[Need feedback] Installation/Setup experience of MP (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Frodo
- Start date
- October 16, 2006
- 50
- 0
- Home Country
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United States of America
I'm a newbie that is currently 'evaluating' MP vs. MCE. 
My 2 big problems getting it working were:
1. The CaptureCardDefinitions for my popular Win TV PVR USB2 had to be updated to recognize the tuner... (wasn't easy to find the rigth thread on the forums... ... I've updated the Wiki)
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/Supported_TVCard_Analog_Hardware_Encoding/HauppaugeWinTVPVRUSB2
2. The EPG setup was not obvious (as a US user), and Zap2It Plugin not mentioned anywhere on the Wiki/Manual... (I again updated the Wiki)
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/UserGuides/Country_based_EPG
There's -lots- of documentation on WebEPG and XMLTV that make this confusing for US users, I think the Zap2It plugin works great and needs to get more 'exposure'.
So for me, having better documentation on the Wiki would have helped.
An auto-update feature to get the latest CaptureCardDefinitions file and other similar files would be useful.
Thanks for listening, and keep up the great work!
My 2 big problems getting it working were:
1. The CaptureCardDefinitions for my popular Win TV PVR USB2 had to be updated to recognize the tuner... (wasn't easy to find the rigth thread on the forums...
... I've updated the Wiki) http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/Supported_TVCard_Analog_Hardware_Encoding/HauppaugeWinTVPVRUSB2
2. The EPG setup was not obvious (as a US user), and Zap2It Plugin not mentioned anywhere on the Wiki/Manual... (I again updated the Wiki)
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/UserGuides/Country_based_EPG
There's -lots- of documentation on WebEPG and XMLTV that make this confusing for US users, I think the Zap2It plugin works great and needs to get more 'exposure'.
So for me, having better documentation on the Wiki would have helped.
An auto-update feature to get the latest CaptureCardDefinitions file and other similar files would be useful.
Thanks for listening, and keep up the great work!
I'll come back later to add some points, but i think one of the most important features is missing in the setup process; A complete mouse-over help about the feature and what it does exactly.
Now most of the options speak for themselfs or do have a bit of information, but also alot of the features/options are unclear of what they are doing.
If you want to make the installation of MP easier, things should be easier to understand, but if that somehow is not an option, provide a good mouse-over help.
I've got some other points as well, but therefor i have to check the setupscreen at home.
Stay tuned!
Now most of the options speak for themselfs or do have a bit of information, but also alot of the features/options are unclear of what they are doing.
If you want to make the installation of MP easier, things should be easier to understand, but if that somehow is not an option, provide a good mouse-over help.
I've got some other points as well, but therefor i have to check the setupscreen at home.
Stay tuned!
- November 14, 2004
- 136
- 2
I use a MacMini for MediaPortal, and recently I tested the Software "MediaCentral" for Mac (full report here. http://www.mediacenterblog.eu/web/juliusbuss/blog.nsf/dx/testing-mediacentral-2.3.1-for-mac.htm.
One thing that impressed me much was the fact that I just downloaded, installed and started the software. And everything worked out of the box.
I think you could create a rich out-of-the-box experience when MediaPortal would automatically create a default config when it's being started the first time.
I know, there is the wizard. But the wizard still needs a lot of clicks. Why to just using "my music" as music folder, "my videos" as video folder and so on, without asking? And then automatically detect the TV card and do an autotune. Without any click, without any question. Sure, the channels will be in the wrong order, but the user can change that later on.
For the non-experienced user the following would be helpful:
- download MP
- install MP
- start MP -> MP automatically creates the default config without any question (while the config is being created display a message that it's a default config only and where to change things, but don't display an OK button...) -> MP starts and is working
Then the user has a useful config to start with, and he can open the configuration and change things.
And like another author said before: online-help for the config options would be good.
One thing that impressed me much was the fact that I just downloaded, installed and started the software. And everything worked out of the box.
I think you could create a rich out-of-the-box experience when MediaPortal would automatically create a default config when it's being started the first time.
I know, there is the wizard. But the wizard still needs a lot of clicks. Why to just using "my music" as music folder, "my videos" as video folder and so on, without asking? And then automatically detect the TV card and do an autotune. Without any click, without any question. Sure, the channels will be in the wrong order, but the user can change that later on.
For the non-experienced user the following would be helpful:
- download MP
- install MP
- start MP -> MP automatically creates the default config without any question (while the config is being created display a message that it's a default config only and where to change things, but don't display an OK button...) -> MP starts and is working
Then the user has a useful config to start with, and he can open the configuration and change things.
And like another author said before: online-help for the config options would be good.
