MediaPortal - Software for your DVR
So I use Beyond TV to handle all my TV recording but I use another program called Mediaportal to act as my media hub. From Mediaportal, I can listen to my music, play video games, watch movies, organize TV shows, show off my pictures, and more! In fact, I use Mediaportal to open up Beyond TV. The features of this program are truly endless.
Plugins
Mediaportal (MP from now on) can do all this because it supports plugins, which are ad-ons created by other users. There are dozens of plugins available for you to try out, and this is what really sets MP apart. I plan on doing an MP Plugin shootout soon. I use plugins to organize my shows my series, download podcasts, and keep track of news and weather.
Skins
MP is also skinnable, which means you can completely change the way the program looks. I have a picture of the standard blue skin, but there are dozens of different skins available online - plus you can create your own!
No TV on MP?
So why don’t I used MP for recording TV shows? Well, I’ve never found it reliable enough. It’s complicated to get an accurate TV guide for Mediaportal and I found MP had trouble keeping sound synced up with video. Although I’d love to use Mediaportal for TV, Beyond TV just works too well. I use a plugin called Multishortcut so I can access BTV from MP’s main menu.
Open Source
Mediaportal is open source, which means that you can download the actual source code and edit it yourself. This makes MP a community effort so you can count on some great help at the Mediaportal forums. Also, if you know how to program, you can get in and help improve Mediaportal.
Savvy Required
Mediaportal is not for the faint of heart. It does require some moderate computer skills to keep it updated and working. Since it is not a commercial product, you may run into some compatibility issues with different hardware. Still, give it a try because I think its benefits far outweigh its quirks.