MP 2??? (1 Viewer)

[NLS]

Hello everybody,

I possibly don't count as a newcomer, but I don't follow MP too much these days (or the forums at all).
My question is the question a newbie would ask though (well ok not one question but actually the same thing):
How is MP2 progressing? Is it really replacing MP1 more sooner than later?
Seeing in the download page this:

                MediaPortal 1               MediaPortal 2
 Development    Good but declining          Good and increasing

...doesn't follow quite right with this:

                MediaPortal 1               MediaPortal 2
                1.20 Release                2.1.3 Release
                released on 04 August 2018  released on 21 December 2017

So... am I missing something?

 

[CyberSimian]

How is MP2 progressing? Is it really replacing MP1 more sooner than later?

In my view, it is not possible to choose between alternative media center softwares merely by reading about them. You need to try each of them for 2-3 weeks in order to identify all of the little foibles that each media center software has.

Every program will have some things that you like, and some things that you don't like. But it is only you that can decide how important these likes and dislikes are. In other words, selecting a media center software is a compromise, and only you can decide what is the right compromise for you.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[NLS]

That's a very good generic reply (no offence but almost like a marketing department reply), yet it doesn't answer what I asked.

MP2 is meant (or was meant last time I checked) to REPLACE MP1. I remember first MP2 release years ago! And I also recall that MP1 was supposed to stop a few updates later.

I am asking, how this thing is progressing.

Seeing the release calendar, doesn't show that much promise for MP2 REPLACING MP1, any time soon (where "any time soon" is maybe "next few years").
I would expect from a "good and increasing development" product to have more fresh and more frequent releases than a "good but declining development" product.

Am I wrong?
Has something changed? Will MP1 keep going in parallel as an "alternative"? Or (maybe even worse) will MP2 keep going in parallel as an "alternative" and MP1 will remain the core project?

 

[Lehmden]

Hi.
MP1 is very mature. There are only small things to add/change. That's the reason for the more often releases.
MP2 is making lots of progress. Many "big" things are added/changed so there simply is much more to do between the releases... As example, the next (very soon) upcoming MP2 release will have a full blown user management with detailed restrictions possible for different users and user groups. So your kids are no longer able to modify the MP2 setup, watch (hear) content not meant for minors,... Aside this you can start watching something in the living room and in the middle of the movie you can stop and continue in bedroom, where you will have exactly the same settings if you are logged in as the same user,... This is a big project and simply needs more time to complete. A release during development of such big task is not very useful as long as the new features are not ready to be used...

MP2 is meant (or was meant last time I checked) to REPLACE MP1.

Originally this was the plan. But things are changing over time. Too many of the team members did not want to change over to MP2. So the plan has changed and both projects will keep on going. Nevertheless the MP1 development is very far already so the development possibilities are decreasing in time. MP2 has much more things that can be added or improved because it's much younger and it offers more possibilities so the development will increase over time...

On most other OpenSource projects we would have split into different groups a long time ago. But Team MediaPortal manged to not break up so both (to be precise all three, not to forget MPTagThat) projects will go on under the same hood...

 

[NLS]

Ah, that is a great update.

OK, good to hear the news. The change makes sense.

Maybe you need to make those things clear in the main page.

 

[joecrow]

MP1 is very mature. There are only small things to add/change. That's the reason for the more often releases.

Do you mean small things like the option to use Madvr, Frame Packed 3D support, support for Java Bluray menus, options to use different external players for different media types to name just a few?
Sadly, because I applaud the MP 2 concept, but for me I can't ever see it being able to replace MP1, it simply does not have the functionality or a strategy that enables it to keep up with developments, while MP1 strides on. User management is not going to do it for me either.

 

[Lehmden]

to name just a few?

Yes, all this are small things I'm talking about.. Not a single thing you've mentioned is important to me (and many others) as everything you've mentioned is connected to Optical disks somehow, excerpt for MadVR probably. I never used BluRay and in general ODD are a thing from the past. Most of all big manufacturer has stopped producing ODD, mainly 1 or 2 are left, and their selling is decreasing rapidly... Same is valid for BluRay disk selling. They are decreasing constantly too.

