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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nosferax" data-source="post: 939004" data-attributes="member: 90549">I'm coming from both MediaBrowser/WMC and XBMC, having used both for years on my previous HTPC build. But this time I went with MP and here is why: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Music support. Both MB/WMC & XBMC have lousy music collection display/support in my opinion. Both put most of their dev ressources to the video side of the program.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">External player. From my years of using a HTPC i've come to the conclusion that the best player for me, quality and feature wise is MPC-HC. No codec to install and lots of configuration options. Both MB/WMC and MP give me an easy option to use it. In XBMC I have to manually edit a XML file to do this. MP gives me the added bonus, if I ever chose to, to be able to select which codec to use in the internal player. I haven't found a way to do this in XBMC, maybe via a XML file again.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Menu configurations. It is relatively easy with MP to add and remove items on the home screen, either plugins or launchers. With MB/WMC it is simpler yet since they are only folders that you have mapped in the configuration utility. But it's harder in XBMC. Some skin doesn't give you any option to easilly do this, and other permit you to do this via custom made playlist which are hidden in a couple of menu level deep.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Media metadata control. With MB/WMC you really have to use an external scraper like Media Center Master. The built in one is quite basic. XBMC on the other hand has now "universals" scraper that use multiple sources and is quite fast. But it lacks any builtin way to edit the metadata, and if something doesn't exist on the scrapers sources website it's a pain to create the data manually. While MP uses external plugins like MovingPicture, MyFilms and TV Series, those plugins give you a way to create/edit the metadata. That way you can import your home made video or one shot TV captures that doesn't need to be created on TheTVdb just so they can be scraped into your XBMC database.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Plugins! Only a couple exist for MB/WMC and not all good. The Music plugin for example is terrible. XBMC has lots of legit, and some less so, addons (if you know the right repositories). This is one good point for XBMC. MP, of course, also have great plugins. MP has better integration though, since it is easier to place a plugin on the home screen than it is in XBMC. And as a personnal note, the fact that the plugins are writen in C#, a language that I know, means that I can write some. XBMC uses Python which would mean learning another language... again.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Skins. MB/WMC has some good skin, almost all of them written by one guy! They are more limited in their option since they have to be coded in MCML which is quite limited by itself. MP has some good solid skins as well. I particulary love Amped, Avalon and StreamMP (which was a clone of Mediastream skin from XBMC if memory serves me...). Here XBMC is the clear winner variety wise though. But this variety comes at a price. Not all skins play nice with what the user wants to do. MP suffers from this a bit also I think.</li> </ul>All in all, those three applications do their job well. But with added functionality comes greater difficulty in setting them up. MB/WMC is the easiest to use for a noobie, working out of the box with minimal configuration, but also with minimal features. XBMC works quite well if you accept the way other have decided you should manage your media and experience. XBMC also suffers from the most abbrasive and unfriendly community/forum. Don't you dare post anything that may be remotely percieved as negative on their forum, you'll be flamed so fast you won't even feel the heat before turning to dust. Just my 2 cents... Alain</blockquote>

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