The HTPC Software Thread

[BenchZowner]

Hey guys, I'm in the testing process of a Antec Micro Fusion 350 HTPC Case and I'm now trying to collect some HTPC software to try and since I don't have that much time neither experience in HTPC software I'm calling for you

I'd really appreciate any kind of help such as listing some programs/OSs that you've heard about or tested yourself.

I have a small list ( waiting to grow up ):

LinuxMCE
Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows Vista Ultimate x86/x64 ( Media Center application )
Nero MediaHome 4
Cyberlink PowerCinema 4 (?) [ maybe it's still on v3, don't remember ]
iMON & iMedia HD
MediaPortal
Creative Entertainment Center
Elisa Media Center
Beyond Media
Entertainer
Freevo
Got All Media
J River Media Center
Meedio Ultimate
Myth TV
SageTV
TVedia
XBMC
Xlobby

Any suggestions ?

[BenchZowner]

Bumpy bump ?

[zanzabar]

i have power dvd 8, but i think that power cinima is a more full version

[BenchZowner]

I have found some more programs, that I'll add later on.
They're piling up fast and... well... more testing for Bill I guess

[Marvin_The_Martian]

Ehm it's only because it comes with the tuner card but I am bound to using Winfast PVR ( my card doesn't work with media center it's an oldie, so I have to use PVR ).

idk if that's of any use to you though

[BenchZowner]

Winfast's PVR ain't that much of a media center application... actually it's a part of a media center application ( could be a part ).
Thanks for the input no matter what

Damn, there are so many things one can do with a remote and a VFD and a "tiny" computer built in a small desktop case that looks similar to a Hi-Fi component

[Marvin_The_Martian]

lol yeah, well it's a tv tuner/radio tuner, has a tv guide, recording center.. actually it sounds like a media center application

It's just not that good at it imho ( for instance on my oldy tv the menu's are hard to navigate ).

[BenchZowner]

The common definition of a Media Center application is "a suite of programs ( TV Viewing/Recording, DVD/HD-DVD/BluRay Playback, FM/Online Radio, Photo Viewer, Music Playback ) with a common interface".

A interface that allows you to use any of the following applications by using your remote control ( no need for a keyboard, mouse ).

In terms of HTPC applications at least.

Check the iMon website for example ( soundgraph.com ) or just open up the Windows Media Center portion of Windows Vista x86/x64 Premium or Ultimate and see for yourself

[Marvin_The_Martian]

I got a remote for pvr, it allows me to

• Open the tv tuner
• Watch tv
• Browse the tv guide
• Browse my files and play media files
• Listen to the radio
• Schedule recording
• ect...

sorry but isn't that exactly what you're describing

Edit: I can see that pvr on it's own isn't what you mean since I do have to manually make sure it appears on the right screen, if I run a monitor and a tv that is. If you use pvr on a dedicated htpc, it will do everything you describe afaik. With media center, when I extended the desktop to any tv, the media center window would automaticly appear on the tv instead of the monitor, which is one of the reasons I do not like PVR as much ( don't have a dedicated htpc but my pc is in my livingroom so I use it as such for movies ect ).

[BenchZowner]

Added more software
I think I'll check J River Media Center now.

[BenchZowner]

Just tested the following software:

Meedio Ultimate
TVedia
SageTV
Media Portal
Got All Media
Elisa Media Center

My comments/initial thoughts, etc:

Meedio Ultimate:
This one would get the highest rating of all 6 if you asked me to rate them.
Very nice interface, lots of features, customizable and easy to browse with the remote control.

TVedia:
Very nice as well, I'd say on par with Meedio Ultimate in most sections.
Nice interface, lots of features, and of course easy to browse with the rc.
Loved it as well.

SageTV:
Better than the average, but not great as well.
As is, Meedio Ultimate and TVedia are way out of reach for SageTV.
It lacks some features here and there, and the interface didn't make me go "wow, that's nice", etc.

