Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

Hi ddouglass,
The trouble is not with the laptop. I am using an external Western Digital 500 Gig hard drive, it works flawlessly. I am using a Plextor CD/DVD drive, that i purchased from the boys at MTU, it to works flawlessly. I can import CDG's, play CDG's, import the singers disc. All working like downtown. Ready for a show...ummm..not exactly.

1, can get rid of the singer list. Everytime i open Hoster, the last rotation is still there, how do i clean the old rotation out of my singers list?
2, can't play a single VCD i own, can't import them, can't play a VCD a singer brings to our show..grrrrrr
3, The lyrics are just slightly...too fast for the music, just enough to make it aggravating. Yet are fine on some disc, and too fast on others. I put the same disc in my old trusted JVC triple drawer, they are in synth there??
4, MTU's "Data Base" leaves much to be desired. Common disc my older crowd sings, are either missing or not correct. The Velvet Elvis collection, disc 7 & 8 are both the same on MTU's data base, just as an example. The legends series, is a real challenge to import.
5, an easy to understand instructions on how to import my custom disc and custom complilations, as well as missing CDG data base disc, is much needed. The drawn out instructions on how to do this in the owners manual is next to worthless. So could you explain, in simple easy to follow words how to import a home producer disc, and a VCD...please??????

So as you can see by my list, it's not as though i am sitting here and not able to make this software work, it's that the instructions are too complicated, or the software not working correctly.

Nothing mentioned above is computer related. I purchased a laptop with a better processor, and faster then i actually needed.

If as you say, you cannot import VCD's...why is it called "Video" Hoster?
When we get done chewing on these problems, i have a few more.

And yes, all Windows Vista upgrades were done, and i followed the MTU instructions to the letter.

However, i never did find where to turn off the "Areo Theme" and i AM using Vista Home Premium.

This will be great software, if i can get it to work for me. I own KH Pro, Microstudio, Keyrite, Vogone all work fine.

I would like to make this software work for me, as it is easy to use, and a lot quicker and easier on the back for us ..ummm..."older Guys"...

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

1, can get rid of the singer list. Everytime i open Hoster, the last rotation is still there, how do i clean the old rotation out of my singers list?

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

2, can't play a single VCD i own, can't import them, can't play a VCD a singer brings to our show..grrrrrr

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

3, The lyrics are just slightly...too fast for the music, just enough to make it aggravating. Yet are fine on some disc, and too fast on others. I put the same disc in my old trusted JVC triple drawer, they are in synth there??

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

4, MTU's "Data Base" leaves much to be desired. Common disc my older crowd sings, are either missing or not correct. The Velvet Elvis collection, disc 7 & 8 are both the same on MTU's data base, just as an example. The legends series, is a real challenge to import.

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

5, an easy to understand instructions on how to import my custom disc and custom complilations, as well as missing CDG data base disc, is much needed. The drawn out instructions on how to do this in the owners manual is next to worthless. So could you explain, in simple easy to follow words how to import a home producer disc, and a VCD...please??????

This will be great software, if i can get it to work for me. I own KH Pro, Microstudio, Keyrite, Vogone all work fine.

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85213)

My girlfriend of 24 years told me to take a chill pill, but i ran out of them...lol :t

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

Hi ddouglass,
The trouble is not with the laptop. I am using an external Western Digital 500 Gig hard drive, it works flawlessly. I am using a Plextor CD/DVD drive, that i purchased from the boys at MTU, it to works flawlessly. I can import CDG's, play CDG's, import the singers disc. All working like downtown. Ready for a show...ummm..not exactly.

1, can get rid of the singer list. Everytime i open Hoster, the last rotation is still there, how do i clean the old rotation out of my singers list?
To DELETE a Playlist (.hst files): Go to C:\MTU\Hoster All playlists are .hst files and numbered def001.hst, etc. To get rid of one you don't use or want anymore - simply DELETE the APPROPRIATE FILE
Until you have done that, when you open Hoster, simply choose "NEW" from the File menu & you will get a "blank" playlist with the next available number. (You can also "SAVE AS" to name a Playlist so you can find it again later.)
As someone else said - you can go Tools/Options & "uncheck" the box that says to "Keep Songs After Play", then that song will be deleted from the Playlist after it plays.
2, can't play a single VCD i own, can't import them, can't play a VCD a singer brings to our show..grrrrrr
YES you can play VCDs. I have been doing it for 3 years now in Hoster. The instructions are clear - to copy the files from your disk to a Folder (of your choosing to where ever you want them). Then ADD to playlist and they WILL PLAY. (Hoster DOES NOT yet IMPORT videos into the database - coming in 4.1 in 2009).
YES you can play VCDs from Customer's Disks - You have to understand that VCDs are .dat files ADD: by clicking on "Video" button. (in the "Files of type" drop-down menu - click either ".dat" or "All Video files" (because VCDs are NOT .mpeg files). You should find the .DAT files in the MPEGAV folder of the VCD Disk.

