MCE 2005 or something else for my needs and uses?

[Antoneo]

I don't think I'll get the most out of Windows Media Center Edition 2005 so I was wondering if there is something better for my needs than that.

I will not watch TV on my HTPC so that rules out TV features, TV recording, and HDTV.


I will however:

• Watch DVDs

• Listen to both streamed music (shoutcast is my current preference though the stations may simulicast in Windows Media format)

• Watch divx/xivd files (anime, tv shows, home videos, etc)

I need:

• Easy to use, collective (everything in one place) interface

• Large, easy to read from a distance fonts

• ffdshow post processing options

I'd like to easily browse my file collections, sort of like how MCE 2005 does it, in a nice simple easy to use interface. This is a priority for me, as I have used plain Windows XP and it is annoying to go through menus and search for files with the normal fontsize that is difficult to read from 10-12' from the screen. I don't like increasing the font size because then some text, for whatever reason, get screwed up and cut off. I was thinking of getting an modded xbox but it lacks the power and options that I would get with a full fledged HTPC.

Is MCE 2005 my only choice or can I install some sort of MCE like browser interface over my Windows XP installation? I've seen something like that once before and it was free but can't remember it's name.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

could write your own html to browse your files in any way / font you like.

JB

 

[rsd]

MCE won't let you use FFDSHOW.

If you want that you can use Meedio, which will let you integrate the dvd player software/music software of your choice.

 

[drag]

I like Mythtv personally.

It provides a nice easy-to-use interface for setting records, browsing channels and stuff like that.

It's much more flexible and powerfull then MCE, you have multiple backends that record shows and such, and can have multiple front ends. Theoreticly you could have a dozen computers with 3 or 4 tv capture cards apeace and have them work together pretty much seemlessly.

It does the PVR time shifting, it does recordings, and playbacks. Handles DVD's and different file types. It has no restrictions on what you can record or what you can do with the recordings after you recorded them. It has a various modules for different things, like weather reports, mame video game emulators, music libraries, and pretty much anything else you'd want a home theater pc for. Including ripping , transcoding, and orginizing your DVD collection.

It has different themes, allows you to select fonts, has several preset-able recording types for various qualities and disk space. Runs a mysql database to keep track of recording times, and channel listings.

It can handle certain types of hardware encoding cards (mainly the WinPVR-250 WinPVR-350) and many different types of the cheaper non-mpeg2 cards (which MCE can't do)

And it's completely Free and free.

Trouble is that if your not familar with Linux it's can be quite difficult to setup, but people have online resources and preconfigured packages with directions to make it as easy as possible.

Another bad thing is that many different peices of hardware are not supported, such as the ATI all-in-wonder cards.

It does have preliminary support for a Linux-only HDTV card, which is actually very well priced. Only terrestrial broadcasting signals though (regular tv) no cable-based HDTV. If you do digital cable you'll have to use a infrared transmitter (called IR blaster, not expensive) to control the set-top box if you want more then the standard 75 channels or whatever.

mythtv features and screenshots

pchtdv


Not the most easy thing to setup, but it's easy to use, and it's about the most "ultimate" or total solution thing your going to find.

 

[KeyserSoze]

Originally posted by: drag
I like Mythtv personally.

It provides a nice easy-to-use interface for setting records, browsing channels and stuff like that.

It's much more flexible and powerfull then MCE, you have multiple backends that record shows and such, and can have multiple front ends. Theoreticly you could have a dozen computers with 3 or 4 tv capture cards apeace and have them work together pretty much seemlessly.

It does the PVR time shifting, it does recordings, and playbacks. Handles DVD's and different file types. It has no restrictions on what you can record or what you can do with the recordings after you recorded them. It has a various modules for different things, like weather reports, mame video game emulators, music libraries, and pretty much anything else you'd want a home theater pc for. Including ripping , transcoding, and orginizing your DVD collection.

It has different themes, allows you to select fonts, has several preset-able recording types for various qualities and disk space. Runs a mysql database to keep track of recording times, and channel listings.

It can handle certain types of hardware encoding cards (mainly the WinPVR-250 WinPVR-350) and many different types of the cheaper non-mpeg2 cards (which MCE can't do)

And it's completely Free and free.

Trouble is that if your not familar with Linux it's can be quite difficult to setup, but people have online resources and preconfigured packages with directions to make it as easy as possible.

Another bad thing is that many different peices of hardware are not supported, such as the ATI all-in-wonder cards.

