[slappyking]

I have all my bits for my htpc, apart from the OS, i have a XP disk around somewhere so im not sure if i should just use that or get Win7.


If i get Win7 then MediaPortal doesnt work on it (so ive read), but i really like MedaiPortal.


So if i get Win7 then i'll probably use XBMC, but i havent used it before so i dont know what its like.


So do i keep to 'XP + MediaPortal' ..... OR .... 'Win7 + XBMC?'


Any / All help would be appreciated.


Thankyou,

 

[In2Photos]

Media Portal does work on Win 7. I am using an older version but 1.1.0 was just released.

http://www.team-mediaportal.com/news...released!.html

 

[pheare]

if you go win7, might want to also look at WMC with the Media Browser plugin. Pretty slick, especially with the Chocolate theme.

 

[justinm0424]

media portal does work on windows7 I just installed it on my 2008R2 server and it seems pretty cool. I've been using media center built into windows7 with mymovies which i think is better/easier than media portal but I just installed media portal over remote desktop and haven't had a chance to mess with. It seems like media portal has a lot more features but this makes it a lot harder to configure and setup.

 

[slappyking]

Thanks guys, i'll probably go with Win7 then, it's just i read the following on the MediaPortal site http://www.team-mediaportal.com/blog...windows_7.html -

Quote:
Mediaportal 1.0.2 does not support Windows 7 at all.


The reason is that we know that MediaPortal 1.0.2 has quite some major and minor problems on Windows 7 RC1, especially if you have UAC turned on.


We will fix the most issues in the 1.1.0 ALPHA release, but there is still a lot of work to be done (by Microsoft and us) until you can call the combination of Windows 7 and MediaPortal stable and ready for a productive system.

So i just presumed MediaPortal doesnt work with Win7, thanks for setting me straight..

 

[mike_311]



Quote:
Originally Posted by slappyking /forum/post/18235843



So if i get Win7 then i'll probably use XBMC, but i havent used it before so i dont know what its like.


Thankyou,

aggg! why would you install win 7 and not use media center?

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mike_311 /forum/post/18238054


aggg! why would you install win 7 and not use media center?

Because you have to use MyMovies or Media Browser to get movie info. I'm not paying for points and Media Browser seems clunky compared to Media Portal. Plus Media Portal offers built in BD compatibility so no need for PowerDVD or TMT3, etc.

 

[pheare]

^ Man, if media browser is clunky, I need to see Media Portal.

I can't imagine things being much better than MB. Especially with the Chocolate theme.


That said, I'm too far invested in MB and have it working great. Don't think I have it in me try get something else running...

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by pheare /forum/post/18238954


^ Man, if media browser is clunky, I need to see Media Portal.

I can't imagine things being much better than MB. Especially with the Chocolate theme.


That said, I'm too far invested in MB and have it working great. Don't think I have it in me try get something else running...

I had MP up and running on my XP system and when I upgraded to Win 7 I gave MB a try. I still don't have it working so I just switched back to MP. Had it up and going in less than an hour from start to finish including all the mods and selecting the cover art for my movies.


To each his own really. I prefer DVDFab when everyone else likes AnyDVD so maybe I am an oddball!

 

[pheare]

^ I've heard good things about MP. I did try installing it once a while back. I don't remember what the issue was, but I just didn't get to a point where it looked pretty or did very much. Probably something like you and MB.


Likely both are easy to setup, but there are a few things you need to know/do in order to make it so - and I was at the point where I just didn't want to invest anymore blood, sweat and tears into my htpc.

 

[Heli Pilot]



Quote:
Originally Posted by In2Photos /forum/post/18238763


Because you have to use MyMovies or Media Browser to get movie info. I'm not paying for points and Media Browser seems clunky compared to Media Portal. Plus Media Portal offers built in BD compatibility so no need for PowerDVD or TMT3, etc.

