TwonkyMedia Manager 1.3.0 Release Notes
New Features
- New SQL database - Includes TwonkyMedia server 5.1.2 which has a higher performance database than our previous release. You should notice faster scan times, better large library performance and less CPU usage than before.
- Facebook Photo support – You can now access your Facebook photos and your friend’s Facebook photos from any device that works with TwonkyMedia manager.
- Handpicked Video feeds - Like Handpicked Radio, this is a collection of video feeds that we've aggregated. Keep in mind that not every device can play all of these files.
- Expanded Device Support – We’ve more than doubled the list of devices that work with TwonkyMedia manager. You can view the updated list in the Help section.
- Trial users now have access to more media feeds (SHOUTcast, Photobucket and Picasa Web).
- Windows 7 compliance - TwonkyMedia server 5.1 has been tested by Microsoft against their Windows 7 compliance test suite and passed all tests. That means Windows Media Player can act as a digital media player pulling media from TwonkyMedia server.
- Compilation Directories – You can now enter a comma-separated list of directories on the Server Browser settings page that will force the server to handle the contents of those folders as music compilations.
- Enhanced Removable Media Support – When a new removable media device (e.g. USB memory stick) is plugged in, the server will share all media files on the device automatically. When the device is unplugged, the files on it will automatically be removed from the server.
- Background Transcoding - We are able to transcode media in the background whenever the PC is not busy performing other tasks. This is based on the same plug-in architecture we use for our on-the-fly transcoding.
- Device-specific views – TwonkyMedia server supports multiple views (navigation trees) for the same content. Now, advanced users can create different XML-based views for different devices.
- Expanded Handpicked Videos - The list of available hardpicked videos has been expanded.
- Option to Install TwonkyBeam – After TMM 1.3 is installed you now have the option to install TwonkyBeam v1.0.
Performance and Productivity-related Changes
- You’ll experience better performances with large media libraries (faster scan times, more responsive, lower CPU usage).
- iTunes import is 5x faster and uses less CPU power.
- This release installs and uninstall must faster than previous releases.
- View switching performance is better when the server is busy (e.g. when rebuilding the database).
- We’ve redesigned the Settings window (see ‘Settings Page Changes’ below for details).
- The media server responds better when very large (>1000) song containers are dropped into the playlist area.
- We’ve changed the way icons and renderer names are received from the network, resulting in a big improvement in startup times – especially on networks with lots on devices on them.
- We improved load times for Flickr photos.
- We expanded the number of SHOUTcast radio stations that we display.
- We created an “Add to guest playlist” hot key. Select an item, then press the Shift key along with the + key.
- You can right-click on renderer icons in the Now Playing window to change their name or icon.
You can type into the Chat window without first clicking in the bottom.
- Dragging a large container into the playlist section no longer causes the mouse to freeze.
Interface Changes
- We added "Album" to the navigation tree for music when Folder view is selected.
- The local renderer is anchored as the first device in the Now Playing window, followed by other currently playing renderers.
- Before, view selection wasn’t stored when switching between Manage & Now Playing screens. The state of each view is now completely independent, and maintained when you switch tabs, change views or close the app.
- We display a dialog during all file scan operations that better sets user expectations.
- We added an “Auto-display” preference to the new Chat window settings section. Unchecking this will cause chat messages to not automatically appear.
- A new buffering indicator is displayed for online videos.
- TwonkyMedia manager will remember the size of the cover art or metadata section in Album Art view.
- Pressing the Restore Settings button near the bottom of the Settings window deletes the Flash SOL file and repopulates it with default system settings. After pressing this button, a message appears saying that some settings will only be reset after TwonkyMedia manager is restarted.
- Adding a new media path automatically starts a content rescan and displays the Rescan in Progress cursor.
- We fixed a problem where changing the name of the local renderer on one PC running TwonkyMedia manager didn’t display the change on another PC running TwonkyMedia manager.
- We added a glow effect to the Repeat and Shuffle buttons to make it more clear that they are enabled.
- We changed the name of the Listen In feature to Tune In.
- We changed the name of the Internet Radio media feed to Handpicked Radio.
