First HTPC/Mediaportal installation - results (1 Viewer)

[Baboonanza]

I just built my first HTPC and I thought I'd give a quick little feedback/post-mortem post.

First of all a big thanks to the core team and contributors to Mediaportal, I was amazed at how easy everything was to set up. To get the best out of Mediaportal I guess a lot of configuration is necessary but personally I see that as a plus. It took me longer to get the ATi drivers to send the right resolution the HDTV than it did getting a basic MP installation running!

What I'm using:
MP 1.1 BETA on Window 7 64bit.
PEAK PCI Dual DVB TV Tuner - worked out of the box after installing manufacturers driver
Fractal Shape Remote - This was called something completely different on the config screen, but as there was a picture it was easy to set the right profile. I really did not expect setting up the remote to only take a few minutes!
Athlon II 240e
MSI 785GTM-E45
2GB 667Mhx RAM (Old, I'll upgrade this and set up a timeshifting RAM disk at somepoint)
LiteOn 4x Blu-Ray driver
Silverstone GD04 HTPC case (a really lovely case as long as you are happy using a very low-profile cooler)
TV input is UK DVB-T freeview.

Remaining issues/Questions:
- Some irregular GUI flashing. This is most noticeable with live TV running in the background but also occurs at other times. (EDIT: A known bug with EVR?)

- Channel changing is a bit slow. I guess this might be tricky to fix though.

- I've got both a remote with mouse control and a KeySonic mini keyboard/trackpad attached and the way the mouse works with the menus (particularly the main menu) is absolutely horrible. Using the offset mouse position as a scrolling mechanism really doesn't work well, and if you start MediaPortal with the mouse on you're greeted with a fast spinning menu. This is really my only complaint.

- I need to disable the default MCE remote button so that it doesn't start MCE (I've found the solution already on the forums, will try it tonight). Also for some reason Firefox is being launched in the background when using MP but I don't know what causes that.

- I don't understand the Hibernate/Sleep options. The only difference I found was that Sleep left the case and CPU fans on!

- Hibernate/Sleep with TV Recordings. Is there a way to make MP wake from Sleep/Hibernate to start recording? I tried it and it didn't work.

- Is it possible to add links the sites such as iPlayer to the main menu/sub menu? It would be great to be able to launch the browser and minimize MP by selection the site in MP. (EDIT: found the online videos plugin, will try that)

These are minor issues though (I'm aware I'm running a BETA release too), overall I'm very impressed and pleased with the result. I'm sure with some tinkering most of them can be fixed. Any advice on the above will be gratefully recieved

And thanks again, MP is a terrific package!

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

- I don't understand the Hibernate/Sleep options. The only difference I found was that Sleep left the case and CPU fans on!

These can run upto a minute after sleep is initiated, that's because Win7 like Vista uses hybrid sleep mode, if they do not turn off at all, then I would check motherboard setting for S3 in BIOS.

If you do have a problem with using the powerscheduler plugin, but find that windows own power settings work fine when enabled (need to be disabled for powerscheduler to work, set to max perfromance and change login needed on resume to NO), might be worthwhile using ForTheRecord, which allows you to use windows own power settings, plus worthwhile havingh just for its advanced recording logic.

 

[Baboonanza]

That would explain it then, I hadn't realised I had to disable the Windows features. I'll check out ForTheRecord too though, it seems useful. So many options!

Thanks for your help.

 

[kiwijunglist]

- I don't understand the Hibernate/Sleep options.

Very basic explanation of the difference:
S3 Sleep - Keeps the power going to the ram, and keeps the memory stored in the ram, so you can quickly wake up from sleep.
Hibernate - This dumps the memory on to the HDD, and then turns off all the power. When you wake up it takes a little longer than S3 sleep, the advantage is that it uses less power.

- Is it possible to add links the sites such as iPlayer to the main menu/sub menu? It would be great to be able to launch the browser and minimize MP by selection the site in MP. (EDIT: found the online videos plugin, will try that)

Use multishortcut plugin for launching external applications within mediaportal

I've got both a remote with mouse control and a KeySonic mini keyboard/trackpad attached and the way the mouse works with the menus (particularly the main menu) is absolutely horrible.

A lot of skins are designed for keyboard/remote control, and not for mouse useage. This is because this is home theatre software.