Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 37583
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: 12/25/12 17:42
adanhash:
Hey Brian, Great work, we looking forward to the final release. When do you expect to be out of beta and will there be a migration for user from JR4 to Jr 5?
Cheers!
Hopefully soon - there's 2 areas we still have quite a bit of work left to do in:
- video support - we decided early on that we wanted full support for all browsers, mobile and desktop, from the same code base. The solution is more complicated than what you find in JR4, in that there's going to be multiple video files for each video item in JR5, and the right one will be streamed to the right device. This requires a much higher level of video decoding than can be done on platform, so we're working on a video conversion service to help do this for our customers, but it will still take some time to complete.
- vault/sales support - this was by far the most difficult area for us to support in JR4, and we've been rethinking how to do this in JR5 so it is more flexible on the backend (i.e. so it has better support for more payment systems) and also is easier to integrate into the site. Work is just starting on this, and I anticipate this part of JR5 is still a little ways from release.
We've actually made really good progress on JR5 modules over the last couple months, so I think within the next 4-6 weeks we'll have our first non-beta release of JR5. It won't be to the same level of features as can be found in the current JR4, but as we move forward you'll see more and more modules coming online.
As for upgrading from JR4 to JR5 - see my responses earlier in this post for the details (we'll have a way for you to move from JR4 to JR5).
Just a quick note to let you all know that my fresh install of JRb2 and SP worked very well. I'll spend some time over the next few days with all the new code and if I find any issues I'll let you know.
Well done to everybody involved in the construction of JR5!
Im still wondering what features / modules will be in JR5 core + the so called super pack..
I mean I have all JR4 licenses and a bunch of modules, but I dont want to pay $99 for the super pack if I have to pay for features which are included in the power and payment pack and clust server.
if all features of JR4 with the power, payment, bonus packs and cluster server enabled are included in JR5 + super pack, then it will be worth the money for sure! Otherwise I'm afraid I will end up with at least an another $350 JR version.. Currently I have spent more then $600 to JR4.. And what about the JR4 modules developed by Talldude? Will they get a free update to JR5? The JR Battle module for example, never got out of beta, but we have paid for it Would be a shame if we have to buy a new license for the battle module on JR5.
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 5341
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posted: 12/28/12 11:36
The module's included in the Jamroom 5 Super Pack reflect the current state of JR5 development. They are one time buy at this low price and you are entitled to any updates to them throughout the life of JR5.
There will be video and other modules released in time for 'JR5 Stable' but at this stage I cannot say how they will be marketed. There is unlikely to be an equivalent battle module from us. Maybe a third party developer will take that up?
Remember that Jamroom5 is a completely new design and none of the current JR4 modules will work with it, so if any of them are crucial to your current site, and there is no JR5 equivalent, stay with JR4 - it is still supported.
The super pack doesn't include the video module and I fully understand why. I'm just curious about when it is released will super pack holders have access to it? To be frank whether I bother with JR5 and investing in it is really dependent on how much it's going to cost. I'd like to know what I can reasonably expect cost wise or at least what the thinking is on it so I can make that decision.
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 5341
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posted: 01/01/13 02:59
From above -
Quote:
Those of you with keen eyes may have noticed the jrVideo module missing from the list - it's in the works as handling video for all devices (mobile and browser) requires a much more complicated setup than in JR4. We'll be rolling out the jrVideo module along with our new conversion service that will feature full video conversions for all devices.
The actual video module will likely be free but as stated above, it will work in conjunction with our conversion service, the details of which are still to be finalised.
hth
Pa
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 37583
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: 01/01/13 10:01
To add on to what Paul posted, and to add a bit more detail about the video module. JR5 has a new conversion setup in it that is currently being used to convert audio - we'll probably have that same type of setup to convert video files for you directly on your site - for those that do not want to subscribe to our (coming soon) conversion service. However doing conversions on your own site is going to be more limited than what you can get with our conversion service - this is because to properly do iOS Live Streaming (and MS smooth streaming) you must have a Mac OS X server, and setting it up properly is well beyond what 99% of our customers are going to want to deal with. Our goal with JR5 is to support ALL mobile devices, which includes progressive streaming for low bit rate devices (i.e. think streaming over a slower 3G connection). So what you're going to see is basically 2 video modules:
Conversions on your own site - all uploaded video will be converted to FLV (just like in the JR4 conversion server) - this will let the video play on the widest number of devices, but will not play on iOS devices. The module would be available for a one time price (not determined at this time, but we don't plan on making any of our modules expensive).
Subscribed to our Conversion Service - this will convert any uploaded video file into multiple video files, and will stream the right one depending on the device. The actual conversion process will happen on our servers so your JR5 server will not have to worry about handling the conversions. This will be a monthly subscription, and the module will be free. By pooling many JR5 sites together we can get a good deal from a 3rd party conversion service (i.e. Zencoder, encoding.com) which will be doing the advanced encoding for us. It will be cheaper for you to use our service than sign up for yourself with one of these encoding services.
