Official HTPC Software Thread - Overclock.net

dhrandy · 02-13-08

Official HTPC Software Thread

PVR, DVR, HTPC, Media PC and Media Box is pretty much all the same thing. Here is a definition from wiki.

"A home theater PC (HTPC) or media PC is a convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer and a digital video recorder. It is connected to a television or a television-sized computer display and is often used as a digital photo, music, video player, TV receiver and digital video recorder."

All it is is a computer hooked up to a TV with additional hardware such as: TV tuners, extra storage and usually a IR or RF receiver with remote control.

1 - DVR - Windows

Windows XP Media Center Edition link
Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate link
Meedio 1.41 and Meedio Ultimate (free) link
SageTV (Windows, Mac, and Linux) link
ShowShifter link
SnapStream Beyond TV (I use this) link
GB-PVR (free) link
MediaPortal (free) link
AverMedia Center (for use with AverMedia card) link
Yahoo! Go TV (free)link
Nero LiquidTV™ | TiVo® PC link
PowerCinema 6 link
Windows 7 MCE - Coming Soon

2 - HTPC Software (without DVR) - Windows

Nero 9 link
Xlobby link
Got all Media (free) link
Beyond Media link - DISCONTINUED
WinDVD Media Center link
iMEDIAN (also known as iMon) link
Elisa link - compatible with windows, mac and linux
XBMC link - compatible with windows, mac and linux (I use this for front-end)
J. River Media Center link
Tvedia link
DivX Connected link
AMD Live! link

3 - Linux

Entertainer (in development) link
Mythbuntu link
Mythdora link
GeeXbox link
KnoppMyth link
LinuxMCE link
MythTV link
Freevo (Python) link
Morphine.TV link

4 - Mac

EyeTV link
Front Row link
Apple TV link
Boxee link - works with linux and soon to work with Windows

5 - Video/DVD Players - Windows

Zoom Player (I use this) link
VLC (I use this for streaming media) link
Windows Media Player link
DivX Video Player link
RealPlayer link
Power DVD link
InterVideo WinDVD link
TheaterTek link
AVS DVD Player link
Media Player Classic link
The KM Player link
Gom Media Player link

6 - Blu-Ray and HD DVD Playback - Windows

Powerdvd link (older version will play HD-DVD)
ArcSoft TotalMedia™ Theatre link
WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray link

7 - Remote Control Software and tips

Girder
Eventghost
Hauppauge 45 button remote - tips on programming for different apps

8 - IPTV or Internet TV - There are many Internet TV sites out there. Here are the most poplular.

Veoh link
Joost link
Hulu link
Babelgum link

9 - OTA HD/Digital Sources

QAM tuner explanation link
Antenna Web link - maximize your television reception
HD/Digital Channel Lookup link - find your local HD/Digital channels
Digital TV Transition link

10 - Codecs

Codec explanation link
List of codecs link
Codec comparisons link

Codec Packs and Codecs

K-lite link
fddshow link
Divx link
DScaler link
CoreAVC link
Xvid link
FLAC link
OGG link
Haali Media Splitter link
Shark007's Vista Codecs link
Combined Community Codec Pack link

11 - Streaming Software

TVersity link - stream audio, pictures, music, rss feeds to you Xbox 360, Wii, PS3....etc.
Orb link - enables users to remotely access all their personal digital media files including pictures, music, videos, webcams and television.

12 - Home Entertainment Server Systems - Expensive

Axonix MediaMax - link - Retail Price for 75 DVD 1 Room System -$8300
Kaleidescape - link - Retail Price for 75 DVD 1 Room System -$18,500
AMX® Max - link - Retail Price for 75 DVD 1 Room System -$27,400

13 - Other

Media Browser - link - Media Center plug-in.
Media Control - link - A plugin for Microsoft Media Center that adds lacking features such as : fast forward/rewind for any video format, resume video, switch between audio/subtitles streams, sets brightness/contrast, improves picture quality.
AnyDVD HD link - Allows you to watch movies over a digital display connection, without HDCP-compliant graphics card and without HDCP-compilant display.
Nero DriveSpeed link - Allows you to lower your optical drive speed to reduce noise.
TV Shows info, coverart and banners
Movie info and coverart
HTPC Software Thread - What do you use?
My old HPTC Setup
My new HPTC Setup

I will add more as I find them. If you find more I'm not aware of, feel free to post it here and I'll add them. Please report broken links.

Feel free to add the following to your sig.

PHP Code:


			
:exclamati[URL="http://www.overclock.net/htpc/293548-htpc-software-thread.html"][U][B][SIZE="2"]Check out this list of HTPC Software[/SIZE][/B][/U][/URL]:exclamati

Preview:

Check out this list of HTPC Software

DuckieHo · 02-13-08

AverMedia Center (for use with AverMedia card) It can act as DVR.

dhrandy · 02-15-08

Should I include screenshots? The problems is some applications have different themes.

sli_shroom · 02-15-08

in my search for information about hd dvd/blu-ray playback in mce, i cam across the arcsoft total media theater software.

http://www.arcsoft.com/products/totalmediatheatre/

besides supporting bd and hd dvd, it supposedly integrates into xp mce 2005 and vista mce. it is about the only player to integrate into the mce interface.

actually, you may want to make a separate section for blu-ray/hd dvd playback. you can put powerdvd 6 and intervideo on it as well as the arcsoft application

dhrandy · 08-22-08

Added links.

spice003 · 08-22-08

i'm gonna have to take a look at this thread, when i'm done moving. Cause i'm starting to hate Vista media center, its like Microsoft can't think out of the box or something.

Coma · 08-22-08

Is there a simple program I can use to watch TV without all the fancy stuff?
It only needs to be able to record and time shift.
I haven't had luck getting GB-PVR to work correctly, SageTV won't let me change the programming and my region doesn't have any correct presets available... and so on.

I really just want something simple with recording and timeshifting capability. It doesn't need to do anything else, like have a browser, play DVDs, music, etc.