streaming, tv-server and manuals (1 Viewer)

[GoMad]

Hi,
I have been looking at numerous solutions for an HTPC system and afert spending weeks looking at MythTV, came across MP which is modern, slick and loows awesome / simple once set up. I have a few Q's which I have been unable to get answered.

1) MP has a backend and frontend install option, does this work in the same way as Mtyhtv in that the backend stored all the content, database, and the front end retrieves all data from there ?
2) Does the backend stream to the front end, ie not require mounts / file shares ? i ideally want to have multi point streaming, ie video to one front end, music to another, TV to another etc.
3) What is tv-server ? Is this the name of the backend ?
4) I have been through the manuals but they do not seem to be that indepth in terms of explaining the above. Mythtv was easy - linux is free so I can try it out. MP needs Windows and I only have a laptop with Vista where I have installed a standalone copy. Before I 'invest' i would appreciate a solid understanding before going out and buying Windows 7 Home Premium (106 quid from Amazon !).

I have MP running on the laptop and am overall impressed, but want a multipoint solution. I have not tried xmbc (?) yes and is the next port of call

Many thanks for your time.

 

[funkstar]

The TV-Server isn't exactly the same as a myth-backend. The TV-Server is only that, a server for TV, everything else (music, videos, photos, etc.) is handled directly with shares by the MediaPortal clients. MythTV has had a FE/BE architecture for a long time now, MediaPortals is a lot less mature, but it is progressing nicely.

So the only things that are pulled from the TV-Server is the EPG, live streams and previously recorded TV.

In the future this will change. MP2 is a complete ground up re-write of MediaPortal, part of this change is architecture is that far more will be handled by the server, pushing data and settings out to the clients. I don't know how far this will go, especially initially. But the mechanisms will be there for this to be a very powerful and flexible setup.

The only problem is that MP2 is still under some very heavy development work and not in the public domain just yet. This blog post might be of interest: MEDIAPORTAL - free media center - MP-II development progress

Does XBMC do TV? last time I looked it didn't. What has been spoken about is some of the other HTPC projects adopting the TV-Server for their own systems as well, proves that the TV-Server component is a very good piece of software. The MP client is getting dated (yes it looks good, but thats thanks to the amazing work the skinners have done), the underlying architecture just wasn't designed to do all that people want of it today. The developers have often said that code maintenance is a big head ache, they fix one problem and two more spring up as a result. This is why MP2 is being worked on.

I've just re-built my MP setup over the weekend. One TV server in the study with two dual tuner DVB-T cards, and currently one client PC in the livingroom. Both running Windows 7 and the latest Beta release of MP 1.1.0 with the most recent weekly update applied over the top. Going to add a second client for the bedroom sometime this week as I have some time off work. A third is planned for the kitchen at some point.

 

[GoMad]

funkstar - wow, thanks for that. I looked at xmbc last night, it is quick, but no where near as fun and family friendly as MP (which I prefer of media centre also). I really want to chose a product now and stick with it and grow my set up as the development of the product evolves. Myth is great architecturally, but the GUI is slow, looks very outdated for a new release and they have added ripping features etc which do not work that well.

So, on to MP. If you have multiple clients, is this just for TV streaming from the backend ? I am assuming that the optimal setup is as follows;

1) MP server / backend for tv / epg / database
2) MP client for retrieving the streamed TV
3) vidoes / music / photo's on the backend with the clients having mounts to them for access

My Q really is, the products may change but I want to store my vid's, cd's etc. centrally, in a single location. I was going to use Linux / Samba but am concerned multiple Windows 7 licenses will get pricey. However a central NAS box such as QNAP running samba centrally as a NAS store could then be used regardless of what htpc software product I use.

How / where do you centrally store videos etc. I am also considering SONOS so need to look in to how the htpc would feed content in this, and how sonos woud manage the htpc music store.

Many thanks,

GoMad.

 

[druid9]

For the record, I was about a week off buying a Sonos system when I got to Mediaportal.

What MP lacks that Sonos offers (if I remember)
1. music streamed to clients so you can have true multi-zone i.e. Jazz in the lounge, bubblegum in the daughters room, rock on the terrace etc. (hold on MP does that, just need three clients).
2. Same streams to all clients. (Could do that if you were a bit creative with wiring and volume controls)
3. Nice interface to music collection (Mp wins again I think)
4. Not only music, but movies, videos, photos, TV, recordings, Music Videos, Internet access for information on all of the above, Weather.......