JulianBuss - Yes I think that any developer would agree that being guarenteed what the hardware would be like would cut-down on the amount of work any developer has to deal with. Apple has always locked down their hardware, so in my eyes Apple computers are kinda like glorified game consoles. So a developer knows what hardware is running their software. It make a big difference!
- April 5, 2005
- 2,176
- 428
I agree to the proposol to have an automated out-of-the-box start. I surely guess that many new users may be scared by too much configuration. But they could be softly directed to the correct installation. So I would suggest the following options after installation of a clean install.
Thanks for installing mediaportal. You have the following choices now:
1. Download latest stable patch (Link) (Recommended)
2. Configure MP through Wizard.
3. Start MP "out of the box" with standard settings. (Attention: You may have to change settings later)
After installing stable patch choices would be:
1. Configure MP through Wizard. (Recommended)
2. Start MP "out of the box" with standard settings. (Attention: You may have to change settings later)
And maybe somehow combine First-Time-Wizard and Configuration.exe. Since i guess that many novice users don't know there is an other config then First-Time-Wizard.
Thanks for installing mediaportal. You have the following choices now:
1. Download latest stable patch (Link) (Recommended)
2. Configure MP through Wizard.
3. Start MP "out of the box" with standard settings. (Attention: You may have to change settings later)
After installing stable patch choices would be:
1. Configure MP through Wizard. (Recommended)
2. Start MP "out of the box" with standard settings. (Attention: You may have to change settings later)
And maybe somehow combine First-Time-Wizard and Configuration.exe. Since i guess that many novice users don't know there is an other config then First-Time-Wizard.
When I first installed MP, it did not recognize my capture card (pcHDTV HD-3000). There was a CaptureCard Definitions entry for it, but it needed changing. I had to use GraphEdit and rewrite it. Since then I have added the Air2PC with the BDA drivers. Coming from Linux and MythTV, I found this very easy. The instructions were excellent.
I think that the new TV Engine will streamline the TV installation and setup. The only thing that could make setup a bit easier is a central location for all of the plugins. Having to search the forums for plugins is not the best method. I'm sure that there are plugins that I don't even know about, but could find useful. Maybe even a list of them and a link to them in MP setup.
Paul
I think that the new TV Engine will streamline the TV installation and setup. The only thing that could make setup a bit easier is a central location for all of the plugins. Having to search the forums for plugins is not the best method. I'm sure that there are plugins that I don't even know about, but could find useful. Maybe even a list of them and a link to them in MP setup.
Paul
At first the configuration was quite tedious. Since I am hooked up via composite, I had to manually set all channels to impute via CVBS. Now that the zap2it EPG plugin has been released for US/Canada, the plugin handles that so I don't have to set up each individaul channel imput. I think it would be good though if there was an option in mediaportal to automatically have all channels imput via CVBS or SVBS for people who use Composite or S video. Other than this, I have had no problems with the confiuration of media portal.
Consider me an experienced computer user but newbie for all things media centre. I have an stb using sky satellite signals with cvbs and a haup 150mce card. Very "normal" setup really.
However, when installing I never saw anything about what to do if you have an stb. The initial config (wizard?) just offered to auto-tune my channels. But I live in Spain so if I use that and enter spain, it tunes my antenna channels - no result as I don't have an antenna!! Couldn't find any way to interrupt this once it had started so had to sit there for ages while it searched for non-existant channels!
Then, when i found out about setting up in the setup config program I found I had to get instructions for how to download the original xmltv.exe and setup the epg (got these from a sky user who had posted some stuff in another program - think it was GBPVR).
I had to: find a copy of xmltv.exe, download it, install it, run it in a command terminal to say which channels I wanted, create a tvguide.xml file, put it in the right place, import the channels in MP setup then MANUALLY edit each channel to show it as stb, cvbs, channel number etc - ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY channels - over one and a half hours from start to finish - just to get to the stage where i can have an epg. Only then could I start to even configure MP.
Now there may be an easier way and there may be instuctions on how to do these two operations (create a tvguide.xml and set up for an stb) but I never found them. Surely there has to be an automated process where MP finds the card, asks if you have cable, satellite or antenna, and then goes down an appropriate instal path? EDIT: BTW I think GBPVR has a sky stb plugin which pretty well automates the whole process - could that help a plugin developer? There are loads of sky users out here that have stbs and are looking for an alternative to Windows MCE
I also had some fun (not) with setting up my videos, recordings, music and pictures. The setup says it will scan for these (which I keep all on a second hard drive). However, I found I then had to manually edit the settings for each to show where the folders were and what to call them. Why can't MP search local drives, find likely existing folders and offer them to you to choose as the defaults. If it doesn't find any it could offer to setup defaults called My videos, My Pictures etc?
