3 Free Alternatives To Media Center
Written by Alan Saturday, 21 August 2010 08:00
I have used Windows 7 Media Center on my living room PC since it was in Beta. But, prior to that, my HTPC was running XP Pro and I tried out several media center programs. Many of you are familiar with what is probably known as Media Center’s number one rival (if you can call it a rival) – Boxee. I prefer to think of Boxee as an add-in and not a substitute, though. But, there some other noteworthy competitors out there. All three of these are free and open source.
Media Portal
I used Media Portal for almost a year. It’s pretty comparable to Windows Media Center – it has Music, Movies, and TV, among others. It does come with weather built-in, which is a third-party add in in MC. Video playback requires a third-party player. You can use Windows Media Player or VLC Player. When I was running it, I used KMPLayer.
There are quite a few plug-ins available and a number of different skins. Plug-ins are also not particularly hard to write if you want to tackle one yourself. It requires some knowledge of C#, but there are quite a few instructions available online to get you moving.
A few weeks ago Media Portal released 1.1. They do quite a good job of updating to fix bugs and add features. You certainly can’t go wrong in choosing this for your HTPC.
XBMC
XBMC in a combination of XBox and Windows MC. It has the standard menu items of music, pictures and video, but the big drawback is the lack of TV/DVR support. This relegates it to more of an add-in, or maybe the main media center app for those who are not using their HTPC for TV.
It has some great features though. It is compatible with almost any media center remote and you can even use your Android phone as a remote. It is network aware, meaning it can serve up media from remote locations. Unlike Windows MC it does not require a third-party plug-in to play a DVD from an .iso file. And, best of all, it’s compatible with every major audio and video format.
A word of caution though – I did have a bit of a problem getting the picture right on my LCD TV. I can’t say for sure that it was the fault XBMC, but the other media centers I tested did not have a problem recognizing my TV.
Linux MCE
Linux MCE stands out out here for several reasons. First and foremost, unlike the other two programs I just listed, it does not run on Windows, but, instead, replaces Windows. It IS Linux after all. I also think this is the best alternative available to Windows MC, and that’s because of the other reasons it stands out – namely that it does everything MC does and some more.
From the start you will notice that Linux MCE is gorgeous. The screens are really stunning, as you can see from the screen shot above – of course the background picture is up to you. Next, you will notice the things it does that MC does not (at least not without plug-ins). It will run your whole house if you’re ambitious enough to configure it and can invest the money in the devices necessary. It can control all of your home-automation from lighting to HVAC to burglar alarm to telephone. And, of course, you can use your cell phone as a remote.
Now, like all Linux distros, it’s free, so don’t think you will need to invest money in home automation gadgets. Those are just a bonus if you want to spend the money and do the configuration work. If not, then you will still have a great media center box that will do everything you want including TV/DVR, music, movies, pictures, etc.
Of course, another way it is like all Linux distros is that you will need a little geek cred to get it up and running, but it’s not too hard for an average PC user. And you’ll be the envy of your friends when they see your setup.
Related posts:
- Tuner-Free TV in Media Center
- Boxee in Windows Media Center
- 2 Good Windows Media Center Apps
- Windows Media Center For Set-top Boxes
- Fix For Recent Media Center Studio Problem
