The Top Reasons why Media Portal is the Greatest HTPC App (1 Viewer)

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fadedstatic

Guest
I registered just to say how much I love Media Portal. I have tried MCE 2005, Beyond TV, SageTV, etc. None of which did the job as well as this free program, which is amazing in itself. MCE didn't even work with my brand new ATI TV Elite, which is certified for MCE. Explain that... If there is anything I can do to help (i.e. Donate), PM me.
 
N

nirvdrum

Guest
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. I very much like the idea of MediaPortal and think it has a lot of potential, but it's just not quite as good as other offerings, IMHO. This isn't meant to be discouraging, but is a reality check. 0.1.3 is not easy software to set up and configure. From what I gather, muc of this is being taken care of in 0.2, but that hasn't been released yet. BTV, on the other hand, takes about zero effort to set up. I've generally found BTV easier to use and easier to configure.

So, while I agree MediaPortal is a nice bit of software, it still has quite a ways to go. Note I have no affiliation with SnapStream beyond being a disgruntled ATI MMC user that was pleasantly surprised to find out that PVRs didn't have to be so hard to run.

Anyway, keep up the good work guys, but don't discount what other software offers because you think you're better than them :)
 

zgeneral

Portal Member
September 30, 2005
6
0
Before you guys pat yourselves on the back too much, I have to object to MP as the best HTPC app. It's great that this is open source and that it is a strong product. That said, the documentation and community support just aren't strong enough to back up the product. There also seems to be some product functionality that could be hadded. I'm trying to do one simple thing (detailed here and I can't even get any answer after almost 50 views. I haven't had this problem with any other product. You have a good product, but I don't think that you're the best offering out there just yet.
 

cleao

Portal Pro
March 2, 2005
87
0
59
Évora, Portugal
I agree, the DVB tunning system is not so quick, friendly and efficient as another products and the lack of mdplugins support :!: put it in a down place comparing with other software. I was preparing to do a donation but using a version from 2 month's ago because of this, and can not upgrade from some bug's in that version :cry: ...
But it's freeware, and a very, very good job.
 

TheVideoViking

Portal Pro
November 30, 2004
62
0
Groningen, Netherlands
MP might not be perfect (yet), but I've tried other software and for the functionality I use MP, I think it's most definitely the best.
I find the speed it is developing with unbelievable. I worked in the IT-industry for a couple of years and I really wonder whether my development colleagues could do such a good job as is being done here.
 

Confusedpenguin

Portal Member
December 20, 2005
40
0
UK
I'd also like to express my gratitude to the dev's on the Mediaportal project, and to be honest I'm stunned at the speed of development and how it's thundering along.

I've been following MP since early 1.3, and have been religiously applying the CVS updates, and while some cause problems, I find the fun is finding that something has been added or fixed when updates come round again.

The sheer customisation of it outranks 99% of other HTPC apps I've tried, and the fact you can bugger around and alter bits yourself means the fun is never ending (well, the girlfriend doesn't think 'fun' is the right term, but she can go an make love to a lemon tree, frankly)!
 

mattoid

Portal Member
December 30, 2005
28
0
UK
you would lose your woman to a lemon tree? :lol:
you are a poet, sir!

back on track, I too think this is potentially the best htpc package out there. If you were to track my forum posts you would find that I have had as much trouble with the install as anyone, but then I am using hardware that was not chosen for MP and not fully supported, and you can't expect perfection in those circumstances. MCE2005 would not even install on this system- wouldn't touch it. Showshifter would not record video for me. MythTV needed rejigging, and much tho I like the idea of Linux, I don't yet speak the language.
IMHO, the ideal solution would be to have a 100% ( :wink: ) stable release with core features only (and easy install) for those who need it, and a developement release with all the extra features and adaptability for those who simply can't keep their hands off the .xml files etc. But this is essentially creating two separate products, and all the extra work involved. However, the more stable the release, the less aftecare necessary. Obviously this is ideal world stuff, and we don't live in one of them. We are all in the hands of the programmers, to whom I offer my deepest thanks for a fantastic job. I am even going to get a new mobo so I can use it properly! :roll: :wink: :D

mattoid
 

hoberion

Portal Member
February 27, 2006
12
0
hmmm, after reading this topic I created an account to reply...

I have tried most of them including:
mythtv (going to try again with 0.19 as soon as knoppmyth is released)
showshifter
myhtpc (meedio now)
xbmc
mce (al versions)
mce extender (xbox)
mce extender (xbox 360)
some others I hope to forget asap :)

I run mediaportal CVS for 1 week now, ignoring the bugs (duh, its a test version...but the "no-signal" is the worst.. I can see the channel after 4 seconds... so it has a signal... hmmm) but am not completely satisfied mostly because the ui is not consistent like in mce... mythtv also had that issue

IMHO mce comes close to being perfect... its stability is awesome (so is mythtv btw) but since I use DVB/CAM I cant use it anymore.. I also liked mythtv alot... especially the master/slave configuration..

/edit: I think the "no signal" message isnt really a bug and a message coming from the driver.. but since its popping up in mediaportal and not in my samsung decoder I will call it a bug....
 

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