Poll: Do you / will you use Windows Media Center in your home theater?
By Richard Lawler 
posted Aug 1st 2009 3:30PM
posted Aug 1st 2009 3:30PM
posted Aug 1st 2009 3:30PM
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Mac Mini with Plex media center all the way!
Plex is great.
I also use Apple TV.
Mac Mini running Windows 7 feeding an xbox360 to watch on the tv.
Am a Plex fan too, with EyeTv integration I might end up using it all the time. The lack of blu-ray support is holding me back also.
Always been a big fan on Windows Media Center though (built a couple of boxes over the years) What Tuner are you using Alex?
Same here... best for me!
Media center has needed an overhaul since mce2005. It should aggregate all content together. It should list all my recorded tv, backed up dvds, hulu, netflix etc in one library. I pick a video and it launches the needed player. They need to release softsled now!!!!!
If I could build my own cablecard based unit without having to hack the BIOS, I would be there in a second.
Until that day comes about, it's TiVo for me.
I am debating. Right now I have RC to play around with and have plenty of time to decide if I am going to drop $200 on Win7. But it might be easier to buy a new, cheap PC for $400 and convert it to a HTPC. I don't know I want my Mac pulling double duty.
Ok, 2 main reasons why I don't already have it deployed:
1. My local cable company is still playing catch up with the HD channels
2. Needs to have a cable card tuner that handles mulitple streams and switched digital video
Reason number 1 is being addressed, and I am waiting to see what happens with reason number 2 once Windows 7 actually ships.
My TiVo may be failing now, and since I only record local broadcasts and CableCARD is no longer important to me, I don't see why TiVo would be in my future. I'm now starting to look at a Windows Media Center solution but would prefer to buy instead of build (although building is not out of the question). Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of nice-looking HTPC systems available for sale to make my life any easier...
Hello Ed,
Sorry for the shameless promotion, I can't find a way to Private Message someone.
I can definitely address your "not good looking HTPC" concerns, as well as explain the differences from Vista Media Center to Win 7 Media Center.
www.niveusmedia.com
Give me a call at 510-687-0717 option 2 for sales.
No interest here; my MythTV 0.21-fixes system (two FireWire and four over-the-air tuners) is more than enough for me. Automated commercial skip, hardware-accelerated video playback, and open-source software so I can write patches if necessary. Looks good, too, and 0.22 will look even better.
I'm with you. I have been running Mythtv since '05 and have no plans on changing.
I, too, have been using Myth for many years now...
I started by trying other media platforms before, including a homebrew with Win2k... because the system was pretty low-powered at the time. Even Win2k needed more and more computer power, and simply started stuttering and such along the way. Since moving to MythBuntu, it simply works... and the install process wasn't bad at all. Sure, tweaking from there takes a bit of learning, but the initial install will get you going very quickly.
So, in that sense, WMC is far to expensive (requires purchase of Windows + hardware to keep up with windows itself)... Myth is so much more efficient and capable.
I'm happy with my SageTV set up. No interest in changing.
pat----
I've tried most ht software and frontends and really, I find most of them unnecessary. Personally, I know where everything is on my hard drive, I keep everything neatly in folders, so I usually just play all my media straight from the folder using vlc. I have XP MCE2005 because I find it is simple enough to use just to record HDTV from my tuner card and I have TMT3.0Platinum so I can play blurays.
I will be upgrading to Windows 7 largely for the improvements to media center though, especially for the proper guide data for .1, .2, etc channels. And my wife likes media center because its generally simple and stable and doesn't require any tweaking from her.
I have a PC running Win 7 recording ATSC programming and have my Xbox 360 set up as the extender but its not my main source of TV. I subscribe to DirecTV and the DirecTV tuner ever comes out, I will fully jump into Media Center.
Has anyone tried using media center (well let's say TV pack for now) with DVB-S cards, or directly hooking up a FTA satellite receiver to a PC running media center? how's the experience? (I think this route does not apply to the mostly American audience of Engadget btw).
I'm going to do so and if Windows 7 media center could handle it, it'll definitely be the core of my HT!
Just had my ATI DCT finally have the cablecard installed .. makes all the difference in the world .. looking for another XB360 for my bedroom to watch all my HD channels w/out another crapcast DVR
I'm waiting for support for SDV and (hopefully) a new crop of improved extenders.
I'm hoping that lower cost tuners will be available as well, but that isn't a dealbreaker for me.
You probably won't see a new crop of extenders, but you will likely see DRM relaxed on encrypted CableCard recordings allowing them to be played on other Media Centers and not just extenders.
Have everything on a large HDD on a media center box, using the 360 as extenders (best for the price).
I love the whole house DVR, and the access to video and music libraries and Live TV streams.
As the Media center is also a PC, it pulls transcoding and Hulu duty for the 360 extenders as well.
I don't have cable or sat service, mainly because they don't yet work with media center. I was hopeful for that DirecTV solution but that didn't happen.
So I use the Media center as my "converter box", watch live TV and DVR on the extenders, and get Hulu and Netflix on the 360s. My entertainment needs are pretty well met. I can wait until one of the subscription TV services gets their act together.
