Does GB-PVR or MediaPortal allow you to select the sound output device?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Does GB-PVR or MediaPortal allow you to select the sound output device?

hbk

94 posts

Master Geek

#39493 15-Aug-2009 08:35

Hi,

I've been using Vista MC TV Pack with a DVB-S tuner, and it looks and functions great, but two problems are killing it for me;

1. can't select the sound output device. I want sound to go to my TV via SPDIF but VMC can only use the default playback device which is a USB DAC.

2. when VMC is in fullscreen on a second monitor the mouse gets suck and you can't bring it back to your primary monitor.

Will GB-PVR or MediaPortal fix either of those two issues?

Which has the nicest UI (closest to the VMC UI)? Or maybe suggest some skins to check out.

Or any other suggestions please =]

Cheers!

sbiddle

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#246862 15-Aug-2009 09:28

Both GB-PVR and Media Portal let you select the DirectShow Device you want to use for audio output.

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#247866 17-Aug-2009 19:43

I am slightly -well. OK, more than slightly- a Mediaportal fan.

One caveat: you don't state your hardware. Recent versions, after 1.0.0.0, require a more powerful graphics card if using Nvidia. The devs changed the way the broadcasts are rendered or deinterlaced. The minimum card is a 9400GT, I think. The thread is here. If you read the entire thread, you will see I am less than impressed with having my slightly older hardware (XP/8500GT) compromised trying to sort out other issues (ATI/Vista judder). But I still use ver.RC4 & as it is set up nearly perfectly, I will leave it as is until I rebuild my HTPC.

As for skins: I have tried a number, this is the number 1, from my perspective. You can set your own fanart pictures for the TV, Movies, music, etc.. Also, if you're into TV shows & movies.

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

hbk

94 posts

Master Geek

#247931 17-Aug-2009 21:21

Cheers. After about a hour of trying to figure how to to use GB-PVR I'm uninstalling it and trying MP... I couldn't even work out where I tune the channels. Added my capture device (Blackgold) (which I assume you have to add twice because it doesn't look like it detects dual tuners), but then what do you do, where do you add the channels?

Hopefully I have better luck with MP. Skins definitely look a lot nicer.

Specs are 9600GT, 4GB RAM, 2.4 Quad.

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#247951 17-Aug-2009 22:08

You'll be able to install the latest version, given you're hardware.

http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/MediaPortal_Manual_Index

hbk

94 posts

Master Geek

#248272 18-Aug-2009 18:14

Cheers 1gkar. Got it installed and running, channels setup etc. One question; can items I don't want be removed from the main menu? E.g. My Pictures, Weather. If yes, where are those settings?

hbk

94 posts

Master Geek

#248306 18-Aug-2009 19:41

And also, how do you switch to the icon style main menu from the horizontal list style. e.g. so it looks like this?

[img]http://www.team-mediaportal.com/images/zoom/IVBBXZ/02_basichome.jpg[/img]

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1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#248324 18-Aug-2009 20:14

hbk: Cheers 1gkar. Got it installed and running, channels setup etc. One question; can items I don't want be removed from the main menu? E.g. My Pictures, Weather. If yes, where are those settings?

Open Mediaportal (MP) configuration & click on plugins. Right-click 'home', then configuration. Go to 'Menu Setup'. Just move any ones you don't want to the bottom of the list. Not sure if you can do a manual delete of any of the items. Let me know if it is possible.

As for changing from Basic Home screen to the icon mode: good question. I have an MCE reomote & just double-pressing the greeen button switches between Basic & icon screens. It will probably be stated in the WIKI somewhere.

hbk

94 posts

Master Geek

#248340 18-Aug-2009 20:48

Cheers. Found out how to do both of those, to remove items from the Basic menu edit BasicHome.xml. To get MP to start in Basic mode there is a setting under general.

kiwijunglist

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#248445 19-Aug-2009 03:42

Install StreamedMP, tell Mediaportal to start with basichome screen, run StreamedMP editor, point to the skin directory and setup the menu the way you want it.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

Dingbatt

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#248507 19-Aug-2009 09:25

1gkar: I am slightly -well. OK, more than slightly- a Mediaportal fan.

One caveat: you don't state your hardware. Recent versions, after 1.0.0.0, require a more powerful graphics card if using Nvidia. The devs changed the way the broadcasts are rendered or deinterlaced. The minimum card is a 9400GT, I think. The thread is here. If you read the entire thread, you will see I am less than impressed with having my slightly older hardware (XP/8500GT) compromised trying to sort out other issues (ATI/Vista judder). But I still use ver.RC4 & as it is set up nearly perfectly, I will leave it as is until I rebuild my HTPC.

Thanks for the heads-up. I was just about to replace RC3 with 1.1.0 but since I 'only' run a 8500GT it may have caused problems. So I'll just sit with what I have.

“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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#248653 19-Aug-2009 14:40

you might be ok, the new changes seem to effect VRM9 (XP) more than EVR (VISTA).
you can safely upgrade to MP1.0 Final as it doesn't have the rendering changes.
if you use MP1.0Final you can add the dynamic refresh rate change patch.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

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hbk

94 posts

Master Geek

#248809 19-Aug-2009 21:29

Is there an NZ TV icon pack for StreamedMP?

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#248826 19-Aug-2009 22:00

There are a number of packs at the top of this forum. Just try those. I use a combination, from memory. Just put them in:

c:\documents & settings\all users\application data\team mediaportal\mediaportal\thumbs\tv\logos

hbk

94 posts

Master Geek

#249582 22-Aug-2009 07:45

Cheers

Been running MP as my main HTPC software for a few days and it's great- it's so slow though! My box is a core 2 quad 2.4, 9600GT and 4GB RAM and as people have mentioned, 2secs+ to change screens/channels etc sometimes, and sometimes the video gets choppy (It's only Freeview DVB-S too not HD), and this is on a very minimal Windows install.

One last thing that is bugging me is, when I have MP running full screen on a second LCD, cand the MP icon be removed from the Windows start bar? Or minimised to the tray or something? I tried a couple of the options under General and they cause the whole MP window to be minimised.