Remind me again why I nearly bought Sonos???

 

[GoMad]

ok, interesting as I was now thinking MP AND Sonos !

I quite like the moneual 312 as it is slim line but then you can not see what music to play without turning on the TV. Is there a remote for MP you can use that would give you the interface you get with the sonos one ? ie control the HTPC from anywhere from a hand held device, or do you always use the TV or a PC to access the MP interface ?

Thanks.

 

[druid9]

Well there are a couple of ways you could go about that I guess.

There is an iphone interface for MP (iPiMP I think it is called, but not sure). A search would work

I used Salling Clicker for a while Salling Software - Home, which has a plugin for MediaPortal, and allows access to music from any bluetooth phone.

In the end, I probably came down to turning on the TV, they are always connected to MP anyhow, and I have a client connected to a TV everywhere I want music. If you don't want the TV on while you listen, turn it off, MP won't mind. The advantage of having the TV on is that you get full access to the MP database (artist and album information) as well as lyrics.

I suppose it should be mentioned that my MP clients don't really look like computers, one is a Asus CS-5110 http://i-source.shopbot.com.au/i/2008/5/925104129_small.jpg, and another two Asus Nova Lite PX24s Asus Nova Lite PX24, very small, very quiet, very low key. None of them have a keybpard and mouse connected, any maintenance done via VNC. I think the cs5110 is now no longer made. Bear in mind with MP, you have all of your music available from all of the clients all of the time. With upwards of 10,000 tracks, I am never short of a song. I also make extensive use of playlists so I don't need to actively control what is playing much, and hwahrmann's one touch music plugin means I can just hit play and a playlist begins, don't need the TV at all.

Good luck with the quest, and happy to answer any more questions

 

[GoMad]

Thanks for the info. Very keen on Sonos multi region and touch screen remote, but at £700 upwards for a system to do this I will spend more time on MP - the cost more than covers a couple of copies of Windows 7 (£106 on Amazon).

Looks like MP2 is a looooong way off, update was this month saying the back end was starting development. Guessing this time next year, but looks interesting.

Much appreciated.

GoMad.

 

[jonm]

If you're going to run MP on Win7 Home Premium you can do a lot better than £106 - I got Professional for less than that.

For example, it's under 75 quid on ebuyer: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173791

Jon.

 

[GoMad]

I'd rather not go down the OEM route after what i have read. Cheap now, but if you need a new MB it could prove costly.

Also, if they do this 3 familay pack for 127 quid in the future it makes it quite cheap. I've exhausted all Linux options I think, not impressed woth any of them - very 'hobbyest' at the moment and GUI's very old fashion

Will contribute to MP though when I am satisfied it does what I want.

PC world got full Premium for £102, still looking !

Thanks again.

 

[funkstar]

I really want to chose a product now and stick with it and grow my set up as the development of the product evolves.

This is what I like to do as well.

So, on to MP. If you have multiple clients, is this just for TV streaming from the backend ?

TV and DVD backups. TV is streamed from the TV-Server and I have all my DVDs ripped as is to a large RAID array also in the server, this is on a network share and indexed by the Moving Pictures plugin for MediaPortal.

My Q really is, the products may change but I want to store my vid's, cd's etc. centrally, in a single location. I was going to use Linux / Samba but am concerned multiple Windows 7 licenses will get pricey. However a central NAS box such as QNAP running samba centrally as a NAS store could then be used regardless of what htpc software product I use.

I would not recommend a NAS box, they don't perform very well in my experience, you would be better with an actual PC running a NAS oriented Linux distribution. There are a number to choose from. This is basically exactly the same as the Qnap or Thecus NAS boxes, but more flexible, more powerful and probably cheaper too.

How / where do you centrally store videos etc. I am also considering SONOS so need to look in to how the htpc would feed content in this, and how sonos woud manage the htpc music store.

Everything is on my large server (currently 8x 1TB drives in RAID-5), music, DVDs, TV, photos, backups, downloads, etc.

I don't use MP for music, I don't want to have a TV on just to play some music or listen to some radio. I use Logitech Squeezeboxes for all this. I actually have more Squeezebox players than I have room (this is a long story for another time). if you are looking at SONOS, the SB line is definitely worth looking at too. More open, more flexible and less expensive.