Installation & Removal
System Requirements
Please Note: Modern versions of MC require a CPU that supports SSE2. This means the CPU needs to be from around 2002 or newer.
Windows
Hardware Requirements (Minimum)
- Intel or AMD x86 Compatible CPU with SSE2
- 2GB RAM
- 300MB free hard drive space for installation (plus space for digital media)
- Sound device with a working WDM or ASIO driver
- DirectX-capable Graphics Card (GPU)
- Internet connection (recommended).
Software Requirements
- Windows XP or newer
- Internet Explorer above V6 (see here)
- Microsoft Windows Media Player
- RealPlayer, QuickTime, and Microsoft DirectX may be required to play certain filetypes.
- BluRay Playback requires a non-encrypted source disc, or realtime decryption software.
Optional Extras
- TV Tuner card (for TV playback, recording etc.)
- Soundcard with multiple outputs (for multi-zone playback)
- CD Writer installed and functional for creating CDs
- DVD or BluRay drive for optical video playback
- Printer for printing jewel cases and CD labels
Recommended System
Theater View and Video playback both require a more powerful, modern PC. While Video playback using Red October Standard should support most current hardware common now, some low-end netbooks and tablet computers may struggle with difficult, high data-rate sources. However, Red October HQ is designed for high end computers, and has more advanced requirements. Our strong recommendation is to download the free trial and test it on your own PC before making any purchasing decisions.
- Intel Core i5 (Quad-Core) or better
- Windows 7/8 (32 or 64 bit) or newer
- 4GB of RAM
- AMD Radeon HD 6770, Nvidia GTX 550, or better GPU
- Solid state (SSD) boot drive for installation and Library files.
- Theater View quality settings can be modified via: Options > General > Video Card
OSX
- OSX 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) or later
- OSX 10.7 (Lion) or later recommended for best experience
- Intel-based Mac capable of running Snow Leopard or later
Note: OSX 10.9 (Mavericks) or later, and compatible hardware, is required to use integer playback mode.
Upgrade Installation
The database/library format may change between versions and it is not backward compatible. Make a backup of your library before installation if you are not sure you will always use the newer version. Media Center also makes automatic backups.
Starting with Media Center 11.1, each Media Center installation is independent, that is, 2 different versions can exist on the same machine, side by side. You can remove either if both are installed. This is not true for earlier versions of Media Center or for Media Jukebox 8.
Installation Steps
- Download the Media Center Installation Wizard program from the JRiver Media Center website.
- Exit Media Center, and it is best to exit other Windows Applications.
- Vista and Windows 7 Only Allow the installer to run with administrative privileges when asked.
- Execute the wizard (double click it). Or if running on a PC with some standard users, right click and select Run as Administrator.
- Wait for the wizard to prepare the install.
- If the wizard detects a running copy of Media Center, close it, or click Yes to have the installer close it.
- Read the license agreement, and if you agree, click Accept.
- Choose the installation type and install options (Express, Custom and Auto Install)
- Wait for the wizard to install Windows Media codecs if needed.
- Custom and not Upgrade Only Choose the installation directory.
- Custom Only Choose the skins (standard and mini).
- Custom Only Choose the file associations and Audio CD assocation.
- Custom Only Choose the shortcuts to be installed.
- Custom Only Choose to run the program now or not.
- Sometimes you may be asked to restart Windows to complete the install.
- Vista Only Optionally, set program properties to Run as Administrator.
Installation Type and Options
- Express installs the program in c:\Program Files\ J River\Media Center and associates the Supported File Types with the program (this can always be changed at a later time by going to Tools > Options > File Associations). Media Center becomes the default player for these file types.
- Custom installs the program in a directory of your choice. You select the default file types to be associated with the program, and you choose to enable or disable the default association with Audio CDs. You can choose where shortcuts are installed.
- Auto Install will cause future installs to wait for 30 seconds and then use the settings from the previous install. Useful for frequent updaters and beta testers.
Windows Media Codecs
Starting with Media Center v12, the installation installs the latest Windows Media codecs as part of its installation.
If your system does not already have these codecs installed, they will be downloaded and installed automatically by the Media Center installer.
Installation of the Windows Media components can be safely skipped or cancelled, but Windows Media related tasks including DRM file playback and handheld device management may not work as expected.
Removal
- Start->Programs->Media Center xx->Uninstall Media Center xx
- Choose removal options
- Remove Registry Entries (removes custom settings, plug-ins and Media Editor settings).
- Remove Library Files (will remove the library files but not the content files). Don't select if you are upgrading to a newer version.