- March 24, 2007
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We are proud to present MediaPortal 2.3
MediaPortal 2.3 is a full-blown media center software that addresses the most common user requirements out of the box. Aside from its support for Live TV and Radio, it offers a complete media server for music, movies, and TV shows. Info is automatically downloaded from various sources to provide posters, fanart, album art, and various additional metadata, such as cast, staff, and more. MediaPortal 2.3 also provides access to online video sources such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Integrated news, weather information and management for your digital images complete this software package.
There is a long list of changes – you can find all details in the end of this news – major changes are:
Skins
Nereus
MediaPortal 2.3 comes with the completely new, fresh and modern skin Nereus supporting varible resolution aspect ratios, so it doesn't matter you are on a traditional 4:3 or on an ultra wide 21:9 screen.
Nereus is based on a vertical main menu, that can be configured to your needs by an easy integrated menu editor with a single button press ("i"/context).
The skin combines elegant grey tones with some color traces. Nereus comes with two themes for the main menu design, cool image tiles (default) or long shadow tiles with symbols (simple).
Home Content
While a main menu item gets focus, the home content slides in from the right and offers quick and comfortable access to media items, filters and further information in home screen. You be able to see instantly the latest added media items continue watching the latest watched movies, see your favourite music, which you were playing frequently. You can also directly select current running TV programs or favourite TV-channels directly from HomeScreen.
If you are a fan of the simple library view also not a problem, just selecting the main menu entry navigates you to it as known from past skins.
Info Screens
New info screens reachable by context menu on focused media items were implemented. Here you see all important information and directly can play the media item.
View Modes
For almost all libraries and plugins (news, online videos, emulators, app launcher, ...) view modes can be switched between list and grid view according to your visual preferrance.
Additionally you may change the grid mode appearance for series and movies in skin settings between posters, thumbnails and banners.
x64 Support
MediaPortal fully supports 64 bit for the client version now. It improves performance of UI and also video playback (especially with 4k videos).
You are still able to start it in 32 bit, there are two different shortcuts to start MediaPortal 2, the preferred type can be also selected by right click on "MP2-Client Launcher" in task bar.
App Launcher integration
App Launcher was existing as optional plugin and is fully integrated into MediaPortal 2 now also offering Home Content.
The functionality was extended to also allow customized menu tiles for the home menu.
System
Controls: Eject command for CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc media
GUI: Fixed font rendering engine causing random crashes
Audio: 'Artist' and 'Album Artist' filter display same artist multiple times
TV: Fix "Pause" image displayed when changing TV channels
Input: New Wifi remote plugin which can potentially be used with mobile apps as a remote control or with home automation in future
Player: Added optional setting to do instant skips in seconds (instead of relative percents)
Extensions
MediaPortal 2.3's functionality can be further extended through the installation of additional plugins. The choice of extensions, while currently limited, is steadily growing. Discover what else is available in our Featured Plugins section.
WebRadio
The Webradio plugin was overworked for 64 Bit compatibility and also supports HomeContent fpr Nereus skin now
Subtitle downloader
Subtitle downloader is a plugin for downloading subtitles for movies or series episodes. Please be aware that subtitle downloading is illegal in some countries, so check the legal situation in your country before installing this plugin.
DLNA Server
DLNA server is a plugin for browsing/playing media from the media library from other devices like TV's, phones etc. that have a DLNA client. It is currently in testing phase.
Moving from MP1 to MP2
Procedures to install MP2 in parallel to MP1 are described in the Wiki
For all those who would like to move from MP1 to MP2 and preserve their current media organisation, our forum member raffe has created a small tool that will extract information from your MP-TvSeries and MovingPictures databases and picture folders, The tool will leave all your original data untouched, create .nfo files for all your media and copy existing pictures from your MovingPictures and MP-TvSeries to your new MediaPortal 2 media folders. The .nfo files and pictures then allow a smooth and quick import of all your media info into MediaPortal 2. See thee respective forum thread for further details.
