Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

outofspace reviewed v25.0.37 on May 15, 2019

Pros: Universal and working!

Cons: Need to go deeper with settings if you want to explore it.

Bottom Line:

qazimono reviewed v20.0.80 on Mar 5, 2015

Using it for few years.
Never had issues with online support.
Stable versions are just stable.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v20.0.54 on Jan 11, 2015

Music Bee is far better than this

some guy reviewed v20.0.51 on Jan 6, 2015

use to be good

mscottring reviewed v19.0.127 on Apr 12, 2014

Don't buy it, just don't. At the very least read through their forums first, because THAT is their support (yes, you pay for it but they have no support other than the forum). And if you say anything negative about the product on the forum they will threaten to remove even THAT support (the CEO emailed me and threatened to do just that). The product is buggy, and has known issues with regard to compatibility with virus protection (read the forums, they talk about it all over the place).

CyberDoc999 reviewed v19.0.125 on Apr 4, 2014

Buggy quits playing for no reason..... Windows Media Player never does this

some guy reviewed v19.0.050 on Oct 3, 2013

one of the only programs that work with Hauppauge PVR 1600 tv tuner card. The music end really no better then a lot of free ones like Music Bee my choice

Gilmorcg reviewed v19.0.032 on Aug 27, 2013

It is best for use

angrypat reviewed v17.0.68 on Oct 11, 2012

Jriver is not bloated, it opens quickly and is very responsive, and has very few peers in functionality. You would have to be deaf not to immediately hear sound quality improvement over even media monkey and foobar, and especially the slow and clunky itunes. Sound quality should be the main concern, and jriver has no equal in this area. It burns, rips, sync, and plays almost all formats including FLAC, (mp3 is garbage) handles video, photos, even pdf, (for pdf, Nitro is better). And no, you do not need high end audiophile quality equipment to hear the difference, but appreciating the difference is another matter. If you experience lag, it is a hardware or conflict issue, most likely not enough ram. Many people expect every new program should run on 8-10 year old hardware without any lag which is not realistic. Also, although integrated motherboard sound has improved, there is no comparison to a good sound card (ht omega or auzentech or asus).

CyberHobo reviewed v17.0.68 on Jul 29, 2012

Bloated and buggy. Does everything and nothing. Ethics of the company also come into question.

keefrob reviewed v16.0.181 on Jan 19, 2012

Do not buy this software. You will be paying to be a beta-tester. Do not attempt to nick it either -- it phones home. Jim Hillegrass, the CEO of JRiver is one of the heaviest-handed, most insane control freaks I have ever seen in my life and you would do best to never go near him.

intex12345 reviewed v16.0.176 on Sep 27, 2011

Tested so many media players like VLC player, KM Player, Power DVD, GOM Player, Windows Media Player.... but finally I found J.River Media Center to be Best. J River has so many features and customizations that renders best audio and video quality simultaneously.

Good work needs to be acknowledged....!!!

testmenot reviewed v16.0.164 on Sep 18, 2011

I must concur wit the review stating why pay $40 to replace freeware bloated overly complex unituitive Windows Media Player with an even more complex bloated unintuitive lookalike?

But wait! You can also enjoy your posts on the support forum being habitually greeted with snide insults from the official company posters including the CEO, who instantly deletes posts which he deems derogatory or heaven forbid mention a competing product.

The company claims audiophile sound quality beyond the competitors, yet few ppl even have an audiophile digital playback setup to even evaluate let alone validate the claim.

qazimono reviewed v16.0.149 on Aug 12, 2011

Bloated and full of useless stuff....well if you don't want to use futures dont use
There is a huge difference between MC and for example Real Player...

Todd 13 reviewed v16.0.81 on May 6, 2011

Yes this is definitely bloated and full of useless stuff, however this software has one thing that makes it amazing. It has the BEST and most customizable podcast support I've ever found in any program. That is the only reason I use it. I just wish they would offer a standalone podcast downloader, but I can live with that. It just uses a s***load of memory and lags a lot. Not a bad price to pay for how good the podcast part of it is though.

hedley reviewed v16.0.72 on May 1, 2011

Media Center plays

More file formats than any other player

Connected media from Last.fm, Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube. And it sends to Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.

Supports more cell phones, MP3 players, DLNA, and other devices

Powers an HTPC to entertain your family. Even different playback in multiple zones.

qazimono reviewed v16.0.72 on May 1, 2011

First to embrace lossless compression. Matt Ashland, J. River's CTO, is also the author of Monkey's Audio (APE).
First to use a high precision floating point data chain for all audio
First to support gapless and cross-fading playback
First to implement the Replay Gain standard (a high-quality system to provide playback of varying tracks at the same volume)
First to natively support ASIO (a quality-orientated way to talk to a soundcard)
Full support of LAME gapless information

pjafrombbay reviewed v16.0.72 on Apr 21, 2011

$40 for this rubbish! You must be joking!

Try foobar 2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/); its free and minimalist and works just fine. 1x1 is another minimalist music player.

Why bother replacing Windows Media Player bloat with J. River bloat? Does not make sense.

My rating would be lower if "No stars" was an option.

Peter

CyberDoc999 reviewed v15.0.172 on Jan 18, 2011

newer versions crashed had to go back to version 14
wish it was more like winamp

tranglos reviewed v15.0.106 on Sep 9, 2010

Fast or slow? It's surprisingly fast (to start up and execute commands) for an application that can handle really huge media libraries. It's still not fast enough to be my default media player.

It's unparalleled for organizing and searching for media. Awesome, configurable displays. Great facilities for creating playlists - regular and "smart". It's an OK audio player, but really inconvenient IMO as a video player. You can either play videos in that laughable, tiny little panel in left-hand corner, or full screen. Nothing in-between that I can find. And video playback controls are not so great either. I'll take KMPlayer or Zoom Player for video any time. Plays internet radio, but there is no station list or search - all it does it display a web page in the embedded browser. You can save channels, but the links will eventually go stale.

The default skins are all painfully ugly except for Noire, but Noire is all dark. Try to find the thumbtack on the scroll-bar - it's almost invisible. But that's a disease of practically all media players today: they can look good, but usability was not even a second thought.

It's nice to have a user-supported forums, but my personal experience says you can't count on a reply (let alone a fix) from the developers. At the price, this is inexcusable. Even worse, the help system is practically non-existent. There is no built-in help at all. The Help menu refers you to their wiki, which is useless. You'll find the basic things, those you can figure out on your own too, but for anything more advanced you're pretty much on your own.

Still using version 14, since the upgrade to 15 is pricey as well, and not a single useful feature was added. The jump to a new version was indeed arbitrary - what happened to 14.5 or 14.9?

My advice - go with the free Media Jukebox version, which is identical to the commercial edition, except it's only for audio (i.e., no video-related features). Use it for a while, then buy the full thing if you're sure you want it. It has many strong points, but it can be annoying too. Not for everyone.

Plumber reviewed v15.0.106 on Sep 9, 2010

My hard drive is fine, thanks. I love how every blind fan of this software wants all bad reviews to be relegated to the Discussion tab. No, this is a review and it'll stay right here, at least by my hands.

Nice to see that people claim a backup feature makes up for data-corrupting bugs. It doesn't, and it also doesn't make up for the company behind the product.

outofspace reviewed v15.0.101 on Aug 31, 2010

Plumber at first . Use discussion tab for that. Secondary problems with your hard drive et bad sector got nothing with MC.
MC got backup option you should use it.

Plumber reviewed v15.0.68 on Jul 2, 2010

Unfortunately, I've had an experience similar to some of the others mentioned here. My JRMC database became corrupt and I could not use the application at all. I started fresh (what a hassle!) and it happened again. I asked for help, and had to bump my thread repeatedly just to get a response (I never bumped more often than once every two days). The only response I got was an angry, impolite reply not to bump the thread, and then the thread was deleted.

wongjai reviewed v15.0.56 on Jun 11, 2010

I've used JRMC since version 14 and just love it! It's the best, comprehensive, media center available, and contrary to what another person has written here, I've never had to tweak the application. I've used support twice through their forum and each time the response had been great - directly from their headman, no less! The developer is also very responsive to suggestions for improvements which are added frequently. They have a free trial - go ahead and try it, and look into their forum, and you'll be sold!!

StockportJambo reviewed v15.0.56 on Jun 11, 2010

JRMC is a very good program, providing you spend the 100 or so hours required tweaking and setting things up properly. It handles large libraries with ease - there are still (since MC13, the last version I used before this) quirks that are seemingly only put there to annoy you, it is customisable and free in some ways, but extremely restrictive in others.

Unfortunately the support still sucks, and the management are still contemptible & nasty to their users. You're unlikely to see that before you buy however as their forum (the only support) is moderated to the extreme.

Still, if you can live with the shortcomings and forget all notion of support or help from the authors, it's one of the best all-round media management tools out there.

outofspace reviewed v14.0.158 on Mar 19, 2010

rumpleskillson
1. Don't be a troll use discussion tab
2. They will try and charge you again and again by quickly going to a new version number.
what a argument!? WTF!? look at corel or cyberlink or ahead software this is the way business is going on
________________________________________
14.0.158
DLNA improvements

rumpleskillson reviewed v14.0.118 on Jan 1, 2010

Junk company.
They will try and charge you again and again by quickly going to a new version number.
very hard to remove all of the junk it puts on your computer.
heed the warning herein ... except for a few friends of the family this objective people view this company as bad .... bad ... bad.

laptopy.net reviewed v14.0.67 on Sep 16, 2009

Brilliant Application

outofspace reviewed v14.0.67 on Sep 16, 2009

1. Changed: Updated EPG in Standard View to allow viewing further into the future. (allows back 2 days, forward two weeks plus two days)
2. NEW: Added command 'Rebuild Thumbnail' to the cover art menu to force thumbnail building. (builds video thumbnails even if the option is disabled in Options > Tree & View)
3. Fixed: Television OSD for current and next programs displayed only the sub-titles without the series name.
4. Changed: Switched sliders on output plug-in configuration dialogs to J. River sliders; fixed tab navigation issues.
5. Fixed: Vista's window presentation engine would not correctly handle displaying multiple subsequent 3D views. (problem fixed by Microsoft in Windows 7, workaround added for Vista)
6. Fixed: Syncing a portable device from Library Server did not work correctly.
7. Fixed: When canceling time-based subscriptions for a television channel, the subscription's recording start time was displayed as "4:00PM 12/31/1899" (109 years ago). Now it will be shown as "4:00PM every Mon, Tue, Fri", for example.
8. Changed: Adding files to the library will run one-at-a-time during a background import, and only two-at-a-time during a manual import.
9. Optimized: Auto-import builds thumbnails two-at-a-time when run manually.
10. Changed: Auto-import will no longer respond to external file system changes while playing in Display View, but instead wait to reconcile changes until exiting Display View.
11. Fixed: Folder watching would not always kick-in right away after making changes with a fresh install.
12. NEW: Added 'Run Auto-Import Now' option to Import wizard.
13. NEW: Reworked the 'Auto-Import' page of the import wizard to be less intrusive with suggestions.
14. Changed: Improved support for shortcuts like right-click and double-click in the Auto-Import wizard.
15. Changed: Minor change to ipod detection that could possibly have resulted in an ipod model detection error.

emanresU deriseD reviewed v14.0.64 on Sep 10, 2009

I love how the people accusing me of trolling and urging me to use the "discussion tab" are doing something worse than what I was doing. At least I was talking about the software. You people are just assailing ME. And yet the irony escapes you.

I installed this version of JRMC, just to legitimize further criticism. I have long since deleted my entire JRMC library and all settings and data files, so I had no choice but to start fresh. No matter.

I was able, within half an hour, to reproduce the database corruption I mentioned a LOOOOOOONG time ago in the forums, to no avail. It took a few tries but it happened.

hedley reviewed v14.0.61 on Sep 10, 2009

Second Shadow what your comment has with 14.0.61 version?
Use discussion tab or go somewhere else for trolling.

14.0.61 :
NEW: MC will import MyMovies data in the file [mediafilename].mymovies.xml or mymovies.xml residing in the same folder as video file, if the standard JRSidecar file does not exist, provided the data contained in the xml file pertain to the media file.

Second Shadow reviewed v14.0.61 on Sep 5, 2009

Don't let the astroturfing fool you
The only "support" you can remotely hope of getting with this software is through their forums .... However, the exceedingly arrogant owner, Jim Hillegass, promptly BANS from the forums anyone who dares criticize the program* .... Kind of a Catch-22, don't you think?

* See: http://yabb.jriver.com/i...318.msg251719#msg251719

outofspace reviewed v14.0.61 on Sep 4, 2009

emanresU deriseD
are you king of trolls? Use Discussion tab for this soap opera

laptopy.net reviewed v14.0.61 on Sep 4, 2009

emanresU deriseD use discussion tab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

emanresU deriseD reviewed v14.0.61 on Sep 3, 2009

The last time I registered JRMC was a loooooooong time ago, yet I received spam recently. There were NO unsub instructions and the "To" address was deliberately hidden. That's "spam" to me.

I was never rude in the forum. The problem was that my question didn't have an answer any of the fools there could copy and paste, so I got ignored.

A lot of the users in the JRMC forum are great. All the devs I've corresponded with in the forum and via email are also fine people. It's the owner and a handful of the nutball devotees I have no stomach for. But a handful of excrement is all it takes to spoil the pool if you know what I mean.

And ummm, Innagada Davida, I never used the J. River forums as any kind of "soapbox". I hated going there because of the regulars and the arrogant owner. My posts here are only because I hate the software. I come here once a day and yeah, when I see an update I'll comment and rate.

