Future directions of MediaPortal (1 Viewer)

[janjuul]

Joboehl,
Thank you for taking the time to inform me of the current status of the project, and answering my questions.
I have tried to look for the suggested information from Frodo, but I haven't really managed to find any - tried Wiki but didn't find any info about the architecture there - but probably my lack of knowing where to find it (API sections seems like it is missing)

Pleased to see that there are structures around the communication between the client and server functions of the TVengine.
But also interesting to see that people have started to develop/port key features, as they find them important enough, not to wait until after the release of the 3.0 engine !!
Sadly these 'on the side developments' are delivered as plugins with some tweaks and 'playing around with configs' in order for you maybe to get it to work, and risking it not working with the next SVN build.

FlipGer: I understand your priority, but I'm also sensing that you are living in Germany, meaning no subtitles needed (as movies in germany are synchronized) and therefore low(or non existing) on your list ...

However it still brings me back to my original question:
Where is MediaPortal going, and what is the priority going forward ??
>> That is the key question !!

We really need a documented future path for Mediaportal . . .
It will provide us all with a clear picture of where MediaPortal is going, and it will also enable us to see if it includes the functions relevant to each of us. If I see key functions missing, then I might as well start to look for other options and forget about MediaPortal. I don't hope that I will get to that conclusion.

I'm willing to take the bumpy ride with the Beta versions, if I know where we are going...

 

[zswman]

Joboehl,

However it still brings me back to my original question:
Where is MediaPortal going, and what is the priority going forward ??
>> That is the key question !!

We really need a documented future path for Mediaportal . . .
It will provide us all with a clear picture of where MediaPortal is going, and it will also enable us to see if it includes the functions relevant to each of us. If I see key functions missing, then I might as well start to look for other options and forget about MediaPortal. I don't hope that I will get to that conclusion.

I'm willing to take the bumpy ride with the Beta versions, if I know where we are going...

I'd just like to second that request - thanks.

 

[ktjensen]

I like to think of MP as going towards a free alternative to Apple-TV. I could have bought an Apple-TV for $300, but now I do not need to.

Also I was thinking of playing with a Beyond-TV software that I got free, in an old version, with one of my video capture cards. Now I feel I am "beyond" that.

MVP extender from Haupauge alternative? Yep mostly works, but I think I would need to transcode my stuff. So MP is still the winner. Besides I do not need another black box, and I like doing other things besides "media vegitation".

I could get VISTA with all the capabilities of Windows Media Edition built in, but no flexible tools for it yet. Maybe someday with a new computer. I just worry as even WINXP was buggy in certain aspects.

So the real question is what will you use your combined HTPC device (or system) to do? I think we are on the cutting edge of determining that. It is bloody dangerous out here in development land. There will be many failed experiments, but MP seems to be adaptable to move out of any deadends.

 

[janjuul]

ktjensen,
You are raising some interesting points:
- There are a lot of options out there - many more than you mentioned. Maybe you need to have a further look around .... just kidding ;D
- It is interesting times with a lot of development and drive in the market
- Many products going in different directions, and sure several of them will die on the field of promising projects.
- Hopefully mediaportal will survive (the dev team's effort deserve that).

But it is bringing back the same old question
Where is mediaportal going in the future ??

 

[FlipGer]

Hi,

FlipGer: I understand your priority, but I'm also sensing that you are living in Germany, meaning no subtitles needed (as movies in germany are synchronized) and therefore low(or non existing) on your list ...

I see that you understand my intention. There are simply many people out there with different wishes. Your first post simply sounded to demanding. Your main (and meaningful) question was just burried in to much moaning.

To your main question. Yes it would be nice to have some sort of a roadmap with milestones. I think that is often a "problem" of OpenSource projects, you are free to do what you want.
Perhaps this information is already there but to much hidden. Also a "problem" if the DEVs concentrate more on developing than doing documentation.

I think you would get best answers on the IRC. If you only ask this question, not trying to justify it.

Flip.

 

[janjuul]

Hi Flipger,
My frustration (what you call moaning) is originating from many evenings spend and to some extend waisted on trying to get MP set up in a stable manor.
2.2.0 is still shaky on the TV side (which we all know), and the 3.0 Beta SVNs are still in the stage of "try it", but don't expect too much.
Developers are spending a lot of time on this great project, and so am I, trying to get the user experience beyond playing, i.e. 'EPG' is an interesting function with it's own life

I do not expect the team to spend all their time documenting, but I think it would be good to stop up for a couple of days to define the future directions of MP.
What is the feedback from the customers/users ? What are they expecting/requesting? And then define the deliverables (what does support for this or that mean, i.e. when is this function working according to requirements/design).
Then group and prioritise it, and then communicate it (at the front page).
Right now the directions are unclear, and often you have to find a certain thread to find out that something is working or not. And as the delivery isn't stated clearly, you often see that people claim MP to have support for this and that, because they are playing with some config and plugins within their specific setup - but there is no proper support.
This thread already proved this, like people mentioning that the 3.0 supports subtitles, only to agree that it is not there yet, when challenged.

