5 Best Media Centres

[mvallevand]

Here's an interesting story I've been following, I never dreamt how many supporters xbmc really had

http://lifehacker.com/5103464/five-best-...plications

Martin

[Paul_B]

Didn't one of the main developers of XBMC leave and start Media Portal? I believe his alias may have been "Frodo"? Last time I looked at Media Portal forums he may have disillusioned with that project as well. But then I could have got it all wrong and be doing him a dis-service

[jksmurf]

Goodness me, where's GBPVR in that list!! I added a comment (Can you search the comments btw?)

I can believe the Xbox thingy, as a lot of people had the XBox for games I guess, then out come upodated stuff like PSP and newer Xboxes so they found a use for the old thing without compromising an existing PC.

k.

[psycik]

and xbmc, doesn't record does it??

Also MCE is a bit fail, doesn't like mixed tuner cards and needs a hack for satellite (or dvb-t can never remember which).

[reven]

xbmc was really really really good in its day (and it is now), but the xbox is dead, its too slow to playback hidef media (try playing a 720p mkv in it, it just doesnt really work).
be interested in trying what its like on a pc now though, but no tv support, so meh.

yeah frodo left mediaportal a while back.

[reven]

and xbmc, doesn't record does it??

Also MCE is a bit fail, doesn't like mixed tuner cards and needs a hack for satellite (or dvb-t can never remember which).

nope. well not on the xbox, not sure on other platforms

[Paul_B]

I don't know why more people aren't aware of GBPVR.

My own experience was that I wanted something to replace Microsoft Media Centre. The first few products I came across were Myth TV and XBMC. Neither really appealed and then I came across Media Portal which looked very good and could handle server/client configurations for TV streaming.

I came across GBPVR by accident when someone on a UK Home-Automation forum had a link to it in his signature. The rest is history!

In my eyes it is just perfect, everything can be stored and hosted centrally and I can have clients in different rooms. The work of Sub on the main GBPVR and Martin on the PCH / NMT client support is awesome. It deserves so much more accolades then it seems to get.

[pBS]

i think you need to show them a proper example video and knock their socks off!!
[one that shows it working with a regular setup doing all the gbpvr stuff and blowing their minds..lol] and maybe even show that it can be backed out of and regular nmt functions still available..realtime with loadup too..speed is always a major fear factor..
around here we already know about all the things it does so well, so they don't get much lip service...only the new/problems...so i think they think there's lots wrong..

[whurlston]

Once again we seem to be that uncle that the HTPC family doesn't like to talk about. That's ok. That uncle is usually the only one really enjoying the party.

[stangdaman]

I don't know why more people aren't aware of GBPVR.

I think it's more just that people that are writing recent articles aren't aware of GBPVR. The HTPC community is aware it's here. It's one of the first applications I see people pointed to when they are looking to get into building a PVR. I think some of it is that there used to be a lot more out there and they're all starting to fade out so if someone hasn't really kept up on things and chooses to come into it after not paying attention for a year they may be surprised. There's not Meedio anymore, no CTPVR these things change. The ones listed in that article are not the first five I would think of. I'm also surprised that they didn't list BeyondTV. The first applications I think of when someone asks me about PVR software are:

1. GBPVR

2. Mediaportal

3. Sage

4. BeyondTV

5. MCE/Vista

6. MythTV

in no particular order. I've never even heard of Boxee. Maybe they're thinking of something different in the mediacenter realm.