This is because MB’s current plugin architecture does not allow custom MCML (or views). So the plugin cannot “inject” its own new view. This will most likely change in future. Having said this there might be a new theme soon that will have support for music (lets see Craigt). With this I will consider using a “series.xml” type metadata storage or alternatively look at the ID3 tag. Using the former would probably require another 3rd party application which is a disadvantage, and a whole lot of work from your point of view, so it will most likely end up looking at the ID3 tag.

Configurator and plugin options
You might remember the eye ball twisting xml file used to configure the plugin. Well it is no more. I have added the ability for plugins to have options that you can setup via the Configurator (CFR). With this it builds up a UI using the settings of the plugin. In terms of the music plugin i think the options are quite clear and you can find them in the CFR by selecting the music plugin and clicking on the Configure button.

Besides making use of the current supported views offered by MB you can specify a song icon to use for your sounds, i however don’t find this particularly appealing.

Thanks
Well i hope i covered everything, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to PM me or post something. If you don’t get a response to your post, please PM me a link. I hope you enjoy the added music ability to our favourite (SA spelling) media center plugin.

I would also just like to say thanks to everyone for the input and the testing. Some chaps that stand out in this regard is jcalton88, craigt, Sam, a couple of buddies back home and well the whole community.

ENJOY …

Post Phoenix Update
Thanks to my brother Craigt, i have a site and managed to setup another place to host the plugin. On that site i am hosting Version 0.5.0.8.

To get it you must go to the configurator –> plugins –> Add –> File –> Sources –> Add and enter this url –> http://www.craigthomas.co.za/plugins/plugin_info.xml

Please delete the old music plugin and config file (/plugins/musicplugin.xml) before you update.

Source Article:
Music and iTunes plugin

WGS has looked at a number of digital media receivers, but we’ve yet to review Apple’s so called “hobby”, the Apple TV. Steve Jobs has gone on the record to state that the Apple TV is not yet part of the company’s core (no pun intended) business but it’s a product that they continue to tinker with from time to time, most recently with the release of a 3.0 software update for the product.

Perhaps more interestingly, a thriving community of developers has hacked the Apple TV and continue to add improvements and new features to the product. Today’s review will look at the vanilla offering from Apple and over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some of those community enhancements to see if Apple TV really is a viable digital media receiver for your home, or just a half-baked Californian hobby.

What is Apple TV?

Apple TV is a networked media player, which can playback music, video and photos from its internal 160GB hard drive, a PC with iTunes as well as stream online content on demand. If I was from Apple, I’d say:

Apple TV gives you access to an easy-to-navigate world of entertainment. Rent HD movies. Buy HD movies and get iTunes Extras. Buy HD TV shows. Listen to your iTunes music and Internet radio. Even show off your photos. Connect one HDMI cable and, just like that, your TV becomes more than just a TV.

Unlike every other digital media receiver you’ll try, Apple TV is of course hard wired into the Apply eco-system, so it’s tethered to iTunes. Now, I’ve got to tell you, I hate iTunes with a vengeance – I’m forced to use it to get content on to my iPhone and I find it slow, bloated, unwieldy and a pain to use.

What the Apple TV doesn’t do (inexplicably) is serve media from attached network storage devices – it’ll only connect to a PC with iTunes. Which sucks. That said, I’m prepared to give it a go with Apple TV to see what content is available for downloading and streaming, because Apple say:

HD movies. HD TV shows. HD podcasts. HD YouTube videos. With Apple TV, they’re all available on demand. You get instant access to newly released Hollywood hits and popular classic and library titles, including a large selection of on-demand HD movies. And now you can also purchase and watch your favourite TV shows in brilliant HD one day after they air. Or enjoy thousands of free HD podcasts or YouTube videos from around the world.

So, unlike most other digital media receivers around, we may find some decent, high quality video we actually give a stuff about watching. Of course, Apple also promise to show all of your photos on TV, and provide access to your whole music collection through the TV – that is, as long as it’s in the iTunes library.

With Apple TV, iTunes syncs wirelessly to your TV, so your entire music collection can now be played on the best speakers in your house. Use the Genius feature to create new playlists or Genius Mixes, or check out thousands of Internet radio stations that play every genre imaginable. You can also browse and buy music videos on the iTunes Store. And sync songs and videos purchased on Apple TV to your computer and iPod or iPhone.

Your photos deserve a bigger stage. Apple TV puts them on your widescreen TV, where everybody can see them in stunning HD. Select My Photos to browse photos from your Mac or PC. If you use iPhoto, you can find photos organized by Events or Faces. You can also access your Flickr photos or MobileMe Gallery. And you no longer have to huddle around a computer screen to see YouTube videos and podcasts, even in HD — Apple TV plays them big and bold on your TV’s spectacular screen.

Before we even get into the pack, let’s firstly take a step back and review the pricing. Check back at the top of the page and you’ll see a UK price of £219 and a US price of $229. That equates to a £70 premium for the privilege of buying in the UK. Not a great start, guys. Devices like the Popcorn Hour C-200 at $299 offer a wider range of features and formats, but without the internal 160Gb storage so the US pricing is reasonable. For the UK, there are definitely better value options out there.

What’s in the Box?

Ah, the famous Apple box opening experience – actually, the Apple TV isn’t too dramatically packaged, with a simple sleeve revealing a black box which opens up to present the Apple TV device itself and a small remote control.

Annoyingly, for such a premium priced package, Apple have decided to exclude any AV cables and look all you want, but you won’t find an Ethernet cable either. So when they say “Connect one HDMI cable and, just like that, your TV becomes more than just a TV”, what they mean is “Buy a HDMI cable ‘cos we’re to cheap to throw one in”. That’s an unacceptably poor customer experience, Apple. Fortunately, WGS has a few HDMIs and Ethernet cables stashed away, so no need for us to traipse all the way back to the Apple Store to buy high margin cables, unlike thousands of other customers, I’m sure!

First Looks

White polycarbonate? Check. Brushed aluminium? Check. Small white LED to denote power? Check. Okay, you know the score – the Apple TV looks great. Give them their dues, Apple are untouched when it comes to industrial design aesthetics and the Apple TV is small enough to tuck away in your TV cabinet but cute enough to leave out on show.

You’ll be hard pressed to find any buttons and controls on the hardware itself, but flip the Apple TV around and you’ll find a host of AV connectors at the rear, including HDMI, Component Video, Analogue and Optical Digital Audio ports. A power connector, USB 2.0 port and Ethernet (10/100, not Gigabit) socket completes the line up. If you don’t have your lounge wired for data, then the Apple TV comes with an 802.11n wireless connection built in. Allegedly good enough for video (as long as you have an 802.11n router) but I’d always play it safe and go for a powerline data connection.

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Hands On: Apple TV