If as you say, you cannot import VCD's...why is it called "Video" Hoster?
Hoster has played Videos for many years!!!!!
When we get done chewing on these problems, i have a few more.


I would like to make this software work for me, as it is easy to use, and a lot quicker and easier on the back for us ..ummm..."older Guys"...

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

2, can't play a single VCD i own, can't import them, can't play a VCD a singer brings to our show..grrrrrr

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

4, MTU's "Data Base" leaves much to be desired. Common disc my older crowd sings, are either missing or not correct. The Velvet Elvis collection, disc 7 & 8 are both the same on MTU's data base, just as an example. The legends series, is a real challenge to import.

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

5, an easy to understand instructions on how to import my custom disc and custom complilations, as well as missing CDG data base disc, is much needed. The drawn out instructions on how to do this in the owners manual is next to worthless. So could you explain, in simple easy to follow words how to import a home producer disc, and a VCD...please??????

Originally Posted by Musicman51 (Post 85212)

Nothing mentioned above is computer related. I purchased a laptop with a better processor, and faster then i actually needed.

Originally Posted by ddouglass (Post 85229)

Hoster has never been able to import videos directly from a disk .....
.....VCDs cannot be imported this way as of yet and not directly from a disk. For your singer's who bring those you will have to keep a player in your system or tell them you can't do it.
:g

Originally Posted by ddouglass (Post 85229)

Hoster has never been able to import videos directly from a disk and I am not sure but I don't think any of the others do either. The reason is the VCDs and other types are not organize the way audio and CDG disks are so the programs cannot figure out which track is which. Hoster currently can import videos if they are on the hard drive to play in the current playlist. With version 4.10 you will be able to import them permanently and they will have a bookid just like the CDG have. This will make it much faster and less effort to play a video. This will be out early next year, so hold on it is coming. It is called Video Hoster because it will play them just not directly from CDs.



Agreed it has been. For close to three years it was never updated, because they could not find a suitable source that didn't cost them an arm, a leg and their first born. The solution was worked out to use our imports as a way to update it.
When you enter a new CDG and if it isn't in the database so you type in the title and artist information and import it. This information is stored in a file on your computer until you connect to the internet and MTU, then it is uploaded to MTU who adds the information to their database. The same thing happens if you edit the information for a disk either in the import screen or in the edit screen.
Currently you get those updates when ever a new release of Hoster is made available. I don't think Admin has determined how to get them out in between releases as yet and it may cost us a small fee for them to do so.
You also have another alternative if there is nothing in the MTU database. Click on the search online database instead and it will check FreeDB's list to see if it is there. If it is, then you still will have to correct some of the entries such as Artist (theirs is Firstname Lastname instead of Lastname, Firstname). You will also have to fix the Brand and DiskID because theirs apparently aren't listed the same way either.
I know this is long winded, sorry. I don't know how to explain this in short terms.



Wow, short easy terms:e I am not sure that can be done. As far as custom disks go use Custom Assembly as the Brand and make up your own DiskID (like MM51001). For those and the ones not in the database you will have to type in the Title and Artist.
What may be confusing you is instead of left clicking in the block you want to fill in you have to right click on the block. The first time you do this it has to load some database information so it takes a second or two. After that it will be quicker. Start typing and the drop down list will change trying to match what you have typed so far. If at some point you see the exact thing you are looking for click on it and it will pop into that block. Move to the next block and Right click on it and do the same thing.
VCDs cannot be imported this way as of yet and not directly from a disk. For your singer's who bring those you will have to keep a player in your system or tell them you can't do it.


I think the other guys beat me to most of this. Follow their instructions and you should be able to get those parts working well. From your first post I was under the impression that you couldn't get the laptop to work right.
When you renew that prescription for chill pills tell the Doctor you need a bigger one. Just sit back and take it slow and you will soon be an old pro at it. You'll wonder why did I wait so long carrying all those disks around.:g

Originally Posted by capnvic (Post 85234)

I think once you take care of the Aero interface, you'll be able to knock out the problem with the VCD files. and follow Skybird's way of importing the VCD files. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Skybird74 (Post 85238)

Just a point to remember for those that made be confused with the terminology (like I used to be:t) - "Adding" to the Playlist is not the same thing as "Importing".

Songs (regular or video) added (from disks) to the Playlist will delete after played.
Songs imported by Hoster are permanently added to the database. MTU promises that we will be able to import videos (include in database to be able to use Search) in the near future.

Originally Posted by Skybird74 (Post 85232)

Dale, it is NOT TRUE that you cannot play VCD disks that Singers bring to the Show. (This is important to those who don't carry an extra player.)
How to play VCD disks: When Adding with the "Video" button, you simply go to the disk drive & open up the Folder where the .dat files are kept (usually under MPEGAV. Be sure to pick "All Video Files" under "Files of type" so that the files can be seen. Then double-click & add the song of choice.
(The problem is that the "Files of Type" window defaults to 'mpeg' which makes you think it won't recognize other types.)