MP vs. GBPVR (2 Viewers)

[ktjensen]

OK, I've tried both MP's TV-engines - 0.2 and the new TV-server.
I have to say: at this point I still like this functionality more in GBPVR - it is simpler, more intuitive, faster, more stable, has better recording options (already can do the "fuzzy recording", for example).

And I thought - why not combine the best parts of these two applications? So in GBPVR I disabled all plugins not related to the TV functionality. In MP I disabled My TV plugin and TV-related remote buttons, installed MultiShortcut plugin, set it up to run GBPVR, and named "My TV" - this is shown in the main menu.

Main application is MediaPortal - it provides all the regular HTPC features. When I want to watch TV or record some shows, I select "My TV", which starts GBPVR. By the way it launches pretty quickly - comparable to TV-server initialization, and actually visually it is very similar to MP's My TV screen, which is implemented as a separate module having the only entry point in the main menu. When I'm done with TV, I choose Exit in GBPVR and return back to MP. GBPVR recording service keeps running as usual - that is my TV-server.
When GBPVR finishes recording it starts ComSkip as always, the utility generates .cut/.chp files for ZoomPlayer, which I use as an external video player in MP. This means I also have automatic commercial skipping (one of the important PVR features MP itself doesn't have).

The only drawback I see with this configuration is that I have to watch recordings in MP using My Videos module - i.e. go to the separate TV folder, where all my recordings are, and I don't see the recording descriptions. But that's not a big deal. In general this approach seems to work better for me.

Wow this is just an incredible way to get the best out of all possibilities. I love this idea!! Looks like I might need to write you and see where you stand with optimizing this.

 

[alpax]

I thought - why not combine the best parts of these two applications?
[...]
Main application is MediaPortal - it provides all the regular HTPC features. When I want to watch TV or record some shows, I select "My TV", which starts GBPVR.

Wow this is just an incredible way to get the best out of all possibilities. I love this idea!! Looks like I might need to write you and see where you stand with optimizing this.

I've been using this combination for almost a month now, and it's working great for me! MP is the best for day-to-day HTPC stuff, all recordings are done by GBPVR recording service, and periodic launches of GBPVR from MP don't bother me at all - it's not much different from just using a separate MP screen (GBPVR even looks similar with the appropriate skin). I believe I'll continue using this approach - I really like it.

 

[jabnet]

I do exactly the same... in fact, my tv card doesn't work with MP, and need GBPVR to watch and record TV...
But MP has thousand of better features as media center software... and open source, better for all.

 

[dvdfreak]

Does TV server have more recording options now? "Record season in a time slot" is what I'm looking for mostly.

MP has "record show every week at this time on this channel", which is similar to what you're asking about. I use it all the time. MP is not smart enough to figure out when there is a rerun and MP will not tell you if the schedule changed. For example, I have mine set to record Family Guy and American Dad every week, hoping to get a new one every week. So I go into the recorded tv shows and I find out that instead of getting the shows I wanted, it recorded two half hour segments of X-Men 2. MP recorded on the time and channel I wanted, but didn't tell me that Fox was airing a movie instead of their usual programming. It can be frustrating, I won't lie to you. Supposedly someone is making a plugin which handles something like a "season pass". I haven't seen a release yet so keep your fingers crossed.[/QUOTE]

Actually, "fuzzy recording" has been in TV Server for a while now.

MP will now detect changes in the guide and record a program exactly when it is on, so if it's on from 8:50 to 9:50 instead of 9:00 to 10:00 it will record just fine at 8:50.

 

[alpax]

Actually, "fuzzy recording" has been in TV Server for a while now.

MP will now detect changes in the guide and record a program exactly when it is on, so if it's on from 8:50 to 9:50 instead of 9:00 to 10:00 it will record just fine at 8:50.

Hey, that's great! That's one of the main features I was missing in MP's TV support. Thanks for the info - I haven't been monitoring the progress of MP development recently.

How is TV server now - is it faster than before? Can someone compare it to GBPVR? When I tried it a while ago, it was much slower in activation, channel switching, etc. So I continued using GBPVR for my TV. With this "fuzzy recording" MP becomes more interesting in this aspect.

 

[Noelix]

It's still pretty slow but I still prefer it over GB-PVR. I've spent a good 9 months or so with MP and just tried out the latest version of GB-PVR the other day and man I missed a lot of the MP features instantly. It was not a difficult decision to stay with MP.

 

[alpax]

It's still pretty slow

This is sad.

but I still prefer it over GB-PVR. I've spent a good 9 months or so with MP and just tried out the latest version of GB-PVR the other day and man I missed a lot of the MP features instantly. It was not a difficult decision to stay with MP.

I understand you completely!
When I was using GBPVR as my main HTPC front-end, I was missing MP features, but now as I'm using the best halves of both of them, I'm almost happy.
There are just some minor issues due to the separation of functionality between two different applications, but I'd rather live with them than with a slower channel switching and less responsive TV in general.

 

[bugmenot]

How does BeyondTV fit into all this?

 

[alpax]

How does BeyondTV fit into all this?

I heard it's very good software for TV.
Guess it can be launched from MP the same way as I start GBPVR.

 

[dareh]

@ Bugmenot
Beyondtv is not very interesting for us european people, no dvb-t and no dvb-s.

Ciao.
Dareh.