Windows 7 Media Centre vs. MediaPortal

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blur

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#272347 12-Nov-2009 11:47

That is one nice video - thanks for the input kiwijunglist...

Would you recommend Windows XP or Vista rather than Windows 7 64bit at this stage for an install of MediaPortal? Sorry - now I'm going slightly off-topic!

My HTPC - Case Antec Fusion Remote, MOBO Intel DH67BLB3, CPU Intel Core i5-2400S 2.5 GHz, RAM 8GB DDR3 1333, HDD 120Gig Corsair Force Series 3 SSD system | WD Caviar Black 2TB data, Tuners Black Gold BGT3595 dual DVB-S/S2, dual DVB-T, Video nVIDIA GeForce GT 520, 1024MB, Sound Intel® High Definition Audio (onboard), OS Windows 7 x64

kiwijunglist

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#272363 12-Nov-2009 12:20

what's your system specs?

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

blur

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#272440 12-Nov-2009 16:15

Hi - Here are the specs of my HTPC currently. I have just ordered another DVB-S card so I can record two channels at once.

Antec Veris Fusion v2
Intel Celeron Dual-Core E1500 CPU, 2.2GHz
Gigabyte GA-EG45M-UD2H Motherboard
4GB DDR800
WD 1TB Drive
GeForce 9800 GT
Hauppauge DVB-S Nova-S-Plus
Windows 7 64bit

kiwijunglist

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#272472 12-Nov-2009 17:58

I think all 3 work with mediaportal. Win7 still has a few issues that they are ironing out. I personally prefer XP SP3 Pro 32 bit. There are programs that let you turn the excess ram into a timeshift drive (they load before windows loads). I'd like to recommend Win7 so you can also run W7 MCE, but if you are definitely not gonna use W7MCE then you should probably go with vista or xp, if you choose vista then to make things easier you should choose 32bit vista, but lots of ppl run MP with 64bit vista too. Some plugins assume mediaportal is in /program files/ rather than /program files(x86)/ so it's easier with 32bit and since MP is 32bit and uses 32bit codecs not a lot to be gained by going 64bit, of course you wont see all your ram in 32bit (however ya can probably get ram drives that load before vista os too)

you can also run both, if you do then 10GB would be plenty for XP system pratition, ideally install XP onto the 1st/C partition (trust me it's easier that way)

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

Dingbatt

6756 posts

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#272647 13-Nov-2009 09:47

kiwijunglist: With regards to Mediaportal / StreamedMP skin
Run MP Config -> General -> Choose start with basic screen
Run Start menu -> Mediaportal -> StreamedMP skin editor to customise the main menu
You can have menu items pointing to what ever you want.
To get your universal remote to directly load moving pictures, you need to install shortcut'er plugin and add a keyboard shortcut to moving pictures, you then use your remote to emulate the keyboard shortcut.
Any further questions start a thread on mediaportal forum, and i'll answer there.

Thanks for the above. Before I post a separate thread in MP (I like to try DIY before posting), all I'm after at the moment is a link to a guide on how to use the StreamedMP Skin Editor, the GUI of which I find confusing.

As for the OP. Any future HTPCs for me (one on drawing board at the moment) will be Win7HP (probably 64bit) and I will nobble 7MC as required to be able to run MP as I do now on VistaHP. That way if I get tired of tinkering with MP (which just asks to be tinkered with) then it can be Uninstalled and 7MC resurrected.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

kiwijunglist

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#272671 13-Nov-2009 10:39

I'm not aware of a guide, i don't think the streamedmp editor is very complicated at all... just have a play i'm sure you'll quickly figure it out.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

Dingbatt

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#272726 13-Nov-2009 13:29

kiwijunglist: I'm not aware of a guide, i don't think the streamedmp editor is very complicated at all... just have a play i'm sure you'll quickly figure it out.

Thanks, I have started a new GZ thread and one on the appropriate MP forum as well.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

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smac

333 posts

Ultimate Geek

#272761 13-Nov-2009 15:03

I have two questions on MP that I've either missed the info on or it's not been discussed recently:

1. If I was to run MP on a Windows 7 install, would I need any 3rd party codecs to get the hardware video acceleration or DD audio working?

2. Does MP read the NZ DTV-T 7 day EPG or is a 3rd party xml feed still needed (currently use djkxml for 7MC). I don't have a dish or a DTV-S card.

