I've played with Foobar for several years. It can do almost thing you can think of, but it takes alot of trial and error. I got tired of tweaking and found this theme/skin - one of the best I've seen so far...
ZiX++ | FoobarSkins.com
I believe everything you need for this theme is included, which makes it easier to install.
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4121/capturenewscreen.png
cleaned mine up a bit, and here the same with the dock able bio panel
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3007/capturewbio.png
cleaned mine up a bit, and here the same with the dock able bio panel
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3007/capturewbio.png
Here is bio panel:
foobar2000 component’u‚«�ê
scroll down the page.
You also need the dockable panel component from foobar component site.
foobar2000 component’u‚«�ê
scroll down the page.
You also need the dockable panel component from foobar component site.
Nice to see some good Foobar skins here. They look very handy.
I tried to love Foobar, but it did not love me. So I ran away with JRiver - we're happy.
Might have stuck with Foobar if I'd seen those interfaces.
JRiver does have the advantage of a killer remote interface, but it's not in the free version, AFAIK.
I tried to love Foobar, but it did not love me. So I ran away with JRiver - we're happy.
Might have stuck with Foobar if I'd seen those interfaces.
JRiver does have the advantage of a killer remote interface, but it's not in the free version, AFAIK.
foobar has UpnP server and controller. And everything for free. Unless you want to help development and donate, or develop your own components.
Foobar and Ipod
foobar2000: Components Repository - iPod manager
iDon't own no stinking iAnything.
The reason I found JRiver is because of its vast remote capabilities. At the time, the Foobar stuff just wasn't there.
Don't make me try Foobar again! I'm very set in my ways, now. 😛
The reason I found JRiver is because of its vast remote capabilities. At the time, the Foobar stuff just wasn't there.
Don't make me try Foobar again! I'm very set in my ways, now. 😛
not trying to convert those settled in their ways, just show the noobs the shining path...
I think I have tried most players out there since I have my media pc. Until I started to really tinker with foobar I used winamp, VLC and media monkey regularly.
Monkey crashed regularly, winamp t not enough options to show things my way, so after months and months of using third rate players I came back to foobar especially after they developed version 1...
Then it made sense and really has options way beyond what any of the other players offer. Maybe one or two options other players have are easier or more intuitive, but as a package foobar is way beyond any of the others, just look at the decoding options available.
I cannot think of an audio format foobar cannot decode...
I am using vlc, on both windows and linux, usually playing flac files. Also does all kinds of video...
Hi,
What is all this prehistoric rubbish doing there? Foobar has a sell by date in the name!
Media Portal with Asio Music Player is superb, for a stand alone server controlled using a remote control. One CAN also use C-Play as external music player for Media Portal.
Media Jukebox V12 with ASIO is a good choice for a laptop etc.
If sound quality is the only concern and the audio hardware is not fully async CMP^2 still rules, but the usability really leaves a lot to be desired.
What I have been thinking of for a long time is to get actually a very lightweight "Media Browser" application that acts strictly as remote or touchscreen controlled GUI and browser for media (all media) with coverart grab and the like and then calls any external lightweight, sound quality optimised player, be it C-Play or whatever...
Sadly this sees not to be happening. The closest to such a framework is really right now MediaPortal, which has it's own framework for external player and excellent GUI etc.
Ciao T
What is all this prehistoric rubbish doing there? Foobar has a sell by date in the name!
Media Portal with Asio Music Player is superb, for a stand alone server controlled using a remote control. One CAN also use C-Play as external music player for Media Portal.
Media Jukebox V12 with ASIO is a good choice for a laptop etc.
If sound quality is the only concern and the audio hardware is not fully async CMP^2 still rules, but the usability really leaves a lot to be desired.
What I have been thinking of for a long time is to get actually a very lightweight "Media Browser" application that acts strictly as remote or touchscreen controlled GUI and browser for media (all media) with coverart grab and the like and then calls any external lightweight, sound quality optimised player, be it C-Play or whatever...
Sadly this sees not to be happening. The closest to such a framework is really right now MediaPortal, which has it's own framework for external player and excellent GUI etc.
Ciao T
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Hi,
Media Portal is a full playback/Media Centre software, open source, with a lively community supporting many extensions.
