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VisualMR V2
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Questions

SoundBridge Questions

Questions about VisualMR V2

Questions and answers related to VisualMR V1 can be found here.

Answers

SoundBridge Answers

Obtaining the IP address of my SoundBridge

Your SoundBridge can display its IP-address:

Alternatively on Windows XP with "Universal Plug And Play" (UPnP) enabled:

BTW: The IP address consists of 4 numbers separated by dots (no spaces!)

Obtaining the firmware version of my SoundBridge

Please open the status page of your SoundBridge with your Internet Explorer. At the top of the page the software version is displayed.

To open the status page enter "http://[SoundBridgeIP]/SoundBridgeStatus.html" as the URL (address) in your browser. For example a SoundBridge with an IP address of "192.168.1.100" has its status page available at "http://192.168.10.100/SoundBridgeStatus.html"

Upgrading the firmware of my SoundBridge

Please see the description by Roku on how to upgrade your firmware.

VisualMR V2 Answers

Installation: .Net Framework Version

VisualMR is designed for Microsoft .Net V2.x. (supporting V3.x, too) Because of its large installed basis you typically don't need to worry about installing it. For example every Vista PC as well as every modern WindowsMobile PocketPC comes preinstalled with .Net V2 or newer. If in doubt simply try installing VisualMR: On a PC its installer will check whether the needed version is available.

On PocketPCs the installer cannot check this. But if VisualMR doesn't start (see next chapter) it's time to install .Net V2 or V3.x (can be installed after VisualMR).

Recommendations for buying a WindowsMobile device

Here are some general recommendations for buying a WindowsMobile device to run VisualMR on:

Regarding the right choice of a PocketPC for VisualMR I've also started a Roku forum thread

VisualMR does not start up (WindowsMobile)

If the application doesn't start and you get only a message stating that something is missing please ensure that the .Net Compact Framework is installed correctly (see .Net Framework version above). While the latest WindowsMobile devices come preinstalled with it you may need to install it yourself for older ones.

In case the .Net Framework is on your WindowsMobile device but the application still does not run you probably have an old version of it. In this case please update the .Net Compact Framework, too.

To install the latest .Net Compact Framework just download CF 3.5 from Microsoft and start installation on your PC.

VisualMR does not start up (Windows PC)

If the application doesn't start and you get only a message stating that something is missing please ensure that the .Net V2 or newer is installed correctly (see .Net Framework version above).

To install the latest .Net Framework just download .Net V3.5SP1 from Microsoft and start the installation.

Connection to SoundBridge failed

If 'Control SoundBridge' fails please ensure that your SoundBridge is running the latest firmware version. VisualMR needs at least a SoundBridge running firmware version V3.0.

To verify that the IP network is setup correctly, please open Internet Explorer on your (Pocket) PC that is running VisualMR. In IEs address field (URL) please enter the IP address as entered in VisualMR but with an "http://" header.

Example: The SoundBridge IP address is "192.168.1.100", then enter "http://192.168.1.100" as the address in IE.

Internet Explorer should not display the status page of your SoundBridge. If this isn't the case then something is wrong with your network setup.

UPNP-Error / Windows 64Bit

When running VisualMR on Windows 64Bit the UPnP search for SoundBridges will crash. Currently you must add your SoundBridge manually in VisualMR using menu "SoundBridge", sub-item "Add New". On how to obtain your SoundBrige's IP-Adress please look here

Timeout Error

If VisualMR regularly reports timeout errors this is most likely due to slow responses from your music server. Note that sporadic timeouts are to be expected: this might happen due to an error in the music server and then VisualMR will stop waiting and reset the connection to ensure a clean restart which typically fixes this.

Often this is happens because the server computer is quite slow or there are a lot of songs in your library. Sometimes a bad implementation of the server software is to blame. In those cases checking the 'Slow Server' option (located in 'File' menu) should fix the problem.

In case this doesn't help please email me the exact error message and where it occurs. Additionally please tell me the version of VisualMR you are using (including PocketPC vs. Windows PC) and the version of the music server.