Device-related Improvements
- You should be able to pause videos streamed to Samsung DLNA-enabled TVs.
- We enhanced the browsing experience with Sony Bravia TVs. Users no longer need to select the content type twice.
- We fixed a problem where playlists sometimes didn’t play on the Roku Soundbridge.
- We addressed problems that used to occur when dragging a playlist of FLAC songs to Philips NP Series network music players.
- We no longer replay the previous song after a device fails to respond properly to a play command. Now, we just stop playback.
- We filter Sonos from the server list, since it doesn’t work with TwonkyMedia manager as a server. Sonos devices continue to work well as media players when you push music to them with TwonkyMedia manager.
- We added HP Netbook artwork to our list of devices. To select it, right click on an icon in the Play Here section and select Change Icon.
- We added a Samsung TV icon to our list of devices.
- We added an icon for the Apple iPhone to our list of available devices.
- We no longer display the Kodak EX-1011 in the Play Here section, because it can only pull photos from our server.
- We removed duplicate Philips Streamium icons from the device icon list.
- The currently playing song on a Sonos ZonePlayer is displayed in the Now Playing window, when a song has been pushed from another PC.
Settings Page Changes
- We redesigned the entire Settings page window so it's easier to use and fits better on small screens.
- We moved the Check for Update button under the License Key area of the Product section.
- We moved the Language settings into the Product tab.
- We added the server version number and number of songs, photos and videos files found to the Product section.
- We added TwonkyMedia Web site and Forum links to the Product section.
- We moved renderer-related settings to a new Renderers tab.
- We eliminated the Advanced Server Settings tab. All server settings now appear on one page. You need to scroll down to see some settings.
- Icons have replaced the old advanced server setting buttons. Mouse over a button to view its tool tip.
- We redesigned the entire Media Feeds settings page.
Other Changes
- We added an exception that prevents the dialog for the Windows firewall software from appearing upon first launch.
- User-entered Metadata Import - The new installer automatically imports all metadata from the TwonkyMedia server 5.0 database.
- We’ve improved our file scanner so it reads ratings from MP4 files.
- We fixed problems reordering songs in a Tune In queue.
- The installer no longer displays a detecting iTunes message when "Detect and use iTunes..." is disabled on the Advanced Install Options page.
- Closing the Preview window always stops slideshows, even when they are pushed from another PC.
- Entering a username with the German letter "ä" no longer causes problems.
MAC addresses are now stored in the log file.
- The dbdir can be set in the .ini file. You can also change the path for all data of the server instantly using the appdir <some path> parameter on startup.
More details about the changes in TwonkyMedia server 5.1.2
- WMDRM support for Win32 is back
- Improved file scanner performance
- Improved cgi-jpegscale performance
- Added support ImportResource for DLNA uploads
- Added support for pause/resume for videos on Samsung TVs
- Eliminated WMP11 dependency caused by WMDRM support
- No admin rights needed for tray app anymore (no elevation required on VISTA and Win7)
- Playlist management with TMM is back
- Updated MPEG2 and MP4 parser to enable more DLNA profiles
- Server passes again the CTT tool
Server-related Bug Fixes
- Heavy CPU usage when adding or deleting media files fixed
- On PS3 the date for pictures does not include time information
- Cross site scripting vulnarability fixed
- Fixed problems with some MPEG2 profiles not correctly identified
- Fixed problems with playlists not syncing properly after database rebuild
- Fixed the problem where TMM created playlists were deleted after a database rebuild
- Fixed the problem where folder.jpg is case sensistive on linux
- Fixed the problem where thumbnail art for movies was no longer shown
- Fixed the problem where the console on MacOS is spammed by "OS does not support evented filesystem" messages
- Fixed the problem where transcoded files are not being cleaned up after original file is removed
- Fixed the problem where metadata is not preserved when upgrading TMM
New Clients Supported
+ Lacie LaCinema HD
+ Orange Music Player
+ Denon S-302
+ Denon AVR-4308
+ Netgear EVA 2000
+ Sagem My Web Tuner 500
+ Sagem My Dual Radio 700
+ Samsung TV
+ Kodak EX-811 (detected, but issues with the navigation)
- New SQL database - Includes TwonkyMedia server 5.1.2 which has a higher performance database than our previous release. You should notice faster scan times, better large library performance and less CPU usage than before.
