# HTPC Software



## BilW (Feb 27, 2014)

What do you folks use for HTPC software to view/play movie collections, stream media etc.? 

I would really like to have one application that will do everything I want and easy enough for my wife to control with just a remote. I have a harmony One. Our house has one TV/pc so streaming around the house is not a concern. We’re empty nesters. 

I started with WMC and Mediabrowser 2. It was ok but it was missing the ability to stream from different sites. I switched to XBMC. It looked fantastic, lots of eye candy but it was difficult for me to set up and configure. I spent a couple of months getting things like Netflix, Hulu plus, YouTube etc. working from within the browser using xbmc plugins. Then some of the plugins started breaking and I had to figure out alternative ways to access some of my streaming sites. Maintaining xbmc became a part time job. Mediabrowser came out with a new server/client set up. I switched back to that using Mediabrowser Theater as the client software. It’s only in alpha testing so currently it’s just very basic. I really like what I see there but it has a long way to go until it is a fully developed solution. My guess is at least a year because the development team is still focusing on the server, rightfully so. 

Here is what I’m trying to accomplish. 
Play and record live TV (currently using WMC and the Harmony One.) No matter where we are on the HTPC just pressing live TV on the harmony’s touch screen starts WMC in live TV mode and a press of the exit button sends an alt +f4 command which takes the system back to where it was. I don’t think I can make this any easier. 

View/play my movie/TV series/music collection. I am currently using Mediabrowser 3 and Theater view. Right now it’s basic. I can start an album or TV show and manually start the next one. There is a lot of room for improvement in this area.

Stream various sites using a remote. Right now I have set up in MBT links to Netflix, Amazon Video, Syfy channel, HGTV, DIY network etc. but I have to use a keyboard to control all of the apps. I tried the Kylo browser which provides all of the content I want. It’s a very nice solution with one exception, the constant popups. It got annoying enough to uninstall the browser and switch back to using a keyboard. 

I’ve heard of Playon and Playlater but I haven’t tried them out at all yet. 

So are there any other applications out there that are user friendly and easy to set up and maintain?


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

You could try JRiver... The best for recording TV and general tv viewing in my experience is still Windows Media Center. I use XBMC/OpenElec for all my movies, music videos, and music on a separate media server. I have tried JRiver and the only thing I didn't like was the DVR functions... JRiver has excellent audio capabilities though.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Jriver Media Center though not free does everything and then some... I set mine up with a LOGITECH DiNovo Mini as it does require some mouse pad and typing capacity.... Harmony remote wont suffice...

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Mini-Entertainment-Controller-Playstation/dp/B008JGU3YA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395728346&sr=8-1&keywords=dinovo+mini


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## petec62 (Jun 8, 2010)

By far the easiest way to do it, is with a Roku 3 and Plex server.

I switched from mediabrowser on a separate HTPC to a Plex server. Its clean and simple.
My Samsung un7100 75" has the plex app built in. You can use a Roku 3 for a client if you don't have a smart TV. I transitioned from a separate computer that ran the Plex server program, (which is free and is super user friendly) to the smart TV app. I now run the Plex server on a a Drbo 5n NAS. I have 16TB of storage, its small and nearly silent.

I set my Mom up with 2 Roku 3's and a computer running the Plex server. I also bought Ethernet over powerline adapters to connect the Roku 3 's,(they have built in wireless if you are close) They support my 1080p DTS rips.

The Roku has a great remote and is a great streaming device. It had Netflicks, HBO Go, Amazon, etc....

Good luck with your project !!
Regards
Pete C


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## lpg (Mar 30, 2014)

Most of the free software offerings have pretty steep learning curves, hardware requirements, drivers, plugins etc.. I would stick with media server or Jriver. I have Jriver but do not use it much. The Audio is very good.

My current setup is with a now unsupported produce xLobby, I am migrating to mediaportal 2 which is in alpha stage. In my initial tests Media portal did a very good job of installing and identifying my video collection. I have not set up the other functions yet.


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## BilW (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks for all of the replies. I think when I get time I'm going to try JRiver out. Unfortunately for the next couple of months my play time is limited. Helping one son move from Phila. to Louisville, youngest son is graduating college and we are forced to watch my grandson for two weeks (that one didn't take much arm twisting). What I have is working, I would just like to make it more fluid. If I start something big on the HTPC before the end of June I will be sleeping in the shed.


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## blitzer (Mar 5, 2010)

I use Jriver right now am I very happy with it. Lots of options and sounds great.


