Building a Linux PVR, Part 2: Microsoft's MCE 2004
by Purav Sanghani on September 16, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Linux
More Features
Upon loading MCE for the first time, we didn't expect to find any out-of-the-ordinary features bundled in the package. After a thorough inspection, we were surprised to find what was implemented in MCE 2004.For starters, MCE has full radio support with the WinTV PVR-250MCE card, something MythTV lacks. We may see a plug-in in the future for MythTV, but for now, its features are limited. MCE's radio capabilities include the basic functions found in typical home stereos.
A small feature that has been employed into both MythTV and MCE is a Caller ID feature, which let's a user see who is calling when the system is hooked up to a phone line. This feature comes built into MCE, but is designed as a plug-in for MythTV.
MCE's Caller ID ability.
Click to enlarge.
We were amazed to find an on-demand content system in MCE. The online content is hosted by MovieLink for $4.95 or less per title. Once purchased, movies can either be stored for a period of time, 30 days for our "Cold Mountain" purchase, or played as many times as possible within a 24-hr period. Since the video began playing while it was downloading, it was a bit choppy, even over a 6Mbit connection. The quality of movies is excellent, though, comparable to 480p quality. Also keep in mind that all of the On-Demand programming is copy-protected, meaning that it can only be played back on the MCE system with which it was purchased.
On-Demand feature of MCE 2004.
Click to enlarge.
Another screen showing off On-Demand features.
Click to enlarge.
At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco last week, Intel proudly announced that the next version of Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition will indeed implement the Starz! streaming media service, which will undoubtedly improve the on-demand feature already used in MCE 2004.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
27 Comments
View All Comments
KristopherKubicki - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
Id consider it more functional except the feature of on-demand content, which is pretty neat in my opinion.Kristopher
dvinnen - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
MythTV wins because it is free, cheeper to build a machine with, supports more hardware, and almost as functional as the Windows version.mab0270 - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
That's the beauty of MythTV: It's free, so you don't have to "buy it for some future upgrade".I'd have to say Myth works pretty well straight out of the box, providing you know how to follow instructions on how to set it up. As mentioned in the article, KnoppMyth makes it pretty easy to get a functional Myth system in about 20 minutes.
As for wondering whether those future upgrades will happen, it's being actively developed, and its popularity is growing every day. If you want a feaature, and you have any programming experience, you can even look into implementing it yourself!
Questar - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
So MythTV wins due to a potential to get better in the future??Yeah, I always buy products for some future upgrade that may or may not happen, verses how well they work on the day I spend my money.
Price2Rise - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
It would be great to see how a review of MythTV and MediaPortal would look. MediaPortal is open source as well and runs on Windows instead. It is a young project, but it is looking good already -> http://mediaportal.sf.netPrice2Rise - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
mcveigh - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
mce 2005 is cominghttp://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&a...
10/12 acording to that thread.