Best software for a non-dedicated Jukebox

[Visitor Q]

I want to add a nice jukebox feature into my front end so that I can have my arcade cab acted as a fully working jukebox too. What software do you guys recommend? I want something that is pretty flashy and easy to use for when I have people over. Ya know something that supports album covers and play lists etc.. I see that there is a feature like this in Media Center but I don’t want to deal with all the other crap in those menus that are so hard to remove.

Thanks Guys.

[Visitor Q]

I posted this in the jukebox section as well. Not sure if it should be there or here since I am really not trying to make a jukebox per say...


I want to add a nice jukebox feature into my front end so that I can have my arcade cab acted as a fully working jukebox too. What software do you guys recommend? I want something that is pretty flashy and easy to use for when I have people over. Ya know something that supports album covers and play lists etc.. I see that there is a feature like this in Media Center but I don’t want to deal with all the other crap in those menus that are so hard to remove.

Thanks Guys.

[Ginsu Victim]

WIKI

[Space Fractal]

did you tried to search?

 Look for the first sticky post and then go to the wiki section of the jukebox software There is a list how they works with diffecent set of controls:
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Jukebox_Software

You should checkout software with joystick as main control(s), which have been tested succes full with arcade joysticks and few butttons.

As for mine software, the discounted Arcade Music Box and MultiFE (formely MultiJuke, still listed), both have been designed with arcade cabinets in mind. Howover the AMB support Winamp type playlists files, but MultiFE is not designed to use with playlist files, but both use a queue system, which can been limited.

DWJukebox, AussieJuke and Arcade Jukebox should been checked too.

[Visitor Q]

Yes I saw all that but what do people find works best? I see no sort of rating system there??? I am asking for opinions here, not what software is available.

[Visitor Q]

did you tried to search?

 Look for the first sticky post and then go to the wiki section of the jukebox software There is a list how they works with diffecent set of controls:
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Jukebox_Software

You should checkout software with joystick as main control(s), which have been tested succes full with arcade joysticks and few butttons.

As for mine software, the discounted Arcade Music Box and MultiFE (formely MultiJuke, still listed), both have been designed with arcade cabinets in mind. Howover the AMB support Winamp type playlists files, but MultiFE is not designed to use with playlist files, but both use a queue system, which can been limited.

DWJukebox, AussieJuke and Arcade Jukebox should been checked too.

Thanks for your advice. I also have a trackball on my cab as well that acts like a mouse with mouse buttons so I am sure that opens up a few extra doors. With that in mind, does that change anything? I also have a spinner... 

My monitor also supports 1024X768 and I am running Vista 64.

[Space Fractal]

Then you can use pretty any touchscreen software out here (most can disable and enable the mouse pointer) with the trackball (which they just work as a one button mouse)...

So up to you if you want a joystick or trackball based software, which both type of software is very diffecents.

[Visitor Q]

With all these choices, what are considered here to be some of the top 3 I should be looking into? Could you help me narrow down my choices please? What is popular to use and feature enriched?

Also what has good current support with updates?

Also would like something that will download album art. =]

I have to read more about TouchTone but it looks like that works with a mouse and is very nice... Not free though but maybe worth it??

[Flake]

I dont think pointing out the WIKI in an annoying fashion was a necessary response.  Its a legitimate question.

At one point I too was looking to go this route and ultimately abandoned the idea in favor of a dedicated wall-mount juke.  During my trial and error periods I found that the WIKI descriptions were lacking at best and werent always 100% accurate.  One software that was listed on there - the one I really wanted to use - was no longer being supported.....which I really didnt care about other than it had some serious bugs that didnt allow me to use it.

I would have probably posted a thread like this but it was at that point I decided to go the wall mount route and I used windows media player on the cab till the juke sotware was configured.....which unfortunately it still isnt.

[Space Fractal]

there are no best software, it simply based about your features required, which would been your best software. It also based how you have your music collection masked (how are they sorted in your harddrive? Do they have tags? Do you have singles and albums, or both? and so on)

Try few one in the wikilist, and then take one you like most.

