Tuner cards are handled differently than in Windows Media Center giving you much more flexibility. The setup process is pretty straightforward for somebody with experience in HTPCs. You can manage recordings and schedule recordings from any client. You get access to the same EPG, recorded TV and live TV from any client. This means that you install the backend on one machine then your can have multiple clients access the “‘TV Server” giving each client an identical experience. So if you are not a CableCARD user or outside of the US you may find these features attractive:Ī “softsled” experience for live and recordeded TV – The MediaPortal setup is server / client based. This allows for access to premium content that UK users cannot match without hacks of 3rd party help. Many US Media Center users have CableCARD tuners in their HTPCs and plenty of online content natively integrated into the Media Center UI. So what is the benefit of using MediaPortal on a Windows 7 HTPC over the built in Windows Media Center software? Well everybody has different requirements but to be blunt being UK based makes Windows Media Center a lot less useful than if you are a US user for example. Being Windows based means the project can rely on the rock solid drivers and ease of setup that Windows systems have for TV tuners. I have found through experience that trying to set up tuner cards to work in Linux still very challenging although not impossible. As they have concentrated on having live TV / DVR support as their core feature it makes sense that the project is Windows only at the moment. The UI is even fully skinable although I’ve just kept mine to default for now.Īs I’ve mentioned, MediaPortal is an open source project that was forked from XBMC a while ago. I recently discovered MediaPortal, a Windows only fork of the XBMC project that is heavily influenced by the great features and style of Windows Media Center but takes the functionality a lot further.
Over the years I have dabbled with many “media centre” products both software and hardware but there has always been one stumbling block: TV tuner card support and the whole DVR aspect of the HTPC.
Having been a Windows Media Center user for many years has not stopped me looking for viable alternatives.
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