Is MediaPortal really viable (1 Viewer)

[meierk]

Ok, I know that MediaPortal is not a commercial product so I am willing to turn a blind eye to some of the issues and put in some sweat & tears to get it working properly, but after my first install on a new Gigabye 780G + AMD 4850e system (fresh install of XP), I have run into one issue after another. Here are my most pressing issues:

1. Firstly, my iMON Pad remote with that latest iMON 7.20.0502 software does not work properly and I end up using a combination of the remote, mouse and keyboard to navigate which is completely unacceptable to my wife once I move this to our living room. Most of the keys on the remote do nothing and when I am playing a movie, how the heck do I stop the movie without using the mouse? Even the play, stop, ffwd, etc buttons on the remote do nothing when watching movies. I haven't even attempted listening to music yet, but I assume the experience will be the same.
   
2. Another annoyance is that there is a mouse cursor on the screen when MP starts and I have to use the remote pad to move the pointer (which is a trial of patience as the menu item quickly scrolls past) to a menu item to select. I sure hope this isn't the intended way of using a remote with MP. Funny thing is that sometimes the mouse is visible and sometimes it is not. I haven't figured out the pattern yet - possibly I am pressing something on the remote to make it disappear at times?
   
3. I tried the IR Server Suite which did nothing for me, meaning it did not work at all. I get the impression that it was designed for Vista because at one point from the step-by-step instructions I found, I was to copy "iMON PAD.xml" to a folder that only exists on a Vista machine. This may be the step that I needed in order for this to work properly.
   
4. As I press buttons on the remote, I can see ghost windows flickering in the baskground. Not sure what this is all about, but I will pay more attention to it as I get the pressing issues ironed out.
   
5. When the machine boots and launches into MP, no problems (at least for a few minutes), but if I shut down MP and try to re-run it, I get an access violation within the 10 seconds and MP shuts down.

If I had to guess, I would say that the number one issue with setting up MediaPortal (perhaps Media Center as well) would be to get the remote working properly. In order to help solve my problems, I have a few questions.

1. Since this is a new machine, I am open to using Windows XP or Vista. I initially chose XP because I had a copy and was led to believe that I would experience DRM issues when trying to record HD content using Vista. I am willing to put aside my desire to record HD content if I will have a better "remote" experience by switching to Vista. Comments?
   
2. Any idea where I can find instructions for my remote or even what a typical HTPC remote is suppose to do? The iMON Pad remote that I have came with my Silverstone 16M case, but cannot find any technical or user documentation on the Soundgraph site. They do list the remote and details for some of the buttons, but not everything. I also am not able to find a settings file for my remote so if anyone can provide this, I would really appreciate it.
   
3. I probably should have said this sooner, but in the end I intend on using my Harmony One remote to control this system. I expect that shouldn't really matter as I can program the remote to match the iMON, but I did notice that when I program the remote on the Logitech site, they do list MCE in the hardware list. Should I be throwing away the idea of getting the iMON Pad working and just work with the Harmony in MCE mode? The reason I haven't done this so far is because the Harmony is being used by my family in our living room and I am building this HTPC in another part of the house.
   
4. As the title suggests, I would like to know if MediaPortal is really a viable solution for my needs or will I need to get actively involved in its development to sustain it? I don't even know if MCE is viable, but I am really looking for a solution to do everything that MP is capable of. I was even thinking about developing a few plugins that I have a need for. The fact is, I don't want the users (my children, wife, guests) to ever end up at the Windows desktop. I don't think the user should even be aware that they are running an application in Microsoft Windows. Is this too tall of an order for MP or any other product?

Thx,
Kevin

 

[Zinu]

Hello,

Since I'm also planning to buy a Silverstone case which has an iMon remote included (LC-20S-M), I'm also interested in this. I have read here somebody got a working config file for iMon-remotes in MediaPortal from this forum, so I guess we should be able to get it here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Yes there is a learning curve, but you get out what you put in.

If you are not prepared to do this, then maybe MCE is for you, ok that failed, then ask the right questions, for your problem.

if you write a obituary, chances are you will only get sympathy, not the answer.

Please post a single request when asking for support, otherwise the chances of any single person knowing all the answers is small.

Thanks.

 

[milhouse]

I don't get it. Your biggest problem is trying to get the iMon remote working, but that's not the remote you are going to use?

If the IR reciever works, then use the Harmony One remote with MCE Replacement plugin to re-map your remote keys (in other words, it will use ANY remote code, and act like it was sent from an MCE remote). Or use MCE mode on your remote. If the IR reciever is the problem, spend $20 on a really cheap MCE remote with receiver, and just use that for the receiver.

Please note that I am not familiar with the iMon or the Harmony remotes - I find a normal Hauppauge remote good enough my my needs.

And the short answer to your title question, "Is MediaPortal really viable?" - the answer is "yes". It's good enough for my wife to figure it out in two different rooms. And I can't remember the last time I have had any stability problems. In fact I just checked my uptime today or my server server in the basement, and it's at 40 days.

Milhouse

 

[meierk]

I don't get it. Your biggest problem is trying to get the iMon remote working, but that's not the remote you are going to use?

I confused to I simply do not know if I have to use this remote or if the iMON USB Receiver will accept any signal such as the MCE remote.

If the IR reciever works, then use the Harmony One remote with MCE Replacement plugin to re-map your remote keys (in other words, it will use ANY remote code, and act like it was sent from an MCE remote). Or use MCE mode on your remote. If the IR reciever is the problem, spend $20 on a really cheap MCE remote with receiver, and just use that for the receiver.

Didn't know there was an MCE Replacement Plugin, I'll have a look when I get home.

And the short answer to your title question, "Is MediaPortal really viable?" - the answer is "yes". It's good enough for my wife to figure it out in two different rooms. And I can't remember the last time I have had any stability problems. In fact I just checked my uptime today or my server server in the basement, and it's at 40 days.

I am really happy to hear that your machine is so stable, because it gives me hope that I can build a stable machine as well. Thanks for taking the time to reply to this.

For anyone else reading this, I have started another thread, https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/newcomers-forum-240/remote-do-i-setup-40134/thread, which is specifically related to the remote issues so it would be better to respond to my remote issues there since this thread is too broad in scope.

Thx,
Kevin