Late last night the next version of Media Browser (codename Cronos) was just released. I should get it loaded on my HTPCs and test out this weekend. I am hoping this release will fix some issues I have been experiencing of late with sluggish speed and issues with cache.Be on the lookout for my writeup in the coming days. The latest version can be downloaded here.
Highlights:
- The Media type is now retrieved from locally stored metadata.
- Better support for using MyMovies and Media Browser side-by-side. The user can now set the preferred order of local artwork.
- Watched status indicators are working normally again.
- It is now possible to Clear the Cache from the Media Browser Configuration Wizard.
- Various sort-order bugs for Media Collections have been fixed.
- Lots of other bugs have been fixed.
- You can use SQLite and share playstate settings & display settings.
- Better rotating backdrop support. It is now possible to randomize the order in which they appear.
- Using the custom entrypoints no longer results in a full library refresh.
- Improved installer interface that can create optional shortcuts to Media Browser.
- Overall performance increase due to various changes to the cache mechanism.
- Last but not least, Media Browser can now be localized by theme developers and the community.
Complete Changelog:
To see a full list of the tracker topics for these changes, have a look here.
Important Notes:
- This release will need to re-build your entire item cache as changes were made that are not backward compatible. This may take some time the first time you enter MB with this version so be patient while everything re-builds.
- When using experimental SQLite, the cache.db file will be deleted upon upgrading due to the above mentioned changes.
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Article by Damian
Hi, my name is Damian, and I'm tech gadget addict! Although I always had some interest in technology, it wasn't until I got my EX470 and more importantly found Mediasmartserver.net, that my interest became an addiction. My goal, aside from world domination and to see the Mets/Broncos win another championship, is to set up the perfect digital home where all my media is available at the click of a button. When I am not writing for Mediasmartserver.net you can find me over at my blog at http://www.adigitalhomeblog.com or follow me on twitter
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m glad to hear this as I experienced several of the issues mentioned, in particular the slow performance and broken “Watched” state were really unpleasant. If this release doesn’t make some real improvements I’ll likely be trying other options, which is a shame because I like the potential of Media Browser.
I just loaded this on my HTPC, and the difference is night and day! Performance is way faster, it feels snappy even on my Revo with the dual core Atom. I want to play with it for a few days, make sure performance doesn’t degrade over time, but so far I’m pleased. I look forward to hearing your impressions, Damian.
I do find it annoying that I lose the “watched” status every time I update Media Browser.
I have a few suggestions I was going to throw on the MediaBrowser forum so I will add the “watched” status issue. I saw that you can now enable playstate with the sql db which is great if you have multiple htpcs in your house. Hopefully if I can get the kids to bed soon I can start playing around with (I started to this morning but thought to myself “I have to document this for a post so better slow down!!!”)
@ Damian ~ Once again you write something that motivates me to get things done around here. I have a computer sitting next to the TV thats been sitting there a week now waiting for me to connect it up to be used as an HTPC. I have been playing with the Revo and enjoy it very much I have it sitting on top of a Blu-Ray Player and connected to my 24″ 1080p Monitor in my bedroom via an HDMI connection. Totally Awesome because I actually live in this one room leavng the rest for my pets to occupy. So I guess its time to make that connection and try out the new software.
Damian, I ran across a SQLite Cache Migration script that claims to preserve the “watched” status. I’ve not tried it out, and I’d be slightly worried about it leaving the DB in an inconsistent state, but may be interesting to try out.