I've tried to hard to get it all to work in the past. I'm okay with Hulu and Netflix using my Xbox 360. I feel less like an idiot trying to set it up. I'll give it one more shot when Windows 7 comes out. I recall them stating they made setting up a networks extremely easy.
WMC is cool, but I run Boxee on my Win7 HTPC....it can't be beat.
I just hope it's better than the Vista version of Windows Media Center. I would use it more, but the interface is too slow and videos sometimes take a long time to load.
MacMini + Front Row/EyeTV/Plex
I've listen to people like Drawbaugh complain about the cable company's dvr and to me he and others are just childish.
Record a show, watch it, erase.
MCE is only good for OTA. If you want more channels, will need to deal with cable cards. The can of worms you open up going that route is ridiculous.
You don't HAVE to have cable cards. I have a HDHR with QAM and I get most of my HD channels that way. Other than that you can also do a HD-PVR to get the rest of the channels you are missing.
PS3+ PS3 Media Server= Perfection.
That actually falls far short... but you wouldn't know.
F Microsoft.
I have had TIVO, SageTV, Apple TV, Westerm Digital Media Player, Popcorn Hour A-110. All of this has been scrapped after experiencing windows 7 media center coupled with a Hauppauge HD PVR. Now I have an HTPC in my living room with an xbox extender in the bedroom. The is the ULTIMATE setup.
I plan to use it in addition to my Tivo HDs. I will be using the 7MC to record everything it can access via clear qam and I will be using the Tivo HDs for everything else.
Until I can easily buy at least a dual cablecard tuner, though I am holding out for the Ceton card at this point, I won't even look at replacing my Tivos especially since my two Tivo HDs with lifetime cost less with 2 M-cards than 4 DCT with 4 M-cards.
The problem with Windows Media Center for me is that EVERYTHING is a work-around!
- How do I get anything other than OTA television into my Media Center? I'm in Canada and I'm in an apartment. An indoor HD Antenna ain't gonna pull in squat and I have no CableCard options! Can I get a bunch of HD set top boxes from my Cable or Satellite company, run their component outputs through a Hauppauge HD PVR, convert the files into a format that WMC understands and set up an IR repeater network just to change channels? Sure! Does that sound reasonable? NO!!!
- How do I play DVDs? I could play them off of the disc, one at a time, from a drive. Not exactly the point, is it? So I have to rip them illegally and go through the process of making sure that WMC will be able to play them.
- How do I play Blu-rays? Same situation as DVDs. It's all a work-around.
You're basically not LEGALLY able to bring any of your content into WMC! oooh...I can use it to play music and videos that I have downloaded or made myself...big whoop!
And before people start screaming at me about how easy it is to do all of the ripping and converting and programming...really? Is it honestly that easy? Like, easy enough that you would trust your parents to be able to do all of it without any problems? Because the whole point of WMC, to me, is to be able to put all of your media in one place and then be able to watch it on any display in your home. That's a simple enough dream, but actually getting it all to work? It's an endless series of work-arounds. And when the only way to get things working the way you want is to search message boards and download 3rd party programmes - that just ain't gonna cut it, IMO.
@Rob
TV works 100% for me with my setup but here it's a FTA including some HD it's propably the best thing about wmc.
DVD's and Blueray as you say is a pain if you want to copy them, all i will say is AnyDVD and MyMovies Plugin. Pop the disk in and it will be copied to a location you have predefined. Easy! Although this is illegal in most countries but lets be honest if it's in your own home with your own disks who cares! MyMovies is what microsoft would have done if they could've.
WMC is not a set and forget solution but it is so extensable, extenders are what make it special. My whole fanily use it wihout problems.
To be honest Rob it just doesn't sound like the thing for you.
I appreciate your reply, pablo_paul. What irks me is that WMC is honestly much closer to what I want than pretty much anything else! But it just isn't quite there yet. And I'm not really mad at Microsoft at all for most of it. It's not their fault that cable and satellite providers do not give any means of importing their content into WMC and it's not MS' fault that DVD and Blu-ray copyright laws are so screwed up!
But I think that what you wrote basically supports what I was saying. OTA TV? No problem. But cable and satellite...different story. The whole ripping of DVDs and Blu-rays? Certainly do-able. But how would a non-tech person know about AnyDVD and the MyMovies plug-in? What I mean is - it's not built into WMC, right? You have to go out onto the web, probably check some forums, and eventually someone will tip you off about the 3rd party programmes. To me, that is still very much a "work around". It's not a native part of WMC and - if we're being 100% honest - it's technically still illegal.
I like that all of these possibilities are out there. I like that WMC can be expanded and programmed in this way. But I hope that folks can see how anybody using WMC would still honestly need to go outside of WMC in order to really make it worth-while and I hope that folks can see how that could still be daunting for a lot of people.
I've enjoyed WMC a lot on my laptop and am looking forward to setting up a proper system in the living room some day.
Great screenshot, by the way. Jimmy getting a bit nervous in front of Josh?