A future plan detailing the deliverables would benefit everyone, both developers and users . . . . .

 

[joboehl]

folks, you really don't get it.

people are getting dissatisfied with the relation of MP quality to features.
I'm fed up too, that my wife can't operate MP without calling me an computer idiot daily...however, I'm in IT business since 20 years...

hot_dog_friend.

I think most people do get it.

The dilema is: People don't whant to use the stable version (0.2.0.4) because it pales in comparison to what newer (unstable) versions do.

So people want the feature being added, but expect the same level of stability of the stable release.

That's actually a problem of the open source project. If this was a closed project, everybody would be using the stable 0.2.0.4 and not complaining about stabilty. After a year a new (stable) release would be released and people would love the new version with all the functions.

There will be stable releases of MP with all the features you see on the SVN. But there is a cycle and process needed to get there. 0.2.0 passed trough 4 release candidates in order to get in shape to be called a stable release.

I think that the TVServer will go trough a process like that once it has all it's planned features in place and with basic functionality working. The same with an eventual 0.3 release of MP itself. But until then:

- 0.2.0.4 it's the stable release (no new music engine, old tv engine, no DVB-S2, and etc)

- 0.2.2.0 it's the latest release to be used to preview functions to come in a new version.

- SVNs are development snapshots. It might work one day and break the other.

So if you want stability, go to 0.2.0.4. If you find a bug, report it (or fix it if you can and post as a patch). I know it's hard after knowing what cool things are in 0.2.2 and SVNs. But that's the price we pay for stability.

Every software is unstable when features are being added. I do think a list of features (like the one in the tvengine v3) could be done and people know what they could expect on a newer release. It would even help the developers to decide their priorities and know when to stop adding stuff. At the same time, they would have to say no to many " it would be nice if MP could do this" messages in the forums.

As for the tvengine (the one being discussed in this thread) the feature list exists and it is not ready today, so devs need to keep going implementing stuff before they can start polishing and call it stable.

As a side note: I used other HTPC solutions before coming to MP. I just finished migrating from Windows MCE to MP. My opinion is that HTPCs in general are naturally unstable, independent of what front end you have. I can't use MP completely in it's current form, but I'am betting it will shape up a pretty stable product by 0.3 or whatever number the next stable release will come.

 

[joboehl]

Joboehl,
Thank you for taking the time to inform me of the current status of the project, and answering my questions.
I have tried to look for the suggested information from Frodo, but I haven't really managed to find any - tried Wiki but didn't find any info about the architecture there - but probably my lack of knowing where to find it (API sections seems like it is missing)

API is documented at the source code level only. Not a complete documentation, but a start.

Sadly these 'on the side developments' are delivered as plugins with some tweaks and 'playing around with configs' in order for you maybe to get it to work, and risking it not working with the next SVN build.

Keep in mind that the new TVServer is under heavy development right now. It's expected that plug-ins and etc might break from release to release. It should not happen on a stable release, but a stable release is months away now. If you whant to use the engine and the plug-ins to validate and test your needs, you are welcome to do it. But keep in mind that you are only testing.

it's important (and thats why I did one) that plugins do exist to test the plug-in infrasttructure and validate functionality. But they are not ment to be production ready until the engine itself becomes so.

I'm willing to take the bumpy ride with the Beta versions, if I know where we are going...

Well, where MP is going I really don't know. With TVEngine v3, your bumppy ride takes you here : http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/TV-Engine_0.3/overview

An until that's not implemented and functional, they can't start making it stable.

 

[joboehl]

Where is mediaportal going in the future ??

Personal opinion: separating TVEngine from the core project to be achive greater levels of stability and open the possibility of additional sw and hw platforms.

And by the way I look at it, TvEngine is shapping to be one of the best if not the best tvengine around, based on the spec and what the program is becoming.

 

[FlipGer]

Hi,

2.2.0 is still shaky on the TV side (which we all know)

There is again this "all"/"everybody"-thing. MP is running very stable on my machine. I do not use my normal television anymore. I had left MP for 10 days to do my recordings on vacation and it did as espected.

See? A forum always reflects the unhappy people which have problems, not the bunch of people who are using a product without getting into trouble.

Flip.