It does have preliminary support for a Linux-only HDTV card, which is actually very well priced. Only terrestrial broadcasting signals though (regular tv) no cable-based HDTV. If you do digital cable you'll have to use a infrared transmitter (called IR blaster, not expensive) to control the set-top box if you want more then the standard 75 channels or whatever.

mythtv features and screenshots

pchtdv


Not the most easy thing to setup, but it's easy to use, and it's about the most "ultimate" or total solution thing your going to find.

See, that's one of my main reasons for trying to learn Linux. There are soo many great applications like this that are only ON Linux. I just don't know if my 1 gig will be enough processing power for the setup. (Encoding/Decoding.) But one of the days very soon!




KeyserSoze

 

[Antoneo]

Ah, thanks for the input so far guys. I'm not much of a programmer, never really got into it nor though I have plenty of time and resources to (I'm giving my "if I tried excuse" here). But linux has always been something that comes up with my computing experience, and I guess this might be the one to get me started. I've tried Knoppix and it is really pretty much like windows setup and use so I was left wondering why I would switch or have it coexist in the first place.

I'll check out MythTV but not to let Windows down, over at htpcnews.com's forums there is a "definitive" thread on various frontends, some of which are free and seem to be worthwhile, listed. They might not have all the fancy features (or maybe I'm wrong and they do) but they seem to meet my requirements. I'll update this thread later when I get around to building the machine (this/next week).

In the mean time if anyone else has other viable frontends, that would be great!

Why does the bullet feature in FuseTalk not work

 

[drag]

Here is a howto for Fedora. here

I used it, seems conscince enough...

They maintain a apt-get repository that contains all the software you need to setup Mythtv, so that you don't have to end up going and compiling your own custom kernel and stuff like that.

Apt-get is a command line tool that is used for intellegent handling of Linux software packages. (there is a GUI front-end called Synaptic you can use.) Linux has lots of shared code between applications and that's kept in libraries. Much like .dll files in Windows. Also you have lots of layering of applications, so you would need programs A, B, C, D, and E to run program F. To keep track of all that in a easy way you use apt-get and keep track of software repositories in online http and ftp sites. Then you use apt-get to update against that, and install (and uninstall) software.

For instance if you want to update your OS with all the new patches and such, then you go:
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

and that will sync your OS with whatever websites/repositories you have listed in your sources configuration files. Of if you want to install mozilla you would just go:
apt-get install mozilla

And it would download and install Mozilla for you. The catch is in this thing is that sometimes it's hard to find the names of software packages, like firefox may be named mozilla-firefox or firefox-1.0 or something like that, so to search thru software you go:
ap-cache search firefox

Stuff like that. Everyonce of a while you get a badly packaged software that causes hickups, which can cause problems installing software. Or software you want isn't aviable from the online repositories so you either have to install it manually or go and add another repository to sync up against. But it works easily enough most of the time. And there is nice GUI front-end called synaptic that people use.

Also there is a Knoppix-based Mythtv live cdrom. Some guy was hear having trouble installing it for a full on mythtv box, but it looks like it would make a good temporary front-end. Never used it though.

Another thing I've heard of, but never used personally, is a Windows front-end written in .NET called WinMyth. And people have projects for installing Mythtv front ends on Xboxes and such.

Personally I used Debian for a Mythtv back-end, and Fedora on a old 800mhz celeron machine for the front-end. Worked out ok, had to do a bit of customizing though.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: KeyserSoze

Originally posted by: drag
*stuff*.

See, that's one of my main reasons for trying to learn Linux. There are soo many great applications like this that are only ON Linux. I just don't know if my 1 gig will be enough processing power for the setup. (Encoding/Decoding.) But one of the days very soon!




KeyserSoze

Ya. Linux is fun, but it can be a real pain in the rear end sometimes. But then again all OSes suck.

1 gig MAY be enough for recording and play back if you buy a WinPVR-250 or 350 that includes hardware mpeg2 encoders. It would probably be laggy and such with the GUI and changing channels. Also you would have to sacrific some visual quality.

It would be enough for recording then play back later.

On a machine that is as old as a 1gig one of the main limitations is going to be your harddrive.

PVRs work by tv caputure ---> encoding ---> writing to drive ---> reading from drive ---> decoding ---> playback. So you need to have a big fast harddrive, otherwise your going to run into hiccups.


Also another thing to have in a decent sound card. Something that supports hardware mixing is a definately a big plus, like a Audigy or a Soundblaster 5.1 live-style card.

Sound sync is very important, if your sound doesn't sync up with the picture you can run into big issues with the picture freezing, hiccups and stuff like that because the media playback is having a hard time tracking the feed, or something like that.

It's not that important with a quality mpeg2 encoder/tv capture card, but it is something to think about when using a cheaper non-encoding card that may have sound cord that goes around to your sound card's input.