What is a good alternative to Media Center?

[Uzi]

I"m really unhappy with Media Center .

I used to use BeyondTV with my laptop that runs XP.
BeyondTV did all I wanted and the interface did not anger me every time I went to use it. The TV Guide was close to full screen, as opposed to MCE's totally anal implementation that can not be configured to display as I want.

From what I've read on the BeyondTV forums the application is dead in the water
and for those of us using 64 bit Windows it is no longer a solution.

Anyone have any suggestions for a decent alternative ? All I want to do is record
my fav shows like I used to do with my old laptop... which I may be forced to use again and forget using Windows 7 for the purpose.

 

[Qdos]

I agree with the OP in that Media Centre needed far more fine tuning before release, as I have made clear in other threads (much to the annoyance of certain fan boys who're incapable of accepting everything in the world of microshaft is not hunky-dory) but I hesitate to recommend any of the freeware, or open source, PVR's and TV suites out there for W7 use - as they're all likely to need time to be made to work properly with the new OS at this moment in time.

Hauppauges PVR software is, for example, a joke and a complete farce.

Can't you run 'Beyond' in x86 mode on an x64 system? :huh:

 

[AngelProcesser]

SnapStream Beyond TV: System Requirements

 

[Uzi]

As is clearly stated on Beyond TV's site.....

It is not supported in Windows 7 64 bit.

Why anyone would be running 32 bit would be beyond my capacity to understand.

Anyway, thanks for the effort I already knew about Beyond TV which IMO is far superior to the
horribly designed MS Media Center. The menu systems in MS MC are so backwards it boggles my mind.


I"m putting up with Media Center until Beyond TV people pull head from rectums and support 64
bit operating systems. The sad thing is, if what is being said in Beyond TV forums, they are no longer
improving the product.


IT amazes me the number of software vendors that are not grasping the idea that Win 7 installs
will be 64 bit. Nobody with a clue will be running 32 bit. If they are going to do that, then they might
as well run Windows XP 32 bit. (Which I was using up until a month ago myself).

 

[Barman58]

Uzi,

The word support here means that the software may work but if it doesn't you're on your own.

There are quite a few programs that are not supported for X64 but work just fine - may be worth a try

 

[AngelProcesser]

Windows Media Centers' Menus are designed to be used by remote control on a large TV from a couch.

Launching a movie from the desktop is as simple as typing part of it's title in the start menu searchbar and hitting enter, inserting a DVD, or setting up a shortcut to launch WMC in the guide.

There also are keyboard shortcuts that make menu naviagtion in WMC pretty simple.

Windows Media Center keyboard shortcuts

These KB shortcuts can even be programmed as keyboard combos on many keyboards making navigation quite simple.

There is a reason for it all, there is.

 

[AngelProcesser]

I have been using WMC since 2005 and there are no noticeable changes to the interface since then...I suppose people who obviously do not use Microsoft products look silly when they say such things?

 

[Malfunction]

Spot on Angel

I agree.. WMC is a bit convoluted in it's own way but on my screen, via my TV card AND 32 bit Win 7 it looks heaps better than any other alternative I seen..

Since BeyondTV is not current to windows 7 32bit (for me, anyway..) I can't say whether it's the bees knees of yesteryear.. or not.

And I haven't had to use a single Smart RRR's term to say any of this.