Reasons why i don't use Mp anymore (1 Viewer)

[esperado]

I wanted a program solid reliable and fast to manage both my TNT tv card and my analog video input (tv on IP) and get reliable time shifting.
Spend hours to try to get this program working, spend hours with cvs versions, with codecs and configuration....loose hours.
Definitively, apart some gadgets like meteo, Mp is not working for me. Worse and Worse at each version. Spend minutes to change channels, "no signal detected" problems, time shifting not reliable at all (loose a lot of movies), bad management of double screens, etc...
Now, with the last versions i tried, analog input of my tnt card (Pinnacle 300i) is not supported anymore, found no good solution for EPG of french tvs...
I don't care with the nice looking, Skins, gadgets and addons.
I care with a program witch start fast, works ok, and do what he has to do (and no more).
Returned to Pinnacle soft (channels changes are instant, and reliable time shift) for TNT, and KTV! for analog composite input. Too bad.
When i read some messages like: "make a clean install of Xp", i wonder.
A real program has to work on any install, as long as there is enough CPU/memory power. It is just supposed to be a program to watch tv on a PC, don't ? Or it is a program to play with configuration and tests instead watching tv ?
Ok, i know, Mp is freeware. but reality is reality.
Just to resume: "Try Mediaportal or get married and watch tv."

 

[wortelsoft]

Why do you think MS has driver signing, Hardware compatibilty lists, certifies hardware to be compatible with Windwows MCE?

Now the answer allready? Because drivers and all other software like codecs can make a system become unstable or even cause a bsod.
With a clean install with only the nesecary software installed you can make sure that it is the combination of your hardware and MP and not a corrupt registry or other software interfering.

 

[fossks]

Why I don't Use MP Anymore

I have to say I'm in a similar situation, but the reasons are different. I personally have stopped because of Windows! It may not be directly because of Windows, but close.

You see, I wanted a nice small and quiet HTPC that fit in my living room. So I got a CoolerMaster CMedia 260 case. My components looked like:

Asus P4R800-VM mobo
P4A 2.4GHz CPU
ATI AIW 9600
Hauppauge PVR-150
1GB Corsair PC3200 RAM
30 GB HDD for OS/Apps
80 GB HDD for Media
Enermax 375W PSU
Zalman CNSP7000 HSF

The problem is that in order to watch and record live TV, I need two TV tuners. Even with the "hardware" encoding on both cards, MP still does not run smoothly and watching TV while recording almost never works. The 2.4GHz CPU runs hot, but I need that performance. When I turn down the fans to keep the HTPC quiet, the system heats up. When I turn the fans up to cool the system, it is too noisy. When the system heats up, the HTPC gets hot and locks up.

In the mean time, I put together a small MITX system using an EPIA M10000 and running MythTV on Mandriva 2006. I installed the PVR150 from HTPC. I can now run it as an HTPC with an ability to watch and pause live tv, using less than 50% CPU, DVDs use only 10% of the CPU. At the same time it soooooo quiet.

So indirectly I gave up on MP since Windows carries so much weight and slows down the system. I now have an HTPC that is shutdown and collecting dust in favour of Linux and MythTV.

 

[CHli]

I wanted a program solid reliable and fast

So you choosed a Beta Software which is in active developpment ? Get a brain ! :x

 

[tklon]

I wanted a program solid reliable and fast

So you choosed a Beta Software which is in active developpment ? Get a brain ! :x

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[NLS]

I have to say, my MediaPortal installation reached the level of completeness I had in Meedio (which I installed 2+ years ago and never get to finish it), in RECORD time (less than a week?).

99% of things work FINE.

I love it.

 

[esperado]

I wanted a program solid reliable and fast

So you choosed a Beta Software which is in active developpment ? Get a brain ! :x

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I can read on the site:
"MediaPortal is an Open Source application ideal for turning your PC / TV into a very advanced Multi-Media Center. MediaPortal allows you to listen to your favorite music & radio, watch your video's and DVD's, view, schedule and record live TV and much more."

It doen't ... just keep on laughing.
...Of course, Mediaportal is in active development... like all living program, including those i contribute to, as a developer. We just publish them only when they are *working*. And we do not spend our time to self-congratulate.
I just installed Rc4, to see if any progress. Can-i tell-you the story of what happens, minurte by minute ?