Thanks in advance. I did originally have a look at MP but balked at the complex set up, 7MC was just so easy in comparison. However I'd be tempted to have another look depending on the answers to these questions

kiwijunglist

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#272808 13-Nov-2009 17:06

1. Short answer: You would have the same need for 3rd party codecs as you would running Win7 MCE, as both players use dshow filters. Long Answer: You would be best to install SAF codec pack (unlocked version) that is specially designed use with mediaportal, this will play everything with hardware acceleration and all audio formats correctly supported. Windows7 is not fully/officially supported by mediaportal yet, but i think most of the problems have been sorted out. When MP 1.1 comes out it (Due date very soon), it should be fully supported.

2. Doesn't read 7 day EPG over DVB-T, you setup a scheduled task to download xml epg (very easy to setup, the program is free and developed vy mentalinc, a user on this forum)

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

smac

333 posts

Ultimate Geek

#272832 13-Nov-2009 18:09

kiwijunglist: 1. Short answer: You would have the same need for 3rd party codecs as you would running Win7 MCE, as both players use dshow filters.

Thanks for the reply. Not sure I follow this bit though; I've not needed any addtional codecs under 7MC?

I've also done some reading on the MP forum......think I'll wait for Windows 7 support before I fiddle again as it seems to be a bit of a horror show at the moment (64bit).

kiwijunglist

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#272833 13-Nov-2009 18:19

What i'm saying is that if you find 7MC plays everything fine, then you don't need any more codecs for mediaportal.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

Nil Einne

469 posts

Ultimate Geek

#279055 3-Dec-2009 15:21

Regs:
blur: Thanks for the clarification on the channels needing to be on the same transponder. This actually makes MediaPortal slightly less appealing now that I have learned that under some permutations I?d still need two tuners anyway. This said, I am still surprised that Microsoft still haven?t added this functionality into their software. Perhaps this is something that will get Serviced Packed at some point?

don't hold your breath waiting for it.... while it sounds like a 'must have' feature, its a lot less useful in markets where there are a lot more channels and more transponders being used. Also, additional tuners are comparatively cheap in other markets.

You can buy dual tuner dvb-t and dvb-s cards presently - that means two channels off any transponder. If you buy a second card you could then have four tuners recording four channel off any transponder. I wouldnt be surprised if the major vendors even came out with four tuner cards in the near future.

Bear in mind this feature on MediaPortal even has advantages with analog recording. Specifically wiith many Windows PVR solutions be it BeyondTV, SageTV or W7MC (well haven't tried this but from what I've read & seen I'm pretty sure it's correct) if you're recording two different consecutive programs on the same channel then either it won't record any extra minutes you've asked it to or it will use two tuners despite the fact there's obviously no need. For the former, this means you may need to switch between up to three programs (if you have 3 consecutive recordings) to see the entire show depending on how exactly the channel ensures their programs end on finish on time (from my experience quite commonly they don't). Some PVRs may automatically play the next recording and allow you to rewind when it goes to the next recording I'm not sure, it's not something I've tested extensively. (I used to use BeyondTV and when I designed a Freeview box I choose MediaPortal). But obviously if you delete one of these programs you could lose the beginning and/or end completely. There are ways this too could be fixed without recording the same stream twice, e.g. recording the 'extra' minutes (in other words the first and last 5 or whatever minutes of the programs) in a seperate file and then when you delete a program not deleting the 'extra' minutes. But I'm not aware of anyone doing this and it create obvious issues for ensuring that playback is completely seamless.

Of course if you are recording consecutive programs on different channels and don't have multiple tuners (or sufficient tuners) you have this problem whatever you're using. For the later, it means if the program is completely brain dead it could miss a program on another channel because both tuners are needed to record the consecutive programs on the same channel.

While this isn't quite the same thing, AFAIK most programs (e.g. Media Portal, MythTV) that do support recording multiple channels from a mux with 1 tuner are also able to record the same channel multiple times from an analog tuner because it's the way they're designed. Of course you're also going to hit the same issues with digital tuners (although again, you could record the same channel from the mux with the same tuner without supporting multiple channels from the mux with 1 tuner). Personally I feel this behaviour is fairly silly. But few have bothered to do the Media Portal/MythTV route.

