No Luck With Control Points?? - Splashtop

Can you please contact me at joanne.daudier@splashtop.com?

We would like to feature you on our blog's Fan Spotlight entry.

I am probably confused but fail to see how this differs from say XBMC (infact it looks very similar down to the backdrops being used)

Garyi, now I am confused.  XBMC has a screen sharing app? 

I have downloaded and demo'd XBMC at least 3 times.  Not my cup of tea.

How JRMC differs from XBMC, if that is what you are asking about, is that JRMC as a whole is the most sophisticated and powerful player ive seen.  Their Theater View is just bonus eye candy. Play Doctor, Smart Playlists, custom tagging, unlimited tweakability, integrated web browser, the ability to use Theater View as a "shell" to replace Explorer, running programs inside, sexy video and picture database (i dont use), are all ways in which it excels.

It is a database player more than a media player.  And it is worth every penny of $50.

The best part is that it is very well supported.  Go over to their Forum where the developers and company owners actively support the product.  It is a very rich and close knit community of users, experts and devs.  Need help doing something?  A snippet of code comes your way.  Want a new feature?  You will either be explained why it is silly/unneeded or support and possible instant implementation.

Great program...

Joanne, please feel free use whatever you want.

-Patrick

Hi Patrick.

I am struggling with what the app is that your are referencing and how it differs to say XBMC, or PLEX or Boxee.

Here is the display I have to 'suffer' every day in XBMC.

XBMC plays any known video and music format on gods green earth, there are multiple control apps for it on ipad/iphon/droid and recently you can install it onto your iPad if watching a tiny screen is your thing.

It has UPNP built right in.

But as I say I may have missed what you are getting at.

The iPad app is Splashtop. It is simply a screen sharing app.  Rather than looking at a monitor, and controlling with mouse and keyboard, you look at the iPad and touch the screen.

Although the youtube video could be showing anything from a video game to porn, what is actually shown is J River Media Center's "Theater View".

Imagine controlling your XBMC with a iPad running in full screen EXACTLY what you see on your HDTV.

My point is that you dont need a control point if you control the Media Player itself.

How JRMC's Theater View and XBMC differ is a very long irrelevant list.  I use JRMC "Standard View" all of the time and love the program as a whole.  The Theater view is simply bonus eye candy.

I have used every media player program out there.  J River is by FAR the most powerful.  By far.  Not even the devs and designers know what it is capable of.  And out of the box it presents a very nice program for the novice.

-Patrick

So in essence you are on about an app for the media player?

I am sure its a great programme but this is not new breaking Patrick.

I don't personally see the point of duplicating on a pad what you see on screen, I see far more point in seeing all your media beautifully present and once clicked comes out of your hifi/tv, and there are lots of apps that do this.

I'll have a look though. 

I am impressed with jRiver it sounds like a programme that could get men to mars

Patrick,

If I understand correctly the set-up is the following:

- One PC on the network

- on the PC is installed the Media Player of your choice

- the PC is connected to your Hi-Fi system either via UPNP or USB or other

- the Ipad is connected to the network via Wifi

- on the Ipad is installed Splashtop

- using Splashtop, you can from the Ipad navigate on your PC remotely, therefore controlling the Media Player that you like.

So Splashtop is like Remote Deskto (or Radmin or VNC) but cross-platform for Ipad, right?

With this approach you are in fact directly controlling the "server" (the PC) allowing the use of all the processing power and the resources of this machine.

The n-Stream application on the other hand, is controlling from the client (NaimUniti or NDX) which probably has much less memory and processing capacity than a PC, and also has less features than regular Media Player (play lists)

One con to the Splashtop solution is that you need to keep a PC switched on. However this machine does not have to be visible and the hi-fi user does not have to interact directly with it.

The other con is that you probably cannot control the volume, which is possible with n-Stream application.

Interesting. Thank you Patrick.

Yes, I am "on about" an app.  It is not an app for the media player.  It is an app for anything.  Want to visit a flash website on your iPad?

Yes, I realize this isn't earth shattering information, thanks for pointing that out.  I have played with some screen sharing apps on the iPad but all left something to be desired.  This one works wonderfully for me.

FOR ME, the point of controlling the actual player is because there is no Control Point in existence (although PlugPlayer comes closest) which will give me:

- My scrolling lyrics (Foobar)

- Sexy scrolling artist slideshow

- Tagging ability

- Other features inherent to the media player (Play Doctor)

- Video and Pictures

- Importing new music

- Resorting a playlist e.g. by date or duration

- Pulling up a full bio wiki

- Accessing the media player's "Options"

ad infinitum

I realize most are happy to go to the server computer for these activities.  But I would like to remove the computer altogether, put it in a closet somewhere and forget about it. 

I would prefer a control point for most listening activities.  But when the time comes to do something "deeper" I would like to not have to turn on the HDTV and bust out the mouse and keyboard.  Or walk into the office (away from the music) to change a tag or import some new rips.

Now I just need a streamer.............

-Patrick

Alamanka.

Correct on all points (i assume you are correct on your NDX comments).

You can control the volume very easily with the slider in the player.

For me, and most, a nice control point is very important.  But propping up the iPad on the coffee table while entertaining and watching the gorgeous artist slideshow (J River), or scrolling lyrics (Foobar) for partytime hammered sing-along is a blast!! 

I am simply attracted to the idea of needing ONLY an iPad to perform EVERYTHING besides putting a CD in the drive for ripping.

I like to see this on the iPad when playing:

It does look nice, I must say.

I am not advocating that anyone uses XBMC but all the things you mention can be done with XBMC and the variety of apps (Including karoke), I just fear you spent money when you could have had it for free.

BUt hey ho.

The above screen shot is my Foobar.  It is my free player.  I like it for guests as it is the most intuitive.  More so even than iTunes I find...  Also all of my friends have their Remote Apps paired with my Foobar so they can take over as they desire.

As for XBMC vs J River, there is no comparison.  Like Ive said, I have tried XBMC and I simply dont like it.  I just downloaded it for the fourth time I think yesterday.  Still not my cup of tea. I dont like "skinned" players and there is no standard UI for mass tagging etc...

Regarding the $50 price tag.  That is nothing for a serious piece of software like this.  And I haven't even scratched the surface of what it can do.  I only use JRMC for video and photos via PlugPlayer when I am away from home or on a trip, otherwise I never use even those basic features (VLC and Picasa work well for my needs there).

Cheers!

Patrick