HTPC software?

Okay, final step in my media center. I need software for it.

So, Windows Media Center is OKAY, but isn't powerful enough.

Nearly ALL of my movies are MKV, and I have shows in AVI, MPEG, etc.

There are a few options out there, but I haven't used any of them (except Mediaportal - yonks ago - I'm talking years)

Boxee
XMBC
MediaPortal
Windows Media Center

What do you guys use, and find the best? Even if it's not listed there, please go ahead and let me know.

I'm after easy to use, very nice interface, and powerful (will play all my formats).

I'm running Windows 7 by the way.

 

Out of the above i've used Boxee, XBMC and Windows Media Centre.

Boxee if my pick out of them both as it's got a great interface and very easy to use. Played everything I had without any issue's at all.

XBMC is also good too as it's skin-able and works well.

 

Do you watch TV on your media centre?
Do you like to stream stuff off the web from your media pc?
If you answered yes to those questions choose boxee

 

Biggest recommendation I could give is Media Browser - it's a plugin for Media Center.

It honestly has too many features to mention, much easier just to grab it. It fills in most of the gaps that most people find in vanilla Media Center.

It also has the added advantage of being built into MC, and so having its (imo very robust) PVR abilities. Personally I (also years ago) found Media Portal a bit flaky and "held together with gaff tape and a prayer".

But seriously - Media Browser. Go, now

 

Same, most of my stuf is MKV these days.

I use MCE, Media Browser, Media Center Master and Sharky's codec pack.

Just brilliant really, MCE is so customisable these days, with heaps of plugins around for it.

I even added MCE Remote Plus today, so I can toggle Subtitles on/off in MKV (or any) files. Setup to hide subs by default and we just turn them on if needed now.

 

I don't have a TV tuner as of yet. I may add one along the track but right now, no.

I don't stream anything from the net (my connection is a joke).

Nearly all my media is either stored on a RAID box hooked up the the PC, or across the network, or local.

I've installed XBMC, haven't had a good try. But everyone seems to be talking about Media Browser.

I'll give that a good go, because I was quite fond of Windows Media Centre 7, it just lacked the power to play various formats, etc.

So when you guys are talking Windows Media Centre, are you referring to the Windows 7 version, or MCE?

Thanks!

 

7, the reason your shit isn't playing is because you don't have the right codecs installed.

 

Sometimes reffered to as 7MCE.

Sharky's codec pack will let you play just about everything.

 

If you're not limiting yourself to just Windows, consider MythTV under Linux. Works a treat plus you get bonuses like automatic commercial removal, record multiple channels per tuner, and you can watch live or pre-recorded TV as well as your movies from any PC on your network running the MythTV client. You can also use a web browser to schedule new TV recordings remotely without the need to use the main MythTV interface.

A small snippet of screenshots are here. Further info and screenies in the OCAU wiki.

Of course if you watch file-based movies only, then Boxee or XBMC is probably the simplest to stick with. It does the job nicely, and is available on all platforms.

 

Oh wow i just jizzed in my pants, tried XMBC and ditched it for its lack of tv tuner support and have been running 7MCE since, didnt really know any other alternatives that supported a tuner, going to have some fun this weekend gonan get me some plugins tooo

Ah, while I got y'all attention, does anyone know if there is a plugin for 7MCE or Boxee that perhaps, allows a 'section' of the display to be dedicated for apps launching, I ask because I have a few games on my HTPC coupled with a wired xbox controller for PC (my cheapo version of an xbox) and it works great, but I have to pull out the keyboard and mouse every time I want to play a game, exit MCE and launch the game etc, jsut want to know if theres a more convenient solution

Anyways mate, what specs you got in your HTPC?

If your looking @ tuners still, I chose an Avermedia tuner for about $100(not trying to sell anything here, just a recommendation), its fantastic to say the least, can record 2 channels simultaneously etc... works well with MCE no hassles etc etc.... I dont know the exact model but if your interested give a bell....

 

I know of 2 ways

1) - Will add external programs to the extras library
http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/media-center-launcher-configurator.html

2) - Lets you customise menu strips (can add external programs as well)
http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/09/create-custom-themes-and-start-menus-with-media-center-studio.html

 

Tuners not at this point.

Specs are semi gaming orientated, a bit of power.

i3 530
Gigabyte H55MUSB3
4GB OCZ 1066
HD5750 Silent Cell
OCZ 60GB Vertex SSD
WD Green 2TB
Samsung Blu Ray

I like that MCE function of adding games! Might do that too (I've also got the 360 controller for windows)

Thanks guys, I've downloaded all the MCE plugins, haven't tried it all out yet though will soon.

 

I use three Asus U3100 USB MyCinema digital tuners. I can record 12 channels at once (four channels per tuner from three separate networks). They can probably record more, but I would need more I/O bandwidth to dump the received data.

U3100's are about $60 each, and if you tuck them behind your HTPC, no-one would ever know they were there.

 

yeh but whats the quality like, i doubt that great considering its a $60 tuner that can record 4 channels simultaneously.....

The avermedia one I purchase records in full HD

 

The U3100 does full HD as well. It's digital - it's as good as the signal received from the air. It's up to your gfx hardware to post-process the image to de-interlace, etc.

Also, your Avermedia is not recording, it's receiving a stream only. It's your PC that's doing the recording. There's also a good chance your Avermedia will record four or more channels per tuner as well. Like I said, it's your disk I/O that becomes a limiting factor.

 

ah awesome, you learn something new every day

 

Hehehe... and just so you can compare, here's a grab from OneHD showing 1080i de-interlaced to 1080p from one of my U3100's.


Click to view full size!

 

I have a leadtek tv tuner - http://www.leadtek.com/eng/tv_tuner/overview.asp?pronameid=377

I'm not too happy with it to be honest. I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much or something, but my picture doesn't look as clear as the screenshot you provided. I play back on a Samsung P2350 (my tuner isn't for my HTPC)

Perhaps it's just the card, from reading up on things people say Leadtek are crap heh.

 

Mmmm well, my family noticed a significant difference in picture quality from the supposedly top of the range HD set top box we bought and the HTPC I built for them, even though its a 5 year old 60" rear projection....

 

Picture quality will always be a product of the gfx hardware rendering it to screen, or at the very least the post-processing done to it (you can get shitty software de-interlacing). Alternatively, if the recording software processes the stream in some way, eg: if Windows MCE re-compresses the stream into its own proprietary format, then yes, you could experience degradation of picture quality there much like when you copy audio tape to audio tape.

If the original broadcast was at a low bit rate, then image quality will be crap anyway. Compare any of our channels with a recording from BBC HD, for example, and the difference in bit rate and subsequent picture quality is huge. Theoretically the bit rate will be able to be increased once the bandwidth freed by switching off analogue broadcast occurs in 2013.

Your tuner, regardless of what it is, only receives a signal and passes it onto the PC to do something with it, be it save to disk or whatever. It will never tamper with the signal itself.

The only degree it would be "crap" in is its ability to receive a signal, eg: its ability to operate with a weak signal if you have poor reception. I find that Leadtek's seem to only want to work with themselves - they hate working with splitters and other tuners on the same cable. The U3100's I use are wonderfully sensitive.

A PC's gfx card ability to process video is markedly higher than the basic gfx hardware in a STB. If the image is being anti-aliased by your PC's gfx card in a manner similar to how game anti-aliasing works (as a typical example), then the compression artifacts associated with MPEG compression can be successfully hidden away. I would not expect a typical STB to have that ability. The end result is an apparent "cleaner and sharper" image.