This latest outpouring of support is the result of people in the J. River forum begging others to come here to help counter those of us who hate crapware.

Innagadda Davida: Member since August 20, 2009
Reviews written: JRMC

MrHaugen: Member since August 20, 2009
Reviews written: JRMC

hedley: Member since August 19, 2009
Reviews written: JRMC, Opera

laptopy.net reviewed v14.0.50 on Aug 21, 2009

Its a really working multiplayer!

Innagadda Davida reviewed v14.0.50 on Aug 20, 2009

After using J.River products for close to 10 years, you could say I am a fan of their products. But that would be inaccurate. Instead it would be more correct to say that I have been unable in all that time to find an alternative that can even come close to doing what their product can do.
After becoming disgusted with other software which frequently crashed or was unable to handle my thousands of mp3 files smoothly I discovered Media Jukebox. Since that time J.River has continually progressed and developed their Media Center software into a more robust and efficient package which can quickly and smoothly handle a library of several hundred-thousand files (including FLAC and mp3 audio, video of various file types, image files, etc).
Development never seems to stop and the program is continually improved. New features are added when appropriate and the program is tweaked for best performance.
Support has been outstanding, with a forum staffed by the developers as well as many highly experienced users/beta testers who are always extremely helpful with any problems you may encounter.
I have tried several times to find another program that can work as well, but always find myself back with J.River Media Center.

Media Center comes with a no-risk 30-day free trial, or you can opt for the audio-only free Media Jukebox 12.

BTW- there appears to be a troll trying to foul the review and rating here.
There was a group of users on the J.River support forum who felt it was a social and political soapbox. Although asked by the moderators to avoid the political postings some members refused and the situation escalated causing a number of members to be 'banned' from the site. Most of the members from that time are still active (and happy) with J.River software and it's forum. Many who were banned have returned and continue to purchase upgrades and benefit from the product.
Although this was approximately 5 years ago, whenever there are public reviews of J.River software it seems some of these people cannot resist the urge to surface and continue their whining. To those people, move on with your life, it is way past time to let this go.

MrHaugen reviewed v14.0.50 on Aug 20, 2009

The best application for media management and audio ever. Very good video, series and image handling. Superb media type support. Tons of features like Cover Flow (3D wall), streaming media, library server, remote control support and IR blasting, directly control htpc from a notebook. Very good Theater View, that's getting closer and closer to Media Centers like Meedio and XBMC regarding video and series. It's already way past when it comes to audio.

I've used a lot of other media apps and media centers, and nothing even comes close. J River MC 14 is the fastest, most reliable, most configurable, most versatile, less bloated media application there is. This comes from a man who have been with J River for 4 years, but have tried about all the "good" media software out there to compare.

Most of you who are complaining have really no idea what you're saying. Here's some facts.

1. J River do not send spam. They send send mails to people who are registered users in forums, or that have bought the application. They usually send out mail for every major version change (13 to 14) and offer special price for this upgrade. This happens about every 1.5 year. It should not qualify as spam.

2. The pricing are most reasonable fur such a "heavy" media app. If you use the special offers you'll pay 15-19$ for a upgrade. Similar applications with some of the more advanced functions often costs hundred bucks or more.

3. The application is NOT bloated. It loads only what it needs.

4. The speed of this application can not be matched by any applications out there when it comes to huge libraries. It's been tested with about 2,000,000 tracks and are still very responsive. IF you have problem with speed, try to check out if cover art creation (thumbnails) or something else is done in the background. Ask in the forums before you nag!

5. The support for J River product is usually great. There are a LOT of helpful people on the forums that's more than willing to help people in trouble or who have other questions. There's not much that's not answered in a day. If there are things that other members can't answer, the J River staff often tries to help. When there comes to bugs or other user problems the staff often have lengthy discussions with the user.
If you do not have patience to wait a day or two for answers, or if you are blunt, stubborn or rude in you're questioning or opinions, you'll get little help on the forums. The tone on the forums are 99% mature, and helpful.

6. J River are one of the most user driven development teams I have ever encountered. About 6 of my 8 ideas I've come up with have been implemented in MC. Some of it is done in a matter of hours, and is released in the next build in a few days after it's tested by the Beta team. J River probably do have some higher development plan them self, but they do implement a lot of what the community asks for.

Conclusion: Stop trolling and give it a chance you fools :) You'll be amazed if you dig deep.

hedley reviewed v14.0.50 on Aug 19, 2009

If you need WORKING software, you should try this real media center.
Using 4 month and to this time, it's my favorite program

outofspace reviewed v14.0.50 on Aug 19, 2009

Very Good Musci Program if you have more than 1000 MP3 etc.
Using from 8 Version and still upgrading

emanresU deriseD reviewed v14.0.50 on Aug 18, 2009

Received a spam email from J. River, touting the latest upgrade rip-off fee. I guess they have my email address from a long time ago when I got seriously drunk and registered this waste of bits. It literally was spam since I never requested to be sent such notifications, and while there was a (supposed) unsubscribe link, the message did not mention what email address it was sent to (and they obscured the destination email address in the message). Just the kind of crap I expect from these charlatans.

emanresU deriseD reviewed v14.0.46 on Aug 6, 2009

You don't even have to "talk bad" to get booted (or confronted) in the J. River forums. I once heard of someone who was "pulled aside" for having a country flag for an avatar!

MediaMonkey, foobar2000, the list goes on and on. Not only will you end up saving money by avoiding this bugware, you'll also save your sanity, and you'll be treated with more respect.

buellie reviewed v14.0.46 on Aug 6, 2009

I've Been Saying Whatta Piece Of Crap Since Version 8 The Last Version I Bought...Then I Found MediaMonkey..Lifetime Upgrades..J. River Charges 40 Dollars For Every Upgrade..Great If Your Rich Or Probably One Of Their Buddies They Give It To You For Free...Forum..Talk Bad..They Boot You...Bloatware...Check...Use MediaMonkey..It Crashes Alot Less

emanresU deriseD reviewed v14.0.32 Preview on Aug 2, 2009

Not only is is a craptacular piece of evilware nonsense, it's as if it was designed to be annoying. If the arrogant treatment you get in the forum isn't enough, you may be unlucky enough to try one of the plugins written by the brain-damaged blowhard who calls himself "KingSparta". I made the mistake of using his plugins years ago. It was supposed to find and fill missing album date information. What it actually did was DELETE existing date information. The fact that J. River allows such extreme crapware to exist in its forums and on its site should tell you all you need to know.

teddysmediaradio2006 reviewed v14.0.32 Preview on Jul 26, 2009

who ever writes a good review for jrivers media center is a crock of sh**. as a programmer my self this is bull sh** to give no support for things not easy to solve and it's over priced!!!!!!! they also take fuchures that people lick and they don't give a rats a** about the public. hope some one starts a class action lawsuit!!!!

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.152 on Apr 24, 2009

Support wide open ? Check
Management helpfull ? Check
Price Vs Rating? Check
Better alternatives? Check

Result : 5 stars

emanresU deriseD reviewed v13.0.152 on Apr 17, 2009

You said it, Second Shadow. It's a shame because it has potential. Oh well.

Second Shadow reviewed v13.0.152 on Apr 17, 2009

Support still awful? Check
Management still arrogant? Check
Still overpriced? Check
Better alternatives? Check

One star!

outofspace reviewed v13.0.152 on Apr 16, 2009

Good remote managment. Very quick organizer if you have tons of mp3 etc.

Corbit reviewed v13.0.144 on Mar 30, 2009

A decent player, not the best or the worst . . . unfortunately, the developers have apparently decided that the best way to keep this player in front of prospective users involves countless minor refreshes and updates, so that it's always on this website's front page. A one-syllable change log would probably suffice for most of the "upgrades" the developer releases.

SfBjFcXu7 reviewed v13.0.129 on Mar 11, 2009

i think j river is one of the best music player companies. if you use it for music and to play vids it is the best. i have used most of other apps out there but they all come short to j river.

con:
bad podcast support. should offer radio stations

emanresU deriseD reviewed v13.0.129 on Feb 28, 2009

How ironic that ghammer would claim to have a good attitude and to "treat others well online" in the same paragraph he dishes out multiple personal insults.

I never demanded "immediate attention", although as a registered user of JRMC, I feel I had a reason to expect some attention. But it's a relative thing... Maybe some people feel that a few weeks still qualifies as "immediate".

When you pay for software, have serious problems, and are ignored in some cases and ridiculed and censured in others, despite being initially civil yourself, you really can't be expected to remain friendly, now can you?

Or is it a coincidence that J. River has received SO MANY comments from different people (not all here, not by a long shot) complaining of being treated badly in their forums? Those who are mindless fans of sub-par software and who love to absorb nasty treatment are wrong to expect the same of the rest of us.

ghammer reviewed v13.0.126 on Feb 23, 2009

I use this app and have for 5-6 years.
It slices, dices, even juliennes!
Audio (any format), video, photos, TV via USB or other tuners, tagging, CD/DVD ripping and burning.
From XP SP1 to Windows 7 Beta, I have not seen big problems. The few I have experienced were fixed in a day or two.

Of course, I have a brain, do not demand immediate attention, and generally treat others well online. My system has not been tweaked to death.

Perhaps the others who post their non-reviews don't have the same circumstance, attitude especially.

Second Shadow reviewed v13.0.123 on Feb 17, 2009

Wow! My previous review criticizing J. River Media Studio has been ERASED
I wonder why ...
Anyway, this program is slow, overrated and, above all, overpriced
Avoid at all costs

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.115 on Feb 7, 2009

emanresU deriseD you are fcking troll. use discussion tab to post you bulls*** empty opinions.

emanresU deriseD reviewed v13.0.115 on Feb 3, 2009

Unreliable and poorly supported by arrogant fools.

outofspace reviewed v13.0.115 on Feb 3, 2009

emanresU deriseD go away kid.

Build 115 got some problem with wv wavepack, it seems to be temp problem.
Got working lyrics plugin.

SfBjFcXu7 reviewed v13.0.114 on Jan 31, 2009

i have used this product since i think version 8. it is always superior to any other music program i sude and i used many. i use it only for music and videos because that is where it shines. This program is also fast with 1gb ram and an old 2ghz centrino duo. I suggest for people to buy this program unless u wanna use itunes (biggest bloatware) or zune (which isnt that bad but definatley not on the same level as j river.)

emanresU deriseD reviewed v13.0.114 on Jan 30, 2009

Talk about unreliable software! And if you need help, good luck getting any. All you're likely to get is downright rude treatment.

BruddaMan reviewed v13.0.113 on Jan 28, 2009

its ok but itunes is free and not forty bucks. would be better at 19.95 instead.

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.101 Preview on Jan 8, 2009

Garbacho

outofspace reviewed v13.0.101 Preview on Jan 8, 2009

"Bloated and slow with 3 ghz dual core and 3 gigs ram"

in my working im using this on old celeron , no problem, fast etc.

SfBjFcXu7 reviewed v13.0.101 Preview on Jan 3, 2009

I have been using j river for about two years and love it. I dont think there is a better player out there and I think I used them all from MediaMonkey, Itunes, WindowsMedia Player, Atunes, Songbird, MusicMatch, and so on. It is still worth it to buy this software it work great with the ipod better than itunes. I am a huge fan of J River and hope this software will last for a long time. again better than the rest. PS if you have a slow computer use the 12th version. I also like the Zune soft it works awesome on fast computers

CyberDoc999 reviewed v13.0.101 Preview on Jan 2, 2009

Bloated and slow with 3 ghz dual core and 3 gigs ram

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.100 Preview on Jan 1, 2009

Put me down for a "1". Thangyavurymudge.

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.091 Preview 4 on Dec 15, 2008

Great working support with users friendly help.
Good program if you have over 10.000 mp3 :)!

Working with all formats wv, flac, etc.

Easy Customable

abyss reviewed v13.0.091 Preview 4 on Dec 15, 2008

What exactly problem with burning cd, i dont have any...

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.091 Preview 4 on Dec 15, 2008

What "Second Shadow" said...

As for installing each version, I do. I'm sure I install it before you do, since I have WebSite-Watcher configured to monitor the J. River forum thread where the betas are posted.

I installed this version, and found the same problem with burning CDs that I've had before. This crap software produces a loud, annoying "pop" sound in between tracks when I create MP3 discs.

And of course, the arrogant management and nonexistent support is version independent. :)

Note that the positive reviews are the result of J. River fans begging others in the J. River forums to come here and post.

Second Shadow reviewed v13.0.090 Preview on Dec 13, 2008

Simple: Close to inexistent support. Arrogant management.
Need I say more?
There are MUCH better (even free!) alternatives.
Seek and you will find :)

abyss reviewed v13.0.090 Preview on Dec 13, 2008

"Undesired Username"
Please you need another place for Healing your complex. If you want to comment this version, then download and install, rather then speaking about past versions.

Shat221bBS reviewed v13.0.071 Preview 4 on Nov 11, 2008

@ Undesired Username
I have to say I read your review and LOVE your use of "I don't care if you can reproduce this." I mean it nice to know that you hate J. River Media Center so much that you seem to have invented bugs that no one can reproduce.

@ other negative reviewers
You say it bloated and slow. I have to disagree. Whether you have 10,000 songs or 200,000 J. River Media Center is fast and the only software that can organize it the way you want it to.

And for those that only want a free music organizer you can use the FREE version. Just click the homepage link at the top.

