What is the best Media Center Software?

[Quasmo]

I've got a pentium 4 3.0ghz, and I'm setting up a system with 3 TV tuners, 1 Happague PVR-500 MCE with dual tuners built in, and an ATI HDTV-Wonder. I'm looking for a MC OS that will handle more than two tuners and will handle an HD tuner well.

1. Will Windows MCE 2005 handle more than two tuners?

2. I also know that Windows MCE comes with software that allows for a DB of all the shows to be downloaded, Do the linux variants come with these as well.

3. I also understand that with the windows version only uses the Windows Media Encoder, and I can use any codecs with the other software is this true?

4. My other question is there any software that allows you to save content from one tuner on a specific HD and another tuner on another. (Say I wanted to save all my HD content on one drive 320GB drive, and the other two tuners on another drive)? Thanks for all the help.

5. Will the linux software packages work with the MCE remote?

 

[nitsuj3580]

I vote for SageTV.

 

[Traire]

Originally posted by: Quasmo
I've got a pentium 4 3.0ghz, and I'm setting up a system with 3 TV tuners, 1 Happague PVR-500 MCE with dual tuners built in, and an ATI HDTV-Wonder. I'm looking for a MC OS that will handle more than two tuners and will handle an HD tuner well.

I like GB-PVR. Its free and is pretty well supported.

1. Will Windows MCE 2005 handle more than two tuners?

I know WMCE supports two tuners, but I cant verify if it will support 3. GB-PVR will run as many tuners as you can fit in your system.

2. I also know that Windows MCE comes with software that allows for a DB of all the shows to be downloaded, Do the linux variants come with these as well.

Pretty much all the MCE programs have a EPG source. Thats part of what defines an MCE program.

3. I also understand that with the windows version only uses the Windows Media Encoder, and I can use any codecs with the other software is this true?

Well, no not really. If you have a Hauppauge tuner, then you have MP2 hardware encoding capability (as does the ATI HD). For the best quality video, your going to want to record your TV in high bit-rate (1000+ b/s, a large file) MP2, and then transcode it to another format (xvid, divx, wmv) or a smaller MP2 file. I transcode all my stuff to Xvid using Gordian Knott. Xvid/divx/WMV will have file sizes about 1/10th that of MP2 at the same subjective quality level.

Hauppauge tuners WONT directly encode to any other format but mpg and MP2. So if WMCE will transcode the video to WMV on the fly (which it sounds like your describing) than you will need a fairly powerfull CPU, and you wont want to have ANY other programs running at the same time.

4. My other question is there any software that allows you to save content from one tuner on a specific HD and another tuner on another. (Say I wanted to save all my HD content on one drive 320GB drive, and the other two tuners on another drive)? Thanks for all the help.

Not that I know of, although there may be a plugin for a specific program that will do it.

5. Will the linux software packages work with the MCE remote?

Havnt got a clue.