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Media Browser: Great alternative to DVD Library/My Movies/Movie Collector - Page 123

post #3661 of 4018
4/29/11 at 5:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WoodiE55 View Post

I'm not understanding why you create shortcuts to each movie but changing the XML config file to point directly to your DVD collection works like a charm. Thanks for sharing! I'm glad to get rid of that one extra click for nothing.

I have several HDDs, so I would need many entry points (one for each HDD). So I create one entry point to a folder, and in that folder I use shortcuts to all the various locations of all the movies.

It makes it nice, since if I want to find where I stored a movie, I go to the shortcut folder and simply follow the shortcut. The location bar in Windows Explorer shows me which HDD I went to.

As I add more HDDs, I simply add shortcuts to that folder and have no need to change anything else.
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post #3662 of 4018
4/29/11 at 6:18am
AWWW OKAY! Now that makes sense and that too will actually probably come in use for me here very soon as I'm working on putting together a new HTPC and was thinking about storing some movies on my machine PC in my office since it has much more storage available.

Thanks!
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post #3663 of 4018
4/29/11 at 11:21pm
so honestly after screwing with media browser and windows media center trying to get something working nicely, i downloaded xbmc and 5 minutes later, i was watching movies. I think i'm gonna go with xbmc, its too bad i like a lot of things about media browser better, but xbmc just works.
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post #3664 of 4018
4/30/11 at 8:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by robl45 View Post

so honestly after screwing with media browser and windows media center trying to get something working nicely, i downloaded xbmc and 5 minutes later, i was watching movies. I think i'm gonna go with xbmc, its too bad i like a lot of things about media browser better, but xbmc just works.

Mediabrowser is pretty simple to use. Like anything you need to learn a couple things to have it down.
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post #3665 of 4018
4/30/11 at 12:30pm
Anyone know how to change the default folder media browser opens to? I thought you did that in the configurator where you add the media folders. But it doesn't seem to affect it anymore.
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post #3666 of 4018
5/1/11 at 4:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by robl45 View Post

so honestly after screwing with media browser and windows media center trying to get something working nicely, i downloaded xbmc and 5 minutes later, i was watching movies. I think i'm gonna go with xbmc, its too bad i like a lot of things about media browser better, but xbmc just works.

I still use WMC too, but am an XBMC guy. I use WMC for live TV and launch XBMC from there, much like you would launch MB.
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post #3667 of 4018
5/1/11 at 8:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbbransc View Post

I still use WMC too, but am an XBMC guy. I use WMC for live TV and launch XBMC from there, much like you would launch MB.

The biggest handicap of Media Browser is that it relies on using WMC's internal player (unless you set up an external player to launch). So not necessarily a fault of MB as it is the inflexibility of WMC.
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post #3668 of 4018
5/1/11 at 9:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Anyone know how to change the default folder media browser opens to? I thought you did that in the configurator where you add the media folders. But it doesn't seem to affect it anymore.

Anyone?
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post #3669 of 4018
5/1/11 at 9:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

The biggest handicap of Media Browser is that it relies on using WMC's internal player (unless you set up an external player to launch). So not necessarily a fault of MB as it is the inflexibility of WMC.

Can xbmc bitstream? Last check it couldn't.

Also I find the interface of xbmc to be extremely confusing and difficult compared to MB.
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post #3670 of 4018
5/1/11 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Can xbmc bitstream? Last check it couldn't.

Also I find the interface of xbmc to be extremely confusing and difficult compared to MB.

I am not sure what XBMC has to do with WMCs internal player as a weakness, I was simply stating that having to rely on WMCs internal player for better or worse turns out to be a weakness for MB in so many areas (regardless if you want to compare against XBMC, Media Portal, SageTV, Boxee, etc...). Obviously if you want LiveTV WMC is a totally different beast, but just focusing purely on local content playback.