Browse Album/Artist/Genre/Playlists/Composers failed

If you always(!) receive an error message ('...probably empty or not supported...') when trying to browse by album, artist, playlists, genre or composer, than your current music library (server) does not support this feature directly. This typically is a problem with UPnP servers that are not searchable (including Rhapsody). Use 'Browse Folders' instead to access all your tracks.

Please note that some music servers issue the same error message sporadically. In this case just retry and only if the error persists the server does not support this command.

'Auto Connect' sometimes not working

The 'Auto Connect' option is only checked when the application is started. This implies that VisualMR wasn't running at the time you tapped its icon (otherwise it would only be moved to the front).

Since the upper right closebox on WindowsMobile does only 'minimizes' an application (but never shuts it down), 'auto connect' will not work if you launch VisualMR after using the closebox. Therefore I strongly recommend using 'File'/'Exit' on PocketPCs instead. This will also properly disconnect from your SoundBridge and will ensure that auto connect is working as expected.

About 'Cover Art' incl. Amazon and iTunes covers

The cover can be retrieved from a local folder containing the image (and due to technical limitations not from the streamed song itself).

Notes: There is a detailed CoverArt Readme that is installed with VisualMR (either Start/VisualMR on PC or see the downloaded ZIP file for WindowsMobile)

Covers from iTunes

The local covers can be retrieved from iTunes if you already have your music with covers in iTunes: Just launch VisualMR and iTunes (on the same PC with local iTunes library) and then select in VisualMR(PC) File / Offline Cover/Fetch Cover from iTunes(R). If you have a WindowsMobile device you can now sync these covers to it using File / WindowsMobile Sync (see special chapter below).

Covers from Amazon

Downloading covers from Amazon isn't supported in VisualMR anymore since Amazon did change their API as well as their licensing terms.

Local Covers from CoverArt folder

Independent from what you have selected for cover art download as described above, VisualMR will always look for an image in its local 'CoverArt' folder which is located next to the 'Skins' folder at the location where you have installed it (typically this is 'C:\Program Files\tl-it.de\VisualMR' for desktop PCs and '\Program Files\VisualMR' for Windows Mobile / PocketPCs).

At least for VisualMR's default skin (BlueGlass) images should be sized 160x160 since this is what Amazon typically sends and therefore the skin is optimized for this resolution. Otherwise the images are scaled which might reduce the display quality. Especially for VGA-PocketPCs a resolution of 320x320 would be great, too. If you get your covers from iTunes scaling is done automatically otherwise it is recommended that you use VisualMR's option in "File/Offline Cover Art/Update Cover Previews" to generate appropriately sized covers.

The image for the cover art must be named according to the artist/album of the song playing. VisualMR is looking for a variety of image names to address different needs. For details please see the ReadMe.txt file located in 'CoverArt' folder.

The lookup of images from a local folder enables you to override what Amazon is sending and is also a good way to provide artwork for radio stations (a few covers for radio stations already come with VisualMR)

Sync Local Covers to WindowsMobile

If you use offline covers (either copied manually or from iTunes) you can copy them from your PC using File/WindowsMobile Sync in VisualMR(PC). Therefore you must have connected your device to this PC using ActiveSync or Windows Device Center and (if not taken from iTunes) be sure to have generated cover previews using "File/Offline Cover Art/Update Cover Previews"

'Cover Art' Trouble Shouting

If you don't see any cover art in VisualMR please at first make sure that you have read the description about cover art, above. Especially note that Amazon covers will oaren't supported anymore.

Of course you must have selected a layout in VisualMR that displays artwork. For the default skin (BlueGlass), the default layout does NOT contain any cover art. Therefore you must select 'Info' or 'Cover Art' from the 'File'/'Layout' menu (or switch the layouts using the small up/down double arrows at the right hand side.

If you want VisualMR to display cover art you must place the artwork files into the local 'CoverArt' folder (again, as described above). VisualMR currently does not fetch the cover art directly from the streamed song.



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