Replacements for Vista Media Centre ??

[Synapse Syndrome]

I've had enough of Media Centre in Vista. It's very buggy, and doesn't feel
very good. The interface is awful, especially when using a mouse. It would
be nice if Windows Media Player could play TV from BDA drivers, as I like
the interface a lot better.

Well, I was wondering what other PVR programs people know of that run in
Vista using BDA drivers?

Cheers

ss.

 

[Joe Medford]

Don't know about BDA drivers, but ATI's all in wounder cards can record and
watch TV. The interface with Media Center is alot nicer. I have to admit
that moving up and down in Media Center has been feeling a bit slow lately

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Don't know about BDA drivers, but ATI's all in wounder cards can record
and watch TV. The interface with Media Center is alot nicer. I have to
admit that moving up and down in Media Center has been feeling a bit slow
lately

I am asking about third party PVR software recommendations. I already have
a twin-tuner digital DVB-T card.

ss.

 

[JW]

ATI has not released any BDA drivers for the tuners on their AIW cards so
they can be used with Vista MC. Nor AFAIK have not released a Vista version
of their MMI application.
The Hauppauge PVR BDA tuner driver for Vista supports both MC on Vista and
thier own WinTV2000 PVR application both work with my 150PVR card.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

I've had enough of Media Centre in Vista. It's very buggy, and doesn't
feel very good. The interface is awful, especially when using a mouse.
It would be nice if Windows Media Player could play TV from BDA drivers,
as I like the interface a lot better.

Well, I was wondering what other PVR programs people know of that run in
Vista using BDA drivers?

I had tried SnapStream a few years ago, and found it a big resource hog.
Now I am using a much more powerful computer I thought I'd try it again.
It's called BeyondTV now, but there is no support for digital DVB-T cards
that we use in Europe and Australia.

Does anybody know of any similar PVR programs?

ss.

 

[JW]

Did a PVR application come with your dual tuner DVB-T card? If so you may
be able to install that application using XP compatibility mode if the card
manufacturere has not yet relesed Vista support for it.

 

[Alfred Kaufmann]

ATI has not released any BDA drivers for the tuners on their AIW cards so
they can be used with Vista MC. Nor AFAIK have not released a Vista version
of their MMI application.

I too want back my ATI TV Tuner and my ATI DVD player and the ATI
Multi-media Centre! Any idea when ATI/AMD will have this available
for Vista?

Al

 

[Dale]

I'd had enough of it as soon as I saw that up/down/side-to-side scrolling
navigation system and the horizontal display of albums. What the hell is
that? It is totally unnatural and appears to be change for change's sake;
just to make it new.

Dale

 

[Guest]

Your card came with Compro DTV (which also gives you TV as a desktop
background). Piss poor interface overall but has a decent right click menu
that actually allows control of the TV (unlike useless Media Centre).

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Your card came with Compro DTV (which also gives you TV as a desktop
background). Piss poor interface overall but has a decent right click menu
that actually allows control of the TV (unlike useless Media Centre).

No it didn't. What makes you say this? I have the best out of the three
DVB-T twin-tuner cards on the market, and I didn't pay for their own
software as it was not Vista ready, and still isn't.

ss.

 

[Guest]

The up-down/side-to-side is better with a keyboard. Try using the arrow keys
on the keyboard.
Of course I understand if you don't like using a keyboard and prefered the
old interface. But this is to say, if someone doesn't own a MCE Remote, and
has to use a keyboard/mouse, the new interface works much better than the
old. Vista Media Center is now in "general" release, not just OEM which
mostly had a remote included. The new interface is a good, not great but
good, desktop keyboard interface. The XP MCE was not.

 

[Dale]

While I recognize that there are differences in languages and customs, in
the US, lists are generally, in most things except Media Center, and that
means everything in all Windows versions including Vista except Media Center
and most other things like print, television, and virtually every other
aspect of life, lists are shown in a vertical order.

The whole side-to-side list is not natural. Let alone that you have a hard
time finding just the right point to use the mouse with it. And a good
percentage of the time, the list scrolls past what you're looking for before
you can see it.

I have a Media Center remote on my XP Media Center. I haven't used it on my
Vista Media Center yet.


Dale

 

[Nina DiBoy]

I've had enough of Media Centre in Vista. It's very buggy, and doesn't
feel very good. The interface is awful, especially when using a mouse.
It would be nice if Windows Media Player could play TV from BDA drivers,
as I like the interface a lot better.

Well, I was wondering what other PVR programs people know of that run in
Vista using BDA drivers?

Cheers
ss.

http://www.hatch.org/blog/2004/03/10/winmyth_mythtv_front_end_for_windows.php

WinMyth - I use the linux equivalent and it's great!

--
Priceless quotes in m.p.w.vista.general group:
http://protectfreedom.tripod.com/kick.html

Most recent idiotic quote added to KICK (Klassic Idiotic Caption Kooks):
"I do know for a fact that his monkey really needs a spanking. The monkey
gets "out of hand" if you know what I mean!"

"Good poets borrow; great poets steal."
- T. S. Eliot

 

[Ben]

.....? Interesting theory

While I recognize that there are differences in languages and customs, in
the US, lists are generally, in most things except Media Center, and that
means everything in all Windows versions including Vista except Media
Center and most other things like print, television, and virtually every
other aspect of life, lists are shown in a vertical order.

The whole side-to-side list is not natural. Let alone that you have a
hard time finding just the right point to use the mouse with it. And a
good percentage of the time, the list scrolls past what you're looking for
before you can see it.

I have a Media Center remote on my XP Media Center. I haven't used it on
my Vista Media Center yet.


Dale

 

[Donald McDaniel]

....? Interesting theory

It seems like J.River Media Centre is a pretty good replacement for Windows
Media Centre. Of course, it costs $40US.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

It seems like J.River Media Centre is a pretty good replacement for
Windows Media Centre. Of course, it costs $40US.

I installed that to have a look, and it seems like is wants to do
everything. I just want a TV PVR program.

ss.

 

[Guest]

You would have got one with your card moron.

I installed that to have a look, and it seems like is wants to do
everything. I just want a TV PVR program.

ss.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

You would have got one with your card moron.

Well, actually, I didn't. The Black Gold software was optional and is not
yet compatible with Vista. I have the card at the top.

http://www.gta-ltd.co.uk/TV_PCIe_Dual_Cards.html

ss.

 

[Ben]

Unless you want to sync a with a Windows Mobile device -- supposedly it's a
'feature' of JR-MC, but it's a pain -- never works quite right, and
virtually no support. Otherwise, JRiver Media Center is nice -- though I
haven't tried the TV aspect of it.

 

[Ben]

You're right -- it does try to do a lot, but doesn't seem to strongly excel
at any of it. Did you try the newly released Vista compatible BeyondTV 4.6
from SnapStream Media? I used it a while back, and it was great -- wanted
to use it now primarily for the MPEG-2 files it saves -- but -- it doesn't
work with my TV card.