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.071 Preview 4 on Nov 11, 2008

If your support issue can't be solved with a three-word answer or a URL, start shopping for another media player because you're out of luck.

@Shat221bBS: I say "I don't care if you can reproduce this" specifically and only because whenever a problem is mentioned, people chime in to say "I don't have that problem", as if that magically yet inexplicably mitigates the problems that I do have with Media Center. And as far as MC library corruption goes, I'm FAR from the only one who has had that problem.

I started using "Media Center" back in 2002 when it was still Media Jukebox. I paid for every upgrade and pretty much liked the product. Then I started having serious problems with my library, and got NO assistance. Do you know how much HASSLE it has been to switch away from this product I used for 6 years?

Yeah, I wanted this to happen. I "invented" this problem. I'd like to see how appreciative you'd be if you went through the problems and hassles I have.

outofspace reviewed v13.0.071 Preview 4 on Nov 11, 2008

1. NEW: Added "File Types" options page that allows configuring the file association and playback method (including external applications) for each file type.

cool feature

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.071 Preview 4 on Nov 11, 2008

Fast, Smart. It is what it should be Itunes!
User friendly, and great support on users forum

abyss reviewed v13.0.071 Preview 4 on Nov 11, 2008

Please use MC13 then comment. It better to write something than sharing complexs on thius forum.

MC13 - more features like 3d wall, also more autotaging. Very fast scanning if you got large library. No bloadware.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v13.0.071 Preview 4 on Nov 11, 2008

Very bloated and slow

outofspace reviewed v13.0.069 Preview 4 on Nov 8, 2008

Its do what it should do. Open Support on forum.

ninjeratu reviewed v13.0.069 Preview 4 on Nov 7, 2008

Terrible.

And if you've only got an MP3 library you're better off with Media Monkey or the really free Songbird.

And to be honest. The filesystem's got enough tags and folders to be a most effective "library", so having to pay for something like this is not an option to me. It's just inventing the wheel again without any real benefit.

I'm sure people who have no clue how to use Windows will find library players useful, but to me it's just a scam.

Shat221bBS reviewed v13.0.069 Preview 4 on Nov 6, 2008

@Undesired Username

What Bugs are you talking about?

I've never had problems with getting help when I needed it.

I have to ask have you even tried the latest build? I have to ask cause you seem to say the same stuff over and over and over and etc.. every time a new build is released.

ghammer reviewed v13.0.069 Preview 4 on Nov 6, 2008

@Undesired Username

Got any examples of these 'great bugs'?

I run this very build and do not find this sort of thing.

As for support, I've had good luck with getting features added or changed. Haven't had to ask for support because something was broken though. Normally if anyone posts and waits a day or so, J. River or another user will get you past whatever the issue is. And, with the build schedule they have if there is an actual bug, it is dealt with in short order, normally a day or two.

Find me a better app for audio and I'll use it. Find me a better all round tool for media of all sorts and I'll buy it. There simply aren't any.

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.069 Preview 4 on Nov 6, 2008

Great features, great bugs, awful support.

People always complain that I'm not specific enough. But if I were to detail all of MC's hassles, I'd crash this server with all the text.

One of the bugs I experienced was a loud, annoying sound in between each track when I would burn multiple MP3 files as a data disc. This is lots of fun when you're listening to an MP3 disc in the car at loud volume. This problem happened no matter what settings I used in MC. When I burn the same exact files using software that doesn't suck (e.g. ImgBurn), there is no such noise.

I don't care if you can reproduce this.

I also had a problem whereby my MC library kept getting screwed up. No support to be found, anywhere.

I don't care if you can reproduce this.

The MC lovers keep saying "I've never had trouble getting support", but the point to be made is that there is a difference between getting help with something that has a ready answer, and getting help with a serious problem that involves more than a copy-and-paste of a URL. I got zero help from J. River.

I don't care if you can reproduce this.

As for me telling you of better software... Why? If I don't know of some wonderful alternative, does that mean that MC is automatically wonderful by default? If I have a car that runs terribly, but I don't know if another type of car would be better, does that mean my car isn't bad after all?

I switched to foobar2000, and while it "works", its usability really sucks.

And, again, I don't care if you can reproduce this.

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.062 Preview 4 on Oct 28, 2008

Only one player for mp3 library users. Support for all formats, flac wavepack etc.

abyss reviewed v13.0.062 Preview 4 on Oct 28, 2008

Im user of Media Center for over 3 months. Didnt notice no bloadware...? Having lots of mp3 it's very good software , if you want to have tidy library. Fast, very good find and edit options.
Some stuff for converting. Overall 5/5 points.

Support? I didnt have problems on forums.

outofspace reviewed v13.0.062 Preview 4 on Oct 28, 2008

No Bloatware very fast, try by your self

CyberDoc999 reviewed v13.0.062 Preview 4 on Oct 28, 2008

Bloatware very slow

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.061 Preview 4 on Oct 25, 2008

Plays all types of files, if you're foolish or desperate enough to use it for images or videos. Can create videos, albeit in a very unstable and unreliable manner. Very good at requiring you to install update after update, including paid upgrades, in desperate hope of having longstanding bugs fixed. The #1 choice for nonexistent support.

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.061 Preview 4 on Oct 22, 2008

Plays all types of files. The best solution if you got more than 10000 mp3. Some cool feat like 3d wall etc

outofspace reviewed v13.0.061 Preview 4 on Oct 22, 2008

Multi- customizable player without buggy effect.
One of the best players in this planet

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.050 Preview 2 on Oct 2, 2008

You must have never had a problem that didn't have an immediate solution. Many of us did, which is when we encountered J. River's real "support".

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.050 Preview 2 on Oct 2, 2008

Never had problem with support on interact forums.

Undesired Username reviewed v13.0.036 Preview 1 on Sep 19, 2008

The support is terrible, and while certain aspects of the application are very nice, certain other aspects are atrocious.

JoePublic reviewed v13.0.036 Preview 1 on Sep 14, 2008

Lots of developer focus but I agree the environment isn't customer-centric. If you can put up with the censorship which has been going since the days of version 9 at least, you might find the dev process rewarding. Many new features come out quick but without much long-term communications. The HTPC interface needs a bit of work but it's gotten much better in the last few years. Not sure there's anything better for a one-size-fits-all app.

laptopy.net reviewed v13.0.036 Preview 1 on Sep 12, 2008

im using this software for 3 month, dont have any problems, support working good on forum.
Those negative opinion about support? i dont have this kind of problems

outofspace reviewed v13.0.036 Preview 1 on Sep 12, 2008

i really dont understood you, is it really apple paying you to give this comments? I got 250gb of music and the only way to play this is media center when i can put everything in place as i want. Dont have any problems with that stuff

Second Shadow reviewed v13.0.036 Preview 1 on Sep 11, 2008

I agree 100% with the posters below. J. River's support is appalling.
If you like to be ridiculed in the forum by the good old Jim Hillegass, then go ahead and waste your $ 40 on this piece of crap.
BTW, their website states that Jim Hillegass' career started in 1958, that's FIFTY years ago ... I wonder how old is he now ... (see: http://www.jrmediacenter.com/management.html)

bil@perceived.co.uk reviewed v12.0.533 on Sep 5, 2008

JRMC is a good piece of software (when it works) but I have to agree with the other reviews that the "support" is the worst I have ever encountered.

For $40, you do not get email support, there is only a forum where an obnoxious (and I do mean obnoxious) person will ridicule you and then delete your posts.

Being civil does not matter. If you offer constructive criticism - you get banned. If you refer to other software that does things better in the context of pleading with them to address your concerns - you get banned. And then ridiculed some more.

Not many companies I would advocate stealing software from, but there are few more deserving than this one.

Shat221bBS reviewed v12.0.533 on Sep 4, 2008

I can't live without this software! Best media player/organizer on the market =)

outofspace reviewed v12.0.533 on Sep 4, 2008

25000 OF MUSIC FILES

Undesired Username reviewed v12.0.531 on Aug 22, 2008

Hmmm... Well, I used MC and its predecessor MJ for about 6 years, but then my library kept getting corrupted, and I do not mean by J. Retard's beta releases. (I tried betas in vain hope of finding a solution.) They have no support to speak of (only a couple forum idiots making idiotic suggestions), so I was left hanging. Too bad, so sad, buh-bye.

laptopy.net reviewed v12.0.531 on Aug 22, 2008

Using over year, one player easy to use with multi-functions, convert, rip, searching lyrics, last.fm support. If yu got 10.000 mp3 its the only player to get anything in right place

mickey89as reviewed v12.0.531 on Aug 22, 2008

Good multi player with friendly user interface

outofspace reviewed v12.0.531 on Aug 22, 2008

CyberDoc999 //Bloadware with what? //

CyberDoc999 reviewed v12.0.531 on Aug 22, 2008

Bloat ware

outofspace reviewed v12.0.530 on Aug 12, 2008

Generally a very good player with everything i need

Undesired Username reviewed v12.0.530 on Aug 11, 2008

Nice player until it breaks and one of its obscure-but-nasty bugs destroys your entire media library. And good luck getting support when such a problem occurs.

Undesired Username reviewed v12.0.529 on Aug 5, 2008

I'm still ashamed of ever using or recommending this thing.

Undesired Username reviewed v12.0.526 on Jul 28, 2008

Wow--Try being a loyal user for years, and then having ONE serious problem. Good luck getting support. You'll get snotty-assed responses from the owner, who knows hardly even the basics of how the application works.

Undesired Username reviewed v12.0.518 on Jul 1, 2008

Don't install this particular version (i.e. build 518)! Per the owner of J. River: "build removed as a precaution -- possible data problem" (that is, possible data loss/corruption with build 518).

outofspace reviewed v12.0.514 on Jun 17, 2008

Using for years. Great software! Try it be your self

Letterman reviewed v12.0.512 on Jun 8, 2008

Great software. This can replace a lot of small programs very well. If you just need a Jukebox, try MediaJukebox. It is free: http://www.mediajukebox.com/

tuneslover reviewed v12.0.510 on Jun 5, 2008

better is "buy win vista ultimate/home & get windows media center for free which is the best media center for windows platform"

or try JetAudio Plus :)

J. River is very pooooooooooooor..suckss & but it's $40! lolz

outofspace reviewed v12.0.510 on Jun 5, 2008

One of the best players, with multifuncions easy to set up.

improvelence reviewed v12.0.510 on Jun 5, 2008

Evolved from a crappy media player to iTunes....wow....

Letterman reviewed v12.0.492 on May 5, 2008

Works great. If you just want a jukebox, try J. River Media Jukebox. It's free: ftp://ftp.jriver.com/pub/downloads/MJ12/MediaJukebox120039.exe

outofspace reviewed v12.0.487 on Apr 25, 2008

A very good player, using for years.

ghammer reviewed v12.0.485 on Apr 24, 2008

"songbird has a lot more features"

Ahhhh, the old "there are a lot of free alternatives" idea.
First, that isn't a review.
Second, give some valid examples. Songbird for instance is unstable, does not do what JRMC does, and is an early beta/alpha. BTW- I don't really want to browse the web with my media player.

A review is a review. Now, while "sucks", "free is better", etc may be the height of infomation in your circles, it is not in the least informative.

lucianct reviewed v12.0.485 on Apr 24, 2008

songbird has a lot more features, you can even browse the web, its interface is similar to jriver and it is FREE.
oh, and it works on mac and linux too. so, i won't give $40 for jriver when there are a lot of free alternatives.

why hello there reviewed v12.0.485 on Apr 24, 2008

Doesn't have more than WMP... Are you on drugs, or are you a comedian? Or perhaps a drugged comedian?

ShahinD reviewed v12.0.482 on Apr 22, 2008

I test it, it does not have any thing more than WMP or WMC.
it updates daily.

tuneslover reviewed v12.0.482 on Apr 22, 2008

junk software. what abour Windows Media Center?

ShahinD reviewed v12.0.468 on Apr 1, 2008

good software

DeepThinker reviewed v12.0.456 on Mar 18, 2008

I really wish people who develop software would not write their own reviews!

why hello there reviewed v12.0.450 on Mar 3, 2008

Satan uses Media Center. Shouldn't you?

ajua reviewed v12.0.447 on Feb 26, 2008

After all the features, formats, options and resource consumption, it now has the option to install it on a portable media player, like iPods.

This is great. The only thing missing is an easier way to have customized views in the library. But this is a minor issue because it has a big set of options there.

comeoffit reviewed v12.0.438 on Feb 15, 2008

Media Center is a cure-all for media. Let's just talk music. It not only plays most formats, it will re-invigorate your listening enjoyment, such that every single track you hear will be like a happy rainbow trickling in one ear, gently caressing your brain, and then trickling out the other ear. In short, if you choose not to use J. River Media Center, you're not only missing out on the fulfillment of a complete existence, you are a miserable failure in all known and unknown dimensions.

TomA102210 reviewed v12.0.421 on Jan 25, 2008

Reviewer: CyberDoc999 said:
Version: 12.0.410

I tried this and it is slow and bloated!
GOM Player is better
-----------------------------------------------
Didn't find it to be slow and bloated at all when I gave it a spin.
As for GOM, poor help and documentation for the product. I'll rate them both a 2, maybe a 3 at most.

ghammer reviewed v12.0.421 on Jan 24, 2008

This is Media Center, Not Media Jukebox. It is and always has been shareware.

This is the finest tool for media that you are going to find. Period.

I am rather finicky about my media. I don't want it tagged without my ok, don't want images changed/converted/tagged.

