Media Center bugs (or lack of, hopefully)

[elootos]

My life with Media Center in the four years I've been relying on it has been rosy, so good in fact I worry that a major failure is about to happen at any moment :s

So I can get a better idea of the general stability of it and whether I'm the exception to the rule, what's everyone else's experience? (I can even use this opportunity to demo a poll)

[John180]

I must say that in the short time i have been using media center its been fairly stable. Since windows 7 came along lots more of the features now work too like teletext and subtitles etc.

everynow and again i have a scheduled recording that doesnt record due to loack of tv signal but after a reboot it seems to pick the channel up???

overall tho i'm pretty happy with mine and i have no intentions to change to anything else just yet.

[ali_g]

I have used it for many purposes, one being watching my collection of photos whilst playing some mp3s in the background, and Mediacenter lets me skip track without stopping the photos, i think this is a very nice touch, but i have experienced problems with it, the main of mine being unable to fast forward happily through Avi's and other hard-disk videos.

[dunks517]

The biggest bug I have is the dual screen issue with the monitor being of a higher res than my plasma therefore I need to extend the screen and if the amp switched to the PC source after Media Center has started then it defaults to the monitor not the plasma. I have tried using multi mon but it is not that reliable, any other multi display utilities?

I use My Movies so the movie experience is smooth with only around 10 secs delay whilst TMT3 cranks up a BD Iso.

Living the Dream! (except for the HD PVR and the lipsync issues).

[elootos]

(12-08-2009 03:58 PM)dunks517 Wrote:  The biggest bug I have is the dual screen issue with the monitor being of a higher res than my plasma therefore I need to extend the screen and if the amp switched to the PC source after Media Center has started then it defaults to the monitor not the plasma. I have tried using multi mon but it is not that reliable, any other multi display utilities?

Yes, perhaps the biggest limitation with any PC is the lack of dual screen/dual resolution capability. I have to watch my 1650 bedroom monitor at 1280 to make it compatible with the in-wall monitor in the bathroom. And yes, the 'auto-detect' of a digital/primary display is also a bind for some.

AFAIK it's a driver issue and the ability to do anything like what we want for dual res is limited intentionally by software for copyright reasons and has been for the last 4/5yrs. Go figure. Maybe a shed load of Googling would eventually hit an answer.

(12-08-2009 03:58 PM)dunks517 Wrote:  Living the Dream! (except for the HD PVR and the lipsync issues).

Lipsync issues? None ever with mine. Whatcha watching, Ferrero Rocher adverts?

(12-08-2009 10:42 AM)John180 Wrote:  everynow and again i have a scheduled recording that doesnt record due to loack of tv signal but after a reboot it seems to pick the channel up???

Hmmm, I spoke a bit soon actually. This thread was started primarily 'cos over the weekend my bedroom PC (still running the Win7 Release Candidate) gave up with seeing any tuners and I had to reinstall the drivers and channel scan again. It is a bit prone to weak DVB-T signals though and I also get 'no signal' when watching a channel with a weak signal - this is due to me splitting the signal too many times to it though (the same coax feed also splits twice again to CRT TVs(!) in the second and third bedroom - I feel all retro when firing them up with the set-top boxes they have ). Maybe check your signal routing to the PC's tuner card, is it modern foil-shielded satellite cable with a decent aerial etc?

[fr56]

Mines an old but reliable system, day to day it does nothing but function as a PVR and so far its been stable for over a year. Just sits in an Ikea unit at the mo, so one day i will build a floating wall or false chimney breast.