As far as XBMC, you are correct that it cannot bitstream HD Audio. That will be fixed once the new audio engine is in place (I don't know a timetable for that), but once that gets in place, along with better subtitle support and support for BluRay folders natively (just main movie), then XBMC will definitely become a lot more attractive against WMC
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post #3671 of 4018
5/1/11 at 10:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Anyone?

What do you mean, what default folder are you talking about, the entry point in WMC?
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post #3672 of 4018
5/1/11 at 10:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

I am not sure what XBMC has to do with WMCs internal player as a weakness, I was simply stating that having to rely on WMCs internal player for better or worse turns out to be a weakness for MB in so many areas (regardless if you want to compare against XBMC, Media Portal, SageTV, Boxee, etc...). Obviously if you want LiveTV WMC is a totally different beast, but just focusing purely on local content playback.

Is there some sort of tutorial on how to use it? That last time I tried to add multiple folders it was a catastrophe. You have to switch modes/views or something to be able to do it. I never could figure it out.

I think that might be the major con against xbmc, imo. I wish the interface was more intuitive so that the average user could figure it out easily. I would be willing to try it again if I could ever figure it out. But its hard for me to allot the amount of time to figure out xbmc when for me MB/WMC just works.
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post #3673 of 4018
5/1/11 at 10:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Is there some sort of tutorial on how to use it? That last time I tried to add multiple folders it was a catastrophe. You have to switch modes/views or something to be able to do it. I never could figure it out.

I think that might be the major con against xbmc, imo. I wish the interface was more intuitive so that the average user could figure it out easily. I would be willing to try it again if I could ever figure it out. But its hard for me to allot the amount of time to figure out xbmc when for me MB/WMC just works.

I had wrote this a while back, it may be outdated though:

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010...ted-with-xbmc/

It should just be a matter of pointing XBMC to each share, setting its content (i.e. Movies, TV shows, etc...). Then you just set in library mode and all your media from all your various shares will appear as one library.

I still do prefer Media Browser over XBMC. When the new audio engine comes out then I will definitely revisit, as having to rely on 3rd party players with Media Browser has caused some of the instabilities that dropped the good old WAF

The Media Browser community does kick the XBMC community's butt though IMO
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post #3674 of 4018
5/1/11 at 10:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

I still do prefer Media Browser over XBMC. When the new audio engine comes out then I will definitely revisit, as having to rely on 3rd party players with Media Browser has caused some of the instabilities that dropped the good old WAF

The Media Browser community does kick the XBMC community's butt though IMO

Thanks for that.

Totally agree with the bolded part. I think that is going to be huge for someone.

Media is moving towards a central area where everything is stored and played back. I think this is the next boom in electronics. It might end up being included in TVs (60" 3D LED with built-in 2TB Media Device anyone?) or in something that is a descendent of the HTPC. But whoever gets it right is sitting on a potential gold mine, imo.

Edit: I think I will wait to give xbmc a try again until they get bitstreaming working.
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post #3675 of 4018
5/1/11 at 10:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Thanks for that.

Totally agree with the bolded part. I think that is going to be huge for someone.

Media is moving towards a central area where everything is stored and played back. I think this is the next boom in electronics. It might end up being included in TVs (60" 3D LED with built-in 2TB Media Device anyone?) or in something that is a descendent of the HTPC. But whoever gets it right is sitting on a potential gold mine, imo.

Edit: I think I will wait to give xbmc a try again until they get bitstreaming working.

Agreed, I think this is what XBMC and Boxee are trying to be. XBMC is being ported over to Sigma and Boxee has hinted at a "Boxee" tv, especially since you will start seeing more powerful processors such as Intel baked into tvs. This actually scares me a little. You buy a TV and brick it because of some bad firmware update with Software installed (such as XBMC or Boxee). I am willing to take that chance with a $200 media box or even an HTPC that you do a little DIY work on to get it back, but a $1k-$2k tv is a different beast.