I want to get exactly the tune/movie/episode/image I want when I want it. I want to play similar tunes when I'm in the mood. I want to send things to my handheld. I want to rip a CD or DVD into the format I want. I want to play my media from work or elsewhere. I want to NOT have to install this and that program/driver/filter to do all these things. And I want the best sound possible from my computer.

JR Media Center does all this and more. Doesn't load my system with extra crap, doesn't hog all the resources, doesn't need constant attention.

For the money, actually for much more than asked, there is no finer music suite, and when you add all the other capabilities, well, you aren't going to find any other program or combination of programs that do what this does as well as this does it.

Download it, try it. It's the reason for shareware. I'm sure you'll be happy.

If you are only interested in music, try this app's brother, JR Media Jukebox. Same fine quality only limited to audio. And it's free.
http://www.mediajukebox.com/

ajua reviewed v12.0.421 on Jan 24, 2008

Media Jukebox is the free versions and only includes audio capabilities. Its great.

Media Center however, stands out as all-in-one program. It has tons of features, can be customized to everyone's need and it is not slow as one user previously stated. Its fast and responsive even when having thousands of files in its library.

Can burn, rip, convert, tag and more...

vcorvinus reviewed v12.0.410 on Jan 17, 2008

It appears they have changed the name back to Media Jukebox, and made it free again. As I've already paid the upgrade fee for version 12, I'm not very happy about this. Not the first time I've been burned in exactly the same way. This is why I don't feel bad looking up serials anymore.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v12.0.410 on Jan 13, 2008

I tried this and it is slow and bloated!
GOM Player is better

Hertz reviewed v12.0.401 on Dec 31, 2007

Works ok. Does what it claims.

why hello there reviewed v12.0.396 on Dec 18, 2007

Looks like Media Monkey? Does it matter? (I'm pretty sure Media Center has been around longer than Media Monkey, so it should be worded the other way around anyway.)

Does the same thing? Sure, except that Media Monkey doesn't do ASIO or secure ripping. I see that some individuals with psychiatric issues like to snipe at people who point out facts like this, but I'm a truth addict, so I couldn't care less about them.

Media Center has its flaws, but its format support, secure ripping, and well-rounded features put it over anything you can get for free. Unless you are talking about assembling 10 different freeware software titles, which is not a fair comparison.

Tao2005 reviewed v12.0.380 on Nov 29, 2007

Well I am half way on this program. Of course this time of year, my favorite character is Uncle Scrooge. Yep you guessed it. I refuse to support this program, tried it once, didn't like it, and WOW to my supprise, it looks like media monkey. Plus Media Monkey is free, and does the same thing. So why should I support something when I can get it for nothing.

outofspace reviewed v12.0.374 on Nov 16, 2007

support is like in open source..public forum.
I think it's the best way to get answer.

CyberHobo reviewed v12.0.374 on Nov 16, 2007

Stinky and stinky support

brusco reviewed v12.0.370 on Nov 13, 2007

@Tao2005
iTunes is a free music organizer, but cannot function as a media center interface for Music, TV, Videos. J. River Media Center can do both.

J. River Media studio also has a plugin architecture that allows developers to extend it for MEdia Center VOIP, Games etc. This software is not comparable to iTunes.

Also J.River Media center doesn't spy on what you are listening to or report back to base about what music you have on your computer. iTunes does.

Tao2005 reviewed v12.0.370 on Nov 13, 2007

Outofspace means just that. Doesn't know what he's talking about, cause it's all about personal preference.

Itunes is free, but JetAudio is cheaper then this.
Still I wouldn't buy this.

outofspace reviewed v12.0.370 on Nov 12, 2007

iTunes Vs Media Center it like
Ford Fiesta Vs Saab 95

treworld reviewed v12.0.363 on Nov 6, 2007

iTunes is free!

brusco reviewed v12.0.363 on Nov 6, 2007

I added about 1000 videos to the library and my computer absolutely crawls when I go into theater mode (because of the thumbnailing). There doesn't seem to be any way to stop/or prevent thumbnailing of videos.

So close to perfect but its back to Media Portal for me I'm afraid.

outofspace reviewed v12.0.335 on Oct 2, 2007

Well at first you should know what you're writing
"the latest 12 Beta " this is not a beta...

But if you don't have time to learn about media center, just don't write...

photonboy reviewed v12.0.332 on Sep 30, 2007

I bought version 11 just as it was being released only to see version 12 a short time later that fixed a few bugs.

I tested the latest 12 Beta and determined this program tries to do too many things. It's a "Jack-of-all-Trades, Master of None."

I love Zoomplayer. I use the latest 5.00 Pro Beta 1, with codecs via the Install Center (Ffdshow, Haali etc.) It's very configurable. Essentially perfect though They have a Media Center style interface, but I'd stick with opening from Windows Explorer.

There's a lot of free program that works better than this software suite. (Zoom Player Free, KMPlayer, VLC, GOM Player, FastStone Image viewer, Picasa..) A little known audio player is WxMusik.

www.free-codecs.com

outofspace reviewed v12.0.332 on Sep 27, 2007

Great software with many useful options.
reading all the formats

improvelence reviewed v12.0.332 on Sep 27, 2007

I never liked it from the beginning and now it's just trying to rip off of iTunes.

hell0 reviewed v12.0.301 on Aug 7, 2007

You "Had to reformat to get rid of it"? Good one! Total lie, but good one just the same.

Media Center has its flaws, but the other toys don't have all the features, so I stick with it.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v12.0.278 on Jul 10, 2007

This is a bad piece of bloatware... I had to re-format to get rid of it!

ninjeratu reviewed v12.0.278 on Jul 9, 2007

Nice interface, quick sorting and filtering.
Kinda bloated and a bit limited when it comes to setting up views. Still got some minor issues with ID3v2 tags, cover art and file path sorting (VA albums anyone?).
Improving all the time, but not getting good enough fast enough. Seems to withhold many needed updates to look good by issuing many small updates instead.
Bit princey, alternative free products will be good enough for most people.

outofspace reviewed v12.0.259 on Jun 16, 2007

One of the best programs. One thing for minus is not so good support for last.fm

photonboy reviewed v12.0.237 on May 22, 2007

Biggest waste of money. There are far better programs. All-in-one solutions usually don't work anyway. I prefer a nice simple interface for pictures. Awesome free software includes:
1) Video: VLC, GOM player and KMPlayer
2) Pictures: Picasa and Faststone Image Viewer

Other stuff: try searching BetaNews or FileForum or go to www.free-codecs.com

I dislike this program because I've had constand glitches with it. I primarily watch video or listen to music and I always end up going to one of my video players (like KMPlayer or Nero Showtime) to watch videos and use Windows Media Player or Nero Home to listen to music.

comeoffit reviewed v12.0.207 on Apr 7, 2007

Give me a break with the constant mention of MediaMonkey! MediaMonkey still does not support ASIO. It still cannot do secure ripping.

Media Center 12 has its bugs, and it sucks for image viewing. For some reason, it takes ~20 seconds to launch the TV viewer on my system (whereas I can run WinTV in ~3 seconds). But it still has more power and features than MediaMonkey.

outofspace reviewed v12.0.207 on Apr 6, 2007

One of the best all players. Better Last.fm support is the only wish.

urlwolf reviewed v12.0.189 on Mar 18, 2007

This was my preferred player a while ago. It has many features and works well with large databases. The community works hard creating plugins, and the forum is active.

However, what alienated me and made me look for better alternatives is the fact that the Jriver staff (and some frequent posters) ban comments that they don't like for unknown reasons, and often mock some posters. This is inappropriate, inadequate. Minor pet peeves such as asking for CDDB support (which is superior to Jriver's own cd database) will get your post banned or laughted at.

The plugin architecture is not very friendly (not only the forum!). The proof is that alternative software, with better, friendly support for plugins and scripts has triumphantly displaced Jriver's MC from the market: I'm talking about MediaMonkey. This is the best media player out there today. The scripts are great, and so are the forums. It can grab CD covers and info from amazon, google and others. Large databases (I have > 200Gb) are handled a lot better than Jriver's MC. I never looked back.

TheinvisibleGhost reviewed v12.0.185 on Mar 11, 2007

I've been using this product for a couple of months now.
It's not as shiny as the likes of Microsofts Media Center, but it's far more practical for keeping a large library, and the performance is good as well.

I've found a few bugs in it, however the support is via an internet forum and the guys there are quite helpful.

Features like the integrated Web Gallery allowing you to move your pictures online to a gallery you're friends can visit is really good.

It's also worked with my Ipod well.

photonboy reviewed v12.0.147 Beta on Jan 18, 2007

I own this:
1) I bought version 11, but didn't realize that version 12 (which is much better) would cost me more money.
2) It's good overall, but I've ended up using other programs such as Zoomplayer Pro, WMP11, VLC, ACDSEE, FastStone, MusicMatch, iTunes etc.
3) since I got my HDTV I'v been switching to a simple, remote control interface so I can view my TV Series an movies that are Divx, Xvid, MKV and Video_TS folders. I have MCE 2005 and I find the Media Center quite usable. (I bought it OEM and use the "Streamzap" remote which works fine. The future of watching movies is with a remote, a simple interface and files stored on a mass storage device such as a hard drive in the computer or synched to an external mass storage unit rather than inserting discs. As hard drive's become cheaper even Blu-Ray/HD-DVD movies will be put on to hard drives for easy access. Building your own Home Theater PC is the way to go, now and into the future. Definitely.

Basically, I can't recommend this program. Here's my recommendation for FREE programs that you can use all or some:
1) WMP11 (continues to improve and is very usable)
2) WMP Classic (has some internal codecs)
3) VLC (uses its own internal codecs and has low CPU usage but very rarely has "tearing" problems. Not ideal as a DVD player either but it's a "must have" app.)
4) iTunes
5) Quicktime (a must for Quicktime Movie Trailers)
6) MusikCube
7) MusicMatch (free version)
8) ScreamerRadio (awesome, truly awesome)

There are lots of programs and I've tried them all I suspect. Don't forget about Codecs:
1) AC3filter 1.1
2) ffdshow (I don't use audio)
3) Divx
4) Xvid (install with AutoGK if you use it)
5) Matroska Pack
6) Vsfilter
7) DVD (WMP classic works as is, Nero Showtime installs a codec available to other apps which I use. NVidia Purevideo is a waste of money. Spend your money on Nero 7 Ultra if you think you'll use much of it. (Nero Digital AVC in Nero Recode will be used more and more and should replace Divx and Xvid due to its compatible with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players as well as lower size and superior quality.)

Codecs can be a little confusing. Some of the codec packs are pretty good, but don't install everything just what you need (I prefer to add individual codecs). If you use Divx, turn off the deblocking. Ffdshow is usually lower on CPU usage. Some FFdshow versions have problems with MCE 2005's Media Center but some work.

M3gaManX reviewed v12.0.130 Beta on Dec 23, 2006

I find 12 faster and quicker than 11
it isn't the most efficient but it does alot of stuff
12 is a beta so bugs are expected
I think 12 is a nice change

eaves reviewed v12.0.130 Beta on Dec 18, 2006

This media player has lots of cool features, and lots of bugs to accompany all those features. If you happen to use the player in a manner that the support forum regulars have used it, then you won't encounter many bugs. However if you tend to use the player's "off the beaten path" features, then be prepared to plow though a mountain of bugs.

outofspace reviewed v12.0.104 Beta on Nov 7, 2006

It a really good program, but this build give me 80 usage of CPU :(
Still waiting

infoghost reviewed v12.0.104 Beta on Nov 3, 2006

One of the best, if not the best, media players on the market. Does everything you can think of, and has a very low memory footprint.

On the other hand, $40 is a bit high, and that does not include a lifetime upgrade, like Media Monkey.

hell0 reviewed v12.0.104 Beta on Nov 2, 2006

I am currently using Media Center 12.0.205 (and the builds before it) with the Last.fm AudioScrobbler plugin. It works fine. But even if it doesn't, blame Last.fm for dropping support. Why, I have no clue, because the Last.fm client can't report any tracks you listen to unless you do it within the Last.fm client itself. Pretty stupid, methinks.

Anyway, this beta is pretty solid. Better, for me, than the latest "stable" (and I use that term very loosely) version of the prior iteration, which is 11.1.201.

The people who think that Media Center can be replaced with freeware are deluding themselves.

moserw reviewed v11.1.196 on Sep 8, 2006

Used it and liked it. Sounds great and also does a whole lot of other functions like taking care of the images and videos on the system. However, I have not been able to get it to work with last.fm despite d/l and installing the Media Center plugin from last.fm. Having to move to Foobar2000 which is also a very good player and it does work with last.fm very well.

http://www.nela.in

freegoo reviewed v11.1.195 on Sep 1, 2006

Changelog:
11.1.195 (8/30/2006)

1. Changed: Updated the French translation. (thanks laurentxp!)
2. Fixed: iPods weren't ejecting properly.
3. Changed: Added ASX playlist format to options for drive-based handhelds.
4. Fixed: Deleting drive-based device playlist from tree not working unless the playlist was at the root.

freegoo reviewed v12.0.053 on Aug 12, 2006

Although it is priced a little high in my opinion, this is a really nice playerr especially when dealing with large song databases and syncing with a portable media player. Version 11 has been an excellent player for me and has grown with me as I added music players, got into podcasting, etc. It looks like 12 is going to be equally impressive and I'm sure I'll be upgrading to that one as well.

