I was wondering what the consensus is on the best HTPC software out there. I have tried Media Portal, Meedio and am currently using Intervideo's Home Theatre Platinum 2.
My machine is a P4 2.4 Shuttle with a gig ram and 200 gig HD.
My graphic card is an ATI all in wonder 9600 XT.
I had audio issues with Media Portal and I couldn't get Meedio's TV feature to work with my card. I had to settle for Intervideo's Home Theatre which works just fine but is limited in its functionality.
Anybody have any suggestions about how I can fix my problems with Meedio or can you guys suggest another software altogether ?
I see that some people are installing Windows MCE on their PC's. I was wondering how exactly you can do this. I thought Win MCE only comes prebundeled when you buy a branded comp ? And even if you do manage to install it somehow.. does it support all graphic and TV Tuner Cards ??
Preciate you guys weighing in on this .. I havn't seen much discussion on HTPC Software so far in this forum.
honestly, i think you have missed some of the best htpc software out there..
I'd give SageTV a try. Its really good and has a ton of options, compatible with a ton of tv tuner cards and very customizable/hackable.
Also PowerCinema is a decent suite too, however it lacks a true program guide (or did in the earleir versions)
and Finally, prob the best integrated and overall htpc, Windows XP Media Center 2005... the only thing to worry about is that your tv tuner card has mce drivers... which the ati does i believe...
also another tip too for tv recording.. its ideal to format the hd you record your tv to in 64K clusters.. maximizes video playback and recording..
Take a look at gbpvr, it's free, and does more than MCE.
If you acctually want copy protection, DRM, proprietary formats, and lots of nice swish and swoosh sounds, get MCE. Like everything else from Redmond, it comes complete with built in "features" like paranoia and neuroses.
as for MCE 2005.. you can now actually buy this OS from newegg.com
just be sure though that your TV Tuner card is MCE compatible (that is, has MCE drivers.. if not, it will not work w/normal XP Drivers..)..
another programs i've tried and didn't mind too much include BeyondTV..
then once you get your stuff up and running, try out orb.com to get your tv anywhere.. ;)
oh yea as for MCE and DRM stuff.. only certain channels use copy-protection flags (ie HBO, Cinemax, premium channels) but mce does encode files in a MS-DVR file type and there are only a select amount of programs that can convert it.. whereas most other just frontend PVR/HTPC programs encode to either mpeg or avi..