The Audio Section offers both Audio based on the BASS Library (which does offer ASIO and supposedly gap-less playback, the fact that gapless does not always work means I do not use it), which is I believe also used as foundation for Foobar.
But Ted Siedstra (aka Symphy) has written two playback add ins (ASIO and Windows Audio) that work better for gapless, allow more control about buffer length and so on, while being fully integrated seamlessly in Media Portal. I use that for Music Playback.
For Video Playback it uses DirectX or external players. Using a video codec package called SAF (Stand Alone Filters) I can playback anything out there, with full DXVA (Direct X Video Acceleration).
I have at times used VLC or MPC-HC for actual video playback, when there was no codec package that integrated well with Media Portal and allowed hardware video acceleration, but since SAF 3.0 this has no longer been neccesary.
I use a "Skin" called Black Glass Nova (click link for more screenshots) right now, I tend to change skins ever halve a year or so, if something nice comes out.
I also use the My Movies and My TV Series Plugins to manage all my movies and tv series.
Really, next to Media Portal + ASIO Music Player + SAF 5 or later + My Movies + My TV Series (+ My Anime if you are an Otaku) even serious payware like JRMC looks not so hot.
My Media PC is based on the OrigenAE S16T Case with a 7" Touchscreen, which is fine to select music.
The TV is used if using the remote, for Movies I am driving an Optma DLP Projector with an 84" motorised screen BTW.
Rest is a fanless Atom 330 Motherboard (ecs with both PCI & PCI-e slots) with a fanless ATI Radeon Video Card (includes DVI, VGA, Component and S-Video outputs), Pico PSU, mirrored 2TB WD AV Drives for media...
My Girlfriend, her sister and even her mother when she is around use this system on a daily basis to play music, movies and TV content.
Ciao T
Media Portal is a full playback/Media Centre software, open source, with a lively community supporting many extensions.
The Audio Section offers both Audio based on the BASS Library (which does offer ASIO and supposedly gap-less playback, the fact that gapless does not always work means I do not use it), which is I believe also used as foundation for Foobar.
But Ted Siedstra (aka Symphy) has written two playback add ins (ASIO and Windows Audio) that work better for gapless, allow more control about buffer length and so on, while being fully integrated seamlessly in Media Portal. I use that for Music Playback.
For Video Playback it uses DirectX or external players. Using a video codec package called SAF (Stand Alone Filters) I can playback anything out there, with full DXVA (Direct X Video Acceleration).
I have at times used VLC or MPC-HC for actual video playback, when there was no codec package that integrated well with Media Portal and allowed hardware video acceleration, but since SAF 3.0 this has no longer been neccesary.
I use a "Skin" called Black Glass Nova (click link for more screenshots) right now, I tend to change skins ever halve a year or so, if something nice comes out.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I also use the My Movies and My TV Series Plugins to manage all my movies and tv series.
Really, next to Media Portal + ASIO Music Player + SAF 5 or later + My Movies + My TV Series (+ My Anime if you are an Otaku) even serious payware like JRMC looks not so hot.
My Media PC is based on the OrigenAE S16T Case with a 7" Touchscreen, which is fine to select music.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The TV is used if using the remote, for Movies I am driving an Optma DLP Projector with an 84" motorised screen BTW.
Rest is a fanless Atom 330 Motherboard (ecs with both PCI & PCI-e slots) with a fanless ATI Radeon Video Card (includes DVI, VGA, Component and S-Video outputs), Pico PSU, mirrored 2TB WD AV Drives for media...
My Girlfriend, her sister and even her mother when she is around use this system on a daily basis to play music, movies and TV content.
Ciao T
What I'd like is an option to add the currently playing track to an existing/created playlist of my choice.
Hi,
Media Portal for music works always with playlists, pressing "play" on an album cover for example, loads the whole album as playlist. Such playlists can be saved etc.
However there is no function to a current track and to then insert or append it to a given playlist anywhere.
To be honest, trying as I might I cannot find any time I would want to do that. To be further honest, I very rarely use any saved playlists at all.
Adding a given track or album to the current playlist at either the end or as next to play are of course available...