Regarding it being "bloated", that's a pretty subjective topic. I feel like it's actually a pretty slim player when you consider everything it does and it runs very nicely on my system. That said, version 12.0.53 is an early beta and you may run across some performance issues due to that. Seek out version 11.1 if this worries you.

If you have an older computer and find MC to be a little slow, you might want to check out MediaMonkey. It compares fairly well to MC and is also very reasonably priced.

All in all, I've been very happy with MC and haven't regretted buying it or any of the upgrades. I do wish the upgrades were discounted a bit more as going from version 11 to 12 is only going to save me $10.00 over what a new user pays, but it's JRivers product and they can charge what they want. People will either pay it or not, and I probably will.

sQin reviewed v12.0.053 on Aug 12, 2006

v12 comes with new, great skin, 3D-album art vizualations... Its worth a try!

rpavl reviewed v12.0.053 on Aug 12, 2006

Bloated Junk, past its time.

ghammer reviewed v12.0.053 on Aug 12, 2006

Ah, foolish, silly people like Corbit. Note how there is no reply to my challenge to name the app that is the equal?

Only the 6th grade level "Oooh your a dumb ass. Hehe, I said dumba**, hehe."

No my dear Corbit, people don't come here to read drivel, nor really to read opinions. It's why these are called 'reviews'. Ask your sister to explain the difference to you.

While Media Monkey is a fine app, it is NOT the equal to JRMC. For example, a simple one for your benefit, video. At risk of confusing you with big words and concepts, multi-zone playback of audio, video, or images.

This edition of JRMC has several additions that make life easier for those with lots of media to manage, while retaining the core abilities that have made it the best way listen, watch, create, edit, tag, sync, slice and dice your digital entertainment.

Give it a try, you'll be pleased.

Corbit reviewed v12.0.053 on Aug 11, 2006

This program is only okay. MediaMonkey does everything this one does, only lighter and better. A message to ghammer - you're a fanboy, obviously. At least have the common courtesy of not trying to disguise your b.s. promo as a review. People turn to betanews for opinions, not hype. Why not go the extra mile and use phrases like, "HAVE I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!!!!!"? You're a dumb ass.

ghammer reviewed v11.1.191 on Aug 4, 2006

My gratuitous reply to 'reviews' that say 'lots of apps do the same' and never tell me what the apps are. There are none that do what JRMC do. Repeat, none.

If playback is all you want and you only have MP3s, there are several choices, but none provide the wealth of features that make JRMC best of breed. In fact, it is the only tool that can do anything you'd like with multimedia.

Sync iPods? Check. Sync to local or network drives? Check. Transcode when transferring? Check. Create either data (mp3, ape, text, whatever) or audio CDs? Check. Smartlists that can fill a device with music, or do anything else you'd want in the way of filtering your collection to your liking. Check. Rip securely? Check. DSP functions including DirectX? Check. Podcast client? Check. Audiobooks? Check. Media (audio, video) server? Check. JPEG, RAW, and more in the way of digital camera/image handling. Check.

Hmmm, now tell me the names of these other apps that do what JRMC does. Just one will do.

eaves reviewed v11.1.187 on Jun 16, 2006

It tries to do too many things, compromising how well it does any of them. The music player is the best of the apps, picture viewing, video playback and the other media featrues are also-rans. Documentation is still less than good, you have to rely upon the support forum to get help for all but the simplest of tasks.

Lots of bugs, many quirks, condescending developer. There are alternatives, it would be wise to check them out.

aszure reviewed v11.1.185 on May 27, 2006

I just truly love this program. It does pretty much everything under the sun aside from video conversion. I actually paid for the damn thing. Yes, there's cheaper stuff out there. Yes, there's things that do what this program does...but damn, it does it all easily. I normally dont purchase software. However, I have purchased the last 2 versions and believe it was worth every penny.

buellie reviewed v11.1.183 on May 16, 2006

Purchase Version 8 - $40.00
Version 8 to Version 9 $24.99
Version 9 to Version 10 $14.99
Version 10 to Version 11 $14.99
Can You Say
Media Monkey Lifetime Upgrades $29.99

photonboy reviewed v11.1.170 on Apr 11, 2006

I purchased this but I don't use it. Instead I use three separate programs: ACDSEE, ZOOMPLAYER PRO & MUSICMATCH (also WMP and VLC)

A lot of work has certainly gone into this, but what I really want is a nice, simple interface that can be used with a remote control such as Meedio, XP Media Centre. I really love the interface for the new Mac notebooks that they use with the 6-button remote!

I just find this software way too cluttered and the navigation of the files to be more confusing than necessary. When you try to make a program that handles ALL the media types then you have to either throw in everything but the kitchen sink or keep it simple enough that my computer-illiterate mother could pick up a remote and figure it out in two minutes. KISS KISS KISS

ghammer reviewed v11.1.164 on Apr 6, 2006

Ah, another round of "Other apps do it better".
Ok, which?
I have actually tried every reasonably current package to manage and to play.

If playback is all you want and you only have MP3s, there are several choices, but none provide the wealth of features that make JRMC best of breed. In fact, it is the only tool that can do anything you'd like with multimedia.

Sync iPods? Check. Sync to local or network drives? Check. Transcode when transfering? Check. Create either data (mp3, ape, text, whatever) or audio CDs? Check. Smartlists that can fill a device with music, or do anything else you'd want in the way of filtering your collection to your liking. Check. Rip securly? Check. DSP functions including DirectX? Check. Podcast client? Check. Audiobooks? Check. Media (audio, video) server? Check. JPEG, RAW, and more in the way of digital camera/image handling. Check.

Hmmm, now tell me the names of these other apps that do what JRMC does. Just one will do.

eaves reviewed v11.1.133 on Mar 2, 2006

The feature bloat is starting to take a toll on the quality of the software. If you happen to be using the software in a manner that one of the beta testters has used it, then you should be OK. Once you start straying from the beaten paths and begin using the features of the software that are not as popular, then you need to be very aware that you will find yourself on thin ice. Important features, such as renaming files based upon their tags, are sketchy. Sometimes they work, sometimes not.

Documentation and the help system is poor at best. Major features (such as the visualization customizer) are completely undocumented in the help system. If you look at this as a new product, all of the above would be excusable, but it is a mature product, and should be far more polished than it is.

If all you are looking for is something to manage your audio files, there are far better alternatives.

pl5bnsf reviewed v11.1.119 on Feb 14, 2006

I am using Media Center to handle the sycing of my Creative Xtra mp3 player (yes, iPod is not the only type there is :>). The syncing using MC is the fastest and smoothest I have found for the Creative players.

precurgent reviewed v11.1.102 RC on Jan 20, 2006

"This doesn't offer anything you can't do with a few good freeware programs."

If I do that, I have no room on my Desktop for any other shortcuts, and no time to use any of it anyway.

barcrest reviewed v11.1.92 RC on Jan 5, 2006

it's not bad but it tries to be a jack of all trades affair, which on the whole it is good at most things just not great... If you just want a straight forward covers jukebox there are several good ones availble for free on the BYOAC forum. To be honest i think charging for this type of software has had it's day with VMJ and to some extent ThePCJukebox both becomming bug ridden. This doesn't offer anything you can't do with a few good freeware programs.

moglodyte reviewed v11.1.89 Beta on Dec 29, 2005

I have used various players such Winamp, Sonic, RealPlayer, Windows MP, Musicmatch (lifetime license) and the iTunes player. But J. River's Media Center is still my choice for serious recording and playback quality. But before you make any comparisons the first thing you must do is bypass your sound card. I use a HeadRoom BitHead amp and it takes the signal to and from the stereo system via the USB socket on the PC and the result is a much cleaner more audiophile quality. Try recording via MusicMatch and Media Center and compare them for yourself. As for features, to pick just one, I could not get by without Media Center's media editor. It's brilliant, I am copying thousands of tracks from LP's and CD's and its a godsend to be able to fade out, adjust volume, equalize old recordings etc. The only snag with Media Center is that unlike MusicMatch they do not offer a lifetime license. Now that's something to complain about.

subodh reviewed v11.1.87 Beta on Dec 22, 2005

same as others nothing attractive that i change my default WMP 10, thats the best

Arakiel reviewed v11.1.86 Beta on Dec 22, 2005

rijp has some sort of axe to grind against anyone who seems to like this product. his "reviews" are more personal attacks then anything else and have very little in the way of substance or facts to them.

Media Center is a decent program. It usually does what you ask of it without issue. The only real bug that I found was in updating the id3 tags on files resting on a network share. The problem with the program comes from J River itself which is HORRIBLE at customer service and tech support. They are obnoxious and rude when they do talk to you, but thats only if you can get them to acknowledge your question or bug report in the first place. If tech support isn't a worry for you then this is an excellent "all in one" program.

newruler reviewed v11.1.75 Beta on Dec 9, 2005

J. River Media Center has been my preferred player since version 8. I used to use MusicMatch Jukebox but find for my 3000+ songs, 50+ movies and numerous pictures that this program offers much better organization and access. Sure there are features in it I'll probably never use, but I like knowing the power is there. Also, I love it's integrated burning abilities, being able to chose regular or data cd and have files converted to my chosen format is great. For me the $25 is worth it. Show me another program that can handle audio, video, and pictures with such a database style access and perhaps my opinion will change. Till then this is definately my favorite.

sQin reviewed v11.1.71 Beta on Dec 2, 2005

who's using all the features in this app? For video, audio, images, portable sync. there are better apps in every aspect.

improvelence reviewed v11.1.70 Beta on Dec 2, 2005

We have too many of these. Why pay when the others are free (and better)

outofspace reviewed v11.1.70 Beta on Dec 2, 2005

Well i think MC still have old 5.1 sound support and i think MediaSource 3 is much better in this

httpd.confused reviewed v11.1.70 Beta on Dec 1, 2005

I couldn't care less if Media Center was reviled on every site on the web. I don't go by what other people say; I use what I like, and everyone else can go straight to hell.

But if Winamp is rated highly, to the exclusion of Media Center, there are two likely explanations: First, Winamp is free, except for its "Pro" version (which is a joke). Second, Media Center isn't very well known. It's kind of hard for Media Center to come out on "top" if it isn't even reviewed.

The library, conversion features, burning and ripping features... All crush Winamp like a grape as far as I'm concerned. That, and a semi-normal interface, rather than a cutesy turd that tries to look like a real stereo, as if that either enhances usability or makes you think "Holy crap, this is serious stuff!"

Use what you like. Your choice of software is like the music you listen to with it--enjoy whatever you enjoy, and screw anyone who disapproves. That's what I do. Media Center is a good solution for me, and no amount of whining or ranting to the contrary will change that.

P.S. I rated with a 5 just to get on your nerves. =)

ghammer reviewed v11.1.0.63 Alpha on Nov 23, 2005

rijp-
MC 11.x is without peer in the media management and playback area. Period. You ought to actually try it. Even with your limited abilities, you'd be amazed at what it can do in real life, not just in your imagination.

Unlike some, I actually install and run software before reviewing it.

I don't go to other sites and see what other folks are saying. A quite obscure link you came up with. Must have been hard to find anyone who compared any version of Media Center with WinAmp.

So, Can you show me the database lookup plugin for WinAmp? I must have missed it. The editing jpg/png/tif plugin? The Office document plugin?
How about just a way to do track or album gain? Anything close to what comes with MC 11.x?

No, there isn't, and there isn't gonna be. WinAmp is an ok player for novices. It doesn't compete in the true media arena.

Now if you'd mentioned Media Monkey, you'd have a chance. At least it is in the same segment.

But, you know little except to constantly say "Because I said so" with nothing to backup your deluded rantings.

Darktrik001 reviewed v11.1.0.61 Alpha on Nov 22, 2005

I havn't installed it yet but I wanted to give it a try. The reason I'm rating it now is because I'm an avid winamp user for music. But I refuse to use it for video. it's not very funtional or convinient for it. Not to mention it doesn't work with tv tuner cards and from the sound of it this one does. I use winamp for music and bsplayer for video. I like it that way. But I can be flexible. I'd like to at least use it to transfer old home videos to my computer and if it gives me more ease and features than many of the freeware programs out there to do just that it's worth trying. I don't see a point to bashing a program simply because you like something else. especially if you havn't even installed it. It comes off like winamp sends people out to do that just to drum up business for themselves. It's unprofessional and it's immature either way. You like winamp better? Fine. Recommend it or don't on the merits of the program not your own propganda.

ghammer reviewed v11.1.0.60 Alpha on Nov 20, 2005

Why should he (or I) stop defending a program from ignorant people? Or people with an agenda?

Or better, giving our opinion since that seems to be dear to your heart?

Again, these "You rate it" sites start out useful. Then they are overran by dolts, morons, and fools.

"Duh I give it a 1 because dildywick RoCkZ"

"I overclock my system, turn off every service in XP and hack the registry, but this stupid program causes BSoD"

You don't install something, why bother 'rating' it?
You have a hardon for freeware? Cool, but why rate superior commercial apps low because they are commercial?
You can barely grasp the difference between a pci bus and a city bus? Read, don't post.

Because, believe it or not, a review should be how this or that works. Not that freeware is better. Not that your valuable insights weren't used by the developer, not that you have a lousy system that fails regularly.

And in the case of this app, not that 4 or 5 seperate apps can almost equal it in functionality.

WinAmp is a fine tool, for what it does. It is not and can't be extended to do what MC 11.x does.

Nor can any other app on the market, free or commercial.