And particularly outside the US, there is IMHO a fair amount of interest in the recording multiple channels from the same mux, e.g. http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/p/70829/345383.aspx (bear in mind the primary reason why the feature was implemented in other programs had little to do with DVB Viewer).

The problems are several fold I suspect. Firstly doing this probably requires a fundamental re-write of the programs recording/tuning function. I'm pretty sure this happened with MythTV for example. Secondly, additional problems could arise with certain setups. Once you add multiple channels from 1 mux it gets even worse because there could be bandwidth issues. Thirdly and probably most importantly while the 'recording same channel from same tuner' limitation is probably something that annoys/confuses people, it's a relatively minor thing and something most people would quickly get the head around. The concept of multiple channels per tuner (i.e. in a mux) on the otherhand is liable to confuse the average person no end. 1 channel/1tuner is far easier to understand. Oh and as an aside, as I hinted at above the US is probably one of the places where there's the least interest in recording multiple channels from the same mux and of course for many that remains the market of most interest to them.

In other words if this was something anyone wanted to do it would have been done a while ago. And don't expect Windows 7 MC (or any version of Windows MC) to have this ever. Nor most high end commercial programs. It's just something they're not going to see as worth the hassle. I don't believe many or any standalone boxes do it either although there's little reason they couldn't either. Here in NZ they could design & advertise a box capable of recording every single Freeview HD channel simultaneous (with 3 tuners) until we got more muxes. Or every single Freeview Satellite channel (with 2?)

psk20

155 posts

Master Geek

#280627 9-Dec-2009 10:03

I used Media Portal for a while. Even though my ati card has occasional graphical glitches in 7MC, I still consider it far better for my tastes than Media Portal. Sure, it's not as readily customisable, but it's slick. I found Media Portal a real struggle. A big part of the reason for this is that I don't actually use a remote for my PC - I use a microsoft bluetooth keyboard/mouse set in order to be able to use the PC for other stuff too (it's what I play games on). Media Portal seemed to be designed with a remote in mind. I guess there may have been a plugin for that with media portal, but why put in all that effort to make it, at best, as good as the default settings in 7MC? :)

Also, 7MC is very reliable for recordings. With Media Portal it was extremely common for recordings to not record properly, and it often made it difficult for me to watch shows that I'd already started recording previously (often it would stop recording as soon as I switched to that channel). Lots of annoying buggy things like this just turned me off it. 7MC just does what I expect it to do (for the most part).

eXDee

4032 posts

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#280783 9-Dec-2009 13:41

1gkar:Also, looks even better with customised pictures for the backdrops on main menu, etc.

Interested in this, i like the skin but some of the artwork as the background seems distracting from the content on the page you're viewing. Its a very clean skin otherwise.

Can you elaborate?

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#280969 9-Dec-2009 20:04

eXDee:
1gkar:Also, looks even better with customised pictures for the backdrops on main menu, etc.

Interested in this, i like the skin but some of the artwork as the background seems distracting from the content on the page you're viewing. Its a very clean skin otherwise.

Can you elaborate?

eXDee,

You go to the animation's folder inside the skin area. This can be located differently depending on your MP version. For MP ver. 1.0.0 upwards (I think) it's default location is:

C:\Documents & Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team Mediaportal\Mediaportal\Skin\StreamedMP\Media\Animations

Prior versions it is located at: C:\Team Mediaportal\Mediaportal\Skin\etc.

Inside here are the various folders relative to the menus shown on the basic screen inside Mediaportal ie. TV, settings, music, plugins, movies, etc.

Just paste your preferred images here with the initial one titled default.jpg.

They need to be either 1280x720 or 1980x1080 in size for MP to recognise them & in *.jpg (-or also *.png I think??) format.

thetvdb is a good place to start for fanart.

For the load splashscreen, it is located in base 'media' folder. Other screens are also located here. Have fun

Silverstone LC14 HTPC Case/Intel E4600 CPU/GA-EP35-DS3 MOBO/Asus EN9500GT graphics/2GB RAM/total 2TB HDD space/HVR-2200 & 2X 150MCE tuner cards/LG GGC-H20L BD Drive/MCE2005/Mediaportal/TVServer 1.1.0Final/LG 55"3D LED-TV/Denon AVR-1803 receiver/X1 projector

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