MediaPortal:
Mediocre.
Just some basic stuff, worse than SageTV.
At least it's easy to browse with the remote control.

Got All Media:
Plainly sucks!
Some menu options would make it crash instantly and ask me to send an error report to the developers... yeah, like they haven't been notified already... those bugs are pretty darn obvious.
I encountered them in my first 30 secs of usage.

Elisa Media Center:
Mediocre interface, relatively good menu structure, easy to browse with a RC, but... there's a but.
If you thought that Microsoft's programs are unstable or crash without a reason... think again. The Elisa Media Center is the answer to your... problems.
Wins the "Crashful application of the year" award hands down.

[itznfb]

okay... my intentions with HTPC and media center software are to basically have an all in one solution for my media room. the primary functions i'm concerned with are:
1: TV viewing / recording (more than 1 channel at a time)
2: Nice, well layed out interface (easy to navigate with a remote)
3: well tuned and accurate guide
4: Able to play DVD
5: Able to play Blu-Ray/HD-DVD

my main media center is on 24/7, and is 100% dedicated to being a pvr/dvd player. i'm currently using Windows Vista Home Premium with Vista Media Center.
Hardware:
Lian-li PC800
Gigabyte P965 S3
Core 2 Duo E4300
1x2GB GSkill DDR2-800 reds
1x160GB hdd
1x750GB hdd
LG DVD/Burner
ATI HD2400
hauppauge mce-500

the only software i've used on this HTPC is vista media center. windows/vista media center imo is the most complete solution by far (that i've tried).
really the only thing that windows/vista media center is lacking is ATSC/Blu-ray/HD-DVD support

i just built another media center for testing trying to find a way to include blu-ray support and maybe even ATSC support within a single piece of software.
new media center:
thermaltake bach
ASUS P5Q-EM
Core2Duo E6600
2x2GB GSkill DDR2-1000 blues
1x160GB HDD
1x1000GB HDD
lg blu-ray drive
intel integrated graphics/audio hdmi
hauppauge 2250
vista home premium x64

i tried Beyond TV. the interface was clunky. the volume of the interface browsing was deafening while the tv volume itself was very low. doesn't include a dvd player let alone a blu-ray player.

next i tried powercinema 5. i loved this interface. absolutely loved it. it lost me on recording options and the guide. it uses titan tv guide and i couldn't get it to work. and there were very few recording options. also, no blu-ray support. you need to close power cinema and launch powerdvd ultra 7.5 or 8

i also tried mythTV, waste of time

nero home looked like it would have been one of the best. unfortunately, they've sold their souls to the devil, (tivo) and are soon releasing their new media center based on the tivo software... and yes, that means monthly fees ftl. FU nero.

maybe i'll follow your lead and start doing a more indepth test and usability/functionality review.

this list is old, but still a good list:
http://eirikso.com/2005/10/25/the-me...software-list/


EDIT:

i've been doing some reading about ArcSoft TotalMedia 3.5. this will probably be my next trial as soon as i get home.

EDIT2:

i was just reading about the PlayTV for PS3. i wish they had this in the US. that was acomplish everything i'm looking to do
would be awesome if someone created an interface and drivers for a USB tuner card for the PS3

[Baleful]

Looking forward to updates. I'll be building a house in the near future, and with that I will be doing a complete overhaul of our current "media" setup. Right now it's horrible, as plain as could be. Just a regular 32" TV with DirectTV's TiVo. I hate it, it's horrible, I want it gone! haha

When we build the house, the wife wants at least a 50" LCD for the living room, I'm trying to get her to go bigger, and surround sound. I've been searching for the best software to use for my future HTPC and was stumped untill I found this. I had experimented with MythTV/Mythbuntu but didn't really like the interface. I've got Vista 64 Ultimate but never even considered using the Media Center in it, i'll have to give it a go. Does Media Center allow for multiple recordings at the same time? TiVo allows for two recordings to be going at once, but as you all know, TiVo blows.