End of the story

Lurifax reviewed v11.1.0.60 Alpha on Nov 20, 2005

Bloated. Anything it does, there's lotsa programs which does better. Crashes regularly. Ugly. Nuff said.

sQin reviewed v11.1.0.60 Alpha on Nov 20, 2005

httpd.confused,
stop defending this piece of software, people have their own opinions.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.1.0.60 Alpha on Nov 19, 2005

No.

Well, at least not until people who don't even understand things like ASIO and secure ripping stop launching personal attacks after merely reading a positive review of software they disapprove of.

darthbeads reviewed v11.1.0.60 Alpha on Nov 19, 2005

Can't we all just get along??

/edit: Fair enough, h.c. Ignorance is a blight on humanity, and sadly has a tendency to be gloriously manifested on this site.

ghammer reviewed v11.1.0.57 Alpha on Nov 15, 2005

Very capable media manager with a great player.
Handles all types of media well (except wavpack). The library and search are the best features to me.

There are folks like rijp who don't know the first thing about audio or technology, witness his "Secure ripping" statement.

People who have no/limited knowledge should simply refrain from making comments that are painfully ignorant and uninformed.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.1.0.57 Alpha on Nov 15, 2005

This review has been revised in response to rijp above.

Media Center natively supports ASIO. This is a software feature as much as it is a hardware feature. If the software only puts out DirectSound or Wave Out, it's not using ASIO. The software needs to support ASIO, not just the sound card. Why do you think you need a plugin to use ASIO with Winamp? No matter what sound card you have, you aren't getting ASIO out of Winamp without that plugin. Likewise, no matter what sound card I use with Media Center, it won't put out ASIO unless I select that option.

And obviously, I have an ASIO-compatible sound card, since ... I'm using ASIO with Media Center. Come on, this is basic stuff.

Media Center can be configured with multiple "zones" to switch output modes easily. Nice for easily switching between ASIO and DirectSound.

Media Center does secure ripping, which doesn't refer to security, but rather the fact that it re-reads the source to verify that the tracks are being copied correctly. This is only important if you care about audio quality, though. And before someone claims that secure ripping isn't important unless you have scratched or dirty CDs, let me point out that I used EAC to rip most of my ~400 CDs, and it regularly found errors, even on new-looking CDs.

Rijp said (and was apparently being serious at the time, hard as it is to believe): "Secure ripping.. So you are encrypting your files, for what purpose?" If you don't even know what "secure ripping" is, that pretty much puts all of your comments in their proper context for us.

Winamp has a much-worse interface... This is subjective, of course. I've always hated Winamp's dumba** skinned interface. I don't like Media Center's skins, either, but it's a lot more like a standard Windows interface than Winamp.

And Winamp has a terrible library and database function... The features of the Winamp library pale in comparison to that of Media Center. This is so obvious I shouldn't need to clarify.

I have over 4,200 files in my library (and almost all of them are lossless format, since MP3s are for kids like rijp), and Media Center loads them just about instantly. But thanks for caring. I think you just need to upgrade to something better than a 33-MHz Pentium.

Rather than being the "future", I think Winamp is quite the "past". But I really couldn't care less what you use. Trust me on that.

Dude... May I call you Dude? Don't take this nonsense personally. It's a review of a media player for crying out loud. How empty is your life to be reduced to tears over this? Calling me a "J. River bigot", and suggesting that they've paid me, is hilarious, given that I rate it a 4, happily point out the product's flaws, and openly state that some people at the company are arrogant, control-freak morons.

My suspicion is that you got spanked in the J. River forums, and now you pay them back by raging against their product every chance you get. Yawn. I encountered their stupidity too, but I'm not going to trash a product I like just because of that.

Stingray57 reviewed v11.1.044 Alpha on Oct 28, 2005

Don't download this program. It's bloated and whoever they have working there to design a GUI and how things work in this program, needs to talk to a end user seriously.

They are trying to everything in this thing and none of them are where they need to be. They should start with doing one thing good and work from there.

I can't endorse this thing...

photonboy reviewed v11.1.041 Alpha on Oct 25, 2005

I paid for it and I don't use it.
I ended up using Zoomplayer for video, ACDSee for pictures and Musicmatch for music. I thought this program had a lot of potential, but I just can't stand the way the interface works and how I have to navigate the files.
I'm entitled to one mistake! (at least until someone makes fun of my other choices)

CyberHobo reviewed v11.1.041 Alpha on Oct 25, 2005

Wait till they change the name and leave you in the street with this one. Like was done with their media jukebox.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.0.316 on Sep 25, 2005

OMFG, someone actually prefers Winamp over this, basing the preference on the program itself, and not the price? Hilarious!

Anyway, I'm still looking for something as good as Media Center. No, not four dozen free applications that sorta, kinda, almost, well, not really do it all. There isn't one that I know of.

Media Center rips as well as EAC, but is a lot easier to use.

The library makes it very easy to find what you want. Just hit Ctrl+F, and start typing whatever you're looking for. Media Center searches as you type, and automatically displays the genre(s), artist(s), album(s), and track(s) that match.

It pisses me right off that all the column customization I have in place is totally lost each time I install a Media Center update.

I can't stand that fact that Media Center is skinned. I truly do loathe the use of skins, for a number of reasons. And there aren't many to choose from with Media Center 11 (probably because the J. River management has alienated most of the people who tried to contribute to its community).

The "Record Sound" feature is very buggy. It regularly makes Media Center crash for me, and does other stupid things like not stop when it's configured to. It's also not very flexible.

The Media Scheduler doesn't allow you to record internet streams on a schedule, unless you have the stream playing already.

Finally, there are some people at J. River who seem to have profound misanthropic personality disorders. I hate dealing with a company that does business this way, but it isn't normally a problem. But you had better hope you tread carefully if you ever need support.

Well... That sounded quite negative. But I still use Media Center, because for ripping, burning, and organizing, it works quite well.

st0mp reviewed v11.0.316 on Sep 25, 2005

I do want a All in one frount end software to run my media center really bad. i know there are other apps that do the same thing almost, and i really dont like to deal with j river. my fav is meedio but i have to say after looking at priceing meedio = 80$ j river = 40$ windows mce 99$ i am starting to think i will be better off getting mce. just to get another copy of xp and plus get all the toys

rpavl reviewed v11.0.316 on Sep 25, 2005

Top of the pack...the best.

docholiday1964 reviewed v11.0.316 on Sep 25, 2005

the best

ghammer reviewed v11.0.316 on Sep 25, 2005

rijp- You say there are many other apps that do what MC does. Give an example sport, I have found nothing that does all the MC does. WinAMP? Ha!

Handles every type of music format (MP3, APE, FLAC, MPC, ???). Tags, catalogs, rips, burns, skinnable, excellent sound, easy to use Direct-X plugins, replay gain, etc.

The main feature to me is the library/database.
Want 2 hours of rock that you haven't heard in at least 7 days? Ok, no problem.

No other app comes close to the functions this has.

rpavl reviewed v11.0.312 on Aug 19, 2005

Excellent Product and feature packed....yes people actually pay for products that work and meet their needs.

improvelence reviewed v11.0.312 on Aug 17, 2005

People actually pay for this?

photonboy reviewed v11.0.312 on Aug 17, 2005

I own this program, but I have found it easier to use separate programs for my video, audio and picture viewing needs.

I find the navigation a little confusing. I can't find any easy way to adjust color/brightness in my videos.

I'm sure if they just made a few changes this would be an awesome program.

ghammer reviewed v11.0.310 on Jul 28, 2005

Excellent! Handles every type of music format (MP3, APE, FLAC, MPC, etc). Tags, catalogs, rips, burns, skinnable, excellent sound, easy to use Direct-X plugins.

The main feature to me is the library/database. Want 15 songs from 1988 with a fast beat? Ok, no problem.

No other app comes close to the functions this has.

rpavl reviewed v11.0.303 RC on Jun 30, 2005

The best, most versatile of them all....Love the App and it just gets better and better.

Arakiel reviewed v11.0.293 on Jun 16, 2005

This program has problems with updating tags on files stored remotely.

Support from J River is terrible at best.

docholiday1964 reviewed v11.0.292 RC on Jun 14, 2005

molto completo,se poi ci aggiungete dfx e g-force che gli manca?

darthbeads reviewed v11.0.292 RC on Jun 14, 2005

How can you even compare this to Foobar? Don't get me wrong -- I love Foobar, and I use it often to listen to music, but I can't think of anything that has less in common with J. River Media Center.

That said, I find J. River's media cataloging to be painfully slow, and the interface to be less than intuitive, but overall not bad.

sQin reviewed v11.0.280 RC on Jun 2, 2005

it was my favorite till i discovered foobar2000.

lordgibbness reviewed v11.0.278 RC on May 28, 2005

For audio use foobar2000 (you can download lovely scripts to make the playlist look very nice indeed) and for video use media player classic. Like the guy said, use ffdshow as your video codec.

photonboy reviewed v11.0.254 RC on May 3, 2005

I own this product and I've seen the stability increase dramatically but I can not change the brightness/contrast etc on my videos so I can't use it most of the time. FIX THIS!!! I'm baffled why they don't have such an important feature.

The main problem people are having with video is not knowing what codecs to use. I recommend the ffdshow (video only) and AC3 Filters (experiment with settings) available here: http://www.free-codecs.com/
You can have serious conflicts causing degraded or no video requiring reformat of system if you install codec packs. I used one ONLY to install the 3ivx codecs.

I found free DVD codecs and discovered that the Intervideo one was much better than the Cyberlink on my system: http://www.cole2k.net/?display=DVD (same quality as the WMPC 6.4.8.4 player's)

Video players: WMPC 6.4.8.4, BSPlayer and Zoomplayer (All three have strengths and weaknesses and have FREE versions)

To summarize, this program could be really great with a few changes (I want an all-in-one solution), but for now I recommend getting the right codecs and using separate video, audio and picture viewing software.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.0.254 RC on May 3, 2005

I agree the support isn't great, but what "better alternatives" are there? I think it depends on what formats you use. If you use just MP3 and OGG crap, then yeah, you have plenty of alternatives.

CyberHobo reviewed v11.0.252 Beta on May 2, 2005

It blows as so do they!

Lurifax reviewed v11.0.252 Beta on May 2, 2005

Unstable. Bloated. Way better alternatives. Bad support. Program sucks.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.0.252 Beta on May 2, 2005

No, it shouldn't be that easy to blow away a file on disk. Pressing the Delete key with a song selected in Playing Now will remove that entry from Playing Now only. I can see having it as an option, but as default behavior, that would be nuts.

If you go to the Media Library and press the Delete key with one or more tracks selected, you'll get a dialog asking you what to do--remove from library, delete from disk, etcetera. This all makes sense to me.

I'm giving it a 4 because I hate when applications use skins... It makes everything so much slower and more of a pain. The previous version (or was it version 9?) at least gave you a choice. (Did I really give this a 5 before? I must have been out of my mind.)

CyberDoc999 reviewed v11.0.247 Beta on May 2, 2005

When I am listening to a song and I want to
delete that song.... I should be able to do it
with a push of the delete key on my keyboard....

if you can do that I will buy it!

nabicat reviewed v11.0.246 Beta on Apr 23, 2005

Swiss army knives of media formats. Wacky interface in my opinion. They've got an awesome deal going whereby existing registered users ($s) can pay them more $s to beta test their software.

schristie11 reviewed v11.0.231 Beta on Apr 7, 2005

I give it a 3, becasue it's got the best features i've seen in any software of it's type (Media Player/Ripper), but the company screws over it's customers by making them buy an upgrade for every new release!

That's just cra_p!
Software companies who do that for this level of software, are kidding themselves. There are way to many free alternatives out there to have to spend a ton of money on theirs.

PS: I bought 8.0 with the guarentee of free upgrades. I only got upgraded to 9.0 before they changed their policy on this and now I have to pay 20 bucks to get either of the new 10.0 or 11.0 versions.

CyberHobo reviewed v11.0.231 Beta on Apr 6, 2005

I'm the disappointed owner of Media Jukebox 8. Since their release of Media Center they have kicked all users of Media Jukebox to the curb. I would like to endorse the statement that when you have a negative (although productive) thing to say on their forum, your post gets censored.

We were also supposed to get an update from Media Jukebox to Media Center but this never happened. All the upgrade links turned into dead ends, support questions were answered vaguely and then totally ignored.

While Media Jukebox has excellent sound (with the aid of the DFX plugin) it does crash occasionally. Crash reports go unanswered and they do not get anymore of my business. I'm affraid that when they have a new Media Center product they will do the same thing.

ghammer reviewed v11.0.225 Beta on Mar 28, 2005

Excellent sound, excellent library and smartlists, plays any format I have wanted to play.

Once some issues are fixed, it also tags, rips in secure or burst mode, records, transcodes, syncs to other devices, plays video, has a media server built in, etc, etc.

The sound without any plugins, eq, DSP, etc is very nice. And if you like that sort of thing there are plenty of DSP settings, you can load DirectX plugins, and more.

If you want a great library, some visuals, smartlists, and more, then this is the best choice.

And, on my system, this has run for months without any huge problems. Yep, its an alpha/beta. It has quirks. But it is certainly quite able.

Give it a try, you'll like it!

CalJohn reviewed v11.0.225 Beta on Mar 28, 2005

App is just OK. Their support sucks though. If you post anything negative about the app in their support forum, you post will get censored. If they ask your opinion about a feature, make sure your opinion matches theirs if you want your post to not get deleted.

Lurifax reviewed v11.0.225 Beta on Mar 28, 2005

Can you say bloated? Unstable? Well, okay.

photonboy reviewed v11.0.213 Beta on Mar 14, 2005

Ratings on this product could easily vary depending on your use of it.