I have XBMC installed and can launch from WMC, more for just testing purposes right now. I doubt Windows 8 will have better codec/player support in WMC (I think betas should be out later this year), but who knows?
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post #3676 of 4018
5/1/11 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

Agreed, I think this is what XBMC and Boxee are trying to be. XBMC is being ported over to Sigma and Boxee has hinted at a "Boxee" tv, especially since you will start seeing more powerful processors such as Intel baked into tvs. This actually scares me a little. You buy a TV and brick it because of some bad firmware update with Software installed (such as XBMC or Boxee). I am willing to take that chance with a $200 media box or even an HTPC that you do a little DIY work on to get it back, but a $1k-$2k tv is a different beast.

I have XBMC installed and can launch from WMC, more for just testing purposes right now. I doubt Windows 8 will have better codec/player support in WMC (I think betas should be out later this year), but who knows?

I think as long as their are users that use pirated media there will be a place for the HTPC.

So that means forever.
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post #3677 of 4018
5/1/11 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

What do you mean, what default folder are you talking about, the entry point in WMC?

Sorry, after opening media browser I have different folders; Movies, Tv Shows, Kids etc.

It keeps defaulting to the last one which is one I don't use much. I thought when you add the folders in the configurator which ever one is on top is the one that goes first. But this doesn't seem to be the case.
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post #3678 of 4018
5/1/11 at 6:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Mediabrowser is pretty simple to use. Like anything you need to learn a couple things to have it down.

yes it is, but when your whole library is 24p, and you are trying to use an external player, it becomes a hassle very quickly, where with xbmc, i run it, and go, it switches the refresh rate for me, and has a remote that works and does the job nicely. although the libary feature was easier and more intuitive with mediabrowser.
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post #3679 of 4018
5/1/11 at 6:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by robl45 View Post

yes it is, but when your whole library is 24p, and you are trying to use an external player, it becomes a hassle very quickly, where with xbmc, i run it, and go, it switches the refresh rate for me, and has a remote that works and does the job nicely. although the libary feature was easier and more intuitive with mediabrowser.

Yah the refresh rate changer sounds great. We are definitely limited with the WMC player.
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post #3680 of 4018
5/1/11 at 6:36pm
So, is there a way to change the refresh rate in MediaBrowser?
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post #3681 of 4018
5/2/11 at 12:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fyrfyter71 View Post

So, is there a way to change the refresh rate in MediaBrowser?

There is a refresh rate changer plugin for 7MC at the Aussie Media center site. I used it for a while and it seemed to work alright.

http://www.pcmediacenter.com.au/foru...ger-win7-beta/
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post #3682 of 4018
5/2/11 at 3:54am
I have a movie, "Das Boot", that consists of two DVD images for the main feature. Halfway through the movie you have to flip the DVD. All my DVDs have been ripped to my file server (unRaid server), and I'm using MediaBrowser as my front-end.

After reading through the naming conventions for MediaBrowser I'm still unclear on how to treat the two DVD images so that it will be properly recognized and CoverArt displays the cover (and MB will play the movie). The focus for multiple disks seems to be on TV episodes with year and episode numbers.

In a larger context, a similar issue exists for those movies where I want to preserve the additional DVD with extras. Any suggestions?

-RoB-
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post #3683 of 4018
5/2/11 at 4:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post


Thanks for that.

Totally agree with the bolded part. I think that is going to be huge for someone.

Media is moving towards a central area where everything is stored and played back. I think this is the next boom in electronics. It might end up being included in TVs (60" 3D LED with built-in 2TB Media Device anyone?) or in something that is a descendent of the HTPC. But whoever gets it right is sitting on a potential gold mine, imo.

Edit: I think I will wait to give xbmc a try again until they get bitstreaming working.