I found that to be just the opposite, Media Browser was smooth, and easy while Media Portal was a pain that took way more work than I wanted to put in to it to get it how I liked it than I was willing to do. I've tried just about all the media centers and WMC with Media Browser has been by far the easiest to set up, use and maintain. I use Salami's Movie Organizer to gather covers, and movie info.

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Heli Pilot /forum/post/18239069


I found that to be just the opposite, Media Browser was smooth, and easy while Media Portal was a pain that took way more work than I wanted to put in to it to get it how I liked it than I was willing to do. I've tried just about all the media centers and WMC with Media Browser has been by far the easiest to set up, use and maintain. I use Salami's Movie Organizer to gather covers, and movie info.

See that is one of the things that I mean. You have to add MB and Salami and yada yada to get cover art and movie info. With Media Portal, Moving Pictures is built in. You just point it to the movie directory on the PC and make sure it selects the right movie. The drop down list allows you to find the right one if it isn't correct.


I do like WMC and if I had MB going without much effort I may not have gone back to Media Portal even though I really liked it.

 

[pheare]

^ well, you don't need to use salami or another 3rd party tool for your meta data, MB will get all that for you if you want.


I don't know what sort of meta data editing MP will let you do, but I personally like having the extra control over the meta data - picking which backdrops (and how many) and cover art to use. Adding removing genres, or editing any other piece you want. Of course the tool (I use meta browser) can do it all for you automatically.


I'm curious as to what issues you were having. Other than having to have your movies and tv shows is a fairly specific structure, there is not much to it.

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by pheare /forum/post/18239158


^ well, you don't need to use salami or another 3rd party tool for your meta data, MB will get all that for you if you want.


I don't know what sort of meta data editing MP will let you do, but I personally like having the extra control over the meta data - picking which backdrops (and how many) and cover art to use. Adding removing genres, or editing any other piece you want. Of course the tool (I use meta browser) can do it all for you automatically.


I'm curious as to what issues you were having. Other than having to have your movies and tv shows is a fairly specific structure, there is not much to it.

In Moving Pictures I can select what cover art I want and how many I want ot use for different views. Genres are not available in the release version but are working in the beta version. Hopefully it will be released soon.


It has been a while since I messed with MB, but if I remember correctly I never got it going at all. For some reason it didn't see all my movies and I never got any cover art or meta data on the ones it did find.

 

[mike_311]



Quote:
Originally Posted by In2Photos /forum/post/18239212


In Moving Pictures I can select what cover art I want and how many I want ot use for different views. Genres are not available in the release version but are working in the beta version. Hopefully it will be released soon.


It has been a while since I messed with MB, but if I remember correctly I never got it going at all. For some reason it didn't see all my movies and I never got any cover art or meta data on the ones it did find.

MB has been getting better which each new release since they subbed out the plugins to handle most of those tasks.


if you haven't tried it in a while you may want to give it a look.

 

[drealit]

I need to throw my hat in too and highly recommend media portal. It has grown so amazingly fast over the past 2 years and has turned into something truly wonderful.


With my HTPC I went from MP to MediaCenter then back to MP and am extremely happy I did.


MediaPortal RC1 + StreamedMP skin and you're basically done because streamedmp now includes MyTVSeries (handles your TV shows with amazing ease), MovingPictures (movies),MyTrailers (pulls down apple trailers on the fly), a new Music Now Playing layout which looks extraordinary and now pulls down fanart for each artist. What more could you possibly need?


Oh you're going to say what about the hassle for setting up codecs with MediaPortal (it used to be a pain 2 years ago...), well that is noooo more with the home brewed SAF filter package. It has been specifically designed to work with MP with the absolute minimum for user interaction/configuration. It utilizes FFDshow and MPC-HC codecs to handle all your video playback with full DXVA compliance provided you have DXVA compliant hardware. If you aren't using Win7 you'll need to install QuickTimeAlternative for .mov playback etc.


