Replacing MP with Win 8 modern UI (1 Viewer)

Arturas1976

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  • January 5, 2008
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    UPnP contreller+renderer app for TV and win8 modern UI. That way could be as solution for use of MP on non MS or difficult to build full MP client platform.
     

    craige1

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    February 1, 2008
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    I recommend MP 2 have a windows 8 client as part of its initial release. The client side of mp would be "fairly" easy to port to a windows 8 app due to them both using the same ms technologies. Most of the heavy lifting in mp2 happens server side with the client acting only as a gui. That would fit perfectly as a windows 8 app.

    *cough* *cough* - newer say easy when you aren't 100% sure. Porting the Directshow based components will be a huge task. Any volunteers for converting all the Directshow filters into MediaFoundation filters? Remember to port LAV splitter, video and audio decoders as well ;)

    I have to admit, I did smile reading this. When I said "fairly" easy (in dr evil style quotes mind you :)), I was talking in the sense of comparing to a full blown port. I did realise this wouldn't be a "out next week" task, which is why I mentioned aiming at the mp2 release date which is a good year at least.

    In regards to porting to Media Foundation; Media Foundation has been the recommended media stack option since vista, as it is intended to replace directshow, which will be faded out. It might be a good opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone. Cross format capability with fairly easy work (compared to running multiple clients for different platforms or completely redoing mp to be cross platform, which you might as well start again if your doing that), and updating to the new media render stack in windows (for the last 3 versions).

    There are even guides on pointing out what needs to change to move a .net app to a windows store app. Media foundation support isn't as desperate as you make it out to be. Mediaportal itself has been supporting the Media foundation powered EVR renderer for a good while now. Media formats like h.264 are supported by Media Foundation natively. 3rd party filters for other formats also exists to add support in Media Foundation, just like how directshow gets most of its support.
     
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    tourettes

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    There are even guides on pointing out what needs to change to move a .net app to a windows store app. Media foundation support isn't as desperate as you make it out to be. Mediaportal itself has been supporting the Media foundation powered EVR renderer for a good while now. Media formats like h.264 are supported by Media Foundation natively. 3rd party filters for other formats also exists to add support in Media Foundation, just like how directshow gets most of its support.

    Please have a look at: https://github.com/MediaPortal/MediaPortal-1/tree/master/DirectShowFilters and then tell the Directshow to MediaFoundation conversion is a small task.

    Problem is not the C# code - it would be fairly simple to convert the player code to MF. Problem lies in the C++ code which is the actual DS filters that should be converted.
     

    craige1

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    I would imagine if this was to go ahead, it would be for mp2 not mp1. Some of the directshow filters that mediaportal 1 has to handle itself are handled natively by Media Foundation. I've seen a lot of bugfixes for mediaportal been about the internal directshow filters in mediaportal so I would imagine that the more that can be handled natively, the more work it takes off of the mediaportal team. I know that the tsreader and the audio render take a lot of work, especially since directshow is being fazed out.
     

    tourettes

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    I know that the tsreader and the audio render take a lot of work, especially since directshow is being fazed out.

    Those both are something that MP2 requires as well - MF cannot provide anything to fullfil our needs in that area. Same goes pretty much for the rest of the DS filters as well. What MF could provide is decoders, but the ones it provides fall into not-so-good area when compared to LAV (missing formats for example).

    In short, we still would need to port the DS filters we have to MF (heck, MS doesn't even provide the MF support for TV parts so TvServer would still rely completely on DS).
     

    craige1

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    I think your running off the vista version of Media Foundation.
    Windows 7 added a bunch to Media Foundation. It now supports capture devices (like tv cards) and a whole set of new file types supported.

    Maybe there should be a little project on the side to see/work on MF support in MP2. The idea that directshow is too big to be dropped is a folly considering we already have devices that look and act like laptops running windows without directshow support. Media Foundation wont be disappearing anytime soon since Microsoft is ridding on the success of devices that only use MF for media. Its at least worth doing a deep look at what would need to be changed for MF to take over ds. Then if the MP team decides that its to much work for now, then (being an open source project) there's a launching point for someone who might take up the challenge to start from. The biggest point to consider is that it will need to happen at some point, and considering we already have windows devices that don't support ds, its going to have to be in the next 2-3 years. Since MP2 is in development now, wouldn't it be nice if it released running off technology that was going to be around for awhile, instead of having to do a code rewrite during its life.
     

    spitjo

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    I don't mean to be offensive but i am really disappointed by how close-minded some team members are.
    Metro has no future, an android full client is impossible....
    I really think the the only one without a future is MediaPortal if this is the point of view of the Whole developers team.
    The pc how we know it is goingto die in a few years. A home entertainment system must be everywhere, on every device like tablet (yes Windows rt too) smartphones, smart tv, android set top boxes. This is the future. Not a number of power eating full pcs around the house just to watch tv, some movies and a couple of pictures.
    Someone said that android system are not poerful enough. WRONG!! We have quad core systems with 2gb ram and powerful gpus. Performance are not a problem. The problem is the code. It will be a big work but has to be done.
    Seriusly guys, open your minds. I love MediaPortal and his instability was never enough to change my mind. But if it will remain tied to a inefficent Platform like the pc a lot of other solutions will take over
    Again, i don't mean to be offensive, i'm only hoping the best future for a product that i love
     

    foxbenw

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    With MP2 coming at some point, the only thing that is really in danger short term is the windows client. Personally i will continue to store media until streaming is high enough quality to replace my blurays and i can be confident that i will be able to watch a program on-demand that i would otherwise have recorded.

    So rather than worrying about MP overall, i'd just say that the windows client may become less relevant (for attracting new users) and that MPExtended and transcoding will start to take on more importance. (Although with wireless ac i am also hoping to be able to stream a bluray over wifi).

    Therefore a windows RT client IS important, and in some ways maybe more than the desktop client. Except that the priority should go to developing android and ios clients first because hardly anyone has an RT device. AMPdroid is a great start - i had a play with it on my wife's nexus - but is clearly nowhere near the functionality and slickness of the main client.

    It will be interesting to see what happens with google tv functionality over the coming year or so, and what MS will do with 'xbox tv' or whatever it will call it (i think that is still an assumption but they obviously will).
     

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