I'm *such* a n00b - some newbie questons. (2 Viewers)

[charliek]

Hello folks!

I've recently upgraded my laptop, and decided to dedicate the old one to playing music and films on the telly (I used to use it for that a fair bit, anyway, just using VLC Media Player).

So I have done a fresh re-install of Win7 x64, and installed MP 1.1.3 - it all seemed very slick and easy! The Wiki seems very complete too.

* I'm not using any TV features as yet. Is there a way to run free-to-view satellite through MP on a laptop?

Maybe I'm being dim, but one useful chapter in the Wiki that I *didn't* find would be "now everything is set up, how best to import my media?"

* I have various DVDs that I'd like to rip and store on the HDD to catalogue in MP. How best do I do that? What would the ideal tools and workflow be?

* I have a substantial collection of music in MP3 format, currently in iTunes (but I manage the file structure), ratings, album art and and several playlists. How best to copy that over to MP?

Sorry if this is too n00b for words, but so far I've not managed to find answers by searching...

Cheers

Charlie

 

[Lehmden]

AW: I'm *such* a n00b - some newbie questons.

Hi.

...So I have done a fresh re-install of Win7 x64, and installed MP 1.1.3 - it all seemed very slick and easy!

The 1.1.3 Version is a bit outdated. New Version is 1.2. RC is out now, 1.2 Final will be out without mayor changes in some weeks. As there are lots of internal changes, no plugin from 1.1.x is compatible to 1.2.x versions. To start now with a 1.1.x Set- up is not the best to do. Especially on older PC as 1.2 runs a lot smoother on low power CPU systems.

...* I'm not using any TV features as yet. Is there a way to run free-to-view satellite through MP on a laptop?

Of course. Add a supported USB Tuner (as example Tevii S660 DVB-S2 HDTV- Tuner), install TV Server and you are ready to go.

...Maybe I'm being dim, but one useful chapter in the Wiki that I *didn't* find would be "now everything is set up, how best to import my media?"

* I have various DVDs that I'd like to rip and store on the HDD to catalogue in MP. How best do I do that? What would the ideal tools and workflow be?

Easiest is to make MKV out of your DVD. The proggy to do so is called "MakeMKV" Then import the MKV files in Moving Pictures (if it's a movie, eg "Casablanca") or MPTVSeries (if it's a TV Show e.g "Eureka"). Both are "must have" flagship plugins for MediaPortal. Both Plugins have own Wiki how to set up and import media properly.

...* I have a substantial collection of music in MP3 format, currently in iTunes (but I manage the file structure), ratings, album art and and several playlists. How best to copy that over to MP?

Easiest is to use proper ID3 tags for all relevant data (and Fanart). Your playlists should be compatible with MP. So you can easily import your music to MP- MyMusic database. How this works is precisely described in Wiki. If you did not tag your mp3 files properly there is a nice program "MPTagThat" from Team MediaPortal to do so.

 

[Peter2]

Hi Charlie,

To be able to view/record tv in MP - in your case free-to-air satellite - you will need some sort of tuner. This tuner can reside in the machine itself or in another MP server so this machine becomes a client.

Regarding your movies & mp3 files, in MP you can point to another (network)drive to play those files so you don't need to move/copy them.
I don't know if you can approach iTunes files from outside the program itself, otherwise there is no other option to copy them I guess.
Ripping you DVD's can be done with MP or any other program and in the file location - Video -> Video Folders - of the MP configuration tool, you provide the right location.
The same goes for music: MP configuration tool -> Music -> Music folders.

I hope this clarifies it.
P²

 

[mm1352000]

Hi and welcome Charlie

* I'm not using any TV features as yet. Is there a way to run free-to-view satellite through MP on a laptop?

If you have a satellite tuner connected to the laptop then yes.

Maybe I'm being dim, but one useful chapter in the Wiki that I *didn't* find would be "now everything is set up, how best to import my media?"

Basically the idea is to simply add the folders where your media "lives" to the folder lists in the appropriate sections (music, videos, pictures). As an example, the wiki info for music folders is -->here<--.

* I have various DVDs that I'd like to rip and store on the HDD to catalogue in MP. How best do I do that? What would the ideal tools and workflow be?

I copy them to ISO. There are various ways to do that - personally I use CloneDVD, but there are probably free options too. Once in ISO form, you can use Daemon Tools or Virtual Clone Drive to mount the ISO and view it in MP. MP has integration with both DT and VCD as described in out wiki -->here<--.
So that is one way to do it...