Personally my favourite competer software is property Sk-Jukebox (discounted, but it have very good well designed GUI and features), but many here also like Freebox (shareware) and Uncle'T Jukebox (freeware).

Download album arts is not a major feature in jukebox software, but there exists nice external to do that job. Hence it not a feature you see in most software, also no mine. But of course they would show them.

Typical they named folder.jpg, but M$ have to hide the folder and hence it might not work in some software (why Mircosoft?), hence I in my software also support cover.jpg as well. Many software just use the first picture they find in a contain folder, if folder.jpg not found. But they do nearly never read coverart from a mp3 file itself.

[Ginsu Victim]

I dont think pointing out the WIKI in an annoying fashion was a necessary response.

You call that annoying?

This is annoying:

[Hoopz]

You may look for a new thread in the Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Forum as this seems to be a hot topic.

EDIT:  Never mind.  DON"T start the same thread in multiple places.      The mods will just combine them anyway... 

[garnerb350]

Visitor, I'm using SK jukebox....It simple...the album covers do the artwork and it works just like the ones i wasted money on at the strip club....I have mine to come on and it starts from the bat set on random music...plus its free!

[Visitor Q]

I use winamp play lists for the most part, both albums and singles.

I will give the ones you mentioned a closer look, thank you.

[SirPeale]

EDIT:  Never mind.  DON"T start the same thread in multiple places.      The mods will just combine them anyway... 

Correct.

[Visitor Q]

EDIT:  Never mind.  DON"T start the same thread in multiple places.      The mods will just combine them anyway... 

Correct.

Understood... My Bad.

It was more or less a after thought after the first post of where the correct location was for this.

[Visitor Q]

WOW!

UncleT's Jukebox looks very good! Sk looks nice as well, too long it is no longer supported or plays singles.

[Hoopz]

Understood... My Bad.
It was more or less a after thought after the first post of where the correct location was for this.

You can use the Report to Moderator link to ask a mod to move your post when necessary.

[Visitor Q]

Understood... My Bad.
It was more or less a after thought after the first post of where the correct location was for this.

You can use the Report to Moderator link to ask a mod to move your post when necessary.

LOL! What? And not have you do that for me Hoopz? 

[Space Fractal]

a another thread seen to been merged here, as I diddent have seen?

anyway.

for the art downloader software, it normally never a scope by jukebox authors, becaues the main reason, this type of features should NOT been used by the listeners when operated on a machine, because it can easily to been broked by users by downloading new coverarts, or downloading wrong one (which is a typical), or dosent can find it and sometimes replace it with a pity low resolutions one (which MS sometimes does).

By say in another ones, this is a adminstrator feature, and hence it much better to use a external software like this to do the job nicely:
http://home.online.no/~llindga/jcm.htm



I have not a plan to create a inbuildt in mine software. I doubt Uncle'T do that (I known it dosent support art downloader eiter)?

The

[Visitor Q]

Do any of these front end use winamp milkdrop plugin for a screensaver or can any of them use that plugin?

[unclet]

I doubt Uncle'T do that (I known it dosent support art downloader eiter)?

Fractal is correct ... my software does not include functions for the retrieval of album art.

I figured there was already third party applications which do this so why reinvent the wheel.   Simply use the third party software to get all the art you need, then setup the directory structure as required by the jukebox software you choose and enjoy your music.

My software would be best interfaced with by using a touchscreen monitor or mouse (ie: trackball), although it has key mapping function abilities to assign buttons/joysticks to certain functions.

Testing available software out to see how they handle and feel is really the truest way to determine whether it works well enough for your tastes.   Try setting up 10 albums with multiple songs associated with each album for testing only.  You should be able to play around with any jukebox software this way to get a taste of what it offers.

[Visitor Q]

Yeah I see Winamp finds albums artwork so I can always use that.

Thanks Guys.