Read full news here
MediaPortal 2.3 is a full-blown media center software that addresses the most common user requirements out of the box. Aside from its support for Live TV and Radio, it offers a complete media server for music, movies, and TV shows. Info is automatically downloaded from various sources to provide posters, fanart, album art, and various additional metadata, such as cast, staff, and more. MediaPortal 2.3 also provides access to online video sources such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Integrated news, weather information and management for your digital images complete this software package.
There is a long list of changes – you can find all details in the end of this news – major changes are:
Skins
Nereus
MediaPortal 2.3 comes with the completely new, fresh and modern skin Nereus supporting varible resolution aspect ratios, so it doesn't matter you are on a traditional 4:3 or on an ultra wide 21:9 screen.
Nereus is based on a vertical main menu, that can be configured to your needs by an easy integrated menu editor with a single button press ("i"/context).
The skin combines elegant grey tones with some color traces. Nereus comes with two themes for the main menu design, cool image tiles (default) or long shadow tiles with symbols (simple).
Home Content
While a main menu item gets focus, the home content slides in from the right and offers quick and comfortable access to media items, filters and further information in home screen. You be able to see instantly the latest added media items continue watching the latest watched movies, see your favourite music, which you were playing frequently. You can also directly select current running TV programs or favourite TV-channels directly from HomeScreen.
If you are a fan of the simple library view also not a problem, just selecting the main menu entry navigates you to it as known from past skins.
Info Screens
New info screens reachable by context menu on focused media items were implemented. Here you see all important information and directly can play the media item.
View Modes
For almost all libraries and plugins (news, online videos, emulators, app launcher, ...) view modes can be switched between list and grid view according to your visual preferrance.
Additionally you may change the grid mode appearance for series and movies in skin settings between posters, thumbnails and banners.
x64 Support
MediaPortal fully supports 64 bit for the client version now. It improves performance of UI and also video playback (especially with 4k videos).
You are still able to start it in 32 bit, there are two different shortcuts to start MediaPortal 2, the preferred type can be also selected by right click on "MP2-Client Launcher" in task bar.
App Launcher integration
App Launcher was existing as optional plugin and is fully integrated into MediaPortal 2 now also offering Home Content.
The functionality was extended to also allow customized menu tiles for the home menu.
System
Controls: Eject command for CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc media
GUI: Fixed font rendering engine causing random crashes
Audio: 'Artist' and 'Album Artist' filter display same artist multiple times
TV: Fix "Pause" image displayed when changing TV channels
Input: New Wifi remote plugin which can potentially be used with mobile apps as a remote control or with home automation in future
Player: Added optional setting to do instant skips in seconds (instead of relative percents)
Extensions
MediaPortal 2.3's functionality can be further extended through the installation of additional plugins. The choice of extensions, while currently limited, is steadily growing. Discover what else is available in our Featured Plugins section.
WebRadio
The Webradio plugin was overworked for 64 Bit compatibility and also supports HomeContent fpr Nereus skin now
Subtitle downloader
Subtitle downloader is a plugin for downloading subtitles for movies or series episodes. Please be aware that subtitle downloading is illegal in some countries, so check the legal situation in your country before installing this plugin.
DLNA Server
DLNA server is a plugin for browsing/playing media from the media library from other devices like TV's, phones etc. that have a DLNA client. It is currently in testing phase.
Moving from MP1 to MP2
Procedures to install MP2 in parallel to MP1 are described in the Wiki
For all those who would like to move from MP1 to MP2 and preserve their current media organisation, our forum member raffe has created a small tool that will extract information from your MP-TvSeries and MovingPictures databases and picture folders, The tool will leave all your original data untouched, create .nfo files for all your media and copy existing pictures from your MovingPictures and MP-TvSeries to your new MediaPortal 2 media folders. The .nfo files and pictures then allow a smooth and quick import of all your media info into MediaPortal 2. See thee respective forum thread for further details.
Read full news here
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