Suggested Replacement for Windows Media Center?

Forums › Freeview (DVB-T/DVB-S) › Suggested Replacement for Windows Media Center?

sfrasernz

227 posts

Master Geek

#195698 30-Apr-2016 11:47

I've been an HTPC user over the last 10 years having gone through a hacked TiVO, NextPVR and for last 6 years Win7 MCE which has been fantastic and reliable. The PC hardware is giving me some grief so I'm considering my options and am considering a Freeview|HD Recorder rather than buying a new PC.

Our biggest priorities are:

High Definition
Recording of TV programs (dual tuner a must)
Playback of various recordings from my media library (x264, MKV, MPEG files mostly) - Can these be saved locally?
Reliability
Ease of use (for the family)

Nice to haves would be on-demand services such as TVNZ, TV3, NetFlix, Lightbox along with looking at photos from our digital library and the ability to install a bigger hard drive.

The relatively new T2200 looks like it would fit the bill but may not met the Reliability and Ease of Use requirements from what I've been reading.

Could I please have some suggestions on the best set top boxes I should be looking at?

Thanks

davidcole

6029 posts

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#1544479 30-Apr-2016 13:06

Mediaportal or nextpvr would be my choices. Nextpvr is my personal preference. Both free. Mp open source. Nextpvr closed, but developed by one guy (here in Wellington) with support from round the world.

Previously known as psycik

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B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#1544510 30-Apr-2016 14:51

davidcole: Mediaportal or nextpvr would be my choices. Nextpvr is my personal preference. Both free. Mp open source. Nextpvr closed, but developed by one guy (here in Wellington) with support from round the world.

My Hauppage WinTV software (for HVR2200) was giving me grief with updates since updating to Windows to 8.1 and then 10. I replaced it with NextPVR and it works great. Only disadvantage is the EPG doesn't auto-update so have to do a scan occasionally to update it. Also, like WinTV, the software doesn't seem to have been updated with the re-stacked regional channel changes last year so it's necessary to scan whole of NZ (instead of single region) to find all channels then delete unwanted channels.

davidcole

6029 posts

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#1544520 30-Apr-2016 15:42

It should have updated .ini files for your region. Depends on your version.

davidcole

6029 posts

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Trusted

#1544521 30-Apr-2016 15:43

And the latest versions have the eit epg data for free view dvb-t. There was a time in the config that gets it to update at a time daily

rb99

3422 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1544614 30-Apr-2016 20:14

Have been checking out the new Wetek 2S lately. Not for sale yet (though should be quite soon), don't know prices yet, but as far as I can tell its an Android box with a built in Dual DVB-T (or DVB-S) tuner. USB for hard drives. Just a thought, give it a Google.... http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=263373

Prefer Emby if you want a media server / player thing.

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it to confuse you a bit more...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99