While I'd love to be able to offer a 100% awesome video transcoding module for your JR5 site, the amount of work and services needed to support the wide variety of devices out there now makes it impossible to do all of it on one server - entire companies have sprung up around doing this, and in order to ensure the best video transcoding support we feel it's better to team up with a 3rd party company that is dedicated to doing just this, rather then spend our time trying to re-invent the wheel.
To add on to what Paul posted, and to add a bit more detail about the video module. JR5 has a new conversion setup in it that is currently being used to convert audio - we'll probably have that same type of setup to convert video files for you directly on your site - for those that do not want to subscribe to our (coming soon) conversion service. However doing conversions on your own site is going to be more limited than what you can get with our conversion service - this is because to properly do iOS Live Streaming (and MS smooth streaming) you must have a Mac OS X server, and setting it up properly is well beyond what 99% of our customers are going to want to deal with. Our goal with JR5 is to support ALL mobile devices, which includes progressive streaming for low bit rate devices (i.e. think streaming over a slower 3G connection). So what you're going to see is basically 2 video modules:
Conversions on your own site - all uploaded video will be converted to FLV (just like in the JR4 conversion server) - this will let the video play on the widest number of devices, but will not play on iOS devices. The module would be available for a one time price (not determined at this time, but we don't plan on making any of our modules expensive).
Subscribed to our Conversion Service - this will convert any uploaded video file into multiple video files, and will stream the right one depending on the device. The actual conversion process will happen on our servers so your JR5 server will not have to worry about handling the conversions. This will be a monthly subscription, and the module will be free. By pooling many JR5 sites together we can get a good deal from a 3rd party conversion service (i.e. Zencoder, encoding.com) which will be doing the advanced encoding for us. It will be cheaper for you to use our service than sign up for yourself with one of these encoding services.
While I'd love to be able to offer a 100% awesome video transcoding module for your JR5 site, the amount of work and services needed to support the wide variety of devices out there now makes it impossible to do all of it on one server - entire companies have sprung up around doing this, and in order to ensure the best video transcoding support we feel it's better to team up with a 3rd party company that is dedicated to doing just this, rather then spend our time trying to re-invent the wheel.
Let me know if that helps.
- Brian
It does. I have just one question. By doing the conversions etc on your conversion server etc and pooling a lot of jamroom sites together will this in any way reflect on our individual sites as far as branding? For example in the video embed codes that I'm sure will be included it's incredibly important to me that it's not linking to another site or have the words jamroom etc in the code. Even if it is it streaming from a 3rd party server that a monthly subscription is being paid that should be completely and utterly transparent to the users and totally unbranded.
One of my biggest complaints with JR4 was this issue with n8flash (using Nate's players) or jamroom url= existing in the code visible to users or anyone who views the page source. I'm fine with it if the embed code functions similar to Nate's IVideo players that calls on a specific page to embed the video so those things are hidden if they are necessary, but I'm not willing to spend money so that any user who embeds any media on my site is instantly tipped off to the software or service I'm using. I understand doing so is great for you guys when people want to copy and clone, but when it costs money I need it to be white label and unbranded anywhere my users eyes can see. I'm even willing to pay more than would normally be charged for it because it's a deal breaker for me.
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 37583
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: 01/01/13 10:27
Makes total sense - the conversion service would not be visible to your users, as the actual videos will stream directly from your JR5 site (i.e. your domain) - they won't be streaming from any 3rd party site. After the video is converted, it is sent back to your site where it's treated just like other media files.
Makes total sense - the conversion service would not be visible to your users, as the actual videos will stream directly from your JR5 site (i.e. your domain) - they won't be streaming from any 3rd party site. After the video is converted, it is sent back to your site where it's treated just like other media files.
When there are new beta releases just upload/overwrite the modules and skins folders. If you are customising the Elastic skin clone it first (developer tools) and customise the new skin.
Hth
Pa
The .gitignore file is not uploaded to the server. It is hosted on my local dev server. So when I change some files git will notice and capistrano will deploy the changes. But, for some reason git still doesnt exclude a important file. cause after every deploy, jamroom needs to be re-installed.. which file checks if JR has been installed or not?
Joined: 13 Sep 2006
Posts: 481
Location: Saginaw, MI
Posted: 01/02/13 16:48
Brian and Team -
Thanks so much for your continued work on Jamroom. As the music industry has changed throughout the years many have thrown up their hands and walked away. I've always said as a record label, we do the easy work, the hard work is put in by those who get up on stage and put themselves in front of everyone. Much like the programmers of Jamroom have done. Jamroom has allowed me to focus on the business aspect of what I do and has never let me down. I'm looking forward to the new JR5 and all it has and will offer. BTW any timeline as to when a vault might be released?
Regards -
Dave Schmidt
The Revolution Music LLC
_________________ TheRevolutionMusic.com
It's all about the music...