I can't ever see it being able to replace MP1

This is a matter of taste. For me MP1 is missing way too much compared to MP2 so I don't ( can't ) use it since many years. Since 4 or 5 years MP2 has replaced MP1 for me already. The fact that I can't use .nfo files for series, can't use any series that is not listed (or allowed) on TVDB (around 40 or 50 series I have in my collection are not listed on TVDB but on other online databases like themoviedb or such), can't have more than 2 episodes in one video file, can't continue to watch something on a different system, can't use PIP, need to setup all databases on all clients over and over again, need to wait way too long until the client is started, need to install tons of plugins before I can achieve the basic things a HTPC should be able to do (TVSeries, Online Videos, Fanart Handler, LMH, Weather,... ) . If I need to set up a new MP2 client it takes me about 2 minutes and everything is good to go. For a new MP1 client I need at least 2 days, if this even is enough time...

 

[joecrow]

everything you've mentioned is connected to Optical disks somehow, excerpt for MadVR probably.

I have a large numbers of BD image and .mkv/mvc files so it is not just optical disks in my video library but all of which are important to me and many others.

Not a single thing you've mentioned is important to me (and many others)

I have no desire for anything more than a single seat HTPC so little or nothing you have mentioned is important to me. Horses for courses I guess.

I never used BluRay and in general ODD are a thing from the past.

Whether or not ODD is a thing of the past MP2 has missed the boat on it and I fear will continue to fail to encompass new things while MP1 has the flexibility to do so.

 

[Lehmden]

MP2 has missed the boat on it

No it was a logical decision not to waste time on such things. This always can be done later, if all new and important things are finished and there still is any need for such. Aside this you definitely can play BD/DVD and ISO files in MP2 for sure. You also can use external player, if you want to. There are only a few tiny bits like the BD-J menu support that are not implemented.

fail to encompass new things while MP1 has the flexibility to do so.

This simply is not true. The development of MP1 is at it's limits. Many many new things are even not possible to achieve in MP1... The whole MP2 structure is far more flexible right from the beginning than MP1 ever will be...

single seat HTPC so little or nothing you have mentioned is important

So the only thing you do with your HTPC is to watch BluRay? Ok, then it is possible that not too much things are important to you.
The really incomplete and ugly series support in MP1 is a completely NoGo, if you like to watch series more than occasionally (just a single example)... The TVDB is so extremely limited, way to many series are not allowed or locked long before they are translated properly. Aside this it is totally unreliable. FYI, the TVDB is not reachable for me right now (as around 30% of all the times). It most likely will be back up in some minutes but nevertheless this is a pain in the a... Depending on TVDB solely for the whole series part is in- acceptable and a complete showstopper.
MP2 offers five different data sources for series, incl important online source like themoviedb or fanart.tv and local .nfo and fanart of course... In MP1 you are stuck with TVDB only. The TVSeries plugin is simply a local clone of the TVDB. You can't do nothing without TVDB there... Since more than 10 years many, many people are asking for .nfo support over and over again to become independent from TVDB at least a little bit. I'm one of them the earlier days. What happens, nothing... TVSeries is the only known HTPC "module" that did not support at least one alternative to the main data source (TVDB in this case).
Aside this MP2 can handle multiple episodes in one file and multiple files for a single episode. Especially the first one should be important for you too, Imagine all the BD/DVD or ISO with 4, 5 or even more episodes on one disk. It's impossible to manage them in TVSeries (limited to 2 episodes in one file) but a piece of cake in MP2 (un-limited episodes in one file)...
Indeed TVSeries plugin was the first and most important reason for me to leave MP1 as soon as the series support was included in MP2... If MP2 wouldn't be there that time I definitely would have leaved MP completely and switched over to a different HTPC tool as I couldn't stand TVSeries plugin any longer...

 

[HTPCSourcer]

Gentlemen, please. This discussion is of the same kind as many similar ones before and likely to confuse anybody who is not familiar with the development history. There will always be specifics on one product that are important to somebody and others that are not. There's no good nor bad and there's no "use this or the other version".

If @Lehmden and @joecrow want to continue the exchange, I will gladly move the postings to the café section.

@NLS , our standard recommendation is that you take a look at both versions, get a first-hand impression and then draw your own conclusions. The community stands ready to help you in either case.

Thank you,
HTPCSourcer