HTPC Resurrection with Media Portal

[BonzaiDuck]

I should've got started on this project a year ago. When my HDTV of 12 years went on the fritz, I realized I should do it now.

THE HTPC

This is an i7-2700K system with a GeForce 970 graphics card. I have a 25' HDMI cable that extends to the old TV or HT receiver. The system contains all the recorded material I'd acquired under Win Media Center, and still plays most of it.

MEDIA PORTAL

I finally settled on using this open source software. I have some questions.

First. "Streaming subscriptions". I can access any of my streaming subscriptions through the web-browser of any PC in front of me. But I don't want to use a web-browser: therefore I want an open-source media-center alternative like Media Portal. How does Media Portal handle and manage my streaming subscriptions?

Second. I was keen immediately to the notice that this is "client-server" software. I don't need to access it from other PCs. I need it to feed my Smart TV through an HDMI port. So -- there's a configuration that requires "loopback" with an IP address, apparently so the same PC can output the content to a connected TV. Any insights about this?

I look for more advice. My new Sony 43" TV arrives Friday, and I was hoping to be able to play with this in the meantime on its desktop monitor. ( I had been running it with a desktop monitor and the TV connected in a dual display setup, with the Windows desktop displayed on the desktop monitor. )

The new Smart TV should allow me to stream my subscriptions through an ethernet connection, but there is apparently no "Spectrum TV app" for the Sony X85K available at the Play store -- which is stupid. But the old TV was being fed by a ROKU. So -- still no problem.

If I can have internet streaming on the Media Portal HTPC, that's a plus in addition to ability to play my DVR recordings. In fact, I could almost hope that I could just run the entire enchilada from the HTPC.

But -- again -- how does Media Portal deal with streaming subscriptions, when they are available on an EDGE or CHROME web page?

UPDATE W QUESTION: Other people have recommended Plex over Media Portal. The Plex web-page seems to suggest that it handles streaming subscriptions. But first -- I want to know the skinny about Media Portal. Thanks.

UPDATE --- INITIAL EXPERIENCE WITH PLEX

OK. Now I see that the simple HTPC Plex App offers up a lot of tv shows and movies, but it won't access my DVR recordings on the same PC. Nor will it use my Prime Video and PBS streaming services. And, apparently, to access the locally stored content, I have to install the Plex Server.

Maybe I should set Plex aside and try Media Portal.

Well, I'll try and fiddle around with this some more, but not today . . .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Can anyone tell me if Media Portal will allow me to play DVR movies off my HTPC? So far, I see that Cyberlink PowerDVD 22 Essentials works fine, but it's not an integrated media suite WMC equivalent.

Despite some encrypted premium DVRs from SHO, HBO etc. which won't play on the system anymore, I have a huge collection of movies, tv shows, documentaries -- even a Leonard Skynard rock concert that plays just fine. They are so numerous, it will pay to hook this PC up to my new TV.

With Plex, I supposedly have to establish the PC as a media server. Any other options?

 

[igor_kavinski]

Another option: https://libreelec.tv/

I have used KODI with Xbox. It was quite sufficient for my media needs.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Another option: https://libreelec.tv/

I have used KODI with Xbox. It was quite sufficient for my media needs.

Since I last posted, I've discovered some promising things.

First, all those old DVR captures play well through PowerDVD. Second, IF I WANT, I can "cast" PowerDVD to my ROKU. With the old TV as a brief test-bed, I've done it, and the ROKU app is configured. Third, PowerDVD almost seems like a total WMC replacement, but I have no tuner card input, and can no longer DVR. I can worry about that later, because it all has to resolve itself with Jack Valenti's DRM and HDCP tyranny. That's just the world we live in now.

But there's more. For the HTPC, I've found procedures and software for reprogramming my green-button remote. Doing it would put me at a crossroads: I could only reprogram it for one media-center software at a time. It looks sort of tedious . . . .

My new TV arrived today, and I have work to do. I'm going to hook up the HTPC as it had always been done before -- to an HDMI port on the TV. This way, selecting the 5.1 PC speaker system (as always) on the PC, no sound will get through to the new TV's speakers, and I've got full surround -- for the content stored or playable on the HTPC.

I tried KODI a few times, but had trouble making it work well with my SiliconDust network tuners. I was just frustrated with it, and didn't have time to tweak it any more.

I'm going to install Media Portal to see if there are any features I want that PowerDVD doesn't have. But I can play DVD and BD discs from the HTPC with PowerDVD. There had been a cell-phone app made for controlling PowerDVD through the home network, but it doesn't work with PowerDVD 22, but only with earlier versions. It wasn't highly rated.

Unless I hook up my ONKYO receiver with HDMI input from the new TV,, I won't have surround sound for the streaming subscriptions through ROKU. I just really don't want to leave that amplifier receiver on all the time. If you look over at the audio forum, I'm trying to save myself the cost of a soundbar system by connecting a 3.5mm-type PC 2.1 speaker system to the TV -- which I already have. I think there's a Bluetooth solution for this.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Jellyfin might be worth looking at too. I like that model, because the server handles everything and you can use an app or web browser to connect to it. I just use web browser from a Raspberry PI. It's kind of like your own mini Netflix. Unlike Plex, don't need an online account or any of that stuff either. It's stand alone.

