Useability of MyTV (1 Viewer)

elliottmc

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  • August 7, 2005
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    Hi.

    I've only been playing around with MediaPortal for a couple of days. My previous HTPC experience is pretty much exclusively with ShowShifter.

    If it wasn't for the TV module of Media Portal, I would switch to it without any hesitation. Apart from CPU usage, and slow response from time to time, the user interface is much cleaner, and the extensibility doesn't get in the way of using the software too much.

    I do agree with one other post that it would be nice to be able to configure modules without needing a separate program. Of course, I don't know how feasible this is.

    So, what do I think is wrong with the TV module? Well, for me, timeshifting doesn't work as expected. Maybe that's my fault, but what I would like to be able to do is hit pause, and have the TV paused, and then hit play, forward fast, etc. and it all just happen. This is fine when timeshifting is switched on, but personally I don't see the need to have a timeshifting button on the main MyTV screen. Pause should just pause the TV.

    Maybe it's just my system, but the OSD doesn't seem to work very well. I find it difficult to tell how "delayed" a programme is, and what is going on when I forward fast. Again, it could be my fault.

    ShowShifter handles all of these pretty well (but for me suffers in other areas, which is why I am checking out Media Portal).

    What else?

    I would like to be able to switch aspect ratios in preview mode. There doesn't seem to be any reason not to have this kept consistent.

    I'm still getting used to Media Portal, so some of my comments may be naive, but it's often useful to get feedback from the first 10 minutes of someone's experience with software.

    I haven't yet worked out how to encode video files from one format to another. It's just a matter of time, but it would be nice in a way if the recordings from BDA cards were a standard MPEG2 file which I could manipulate with other software. Like I said, it's probably all in there, but I haven't found it yet.

    If I could help out with development I would, but I lack the experience and time. I could possibly help with documentation and proofreading. I have noticed quite a few typos throughout the program, and would be happy to provide a list.

    Thanks to the team for a superb piece of software. With a bit more work, this can be the only HTPC software you ever need.

    Best wishes,

    Mark
     

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