* I have a substantial collection of music in MP3 format, currently in iTunes (but I manage the file structure), ratings, album art and and several playlists. How best to copy that over to MP?

As mentioned above, add the folders to MP's music folder list, then go through the music database section to import the metadata.

mm

[Edit: looks like Peter2 beat me to it ]

 

[charliek]

Thanks, and danke, for such a warm welcome and patient help

I'll certainly look into USB satellite tuners - I'm surprised there's enough bandwidth on USB for HD streaming... At this rate, my laptop will be able to replace a big mess of assorted boxes in the TV cupboard. Is there a USB Video Cassette reader and vinyl LP player? Just kidding...

I'm installing 1.2 RC as we speak, so we'll see how that goes. Then I'll copy over my existing DVD rips, rip some new ones, and copy over my MP3 library... maybe I should document the process.

Cheers

Charlie

 

[Lehmden]

AW: I'm *such* a n00b - some newbie questons.

Hi.

Is there a USB Video Cassette reader and vinyl LP player?

Of course there is...
For Video Cassette you can use your old VCR with some sort of Video2USB Converter. There are "thousands" of them available out there. And for your Vinyl collection there are some USB Turntables available. Example:
Amazon.com: Sony PS-LX300USB USB Stereo Turntable (Black): Electronics

 

[mm1352000]

I'm surprised there's enough bandwidth on USB for HD streaming...

On USB 1 there wouldn't be - theoretical max of 12 Mbps is approximately the same as the bandwidth of a single HD channel.
USB 2 is a completely different story. 480 Mbps (theoretical) is more than enough to handle HD. Transponder/mux bandwidth is roughly 30 Mbps in many cases. With a dual tuner and MediaPortal you could record all channels from two transponders/muxes (frequencies) without blinking. USB 3 is another step up again.

mm

 

[porky996t]

Hi Charlie.....Welcome!

I started off playing about with MP and a laptop connected to the TV a few years back.... I eventually got rid of all my boxes under the TV and have a dedicated PC that we use as the main TV controller and this also streams to mini PC's in the kitchen and bedroom. When I have friends around they look on with envy . esp with the OnlineVideos plugin.

Don't get me wrong, it is a learning curve, and you do have to keep on top of your media to keep Moving Pictures and MY TvSeries plugins up to date, but once familiar with it all it does become easy.

You may want to get your hands on a MCE remote control, it pretty much works with MP without any hassle. I use these on all three PC's and the consistency is good for the GF.

Beware, this MediaPortal thingy is addictive and takes over your life, and additionally, it is the best international forum I have ever been on. All the contributors are courteous and polite and will go to extreme lengths to get your setup working too; even if your own language is their own natural one.



M.

 

[charliek]

So... I have 1.2 RC installed and configured, and it's looking fine. I like the default skin: clean and calm.

I've also installed CloneDrive (Daemon Tools Lite didn't seem to work: automount.. well, didn't), so I can play ISOs - which is nice.

The ISOs, however, appear in the video list just as filename.iso, and don't have all of the description and logos that the AVIs have, which is a bit of a pity - I would have thought that the same database updating routine could work with both isos and avis in the same way?

When I add new content, do I have to go through the (somewhat long and laborious) setup thing to update the database, or can I do it somehow on an individual basis in MP itself?

Also, I have several categories of Video - Our ones, the kids' ones and TV series.. (mptvseries and moving pictures are great!), but I don't as yet use the TV features. On installation, I said that I wouldn't use TV, but I still have an icon for it on the home screen. Is there a way to remove the TV icon, and maybe add video icons for films, kids films and TV series?

Porky's right... this is addictive I'm already browsing around for a suitable satellite/USB doohicky available here in France...

Cheers

Charlie

 

[mm1352000]

Hi Charlie

IMDB for ISOs works for me, so not sure what is going on there.

You can update the info for individual movies from within MP by right-clicking (or F9 - to get the context menu), then selecting "IMDB". Wiki info -->here<--.

You can also hide the TV icon by disabling the TV plugin in MediaPortal configuration -> plugins. Find and select "TV", then click "disable". Wiki details for that section -->here<--. Note that I don't think radio works if you disable TV, so that is a bit of a "gotcha" - you may want to disable radio too anyway. Don't know about adding icons...

mm