I used to use Kodi but I found it constantly had to be updated since it would break. Spent more time updating and fixing it than actually using it. It was also client only so if you watch stuff from more than one device it did not remember from one device to other where you're at in a season. Also had to setup NFS shares on each device. With Jellyfin you only need to do that on the server.

 

[Iron Woode]

Can anyone tell me if Media Portal will allow me to play DVR movies off my HTPC? So far, I see that Cyberlink PowerDVD 22 Essentials works fine, but it's not an integrated media suite WMC equivalent.

Despite some encrypted premium DVRs from SHO, HBO etc. which won't play on the system anymore, I have a huge collection of movies, tv shows, documentaries -- even a Leonard Skynard rock concert that plays just fine. They are so numerous, it will pay to hook this PC up to my new TV.

With Plex, I supposedly have to establish the PC as a media server. Any other options?

I use Media Portal for my HTPC. I use it for music and videos from my linux server.

I use version 1.30 as I am not fond of version 2.x

I use my old MS remote for it and it can play .ISO files with the help of Virtual Clone Drive (free). MP uses a version of Klite codecpack to play back nearly any video/audio format. Setting up the shares is a bit annoying but once setup it works fine. I don't use the IPTV functions or the DVR functions, though. So it is just playback for me.

PS: it can also playback whole ripped bluray discs.

 

[aigomorla]

I found out its too much of a hassle to run a PC now for a HTPC.
Its much easier to run a shield pro, as it can do everything HTPC and more while eatting very little power.

1. It has no problem playing 4k .MKV playback using VLC App.
2. It plays all the emulators perfectly fine.
3. Every streaming service has its own APP, which you can download on the google store.
4. Shield App for phone allows full remote control over phone.
5. It has built in chromecast, so you can cast whatever is on your phone.
6. Plex App plays better on andriod then Windows.

If i honestly want more i would need to put in a much beefier dedicated videocard, but i dont really game on my OLED TV.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Coming back to this, and I see there were additional helpful comments, I can see that the era of HTPC is closing. Mainly, the reason I want to keep it is the large number of DVRs that will only play on that system.

PowerDVD seems to have all the features -- or most -- of Win Media Center. But I've discovered that I can put my music library on a USB stick plugged in to my new Sony Bravia. My main objective at the moment is to connect the HTPC to the Sony and ONKYO so that it properly uses the ONKYO speakers.

Meanwhile, I'm really pleased how the Sony allows me to easily switch between its own speakers and the ONKYO, and how the ONKYO goes into standby when not in use, waking up as soon as I've made the selection on the Bravia. Instead of a Shield device as mentioned by AigoMorla, I've been using a ROKU Ultra for about a year. This is "almost" a backup for the Bravia, where I've installed most of the streaming apps available on the ROKU. The only problem: about three or four premium subscriptions are installed through my ROKU account, and there's no way that I've found so far for the Bravia to recognize them. The solution, of course, is to drop those subscriptions, recreate them under YouTube TV on the Bravia, and then they'd also be available on the ROKU, although I wouldn't need the ROKU at that point. But we still need another ROKU and the accounts for Moms' Samsung TV.

I also mustered some courage to cancel our Spectrum TV subscription, replaced with YouTube TV. I discovered they were charging me $20/mo as an "OTA surcharge" based on some deal they made with OTA TV networks so Spectrum could include ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS in their channel lineup. What?! I've integrated OTA with my streaming apps with a TABLO, anyway!

I just miss the days when it was easy to record TV to a local hard drive. Streaming apps -- some of them -- allow DVR for their channels, with the recordings stored in the Cloud. Just wonderful! Drop the subscription, and the recordings disappear. Jack Valenti did this! He did it! And I think he escaped our wrath and freaking died!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'VE MADE A PROFOUND DISCOVERY.

At this point, my discussion probably belongs in another forum. I had started here because of an intention to resurrect an HTPC. The reasoning included a primary assumption that DVR captures made over the years needed that HTPC to play. The captures were made with two technologies: a capture card when format aspect ratios were 4:3 or there wasn't any DRM, and then with SiliconDust HDHomeRun tuners and Windows Media Center when you could assume the DVR results were knitted to the hardware.

The tuners are no longer in the household network mix. But I assumed that I needed the HTPC to view the DVRs.

Behind all this, consider my recent purchase of a Sony Bravia Smart TV. Of course, I pursued downloading all the Android TV apps that I could find. I was looking for something that would give me WMC features -- an underlying basis for this thread.

All of my DVR files have been moved to my Win 2012 server, but of course there was no reason they wouldn't play on the HTPC just for being stored on another machine.

Even so, I downloaded the KODI app for the Bravia. All those files on the server will play on the Bravia through the KODI app without the HTPC hardware! And so I say "Holy S***!" I don't need my HTPC! For me, KODI rocks! KODI is "the thing"! I got my movies and memorable news-broadcasts of the White House Corrrespondents' Dinners -- for instance. I got my tunes . . . I got my photos and Playboy Centerfold collection!

I have embraced the current state-of-the-art Smart TV! TEEEE-VEEEE!!

 

[igor_kavinski]

I enjoyed KODI a lot too when I was using my Xbox One S/X for playing movie files. Had to move away once I got a Broadwell and now an Alder Lake PC. The Xbox One (even the X model) CPU is too weak and it would struggle sometimes.