I play several xvid/divx/3ivx movies and they all play better on bsplayer.

It's a very ambitious program, but I've found that I've reverted to using separate programs to view my pictures (ACDSee), play my movies (BSPlayer or Media Player Classic 6.4.8.3) and play my music (back to MusicMatch, but JRiver does a good job).

I own this progam having been looking for an all-in-one solution, so I hope that they make the movies more compatible and fix several of the smaller issues that I find a annoying.

ghammer reviewed v11.0.213 Beta on Mar 12, 2005

Excellent sound, excellent library and smartlists, plays any format I have wanted to play.

Once some issues are fixed, it also tags, rips in secure or burst mode, records, transcodes, syncs to other devices, plays video, has a media server built in, etc, etc.

DLX- [giggle]
Have you even even tried the app? From your 'review' I doubt it.

The sound without any plugins, eq, DSP, etc is very nice. And if you like that sort of thing there are plenty of DSP settings, you can load DirectX plugins, and more.

I see lots of ill-informed opinions on this app. But I never see a valid recommendation of what folks should try that is even remotely in the same ball park.

WMP? Well, I guess if you have nothing but downloaded MP3s and WMA it is adequate.

Winamp? Which version? 2, 3, 5? The DRM'd one or the one that won't play? Oh, you get the point.

Nope, for strictly playback of audio, foobar is as close to this as you are going to get.

But if you want a great library, some visuals, smartlists, and more, then this is the sole choice.

And, on my system, this has run for months without any huge problems. Yep, its an alpha/beta. It has quirks. But it is certainly quite able, and by the way, does not put drivers on your system. Who was the fool who keeps claiming that?

Give it a try, you'll like it!

Dreimanis reviewed v11.0.213 Beta on Mar 12, 2005

calm down guys. ease past. j.river's media center is the best all-in-one thingy around anyways

DLX reviewed v11.0.213 Beta on Mar 12, 2005

Weak. Really weak. Unstable (OK, it is a beta), freezes repeatedly, when it works it produces strangely low-quality audio.

You'll be better off using pretty much any other similar application.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.0.213 Beta on Mar 12, 2005

What can one say about the illustrious rijp?

[ ] Knows what a "driver" is.

[X] Mistakenly thinks that Media Center 11 installs drivers of its own, despite the fact that not a single .SYS file is installed by it.

[ ] Makes a good point.

[ ] Argues in a comprehensible fashion.

[X] Stands up for Winamp as if it's still worth anything.

[X] Is seemingly riddled with anger, yet tells me that I'm "wired".

[X] Accuses Media Center of "intruding on winsows" (sic), yet fails to clearly explain WTF that means.

[ ] Has been taking his Prozac as prescribed.

[X] Tells me that I "have no life", yet wrote a 2,000-word essay of his own below.

[X] Needs to calm down.

joseph520 reviewed v11.0.90 Beta on Feb 28, 2005

better

FOREGO reviewed v11.0.90 Beta on Feb 7, 2005

rijp wrote Feb 7, 2005
"It still puts drivers"

I am using Media Center 11.0.90 Beta and checked driver files by DriverView(http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html), but I couldn't find any driver DLL or SYS files.
Can you show us any specific driver file names which you insist that Media Center “still puts” ?

Sapphire reviewed v11.0.88 Beta on Feb 6, 2005

Works great for me. If you are having an issue with something then stay with the 10 series. Current retail version is 10.155, in their forums you can get 10.173. Runs very stable, best their is in my eyes anyway.

Mel

ghammer reviewed v11.0.88 Beta on Feb 6, 2005

Well, well, well. Some people here seem to have an agenda. Tough.

J. River Media Center is without peer in its capabilities. No, Winamp ain't got it, nor QCD, nor foobar, nor well you get my point.

Got a library? Act as a media server to other clients and UPnP devices? Rip, burn, analyze, tag, intelligent playlist, cover art, manage audio, video, documents, pictures? Hmmm, not in the same league then.

Does it "break Windows"? No, get a clue.

Does it have some background services? Yes, it can be a media server. But only if you enable the feature.

Does it have some problems? Yep, if you read the name of this it is a BETA! You want perfect, don't use alpha/beta apps. Pretty simple.

By the way, the current version is actually 11.0.190 available on the J. River site via the forums.

If installing MC causes your system to become unstable, you have big problems and should get someone knowledgeable to take a look
Now take your silly statements elsewhere.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.0.88 Beta on Feb 6, 2005

"I can tell by the posts, especially the most recent ones, you are not a hard core user like primus and myself, otherwise you would notice what we already have been trying to tell you."

Yeah, that's it. If someone disagrees with you, discredit them as not being "hard core" like yourself. You're just another disgruntled user.

I don't use Media Center 11 for everything it's capable of. I just use it to rip CDs, to burn CDs, to tag, organize, and play. And it does that well for me. So, if the program works well for me, I must be doing something wrong? Or I'm just not "hard core" enough? Sure, that makes sense to me.

This isn't to say that I haven't had my share of problems with Media Center. I have, but the current iteration works well for me.

As for "background services", Media Center has exactly none. Or, if I'm wrong, name them for me. (Note: I'm talking about applications that install and run as true services--in the Windows sense of the word--and which run by default.) There is the Media Scheduler application, but you're prompted during installation to enable that or not, and it doesn't run as a service, but merely a standard Win32 application.

Comparing Media Center to Winamp is a complete joke. Winamp's interface sucks, and has always sucked. And does it have secure ripping? How you liking that wonderful "Winamp Library"? Piece of crap.

rijp reviewed v11.0.88 Beta on Feb 6, 2005

What he is saying is, This program boggs windows the point of interference. Of course this program doesn't change the integral functions of windows, so that's its useless, but as another technical support person, I can give a list of programs that do the same thing. And he is right, it is bad programming. Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean its not poorly written you just have not come across it yet. I too have had this program since 5, upgraded to 6, then 7, 8.. I would have to say, it has gotten worse, and I paid for it, although I didn't complain. I just switched to something else. WMP for example is good enough for me.. all i need is a player, I keep my mp3 tagging and library elsewhere, I don't need this program to do anything but play music. But even when I try to use the built in music library, it crashes, I try to use the online purchase, 50% of the time it locks up. Its definately something with this program. When its on the machine (not running in foreground, it does have a couple of background services) it affects windows behavior. I remove it, Windows is back to normal.. what would you call it? A fluke? I don't think so. This program sucks out loud. Don't touch it, leave it where it is. The only thing this program is useful, is a keosk in a department store to show up the nice screens. That's it. I can tell by the posts, especially the most recent ones, you are not a hard core user like primus and myself, otherwise you would notice what we already have been trying to tell you, this program is poor and the support is lacking. Even reading the support forums for this software you can see a lot of paying customers are upset.

There are numerous programs that do what this program does, but 10 times better, namely, Winamp. Winamp does everything this program can, and the skin support is better. If you like this program, great! If you are thinking about trying it, I would recommend moving to another vendor. I can almost guarantee, this program will cause problems on your machine.

httpd.confused reviewed v11.0.148 Alpha on Jan 17, 2005

Interferes with Windows? Breaks Windows altogether? Give me a break; Media Center doesn't even install a single driver file.

The truth is that you encountered what you perceived as rudeness from the J. River staff, so you're fighting back with claims that attempt to hurt the reputation of their product.

I can vouch for the behavior of some people in the Media Center forums. I'm not interested in being sued for defamation, but let's just say that I know some of the higher-ups at J. River spend a lot of time figuring out who to pick on in their forum. I can't comprehend the business sense or the psychology behind it, but it has happened to a lot of people, including me. And plenty of the users who hang out there for 12 hours a day can be incredibly narrow-minded and arrogant, too. But the actual developers of Media Center--of which there is only a small handful--are good guys who don't give anyone grief.

Media Center 11 works well for me, but past experience makes it possible for me to empathize with the people who complain about bug chasing. Bug chasing? Yeah--that's when you encounter a serious flaw in a program, and it does eventually get fixed, but only in a later version of the application, which requires a new registration fee. So, you open your wallet, get the bug fix, but then encounter one or more new flaws, and the cycle begins anew.

FOREGO reviewed v11.0.148 Alpha on Dec 14, 2004

To Primis (Dec 14, 2004)

You said "it interferes with basic Windows functionality", but you have not mentioned about any specific "functionality".

As far as I know, Media Center didn't change any Windows registry key/value concerned to "basic Windows functionality" as you have mentioned, and Media Center didn't submit any startup processes such as harmful malwares usually submit.

Can you show any evidence that Media Center can damage "basic Windows functionality", with explanation about which EXE processes /DLLs/registry keys are the cause of each problem.

If you cannot show any evidence, you are mere a liar or paranoia...

Primis reviewed v11.0.148 Alpha on Dec 14, 2004

I've had to remove this software from quite a few of my customers' machines because it interferes with basic Windows functionality and basically can breaks Windows altogether. It is poorly-coded, and the person/people behind it will vehemently deny and attack any bug report or heads-up, even if it's something horribly-obvious and critical. I can also second the awful treatment I've seen them give their *paying* customers on the "support" forums.

My current policy is to immediately uninstall it from any problem system I see, as if it were any other piece of malware. It's that bad. I've also had other cutomers rant and gripe to me about it themselves when the topic comes up.

You shouldn't tarnish your machine with this piece of trash, nor should you support the rude, unhelpful people behind it.

NOTE TO FORGO: Get real. This is a review section, not a technical support section, so I'm giving an honest review. I have all the details on work orders from the past year, but you demand a 5-page report in the middle of the review? I o know for a fact the people behind this product have the same information because I sent it all to them.

When presented with this information, they replied to me in the manner I would expect a bratty 8-year-old. They chose to ignore it and be nasty back to me instead.

-- Primis.

ghammer reviewed v11.0.133 Beta on Nov 29, 2004

Media Center 11 is a very nice tool for your media. It also has document handling, but I do not use it and can't comment.
But for audio of nearly any format, this is the one tool you need. Rip, burn, tag, play, stream to other machines, convert between formats or bitrates, etc., etc.
Is it perfect? Naaah, it's in development. But it does the things I want now and gets better each build.
Try it and see if you don't agree.

CyberHobo reviewed v10.0.149 on Sep 9, 2004

I loved Media Jukebox 7. Updated to 8 and all development stopped. Media Center is bloatware and very buggy. I went back to Media Jukebox 8 and stayed there.

Forum is run by snobby snoots, that do not cater to their paying customers. Many suggestions and constructive opinions are censored.

I'm afraid to purchase Media Center because they might stop development and leave their paying customers high and dry like they did with Media Jukebox 8.

httpd.confused reviewed v10.0.149 on Aug 20, 2004

The 10.x version has not stopped being developed. There is an official 10.0.155 build available on the primary download site and via the Media Center automatic update function, and an even-newer 10.0.161 build available through the Media Center forum. New features may not be going in, but bugs are being fixed. The 10.x version has not been abandoned. And I would not recommend running alpha-quality software in favor of it.

Media Center has its shortcomings, but it is a good all-in-one media utility. And it can rip better than anything else on the market.

But I'll never give any skin-only application five stars.

ghammer reviewed v10.0.149 on Jul 8, 2004

I gave this a high mark on previous versions. This version has problems in ripping and writing CDs. Also, be aware that the 10.x version has stopped being developed and the developer has started a new 11.x version. If I were starting from scratch, I'd look at the 11.x alpha/beta version and decide if I like it. The 10.x version is a deadend at this point.

  reviewed v10.0.139 on May 25, 2004

So let me get this straight, Nila; I can replace Media Center with the 3,000 applications you list? Cool! What utility do I use to tame my gigantic new Start Menu? LOL. I do agree with some of your comments regarding the J. River forum, but that is neither here nor there; where a review of the actual *software* is concerned, I must assert that Media Center is now *better* than EAC for ripping, and that it is dead reliable for burning and the other functions I use it for. It is pretty heavy though, and I hate the "skin only" mode they forced upon us a version ago. But you rate based on a grudge, not your honest opinion. You had a falling out with Jim, but if the software was all that awful, why did you hang around so very long in the first place?

ghammer reviewed v10.0.139 on May 25, 2004

It's an excellent media tool in the latest versions. Some people get their feelings hurt by not having their suggestions included in the frequent builds. But in all, there is no other app that provides the level of functionality that MC 10.x does. You name it, if it has to do with sound, MC is an excellent tool to use.

nila reviewed v10.0.57 Beta on Feb 6, 2004

MC version 10.0.62

MC v10 in a LOT of ways has gone backwards from v9.1. In a failed attempt to simplify the program for beginners, alot of the power has been removed from it.
v10 is extremely memory and CPU intensive and is prone to a significant number of 'Media Core Errors' making the whole program crash. With my library loaded into Winamp5 it used 40Mb of Ram at it's peak useage and 0% CPU useage for playback. MC v10 on the other hand uses 140Mb at it's max with the same library and uses on average 7% CPU for playback.

*- After three years using the software I am now using Winamp5 (winamp.com) for my music which is free and finding it ALOT better and less of a resource hog.
*- For ripping I am now using EAC (exactaudiocopy.de) which is free and just as good, if not better than MC (which does not look up CD information from any of the known CD databases but instead has it's own database it tries to use).
*- For tagging mp3tag or Tag&Rename are both far supperior.
*- For burning I use Nero which works without fail every time unlike Media Center which nearly always seems to lock up my system and half the time makes dodgy CD's. A free alternative that works great though is DeepBurner (deepburner.com/)
*- For managing my growing collection I am currently trying to chose between Adobe Photo Album, Jasc Photo Album and iMatch.
*- For htpc myHTPC (free) is far superior and the soon to be released myHTPC2 is going to blow everything out of the water.