The only thing left to do after installing those 3 items (MP, StreamedMP, SAF) is pointing MP to where your media is... you're done now. It will most likely pull down all the correct information for you for everything you've pointed it at and be ready to go.


I have taken my setup a step farther and have begun to implement the MyEmulators plugin which lets you use the popular emulators available to play all the games you used to play when you were a kid (SNES, NES, Genesis, Atari, N64 blah blah blah)... MP has truly turned into a full out entertainment command center. The only thing I haven't explored was inserting a TV Tuner into my setup because I'm holding my breath on cablecards. At this point I'll still be reliant on MediaCenter for that but that's easily launched from MediaPortal.

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by drealit /forum/post/18240651


I need to throw my hat in too and highly recommend media portal. It has grown so amazingly fast over the past 2 years and has turned into something truly wonderful.


With my HTPC I went from MP to MediaCenter then back to MP and am extremely happy I did.


MediaPortal RC1 + StreamedMP skin and you're basically done because streamedmp now includes MyTVSeries (handles your TV shows with amazing ease), MovingPictures (movies),MyTrailers (pulls down apple trailers on the fly), a new Music Now Playing layout which looks extraordinary and now pulls down fanart for each artist. What more could you possibly need?

I agree completely. The only movies I have trouble with MP finding are some of my 4 year old daughter's movies like Little Bear and Strawberry Shortcake. For those I just download my own cover art, but all the main stream stuff is found on its own.


[/quote]

Oh you're going to say what about the hassle for setting up codecs with MediaPortal (it used to be a pain 2 years ago...), well that is noooo more with the home brewed SAF filter package. It has been specifically designed to work with MP with the absolute minimum for user interaction/configuration. It utilizes FFDshow and MPC-HC codecs to handle all your video playback with full DXVA compliance provided you have DXVA compliant hardware. If you aren't using Win7 you'll need to install QuickTimeAlternative for .mov playback etc.


The only thing left to do after installing those 3 items (MP, StreamedMP, SAF) is pointing MP to where your media is... you're done now. It will most likely pull down all the correct information for you for everything you've pointed it at and be ready to go.


I have taken my setup a step farther and have begun to implement the MyEmulators plugin which lets you use the popular emulators available to play all the games you used to play when you were a kid (SNES, NES, Genesis, Atari, N64 blah blah blah)... MP has truly turned into a full out entertainment command center. The only thing I haven't explored was inserting a TV Tuner into my setup because I'm holding my breath on cablecards. At this point I'll still be reliant on MediaCenter for that but that's easily launched from MediaPortal.[/quote]

I haven't played with the MyEmulaotrs plugin. Sounds like fun though so I may have to check that out! The only thing I have added is the Netflix plugin which works great.

 

[slappyking]

MP is great, its the only one ive tried and as it does everything i want (Using XP) i will stay with it.


My main concern after reading on the MP site that it didnt work with Win7 (but ive been told by you guy's that it does) so there's no problem, WIn7 + MP is definatley the way forward for me.


This sounds interesting...

Quote:
Oh you're going to say what about the hassle for setting up codecs with MediaPortal (it used to be a pain 2 years ago...), well that is noooo more with the home brewed SAF filter package. It has been specifically designed to work with MP with the absolute minimum for user interaction/configuration. It utilizes FFDshow and MPC-HC codecs to handle all your video playback with full DXVA compliance provided you have DXVA compliant hardware. If you aren't using Win7 you'll need to install QuickTimeAlternative for .mov playback etc.

Thankyou for setting me straight about it guy's..

 

[drealit]

Yes, both of my HTPC's in my home are utilizing the new MP RC along with Windows 7 Professional x64 N (no media center comes installed - but you must install wmv11 for MP to function correctly).

 

[justinm0424]

I spent all lastnight trying to setup MP. It's pretty cool but I don't think it compares to Win7MC with mymovies. I used the MP RC and got some setup on my 2008R2 server but everything isn't user friendly. I guess it takes a while to get it all working how you like it.