Let's go, You want to laugh? You gonna laugh!
I wanted to install as a newbee, just to see. Click Install and open the program.
I can see this nice semitransparent splashscreen, telling "rc2". (It was not supposed to be Rc4 ?). Long anough to admire-it.
The program open: I click on tv: black screen, nothing.
(Oh ! My last config is overwritten and all my channels lost ?)
I open set-up...And i can see that my folders configuration is lost, indeed... It indicate "my documents", exactly the place where i like to record two hours of Mp2 files, for sure).
=> Next, will see that later.... Whow! a scan for analog tv ? Nice, it see my analog tv card ?
Click on "Scan"... Mp disappear, with no warning, pffff, disintegrated.
Reopen, (i have no brain, no nerves) goes strait to Tnt, and, afraid: -> France(all region) "scan"....
... *35* minutes later (im in Paris, one of the great capitals of the world, 10 well known channels), looking at this nice Signal quality "full" and signal level: "0", -less you have, better it is?- got 0 updated channel. Encouraging !
Let's try a litter deeper. Close set-up. (oh, it is not closed in task manager !) Goes to the program, strait to "configuration".
Yeeepeee, one of my four inputs (tnt-card) is detected.
=> "Edit": "unable to create graph for this device"... Forget, man, you will not spend half an hour to scan again, anyway.
Out, re-poen MP, TV (no nerves...): black screen. Try to change the channel... who knows ?
Miracle, 20 seconds later (it takes 20 seconds to change a channel, a zapping dream), i got tv ! With Image and sound, can-you imagine ?
Just like a real program ! ...during 20 second... before image freeze and sound stop.

Lets reopen and see how are all the channels (there where working with rc2, before, more oi less)
Half of them: "no signal detected". We are in progress, each version better.
I try to press "pause", just to see if the stupid things are still here ? They are: nothing happens.
(Yes, i know, you have to set the time shift "before" to open the tv. Or to close the tv, set the time shift on, go to tv again and press pause each time somebody is ringing at your door.
Or to configure timeshit on as default just to see 5 minutes the last news from time to time, your HD loves that...).
Last test, far away from my screen: Resize Mp, when tv on. (hehe !)
Miracle, Mp is not crashing anymore; it goes transparent with the background inside and all those nice icons on my "bureau" ...
But you can close-it without a ctrl/alt/del. Much more better.

Ok, what do you think ? "i've got a brain":
End of the test, uninstall.
And believe-me or not, my pc is ok, ultrastable, and codecs clean, (only Dscaler for MP2 registered in directshow and ffdshow with a minimum merit).

As one says: Mp is still in beta !

Oh, I have to go dinner. I press Pause in the pinnacle soft (it stop the graph, black screen half a second, (time to reopen a new one with time shift on), begin to record with image paused...

Have a good night, everybody. For me, i will see the end of the moovie when i get back, fore sure.

Oh, btw, Tetris and meteo are working fine in Mp, and those skins are so, so beautifull !

 

[NLS]

bye

we won't miss you

as they don't miss me over at Meedio (Yahoo-whatever now)

MP is working much better than expected for me...
I am doing with EMBEDDED functionality right now what I did with 3-4 different programs before (WRESTLING to make them work together "transparently" and not touching anything because it would mess the whole "chain")

also I have updated RC4 at least 3-4 times with some SVN (when I feel like it)... no problems so far

I guess the program didn't like you

 

[ASiDiE]

Maybe Media portal isn't for you? There are tons of alternative products out there that would be a whole lot better for you. In some strange way you think that the MP project owes you something. You act like you just purchased Meedio right before they announced the buy out from yahoo and think you have totally been ripped off. If you have problems, post them in the forums so we can try to help you out.

BTW. Your whole post is UTTER SH!T. I just installed RC4.. and YES... it does say RC4 on it. When you figure out how to INSTALL the product... let us know. RC4 is NOT and upgrade to RC2. If you would have taken the time to do some research.... instead of typing a bunch of crap... maybe you would have figured this out... Quit wasting our time with your lame ass posts... the sooner you leave... the better.

P.S. I am a user of the product and in NO WAY represent the Developers and creators of MP.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

esperado

I use MP every day for recording TV, ok if i install a svn that screws things up for me, then i go back to my previous working backup.
But can I say one of the things that dramatically improved MP for me was the last lifeview driver update. It solved a lot of issues that I had been having with MP.
So the motto of the story, do not be too quick to blame MediaPortal for all your woes, Yes it is trying to be all things to all men, but it does help if the tvcard manufacturers got there drivers 100% right to start with.

Had say, Goodnight.