- Facebook Photo support – You can now access your Facebook photos and your friend’s Facebook photos from any device that works with TwonkyMedia manager.
- Handpicked Video feeds - Like Handpicked Radio, this is a collection of video feeds that we've aggregated. Keep in mind that not every device can play all of these files.
- Expanded Device Support – We’ve more than doubled the list of devices that work with TwonkyMedia manager. You can view the updated list in the Help section.
- Trial users now have access to more media feeds (SHOUTcast, Photobucket and Picasa Web).
- Windows 7 compliance - TwonkyMedia server 5.1 has been tested by Microsoft against their Windows 7 compliance test suite and passed all tests. That means Windows Media Player can act as a digital media player pulling media from TwonkyMedia server.
- Compilation Directories – You can now enter a comma-separated list of directories on the Server Browser settings page that will force the server to handle the contents of those folders as music compilations.
- Enhanced Removable Media Support – When a new removable media device (e.g. USB memory stick) is plugged in, the server will share all media files on the device automatically. When the device is unplugged, the files on it will automatically be removed from the server.
- Background Transcoding - We are able to transcode media in the background whenever the PC is not busy performing other tasks. This is based on the same plug-in architecture we use for our on-the-fly transcoding.
- Device-specific views – TwonkyMedia server supports multiple views (navigation trees) for the same content. Now, advanced users can create different XML-based views for different devices.
- Expanded Handpicked Videos - The list of available hardpicked videos has been expanded.
- Option to Install TwonkyBeam – After TMM 1.3 is installed you now have the option to install TwonkyBeam v1.0.
Performance and Productivity-related Changes
- You’ll experience better performances with large media libraries (faster scan times, more responsive, lower CPU usage).
- iTunes import is 5x faster and uses less CPU power.
- This release installs and uninstall must faster than previous releases.
- View switching performance is better when the server is busy (e.g. when rebuilding the database).
- We’ve redesigned the Settings window (see ‘Settings Page Changes’ below for details).
- The media server responds better when very large (>1000) song containers are dropped into the playlist area.
- We’ve changed the way icons and renderer names are received from the network, resulting in a big improvement in startup times – especially on networks with lots on devices on them.
- We improved load times for Flickr photos.
- We expanded the number of SHOUTcast radio stations that we display.
- We created an “Add to guest playlist” hot key. Select an item, then press the Shift key along with the + key.
- You can right-click on renderer icons in the Now Playing window to change their name or icon.
You can type into the Chat window without first clicking in the bottom.
- Dragging a large container into the playlist section no longer causes the mouse to freeze.
Interface Changes
- We added "Album" to the navigation tree for music when Folder view is selected.
- The local renderer is anchored as the first device in the Now Playing window, followed by other currently playing renderers.
- Before, view selection wasn’t stored when switching between Manage & Now Playing screens. The state of each view is now completely independent, and maintained when you switch tabs, change views or close the app.
- We display a dialog during all file scan operations that better sets user expectations.
- We added an “Auto-display” preference to the new Chat window settings section. Unchecking this will cause chat messages to not automatically appear.
- A new buffering indicator is displayed for online videos.
- TwonkyMedia manager will remember the size of the cover art or metadata section in Album Art view.
- Pressing the Restore Settings button near the bottom of the Settings window deletes the Flash SOL file and repopulates it with default system settings. After pressing this button, a message appears saying that some settings will only be reset after TwonkyMedia manager is restarted.
- Adding a new media path automatically starts a content rescan and displays the Rescan in Progress cursor.
- We fixed a problem where changing the name of the local renderer on one PC running TwonkyMedia manager didn’t display the change on another PC running TwonkyMedia manager.
- We added a glow effect to the Repeat and Shuffle buttons to make it more clear that they are enabled.
- We changed the name of the Listen In feature to Tune In.
- We changed the name of the Internet Radio media feed to Handpicked Radio.