Running Win7 RC in the UK with both DVB-T x2 and DVB-S x2 Runs flawlessly. Just hoping for some SKy support for HD.
Its for sure not the learning curve. I have been using MythTV for the past 3 years and am almost 100% satisfied.
The only thing I dont have is extender like hardware. All extenders are full blown PC's. I have thought about moving to WMC before for an extender but when I see the lackluster support for them I always back out and say I am happy where I am at.
XBOX360 is the only extender worth a dam but the thing i want to see in a extender is a fanless option. All the other vendor have backed out. Maybe when Win7 gets rolling they will make new extenders and it will pull me to WMC. But these new extenders should be about $100-150. If they are $200 I might as well build a Ion basted frontend.
Also, WMC should really get the HD-PVR support native. I know there is work around but what a cluster that looks like.
~~Mitchelliswishingtherewasaperfectdvrbutthereisalwayscaveatsoneachplatform
I already use Windows7 MC and absolutely love it. I built a custom system in a media center case that lives in the entertainment center below the TV. It's so easy to use, and so convienient. We get over-the-air HD and Win7MC handles it perfectly. My father-in-law (a very non-tech person) was able to pick up the remote and start watching TV without any instruction from me. That's a perfect setup, if you ask me.
I have DirecTV or I would. I have a cable modem so I still record QAM channels on my Vista Media Center as a backup.
Been using MCE since the XP days. Currently using 7MC with 1x DVB-S tuner and DVBLink for Dreambox virtual tuner. I have 1 360 extender, used to be 2 but now have the Media Center PC hooked up to my LCD directly in the living room. We know it isn't perfect but it is a fantastic solution especially with Windows 7.
Been using MCE since 2005. Started using DVR functions in vista. My previous experiences with TIVO and Cable DVR (MOXI, Moto) is ok. MOXI was a decent interface but early in developement cycle. TIVO (Ultimate TV & DISH PVR) were great but you couldn't extend or offload. Some of that is changed I am sure but still behind MCE. Didn't want to experiment with other PC DVR solutions because most seemed immature as compared with MCE. So there are some draw backs. Haven't yet tried cable card or streaming (NETFLIX is OK - content is weak at best).
Put me in the same boat. Waiting for inexpensive CableCard or DISH or DirecTV, simpler DRM and better extender support (softsled). I am still loving the blu-ray, Clear QAM, DVD movie library, music, video, and other stuff. Can't see changing DVR now, but it's been 5+ years. Hoping for the day, when is the wanted feature list is actually shorter on release than the actual feature list! Common Microsoft, it's been a while. BTW, Ultimate TV on DTV and DISH rocked! Where is dual tuner support (old feature, recorded buffer). Come on!
I, personally, would love to use it, but I can't really find an all purpose guide to teach my how to use it. From what I can tell, it doesn't function all that well with satellite (Dish Network is what I have). If anyone has any recommendations, I'd be more than happy to listen and embrace them. I think Media Center looks amazing and I would love to use it. I just don't know how to get started, personally.
If anyone has any suggestions. . . .
I'll jump in here again with shameless promotion.
Mark hits the nail on the head here, there is a LOT to know ahead of time in order to properly configure a dedicated Windows Media Center system to run reliably. Even our own authorized dealers make mistakes (such as automatic updates enabled) which will bring a system down.
Before working for a Media Center OEM, I worked at Kaleidescape where you basically plugged it in and it worked, little to no configuration. It can be this easy because it pretty much does one thing, storage/playback of your DVDs. It doesn't do TV or Photos or Mp3s or Blu-ray, just one thing really well which makes it easier to setup. My microwave does just one thing as well and that was easy to setup too.
Media Center is far more powerful, but like in Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility" The user must take it upon themselves to get highly educated on the topic or go with a systems provider like us ( Niveus www.niveusmedia.com ), S1Digital, or Lifeware. These companies take the headache out of qualifying hardware, testing hot fixes, patches, drivers, service packs and just sell and support dedicated media servers that just work.
@Casey -
quit promoting yourself here.
Once 7 is officially released I'm probably gonna get a media centric desktop that already has a tuner card/cable card slot and then get a CC from comcast and grab a 360. Most of what I do on a computer anymore is TV shows, so I might as well build my hardware around it where it'll simplify my viewing experience. That and I already have a bluray player, so I don't have to worry about any of that stuff anyways.
No. XBMC on any platform is better. PS3 is also better. I'll check it out again on Win7, but my expectations are low.
Where's the been there, done that, moved to another PC DVR platform option?
My answer wasn't really in the list but I'm planning on setting up a HTPC but not with WMC but with XBMC running on ubuntu. I'm going to buy a Zotac ION Atom Mini-ITX Motherboard with 4GB memory and a SSD or Acer Revo. The reason for not using WMC is not because of the price but because of the the fact that WMC requires more power than Ubuntu and XBMC. XBMC + Ubuntu runs very light on a ION system and combined with the Nvidia HD decoding chip makes for a perfect HT setup.
See thsi video for an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYGPcwzq_QI