Anyway - let me say that I think MP is WONDERFUL and worth all the effort of a quite complicated and very LONG install. I have now re-nstalled it three times - either because of instability or because I wanted to try the lastest SVN and - boy - is it boring to have to manually edit all those channels!! I know I could have backed up some appropriate files but wasn't sure back then what they were and anyway, the instability I suffered might have been related to those files so I wanted to completely eliminate the likelihood...
Thanks for a great bit of software
RJ
PS - I started with MS MCE - gave it up, tried GBPVR, then went over to linux and MythTV (all my network is linux except this dedicated media centre). Anyway I kept coming back to MP even though I hate Win XP and am here to stay now - so that must say something!!
However, when installing I never saw anything about what to do if you have an stb. The initial config (wizard?) just offered to auto-tune my channels. But I live in Spain so if I use that and enter spain, it tunes my antenna channels - no result as I don't have an antenna!! Couldn't find any way to interrupt this once it had started so had to sit there for ages while it searched for non-existant channels!
Then, when i found out about setting up in the setup config program I found I had to get instructions for how to download the original xmltv.exe and setup the epg (got these from a sky user who had posted some stuff in another program - think it was GBPVR).
I had to: find a copy of xmltv.exe, download it, install it, run it in a command terminal to say which channels I wanted, create a tvguide.xml file, put it in the right place, import the channels in MP setup then MANUALLY edit each channel to show it as stb, cvbs, channel number etc - ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY channels - over one and a half hours from start to finish - just to get to the stage where i can have an epg. Only then could I start to even configure MP.
Now there may be an easier way and there may be instuctions on how to do these two operations (create a tvguide.xml and set up for an stb) but I never found them. Surely there has to be an automated process where MP finds the card, asks if you have cable, satellite or antenna, and then goes down an appropriate instal path? EDIT: BTW I think GBPVR has a sky stb plugin which pretty well automates the whole process - could that help a plugin developer? There are loads of sky users out here that have stbs and are looking for an alternative to Windows MCE
I also had some fun (not) with setting up my videos, recordings, music and pictures. The setup says it will scan for these (which I keep all on a second hard drive). However, I found I then had to manually edit the settings for each to show where the folders were and what to call them. Why can't MP search local drives, find likely existing folders and offer them to you to choose as the defaults. If it doesn't find any it could offer to setup defaults called My videos, My Pictures etc?
Anyway - let me say that I think MP is WONDERFUL and worth all the effort of a quite complicated and very LONG install. I have now re-nstalled it three times - either because of instability or because I wanted to try the lastest SVN and - boy - is it boring to have to manually edit all those channels!! I know I could have backed up some appropriate files but wasn't sure back then what they were and anyway, the instability I suffered might have been related to those files so I wanted to completely eliminate the likelihood...
Thanks for a great bit of software
RJ
PS - I started with MS MCE - gave it up, tried GBPVR, then went over to linux and MythTV (all my network is linux except this dedicated media centre). Anyway I kept coming back to MP even though I hate Win XP and am here to stay now - so that must say something!!
- November 14, 2004
- 136
- 2
@paloema: I disagree with the "download latest stable patch"! Do not ever confront the end user with the word "patch" or the neccessity to download anything just after he already downloaded the software. It's like installing Windows and having to spend hours with downloading all the latest patches...
Perhaps the starting question could be:
"MediaPortal was installed successfully. Now:
(button): just start MediaPortal and create a default config (you can change it later)
(button): or are you a pro and want to configure everything by yourself? "
Second button would lead directly to the configuration.
@all:
I agree XMLTV is a problem. For a standard end user it's much effort to configure it. MP could have an automatism which
- downloads XMLTV from a known download location
- extracts it in a subdir under the MP directory
- asks for the country the user lives in (or better: try to find the country yourself from the windows setting)
- executes the neccessary command line operations automatically
- then starts the innitial XMLTV listing download and wait for it to finish
- import the XML file
Perhaps the starting question could be:
"MediaPortal was installed successfully. Now:
(button): just start MediaPortal and create a default config (you can change it later)
(button): or are you a pro and want to configure everything by yourself? "
Second button would lead directly to the configuration.
@all:
I agree XMLTV is a problem. For a standard end user it's much effort to configure it. MP could have an automatism which
- downloads XMLTV from a known download location
- extracts it in a subdir under the MP directory
- asks for the country the user lives in (or better: try to find the country yourself from the windows setting)
- executes the neccessary command line operations automatically
- then starts the innitial XMLTV listing download and wait for it to finish
- import the XML file