NOOB Questions on Features (2 Viewers)

[Mashenden]

Am considering Media Portal - Not impressed with MCE.

Will MP play AAC songs (iTunes)? Search seems to indicate only with an extra codex 3ivx or something like that. Any free options?

Will MP play DVDs from hardrive (put there using ***)? Currenlty use Power DVD and like it but would like to move toward a media center concept.

Does MP support 7.1 audio?

Will MP support dual displays (assuming video card does)?

If yes on these, I am ready to roll

 

[Callifo]

Will MP play DVDs from hardrive (put there using ***)? Currenlty use Power DVD and like it but would like to move toward a media center concept.

Ive read of others doing it, never done it myself though.

Does MP support 7.1 audio?

It will use whatever codec/sound combination you set it to use.

Will MP support dual displays (assuming video card does)?

Clone mode yes, two seperate display screens no.

 

[guytpetj]

Will MP play AAC songs (iTunes)? Search seems to indicate only with an extra codex 3ivx or something like that. Any free options?

Don't know, don't use iTunes.

Will MP play DVDs from hardrive (put there using ***)? Currenlty use Power DVD and like it but would like to move toward a media center concept.

Might not be legal doing that, so nobody will say they do so. But...., I've seen this work perfectly using the ISO method and the semi build in Deamon Tools support in MP on some computer somewhere.

Does MP support 7.1 audio?

As long as your hardware and codec supports it.

Will MP support dual displays (assuming video card does)?

Clone mode Yes for any other mode you have to be damn lucky. Depends a bit on the graphics card, can make it work in clone and dual view with my 6610, but only in clone with my 6600.

 

[ziphnor]

Will MP play DVDs from hardrive (put there using ***)? Currenlty use Power DVD and like it but would like to move toward a media center concept.

Yes of course, you just put the DVD folders in a folder used for My Movies/Videos, if you then click on the folder in My Movies view it will start playing.

Might not be legal doing that, so nobody will say they do so.

There are plenty of countries where its legal to rip your own DVDs to HD, and most standalone DVD player programs support this without legal problems.

 

[mPod]

iTunes AAC - yes.

 

[guytpetj]

Might not be legal doing that, so nobody will say they do so.

There are plenty of countries where its legal to rip your own DVDs to HD, and most standalone DVD player programs support this without legal problems.

I was refering to the program he mentioned. That program can create an ISO image with DVD zoning and protection removed. skating on thin ice there. In the many countries where you are allowed to RIP, you can only do for personal use/back-up of media that you own, and you are not allowed to change the media (removing zone protection, copy protection and other security settings)

Could be bad for the MP community if Big Brother / Uncle Sam is watching, and reads us talking/promoting things which are illegal / borderline (il)legal.

 

[ziphnor]

I was refering to the program he mentioned. That program can create an ISO image with DVD zoning and protection removed. skating on thin ice there. In the many countries where you are allowed to RIP, you can only do for personal use/back-up of media that you own, and you are not allowed to change the media (removing zone protection, copy protection and other security settings)

Could be bad for the MP community if Big Brother / Uncle Sam is watching, and reads us talking/promoting things which are illegal / borderline (il)legal.

1. I dont think its possible to RIP a DVD while keeping all its protective measures(might be wrong though).

2. Im pretty sure circumventing the Region Code is not illegal. If you buy a DVD legally in China, and bring it home to Europe, you have a right to play it anywhere you want.

3. Programs like *** which decrypts the DVD, removes the copy right warning, region code etc, have not been closed down yet, and i dont see it happening(in fact more and more of such programs are popping up). Ripping/backup of DVD's is common practice and everybody knows it. The publishers are now much more concerned with protecting the HD material on HD-DVD etc.

Anyway, if the publishers seriously have you considering backing up your own DVDs as an illegal action, which you are afraid to even discuss, they have been more effective in their bullshitting campaigns than i thought.

What exactly are you afraid of? Someone closing down the forum for illegal activety? Are you aware just how many forums on the net discuss DVD ripping, and how many products for this are openly advertised?

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Well slowly BUT surely i'm putting all my dvd's onto pc using AMERICAN brought software compressed.
Unfortunately if you ever read the *** webpage you start getting very cynical about what you can and cannot do with purchased goods

HOT TOPIC

Ray

 

[guytpetj]

I was refering to the program he mentioned. That program can create an ISO image with DVD zoning and protection removed. skating on thin ice there. In the many countries where you are allowed to RIP, you can only do for personal use/back-up of media that you own, and you are not allowed to change the media (removing zone protection, copy protection and other security settings)

Could be bad for the MP community if Big Brother / Uncle Sam is watching, and reads us talking/promoting things which are illegal / borderline (il)legal.

1. I dont think its possible to RIP a DVD while keeping all its protective measures(might be wrong though).

2. Im pretty sure circumventing the Region Code is not illegal. If you buy a DVD legally in China, and bring it home to Europe, you have a right to play it anywhere you want.

3. Programs like *** which decrypts the DVD, removes the copy right warning, region code etc, have not been closed down yet, and i dont see it happening(in fact more and more of such programs are popping up). Ripping/backup of DVD's is common practice and everybody knows it. The publishers are now much more concerned with protecting the HD material on HD-DVD etc.

Anyway, if the publishers seriously have you considering backing up your own DVDs as an illegal action, which you are afraid to even discuss, they have been more effective in their bullshitting campaigns than i thought.

What exactly are you afraid of? Someone closing down the forum for illegal activety? Are you aware just how many forums on the net discuss DVD ripping, and how many products for this are openly advertised?

A manager of a resonably large business I've learned one thing over the years.

Do what you do, but don't say what you do in public. Have denial ability. This keeps you out of court and keeps you from paying fines.

 

[ziphnor]

A manager of a resonably large business I've learned one thing over the years.

Do what you do, but don't say what you do in public. Have denial ability. This keeps you out of court and keeps you from paying fines.

From an individual (person or company) point of view, this is definetly the safest thing to do. However, when everybody is being secretive about it, avoiding talking about it etc, it gives other people an impression that its something bad. Instead we should openly declare our intentions so that others learn that its not the art of necromancy we are discussing here, but simply making backups of something one has purchased. Its very hard to make something like this illegal in practice if everybody thinks it should be legal, and everybody is doing it. On the other hand if people slowly start thinking it actually is something problematic it will ultimately play into the hands of the publishers.
One example of something like that is CAM or smartcard sharing for DVB. As far as i know, its no longer practical to clone smartcards, so if one wants to share a smartcard from a single CAM or smartcard reader, there shouldnt really be a problem since the original card has to be present for it to work. However, try searching on this, or just asking about it, here or elsewhere, and you will be shut out. Strangely enough a hardware wireless smartcard replicator(which also always requires original card) is fully legal, and are selling their product without repercussions: www.smartwi.net . Sometimes its all in the attitude, and i feel one should not play into the hands of the publishers.

Unfortunately if you ever read the *** webpage you start getting very cynical about what you can and cannot do with purchased goods

And thats exactly the reason one should not hide that one is making backups of ones purchased goods as mentioned above