I have heard that the next update will have a stripped down default Interface. The idea being that many moods are simply overwealmed with all the custumization options when starting out. It will probably 'just work' out of the box but under Settings you can still do all the things most users love.
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post #3684 of 4018
5/2/11 at 5:12am
You guys that were doing complicated shortcut workarounds to get straight into your Movies folder - you did try enabling the 'Auto enter single folder items' option in the config, right? It definitely works, although you may need to turn off the EHS.
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post #3685 of 4018
5/2/11 at 5:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rop View Post

I have a movie, "Das Boot", that consists of two DVD images for the main feature. Halfway through the movie you have to flip the DVD. All my DVDs have been ripped to my file server (unRaid server), and I'm using MediaBrowser as my front-end.

After reading through the naming conventions for MediaBrowser I'm still unclear on how to treat the two DVD images so that it will be properly recognized and CoverArt displays the cover (and MB will play the movie). The focus for multiple disks seems to be on TV episodes with year and episode numbers.

In a larger context, a similar issue exists for those movies where I want to preserve the additional DVD with extras. Any suggestions?

-RoB-

Multi-part movies are a bit of a pain to get running properly, and ultimately you might find it easier to re-do this movie so it's saved as one file. But first have a read of this topic from the Knowledge Base and see if it helps:

Extras/Bonus features aren't really supported at the moment, I'm afraid, but they're definitely a popular request. Why not sign up to the MB Community Tracker and add your wish to the feature request here?
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post #3686 of 4018
5/2/11 at 7:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Sorry, after opening media browser I have different folders; Movies, Tv Shows, Kids etc.

It keeps defaulting to the last one which is one I don't use much. I thought when you add the folders in the configurator which ever one is on top is the one that goes first. But this doesn't seem to be the case.

Bumping again.
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post #3687 of 4018
5/2/11 at 7:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rop View Post

I have a movie, "Das Boot", that consists of two DVD images for the main feature. Halfway through the movie you have to flip the DVD. All my DVDs have been ripped to my file server (unRaid server), and I'm using MediaBrowser as my front-end.

After reading through the naming conventions for MediaBrowser I'm still unclear on how to treat the two DVD images so that it will be properly recognized and CoverArt displays the cover (and MB will play the movie). The focus for multiple disks seems to be on TV episodes with year and episode numbers.

In a larger context, a similar issue exists for those movies where I want to preserve the additional DVD with extras. Any suggestions?

-RoB-

If you are not adverse to MKV files, you can combine both sides of the disc into an MKV container and they will play one right after another. I did this exact same thing with all of the Lord of the Rings extended editions. Each film spans across 2 DVD's. Now, each film is a single MKV and plays seamlessly. I used MKVmerge and it's "append" feature to make the single MKV file for each LotR film.
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post #3688 of 4018
5/2/11 at 8:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Sorry, after opening media browser I have different folders; Movies, Tv Shows, Kids etc.

It keeps defaulting to the last one which is one I don't use much. I thought when you add the folders in the configurator which ever one is on top is the one that goes first. But this doesn't seem to be the case.

This happened to me last week. I think I caused it by messing around with the Sort option inside MB via the "wrench" button. I fixed it by going back into the Configurator and rearranging the items, then putting them back in the original order I wanted. Give it a shot.
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post #3689 of 4018
5/2/11 at 8:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Bumping again.

Your sorting order is probably the problem however there is an option in MB configurator something about defaulting to unwatched. I don't remember the specific option.
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post #3690 of 4018
5/2/11 at 9:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LongRufus View Post

This happened to me last week. I think I caused it by messing around with the Sort option inside MB via the "wrench" button. I fixed it by going back into the Configurator and rearranging the items, then putting them back in the original order I wanted. Give it a shot.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GatoEnFuego View Post

Your sorting order is probably the problem however there is an option in MB configurator something about defaulting to unwatched. I don't remember the specific option.

Thanks guys you were right. For some reason I had changed the sort to date instead of name for the main screen, this fixed it. Finally.
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