All in all, you can do everything MC does and better with free programs instead of the hefty $40 price tag that MC has for a program that is ALWAYS in beta with no support other than a forum on which you are often ignored or treated rudely. (even the supposed 'final' versions have bugs and fixes are never released, you have to simply upgrade to the new version).

Also, you never actually 'own' MC. To activate and register the program you have to connect to their website and activations are limited to 10 per year. If you end up needing to install the software more than this for any reason you will have to buy a new license.

Overall MC is a great program with a LOT of potential which is why it attracts so much excitement from users to begin with. They see the potential and get very excited, especially seeing as they are aloud to post ideas to add and contribute towards helping it fulfill that potential. Unfortunately this potential is never met and eventually users give up and move on.

New builds are released every few days with bug fixes and new features but unfortunately, although this appears to be good in that it is always gaining new features, in reality it means that most builds have something else broken that used to work, half the fixes that appear in each build are then just things that were broken in other previous builds. Features have a tendency to appear then disappear meaning that getting familiar with the program can be VERY hard.

The forum appears to be a friendly and open place to talk and get support from other users (these are the only people that usually provide support, JimH the owner rarely answers any problems with a valid or helpful answer and usually tries to blame plugins or system drivers etc.) In actual fact however the posts in the forum are edited heavily and deleted if Jim does not like them or they make Media Center look bad.
Plugin developers, skinners and people who provide the most support are usually listened to the least and new posters are sucked up to with polite fast responses in stark contrast to the lack of responses received by older members.
Most members end up leaving the site after having been fried off with the rudeness of the owner Jim and the lack of any kind of appreciation or even just politeness for their work and efforts.

This thread: http://www.hydrogenaudio...how.php/showtopic/18016 provides some GOOD feedback and example of how most members end up feeling.

videoman reviewed v10.0.57 Beta on Jan 31, 2004

This had lots of potential to develop into the best-in-its-class media manager/player. Unfortunately, J. River has changed focus towards a music subscription service. While it is still a good application, management is no longer listening to its long-time users. And they make you pay to beta test. What a racket. Hairstyle, the HTPC interface is not good at all; myHTPC is much better. Overall, I regret my purchase. Their support forum called Interact should really be called Intercept: there are lots of posts that get deleted.

sauzee reviewed v9.1.316 on Jan 23, 2004

This is the BEST media player by miles if you - especially if you have a large music collection. I spent ages comparing apps and this was head and shoulders above the rest.

the_lord_almighty reviewed v9.1 Build 269 Beta on Oct 7, 2003

pretty nice program, but getting sick of waiting for a non-beta build... 9.1 has been in development for a long-asse time.

ghammer reviewed v9.0.174 on May 16, 2003

Well, having given this a 2 weks ago, I thought i better take a look at what they say is the release version.

Yes, I backed up my music BEFORE installing this.

No problems with tags this time around. In fact, no problems with any of the features I tried out. And it was quite a task to look at so many features! This is a very nice app. It rips, it burns, it plays, is uses the codecs I like (like LAME, ogg, etc). Has pretty cool ways of visualization, the library is second to none. And it has way cool auto-playlists.
Ok, what's bad? Only the price. I'd still like to see an audio only version of this. I live in Chna, I have no ability to use TIVO so really don't like to pay for the ability.

Otherwise, a very nice effort. Give it a look. Much better than MusicMatch 8 both feature and sound. But then it's twice the price.

drosoph reviewed v9.0.168 on May 3, 2003

Excellent Jukebox app. Been using it with TiVo HMO (seamlessly)! The problems you see others have talked about are in the older version (more than 20 version back) and no longer exist. And, from the forums, it appears that it is solid enough that they are going to release it Non-BETA in the coming weeks.

angelgirlindy3 reviewed v9.0.155 Beta on Apr 21, 2003

very nice program--almost as good as Nero

ghammer reviewed v9.0.148 Beta on Apr 14, 2003

Please re-read my comments.

I said that I do not like any program that makes changes to my files without asking/telling me what they are going to do.

And, since many will try this without paying the relatively high price it is good to know that you may have to rebuild your music collection as the tags will be changed.

For me that involved 2 days of lookups and retagging as the tags had been converted to ID3 v2.4 and had the comment fields replaced either with 4 or 5, or 9.0.147

If Media Center did not do this to my files, it is VERY odd that the version and build of the program is in the comment field.

There had been info about the songs in those fields. What the CD was, what app I used to rip, to encode, etc. All gone.

Notice that I did not say it was a bad player, it is pretty good at that. I see others report heavy resource usage, but I did not see that at all. It is on par with QCD or MusicMatch in that area.

The place it failed my testing was in converting and changing all tags without notice.

And for that it gets a 2. It is trial software after all and it is VERY difficult to replace the info it changes. BTW- Do you know of other apps that support ID3 v2.4 tags?

Without the tag item I'd give it a 4. It is way overblown for a music app, but then again it says it is more. I'd like to see their audio only app be updated to this level.
Why pay for TiVO support when I do not and can't ever own one?

10S4ME reviewed v9.0.148 Beta on Apr 14, 2003

This is a GREAT program. I've followed the beta versions and can tell you that any complaint you read for the older versions (anything before today because improvements are made daily) doesn't exist any longer! This company is very responsive to suggestions and problems. Yes, you can alter ID tags. This is benefit, not problem! I don't understand why someone would want make changes and not want them to affect the tags. The program allows you to rip a CD, burn a new compilation or change the format of your files. It will play more file types than I even recognize and also incorporates organization and viewing of video and image files, tv viewing and recording and now works with tivo! The Media Server provides on-demand streaming of your music. Rip once, play anywhere. Listen to the music on your home computer from work, from a friend's house, or on your laptop from anywhere else in the house. I learn more about this program each day and all I can tell you is the trial period is more than enough to realize you can't live without this program!

ghammer reviewed v9.0.147 on Apr 12, 2003

It's an ok app, but it makes changes to the MP3 tags without mentioning it will do so. If you rate a song, it stores the rating in the comment field of the ID3 tag for the song. The bad thing is that it replaces the existing comment and never says this is what it is going to do.
For an app that uses a database for MP3 management, this was surprising.
It is not a CPU pig on my system. Also doesn't use much in the way of memory for the most part. When initially building your library it is intensive, but all apps have been when scannig for files and adding them to a library. Playing media is fine here.

For those who don't take advantage of trying features before you buy, I have just a little sympathy. If I REALLY wanted to get a refund I'd dispute the cahrge with my credit card company. In 99% of the cases under $100.00 the consumer wins no matter what the retailer says. I'd have to balance that with the fact that did not fully check out an app before rushing to buy it. Sure sounds like te users fault/problem to me, but there's a way to work it.

dssdbs reviewed v9.0.143 on Apr 7, 2003

I actually purchased this product without fully trying it out first, I'll admit that was my mistake.

Main reason I bought it, was that it claimed to support Liquid Audio files along with a multitude of other formats. Turns out that you have to have Real Audio Player installed along with the Liquid Audio plugin for the Real Audio Player for it to support it. This is false advertising. I requested a refund based on this, but they refused saying that they don't offer refunds under any circumstances. The player, as pointed out by others, is a major CPU/Memory Hog, and is nothing spectacular either. There are many, many other players that are better and cost less, or are freeware. I can't recommend this product to anyone. There is a reason they keep changing their name. They have a bad reputation, and hope that by changing their name, they can gain some unsuspecting customers. Too bad we can't rate things with negative stars, this particular software isn't even worthy of 1 star, it is much worse than just "bad".

Khaos reviewed v9.0.142 on Apr 5, 2003

Excellent organizing tool. Strong DB and great sound.
I only gave it 4 stars because of the high CPU drain, but I run it on a 600MHz laptop as well as a 1.3GHz desktop with no problems. I've been running this company's product for over a year now and I'm very happy.

Plus it offers the APE compression tagging format. It's lossless. A must for true audiophiles.

molivos reviewed v9.0.105 on Feb 1, 2003

I think this is a really great program

Faction reviewed v9.0.105 on Jan 31, 2003

big Time Ram and Cpu Hog 1 star here Sorry

the_lord_almighty reviewed v9.0.86 Beta on Dec 10, 2002

it's a pretty good app if you've got a lot of music. by the way, it's called MEDIA CENTER now. (as if that much has really changed from version 8?)

foxed99 reviewed v9.0.85 Beta on Dec 4, 2002

The programme itself is great, but 2 things kill it, totally for me!
a) The lag/ CPU cycles the app uses are ridiculous!! Even with visualisations if you have any other modertae CPU app, running the whole system slows to a crawl AND you get music brown-outs from MJ!! Come on guys!! Are you serious??

b) The app links with M$ WMP 9.0 and has in the past checked to see if I have a DRM plug-in to play my music!

Are you kidding me or what?? Nobody bypasses my firewall and authorised it to do this, so it has now been locked down and disabled.

I have been a user since version 6.0... but not anymore.

The f0x

XF reviewed v8.0.356 on Aug 29, 2002

A very good suite! I don't use it to play mp3s (QCD for that...), but it's very useful for organizing local & remote music, find internet radios, etc... but is it really freeware? It says "UNREGISTERED - 27 days left in the trial period"

MMPD reviewed v8.0.356 on Aug 27, 2002

Great program for ripping cd's or converting mp3's to ogg.
Video Playbacks good. Sound with vizulizations really good ones, however on highest quality it laggs ya to death least on my comp P4 1.7 GHZ 512 MB RD Ram 2 19 inch monitors, V5 and a Geforce 3 .... probably would work better for someone using a 2.0 ghz or higher... other then that very nice program :)

busta reviewed v8.0.265 Beta on May 3, 2002

Whatever you do, don't get Media Jukebox mixed up with MusicMatch Jukebox. Media Jukebox is far better and Version 8 has improved over 7 quite a bit. One thing I noticed which is very good is you can specify commandlines with the LAME MP3 encoder "plugin" for MJ8. I'd recommend for LAME:

--alt-preset standard
or
--alt-preset fast standard (if the previous one is too slow for you)

sorlag reviewed v8.0.248 on Apr 17, 2002

excelent!

bleedingpegasus reviewed v8.0.222 Beta on Mar 7, 2002

This is good!! But look at the CPU utils, on the minimised cool-looking player, almost double than Winamp's. But what the hell, its FREE anyway!!

420sg reviewed v8.0.222 Beta on Mar 7, 2002

Grokster is better. When you remove the spywar the program keeps running. I took the spyware out of Kazaa 1.5 and the program died. And to those of you that think GNU, Limewire, Neomodus, Audio Galaxy and the rest are the way to go, you must be on dial-up. They are all second rate compared to the Fast Track software.

ziggy1 reviewed v8.0.214 Beta on Feb 28, 2002

Great, just as described. No other software performs all these tasks as Media Jukebox does.

GimieGimieGimie reviewed v8.0.214 Beta on Feb 27, 2002

I think this is a really great program, it does exactly what it says on the tin :)

patmc7 reviewed v8.0.175 on Jan 13, 2002

Doesn't seem to be ATI compatable. It wouldn't play DVDs properly nor find any TV channels. And there doesn't seem to be a setting to tell it which video card one is using.

cman21 reviewed v8.0.175 on Jan 13, 2002

this piece of software is a joke.. why not use MICROSOFT software to get the job done?

dougau reviewed v8.0.175 on Jan 13, 2002

I give it a 1 because of the use of deception in the company name. It makes me wonder if it’s full of spy ware also. I’m sure the Microesoft will be hearing from Microsoft lawyers soon

golbex reviewed v8.0.156 on Dec 14, 2001

I used this program back in the day when it was owned by J.River years ago... my how it has progressed since then! I love this program. Lots of work has been put into it. Back then, they didn't nag you so much to buy it, though...

clydenet reviewed v7.1.238 on Jul 12, 2001

This program rocks. Has every feature I need, Ripper, CD Burner, Library, Tagger, Music Server and more.
Check it out. I recommend it.

pacey reviewed v7.0.174 on May 17, 2001

Look all these programs are to bulky all at yamp3.3 it goes down to the clock tray and still has controls to stop play ect... plus you it has a skin that looks just like windows toolbar and the library scrolls like the way the programs come out on the start button.

Lestrade reviewed v6.0.141 on May 3, 2001

I've tried a ton of players, but just couldn't find one to replace Winamp. They were all too cumbersome, slow, or both. This is it -- Media Jukebox is great. In it's "mini-me" mode, it looks exactly like Winamp (even uses Winamp skins and plugins!), and it actually lets you sort by the track number from the ID3 tag (Winamp does not). It's database functions are better and much faster than RealJukeBox. It has a nice small memory footprint in mine-me mode. It's not perfect -- it could use more functions in mini-me mode, for example. However, I haven't seen a better all-around mp3 player and organizer, so it gets a five.

Pudgely reviewed v6.0.118 Beta on Nov 22, 2000

MusicMatch really needs to work on adding to the CD Writers they support. I recently got a new system with an NEC 7500A CDRW and Media Jukebox will not recognize it. Bummer. Otherwise, I think Media Jukebox is excellent! Wrote to their tech support and they responded quickly saying they will see about adding my drive in a future upgrade. I hope so!

javajim reviewed v2.1.245 RC on Jan 28, 2000

I have had some lockup problems when starting program. Currently have about 250 megs of music.