[Fixed in v7.0] JRiver MC31 not playing when 29 is also installed

[Manni]

Yes, MPC-VR or madVR is kind of needed for HDR content in MPD-BE.
MPC-VR < JRVR < madVR is how it currently goes.

MPC-VR is great as a "cheap and dirty option".

Jriver is best for menus, which is why I'm using it. It also works fine with madVR, and it offers JRVR for low-power rigs.

Glad you discovered it!

[Manni]

By the way, thanks for your report on ghost Spectre and re reboot/freeze options. Is the $50 per year, or does it keep working even if you don't renew? I could just about justify a one off purchase, but not a yearly fee.

Re our other discussion, I couldn't get auto-login to work with Windows 11 (At least not on a multi account machine with windows hello enabled, which I want to keep) and I wasn't successful in trying various methods to auto-lauch CMC with the registry.

However, this is moot, because my ASRock MB doesn't seem to be able to respond to WOL from power off. As it only works from standby, it's just as easy to put the CMC PC on stadnby instead of power off and send the WOL then. No need for auto-launch or auto-login that way

Re GUI, the only changes I made were to auto-hide the taskbar and select the only high-contrast theme with a true black screen (I think it's called nigth star). With that, I was up and going. Not enough to justify a tips & tricks write-up.

[Pauven]

Is the $50 per year, or does it keep working even if you don't renew? I could just about justify a one off purchase, but not a yearly fee.

The Deep Freeze license is a one-time purchase. Note, they do offer a web based solution, which incurs a subscription fee - do NOT get that one. Get the standalone option.

The license I bought for my mother's PC was easily 4 years ago. Still working great. She actually called me this morning to report that her PC was showing warning messages about being infected and not to turn it off. She was quite worried, though obviously she had just wandered onto some scam pages trying to trick her into calling for help. I've noticed when she searches for stuff, she just randomly clicks links and doesn't really understand what she's clicking on, or how to verify a site is legit. And she's way beyond the point of being able to learn this.

Luckily she called me, and I had her reboot - problem solved. Love it.

A couple years ago she was trying to fix a paper jam on her Dell printer on her own, and whatever she searched and clicked on resulted in a scammer calling her on the phone, and she gave him a remote connection to her PC, where he messed around a bit, installing crap and trying make her think her PC was really messed up. She finally asked if all of this "help" was going to cost anything, and he quoted her several hundred dollars. She got cold feet, called me, and I had her reboot - problem solved. Well, except for the printer, but that was a different matter. The scammer called her a few more times, but by then she was happy to call him a scammer to his face and hang up on him.

Re our other discussion, I couldn't get auto-login to work with Windows 11 (At least not on a multi account machine with windows hello enabled, which I want to keep) and I wasn't successful in trying various methods to auto-lauch CMC with the registry.

All the more reason to have a dedicated HTPC without any of these hurdles set up.

However, this is moot, because my ASRock MB doesn't seem to be able to respond to WOL from power off. As it only works from standby, it's just as easy to put the CMC PC on stadnby instead of power off and send the WOL then. No need for auto-launch or auto-login that way

Typical integrated NIC limitation. I've had luck in the past with ASRock support adding BIOS features when I opened a ticket, so that may be worth a shot.

But standby is a great option too, much quicker start up and more like a regular set-top.

Re GUI, the only changes I made were to auto-hide the taskbar and select the only high-contrast theme with a true black screen (I think it's called nigth star).

Thanks for mentioning this. I'd never looked into Accessibility/Contrast themes before, and I thought modern Windows was much less functional - now I see some of the settings moved into Contrast options. I see a Night Sky option, probably the one you used.

[Pauven]

MPC-VR is great as a "cheap and dirty option".
...
Glad you discovered it!

Well if the MPC Video Renderer is cheap and dirty, I have no idea what I'm missing out on. It sure looks amazing to me. I'm sure I'll have the time someday to figure out the good stuff, but for now MPC-VR is still the best I've ever had.

[Jamie]

Well

Well if the MPC Video Renderer is cheap and dirty, I have no idea what I'm missing out on. It sure looks amazing to me. I'm sure I'll have the time someday to figure out the good stuff, but for now MPC-VR is still the best I've ever had.

Yes, Often times ignorance is bliss. I am happy with 7.2 surround sound without atmos and I don't know what I am missing which is saving me a lot of money. I will get a good budget receiver with 7.2 surround sound. i really miss my denon. Miss playing music and movies. I use bluetooth Head phones right now. my medical bills really suck me dry every year, so I am happy to be moving to a new medicare supplement plan in January. Hopefully that frees up some money. Would love to get a great tv someday. My sister got a tcl 400 series for christmas last year. She and my brother really like it but I notice the flaws like blooming in the upper right corner and center. I've thought of calibrating it with Spears & Munsil uhd calibration disc but I'm afraid that I might make it so that they don't like it any more. I some times watch 4k hdr movies on it but it it doesn't wow me. I turn it from normal to movie mode but they complain that the picture is too dark. also the picture seems a little too blue to me. I don't mention the problems to them. It is her tv and if she likes it, Don't kill her and my brother's satisfaction with it. It is a 4k hdr tv but it is not FALD, or mini led like the 600 series, or Q series

[Pauven]

I know exactly what you mean. My brother-in-law swears by motion interpolation, or whatever it's called, where it creates like 4 fake frames for 1 real frame. First time I watched a movie on his set I thought it was shot on a handy-cam and they were going for the home movie effect, looked absolutely trash, and the whole movie I couldn't pay attention to anything other than the horrible image. Then the next day we watched another movie, and again the horrible handy-cam footage and I finally realized what was going on. Sometimes I sneak the setting off, but for the most part I just don't watch anything on the rare occasion I'm at their place, since he always turns it back on.

But for the most part, when it comes to expensive items like cars and theater gear, I'd rather not know what I'm missing out on. For now, I'm happy enough with my Sony wireless surround kit and Optima projector. My dreams of having a better setup someday keep me motivated, but I don't really feel like I'm missing out on much right now. Sure, I can see and hear flaws, but only if I'm paying attention, and I'd much rather pay attention to the content.