Features include the ability to rip and burn CDs, static and dynamic playlists, and plugins such as Audioscrobbler and G-Force visualization.

Regular (usually daily beta) builds are posted on the Media Center Interact forum implementing requested features and fixing reported bugs.

JRiver Media Center was created by J. River, Inc., a Minneapolis-based company founded in 1982 by James "Jim" Hillegass[3] that developed networking and internet software for Windows, DOS and Unix.

[5][6][7] The company announced in 2001 that it planned to launch a subscription service for Media Jukebox to compete with Napster.

However, the version 14 removed several features previously available for free (specifically CD and cover art lookup) and now only available in the Media Center product.

For example, a view could be made which shows only audio files in MP3 format which are longer than 3 minutes, or images taken in Africa in the year 2006.

For ease of use, several default views exist which show files of a specified type only, including: audio, images, or video.

Various view items, or panes, can be aligned to the top, left, right, or moved in drop-down menus, that can be used to further filter results.

The interface is made to work in a 10-foot mode, i.e. from a living room sofa using remote controls, rather than the conventional mouse and keyboard.

As of JRiver Media Center 12, Theatre view relies on Microsoft's DirectX graphics engine.

With this, Media Center uses 3D and 2D Animation to create a more visually appealing interface, which more nearly resembles that of a digital recording box, or DVD player.

Mini views are far more flexible than the other types of skins, allowing Media Center to take various shapes and forms using transparency effects.