Seeing as how i've never setup a complete HTPC and never seen one fully working, i've got a newb question.

Once you've got your TvTuner card in, what hooks up to that? The TvOut from your Satellite/Cable box? If so, once that's hooked up, does MediaCenter automatically recognize you have channels available to watch/record?

Thanks for helping a HTPC newb lol.

[BenchZowner]

Once you've got your TvTuner card in, what hooks up to that? The TvOut from your Satellite/Cable box? If so, once that's hooked up, does MediaCenter automatically recognize you have channels available to watch/record?

Thanks for helping a HTPC newb lol.

The TV Tuner card works ( most of them ) like this:

1) Allows you to watch "normal" TV and digital ( if your card supports that, a digital TV tuner is needed ) on your PC.
2) Allows you to record a normal/digital TV Program on your HDD. ( some of them feature some advanced features like TimeShifting, PiP, PaP, etc )
3) Allows you to record a video signal from another device via Video In ( via S-Video or Composite, or even Component or Scart interface )

If you have a regular Satellite TV receiver ( Digital or analog, HD or SD, doesn't matter ) you can use it by connecting it to the Video in connector on your TV tuner.

Or... you can get rid of it ( if it's a good one, I wouldn't recommend it ) and buy a PCI / PCI-Express Satellite TV receiver for your HTPC.

[itznfb]

most tv tuner cards are single onboard tuner, that are either analog or analog/digital. most digital tuners will pick up analog as well. if you want to record one station and watch another then you need two cards. some cards however have dual tuners built in that will allow you to watch one station and record another, or two recording at once. hauppauge pvr 500 and 2250 are probably the best retail dual tuners. the 500 is analog only. the 2250 is analog/digital.

---------------------------------------

on another note. i tried ArcSoft total media and i was really excited when i first started playing around with it. then i got to the guide. TitanTV. booooooooooo. how could they ruin such a great product with such a crappy 3rd party EPG? i'll probably still play around with it more. one thing i don't like about it is that they have a blu-ray software package but i'm not sure if it will integrate with TotalMedia or not. if it doesn't, then i'll just continue using media center and look into the powerdvd plugin.

[Baleful]

Thanks for clearing that up guys, I was infact looking at this card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116036

It's the 2250 Media pack, I think the only difference is it comes with a remote. What kind of remotes are you guys using, the remote that comes with this media pack looks pretty cheap. I was thinking something more along the lines of this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16880100771

[itznfb]

the remote that comes with the 2250 is a tweaked media center remote. i use the standard silver media center remote. i really like it, it's simple and has everything you need. it's actually a well built solid reomte. and if you're using media center, it works flawlessly with it.

[Baleful]

Thanks for the heads up

[Thund3rb1rd]

to be able to watch one channel while recording another, do you need to go from the wall straight to your tuner card? or, can you go from STB to tuner card, and still get the two channels streaming through there?

I get my tv via watch communications, which broadcasts digital MMDS

also what hardware/whatever do I need to get an additional TV to be able to stream from the HTPC..example: HTPC in living room, hooked up to TV there...and also be able to interface with and watch recorded/ripped shows/movies from the TV in the bedroom (or just a link to a guide, I just started reading up on HTPCs..tired of the old lady b!tchin' about shows being in late time slots)

[rogard]

Boxee?

[Thund3rb1rd]

Boxee?

visionetics vistar 3000 series
this site says it's FTA....does that mean that I'd be able to use this card in lieu of my STB?
i don't think i'd take that gamble anyway

i'll probably get a hauppauge 1800 and call it done

[articu]

big list of software > here

[Revv23]

http://www.snapstream.com/

This is my favorite i have ever found. Media management, ability to stream on the network, commercial detection/skipping, automatic divx/xvid /h.264 compression of videos, hd support, dvd burning of recorded media. they even sell a remote control that i havent used but it looks really sweet.

Check her out.