Device-related Improvements
- You should be able to pause videos streamed to Samsung DLNA-enabled TVs.
- We enhanced the browsing experience with Sony Bravia TVs. Users no longer need to select the content type twice.
- We fixed a problem where playlists sometimes didn’t play on the Roku Soundbridge.
- We addressed problems that used to occur when dragging a playlist of FLAC songs to Philips NP Series network music players.
- We no longer replay the previous song after a device fails to respond properly to a play command. Now, we just stop playback.
- We filter Sonos from the server list, since it doesn’t work with TwonkyMedia manager as a server. Sonos devices continue to work well as media players when you push music to them with TwonkyMedia manager.
- We added HP Netbook artwork to our list of devices. To select it, right click on an icon in the Play Here section and select Change Icon.
- We added a Samsung TV icon to our list of devices.
- We added an icon for the Apple iPhone to our list of available devices.
- We no longer display the Kodak EX-1011 in the Play Here section, because it can only pull photos from our server.
- We removed duplicate Philips Streamium icons from the device icon list.
- The currently playing song on a Sonos ZonePlayer is displayed in the Now Playing window, when a song has been pushed from another PC.
Settings Page Changes
- We redesigned the entire Settings page window so it's easier to use and fits better on small screens.
- We moved the Check for Update button under the License Key area of the Product section.
- We moved the Language settings into the Product tab.
- We added the server version number and number of songs, photos and videos files found to the Product section.
- We added TwonkyMedia Web site and Forum links to the Product section.
- We moved renderer-related settings to a new Renderers tab.
- We eliminated the Advanced Server Settings tab. All server settings now appear on one page. You need to scroll down to see some settings.
- Icons have replaced the old advanced server setting buttons. Mouse over a button to view its tool tip.
- We redesigned the entire Media Feeds settings page.
Other Changes
- We added an exception that prevents the dialog for the Windows firewall software from appearing upon first launch.
- User-entered Metadata Import - The new installer automatically imports all metadata from the TwonkyMedia server 5.0 database.
- We’ve improved our file scanner so it reads ratings from MP4 files.
- We fixed problems reordering songs in a Tune In queue.
- The installer no longer displays a detecting iTunes message when "Detect and use iTunes..." is disabled on the Advanced Install Options page.
- Closing the Preview window always stops slideshows, even when they are pushed from another PC.
- Entering a username with the German letter "ä" no longer causes problems.
MAC addresses are now stored in the log file.
- The dbdir can be set in the .ini file. You can also change the path for all data of the server instantly using the appdir <some path> parameter on startup.
More details about the changes in TwonkyMedia server 5.1.2
- WMDRM support for Win32 is back
- Improved file scanner performance
- Improved cgi-jpegscale performance
- Added support ImportResource for DLNA uploads
- Added support for pause/resume for videos on Samsung TVs
- Eliminated WMP11 dependency caused by WMDRM support
- No admin rights needed for tray app anymore (no elevation required on VISTA and Win7)
- Playlist management with TMM is back
- Updated MPEG2 and MP4 parser to enable more DLNA profiles
- Server passes again the CTT tool
Server-related Bug Fixes
- Heavy CPU usage when adding or deleting media files fixed
- On PS3 the date for pictures does not include time information
- Cross site scripting vulnarability fixed
- Fixed problems with some MPEG2 profiles not correctly identified
- Fixed problems with playlists not syncing properly after database rebuild
- Fixed the problem where TMM created playlists were deleted after a database rebuild
- Fixed the problem where folder.jpg is case sensistive on linux
- Fixed the problem where thumbnail art for movies was no longer shown
- Fixed the problem where the console on MacOS is spammed by "OS does not support evented filesystem" messages
- Fixed the problem where transcoded files are not being cleaned up after original file is removed
- Fixed the problem where metadata is not preserved when upgrading TMM
New Clients Supported
+ Lacie LaCinema HD
+ Orange Music Player
+ Denon S-302
+ Denon AVR-4308
+ Netgear EVA 2000
+ Sagem My Web Tuner 500
+ Sagem My Dual Radio 700
+ Samsung TV
+ Kodak EX-811 (detected, but issues with the navigation)