jriver.com
Are you a cinephile like me? If so, you know that having a quality DVD player software is essential for getting the best audio and video playback.
I've noticed that there are many media centers out there, but they don't always offer you a lot of customization options. I'm not worried about optimizing because I've been using JRiver Media Center for a long time.
JRiver offers a comprehensive movie-viewing experience with various plugins and personalization options. It has a great user forum and knowledgebase, which makes it a Top 5 media center in my book.
If you?ve heard the word ?JRiver? before, this overview will give you all you need to know.
What is JRiver?
JRiver Media Center is an excellent platform when it comes to multimedia playback and managing your media player. It has an amazing interface that makes it easy to access your media and its compatibility factor makes it a great choice for anyone. You can use JRiver on your computer, tablet, or phone and it has integrations with services like Hulu, Netflix, and Last.Fm. You can even use your Android or iOS devices as a remote control.
Check out different elements that make JRiver Media Center an excellent choice for your media needs. It allows you to encode and play popular media formats, as well as listen to podcasts and music.
Why should you use JRiver?
With the modern user interface and easy-to-use software, you can enjoy content on this software with ease. You can use it with a variety of digital formats along with the traditional discs. People don't have to be tech savvy to use this media player. It's user-friendly and once you get going, you'll get used to it within 20 minutes. Recording TV shows on integrated platforms has never been so easy.
Simplified tasks
I know that for many of us, ripping audio files, importing audio, and searching for files on the hard drive can be a lot of work. But JRiver makes it extremely easy to convert audio and even downmix and upmix it without any problems. Thanks to its 64-bit audio path, you always get high-quality audio with lossless compression. Plus, JRiver has amazing support for DTS and Dolby soundtracks.
Flexible program
Despite being less rigid than its competitors, JRiver is still one of the most flexible programs. You can use it to play audio and video on different operating systems, integrate plugins, third-party software, and even add other scripts or manual tweaks to personalize the experience. This flexibility provides you with low power consumption, essential for multitasking.
Excellent Playback
JRiver Media Center is amazing! It's smooth and stable, preventing lag and buffering. The resume function allows you to continue playing media from where you left off. You can change world regions as you please, and even connect with social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter. The seamless playback allows you to post a comment directly from the media center. Plus, you can customize the skins as per your preference.
Massive Community
Some people might find the website of JRiver?s confusing, but the contact resources are up to date and the user forum is a great place to ask questions. You can access it by going to the website and clicking on the user forum link. There you can find answers to all your queries, which range from simple to complex customization options. You can also find information on different functions of this media player in the dedicated wiki page. Using that page, you will be able to get notifications about upgrades, DVD software offers and more.
Dual Interface
You can play music and movies simultaneously on your computer with the Windows Media Player. While the player can provide this option, it doesn't do it in the same length. Not only can you play multiple media, but you can even decide which one goes out to the audio output. For instance, if you want ASIO output for music, you can do so. Thus there's no room for compromise.
How to access JRiver?
If you're looking for JRiver, you can find it on the first page of your search results by searching for it, or clicking on the JRiver screenshot on the left to access the website directly.
Design
Since we're more focused on reviewing the website, our focus will be on the design and interface of the website. However, I'll still share information about the actual player as well. The website is not at all impressive. It looks 2000s and doesn't justify the good work that is visible within the actual media center.
Header
The website header has a logo on the left and five options towards the right - home, download, purchase, support, and company. I'm disappointed that JRiver didn't feel the need to update their website.
Hero Section
The most comprehensive media software is centered on the hero section with several sections such as "Download Now?", "Audio?", "Video?", "Network?", "Home Theater?" and "Images?". You can click on any of these sections and learn more about the service by heading towards the inner page.
Body
There is no body section on the website. As you scroll down, you'll find three options - Forum, Wiki, and Quotes. That's about it. Below that, you can find various footer options.
Footer
The footer section on the website has four different navigation options. These are ?About Media Center?, ?Support?, ?Corporate Solutions?, and ?Other Products?. Each of these categories has several different options, such as pages like ?Forum?, ?Wiki?, ?Developer?, and ?Licensing.?
Inner Pages
There aren't many inner pages on the website. As for the ones that are there, I like the download page the most. Why? Because I prefer getting done with the download than staying on the website for a little longer. The download page has important content such as "How this works?" "Installation Guide?" "Purchase?" and "Download section?" You can also learn about prices and upgrade from an older version if you want to.
JRiver Media Center Interface
Earlier, I mentioned that the media center interface is the most impressive aspect of the service. The end-product itself is definitely worth spending your hard-earned money on. In terms of interface, you have the grey top-menu panel with various options on the left-hand side. These include ?Audio?, ?Burning, ?CD, ?DVD & BD?, ?Encoding?, ?File Location?, ?File Types?, ?General?, Handheld?, ?Library & Folders?, ?Media Network?, ??Podcast, ??Remote Control?, ??Services??, ??Startup? and ?Theater View.?
The interface of the software is sleek and modern. The user is greeted with a wide range of skins and access panels for features such as audio, images, videos, performer stores, podcasts, playlist creation, handheld syncing, and tagging. The bottom options include ripping discs and burning discs, as well as syncing handhelds and creating playlists.
Plans & Pricing
As for plans and pricing, you're just required to pay a one-time license fee. If you want to purchase the master license, you need to spend $79.98. If you want the software for a specific platform per se Windows or Mac, you need to spend $59.98.
Suggestions I have for JRiver
JRiver is a commendable media center with a lot of capabilities. My only advice to the developers would be to improve the website experience, given that the landing page is so unconvincing. I'm not sure how the end-user makes the purchase decision after browsing such a poor website.
Conclusion
There's no denying that JRiver is one of the best media players available in the market. Its innovative interface coupled with complete control and customization of files makes it a standout service. Thus, I would totally recommend this media center to anyone.