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## prerich (Mar 26, 2008)

Another JRiver user here! Best $50 I've ever spent! I record live tv and I can record other channels since I have multiple tuners. :T


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I have now dumped WMC, and use JRiver exclusively on my Win 7 HTPC... MC19 now does everything I need it to :T


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## BilW (Feb 27, 2014)

ellisr63 said:


> I have now dumped WMC, and use JRiver exclusively on my Win 7 HTPC... MC19 now does everything I need it to :T


JRiver is starting to sound really good. Can you stream netflix etc. from within JRiver? If so is it through a browser or plugin? My personal holy grail of Media Center applications is to be able to watch my movie/tv series collection, listen to music, watch and record OTA tv, stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, Pandora, HGTV, DIY Network, and the major networks. OTA is a bit spotty at my location. 

It looks like I have some more research to do in the near future.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

BilW said:


> JRiver is starting to sound really good. Can you stream netflix etc. from within JRiver? If so is it through a browser or plugin? My personal holy grail of Media Center applications is to be able to watch my movie/tv series collection, listen to music, watch and record OTA tv, stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, Pandora, HGTV, DIY Network, and the major networks. OTA is a bit spotty at my location.
> 
> It looks like I have some more research to do in the near future.


I have JRiver 18 ... It does all that except Amazon Prime and Pandora. It also does not support iPhone directly - meaning it will not recognize my 5s as a device though I can control JR with an app ... I cannot speak for the latest version 19 and in my only major complaint against JR, was the fee for the new version - even though I paid $50 for ver 18 :foottap:. Ill stick w 18 for now


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

BilW said:


> JRiver is starting to sound really good. Can you stream netflix etc. from within JRiver? If so is it through a browser or plugin? My personal holy grail of Media Center applications is to be able to watch my movie/tv series collection, listen to music, watch and record OTA tv, stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, Pandora, HGTV, DIY Network, and the major networks. OTA is a bit spotty at my location.
> 
> It looks like I have some more research to do in the near future.


I don't have Netflix but I can stream Utube from withing JRiver. You can download it and try it out for I believe 30 days for free.


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## prerich (Mar 26, 2008)

BilW said:


> JRiver is starting to sound really good. Can you stream netflix etc. from within JRiver? If so is it through a browser or plugin? My personal holy grail of Media Center applications is to be able to watch my movie/tv series collection, listen to music, watch and record OTA tv, stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, Pandora, HGTV, DIY Network, and the major networks. OTA is a bit spotty at my location. It looks like I have some more research to do in the near future.


Yes I believe you can (I think I saw it in theater view) .

Sent from my iPad using HTShack


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## Lulimet (Apr 4, 2014)

XBMC for me. It does take time to get it all set up and it is not for casual computer users but I like it a lot. 
I tried Plex and MediaBrowser 3 but didn't care too much for them.


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## BilW (Feb 27, 2014)

Lulimet said:


> XBMC for me. It does take time to get it all set up and* it is not for casual computer users* but I like it a lot.


Thats's where it lost me. I was using Aeon MQ5 as a skin. It was incredibly beautiful. I was using the advanced launcher for netflix and starting WMC for live tv. On the forum I would ask a question and most of the time didn't understand the answer. While it is highly configurable it's just not for someone with no programming skills. Trying to get it set up was becoming a part-time job so I went looking for an alternative.


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## wasser (Nov 29, 2010)

I run Xbian, which is XBMC configured for a Raspberry Pi. My requirements are just streaming my files over my network. Setup in this case has been very easy as it was largely just installing Xbian to a flash drive and directing each file type to the source on the network drives. 

One of the things I like most about this setup is the use of the Yatse app on my phone. Through this I can graphically control the XBMC, which eliminates the need for the TV when I'm just streaming music.


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## lpg (Mar 30, 2014)

BilW said:


> JRiver is starting to sound really good.
> 
> Can you stream netflix etc. from within JRiver? If so is it through a browser or plugin? *Has a seamless interface for Netflix. The installation program should guide you through that. The forums should become your friend. I have not used their customer support because the system was pretty easy to install.*
> 
> ...


Check out their Help wiki. It is a great place to start your research. My recommendation is to prioritize your list of wants. Then only work on one or two at a time. 

Movies and TV collections may take some time to setup. Especially if you are managing box sets and series.

I would recommend setting up a test environment with a few movies, tV series and music. Then try different things out with Jriver to see if you are getting the results you want.

Dive in and have fun. You will not hurt anything if you make a mistake. 

Good Luck and welcome to the wonderful world of HTPC.


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## BilW (Feb 27, 2014)

lpg

Thanks. I'm having a lot of fun with the HTPC. I never realized there were so many choices in entertainment. Oh, the DIY Network is the Do It Yourself tv network. It runs nothing but home improvement shows. Having access to it is strictly for my wife. She gets these great ideas for the house that provides me with a lot of projects that I really don't want to do.


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## Lulimet (Apr 4, 2014)

BilW said:


> lpg
> She gets these great ideas for the house that provides me with a lot of projects that I really don't want to do.


 Ain't that the truth!


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## lpg (Mar 30, 2014)

Yeah, when my wife found out I had some DYI skills my time was not my own anymore.


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