Ciao T
Media Portal for music works always with playlists, pressing "play" on an album cover for example, loads the whole album as playlist. Such playlists can be saved etc.
However there is no function to a current track and to then insert or append it to a given playlist anywhere.
To be honest, trying as I might I cannot find any time I would want to do that. To be further honest, I very rarely use any saved playlists at all.
Adding a given track or album to the current playlist at either the end or as next to play are of course available...
Ciao T
I don't consider it an unusual request. If I want a playlist of "pop instrumentals" or "driving songs" or "songs with Jack Bruce on lead vocals" it would be convenient to be able to append on the fly. As of now I'm stuck with manual editing of the playlist via another window. It's something I find exceedingly more useful than buttons for large album art and artists' bios. I noticed the OP link says about Foobar, "includes all necessary tools for building a collection." Maybe ears and a brain are old school too, because that's the tools I've always used.
OT bickering removed. Stick to the topic, or expect a time out.
Hi,
Okay, I see your point, maybe I am just an old Fogey who grew up with Vinyl, but I am VERY Album focused.
However, given that Media Portal is a community supported software you probably have the best chance there to get someone to add this button/menu for you, or you can do it yourself. So head over there and have a look.
Ciao T
Okay, I see your point, maybe I am just an old Fogey who grew up with Vinyl, but I am VERY Album focused.
However, given that Media Portal is a community supported software you probably have the best chance there to get someone to add this button/menu for you, or you can do it yourself. So head over there and have a look.
Ciao T
I grew up with vinyl also, and owned 45s before I bought my first LP. I still like to listen to some of the moldy-oldies like Dells' Oh What A Night and Skyliners' Since I Don't Have You. Those songs are much older than I am. Albums are still my preference, but I find that sequencing can be a rewarding diy activity for homemade mixes and best-ofs. IMHO this playlist feature is a seed that needs to be planted. I'm headed over to Media Portal. Thanks and ciao.
Hi,
I can see the point. It seems to me that a partial DJ functionality addition that analyses the audio and allows to also order playlists by KEY and BPM and to specify transtitions might be good as well.
I have Mixmeister installed on my Laptop for an extended version of this (I used to be a professional DJ) which allows me to actually save intro/outro and mix-style settings per track and much other stuff, so at a party I just drag the music into sequence and let Mixmeister do the rest.
I think your idea should be good for an improved music section.
I don't think too many are too active on this, but compared to MyMovies and MyTVSeries the music section of Media Portal looks a little dated (even if it still spanks most else out there).
It may be very well worth looking at what else might improve the music section further.
BTW, in Media Portal I use audio scrobbler (Lastfm.com service), which works very well for pop/rock/etc. when set correctly. I find it often amazing what sort of Albums lurk on my hard drive.
I normally set to add three tracks for each played track and I set it to prevent style drift. Then just a find compilation album or single track and it is "Nick and Norah's infinite playlist", until your hard-drive or time runs out...
Maybe this is why I no longer monkey myself with playlists. Why bark, when you have a dog?
Do post a link to the MP Discussion when it starts, I'll drop in as well.
Ciao T
I can see the point. It seems to me that a partial DJ functionality addition that analyses the audio and allows to also order playlists by KEY and BPM and to specify transtitions might be good as well.
I have Mixmeister installed on my Laptop for an extended version of this (I used to be a professional DJ) which allows me to actually save intro/outro and mix-style settings per track and much other stuff, so at a party I just drag the music into sequence and let Mixmeister do the rest.
I think your idea should be good for an improved music section.
I don't think too many are too active on this, but compared to MyMovies and MyTVSeries the music section of Media Portal looks a little dated (even if it still spanks most else out there).
It may be very well worth looking at what else might improve the music section further.
BTW, in Media Portal I use audio scrobbler (Lastfm.com service), which works very well for pop/rock/etc. when set correctly. I find it often amazing what sort of Albums lurk on my hard drive.
I normally set to add three tracks for each played track and I set it to prevent style drift. Then just a find compilation album or single track and it is "Nick and Norah's infinite playlist", until your hard-drive or time runs out...
Maybe this is why I no longer monkey myself with playlists. Why bark, when you have a dog?
Do post a link to the MP Discussion when it starts, I'll drop in as well.
Ciao T
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