I think I am going to TiVo :(

[3rob3]

Agree with the Plex comments. Whether your on Tivo, Xbox 360, or any other device the media will 'just play'.

As for the guide problems, I have not had an issue. A couple times the guide was a day or two from running out, but it always fixed itself in time. No doubt this is the big fear for the future running a WMC system, and probably how Microsoft will get us off of it for good someday. For me, Android TV in some form or another is probably my future, it is just not here yet. For now, WMC does every thing I need.

[Ed]

How much of your movie collection plays inside WMC and on your WMC extenders? Not much I imagine. And if it does, that means you had to convert to a compatible format to do so, much like what you'd have to do for Plex. But I've run across very little that wouldn't play in Plex.

You don't need to re-encode content for Plex. Plex will transcode media on the fly to be compatible with the playback device you are using (providing the Plex server your media is hosted on has the oomph - but it doesn't take much TBH. Only need to worry if doing multiple streams simultaneously).

Plex won't play a blu-ray ISO.

Does Plex bitstream multi-channel audio?

Depends on what device you are playing back w/ Plex on.

On the Nvidia SHIELD it supports multi-channel.

It won't play ISO containers, but what's in those ISO containers it will play or transcode to fit the playback device (just remux to mkv). It even has a method to display and play extras for each movie seeing as you can't keep everything in an ISO.

Agree with the Plex comments. Whether your on Tivo, Xbox 360, or any other device the media will 'just play'.

As for the guide problems, I have not had an issue. A couple times the guide was a day or two from running out, but it always fixed itself in time. No doubt this is the big fear for the future running a WMC system, and probably how Microsoft will get us off of it for good someday. For me, Android TV in some form or another is probably my future, it is just not here yet. For now, WMC does every thing I need.

It's also how on talk shows guests aren't displayed, on sports teams aren't displayed or for how 2x now I've read here - the guide data for Adult Swim just shows 1 huge block of programming. These issues might not affect you personally based on what you watch - but you would still have the problems on your system nonetheless (the sports and Adult Swim issues would affect me if I was on WMC still though). And mismatched images seem to very by person. Some say they don't have it at all (or just haven't noticed), some say only a few, some say its for everything or nearly everything. For me, before I switched, it was going back and forth between everything and half of the stuff at least.

[STC]

^that would be your cost choice. I wanted to play discs. No requirement to break encryption for a fee just to play them.

[Ed]

^that would be your cost choice. I wanted to play discs. No requirement to break encryption for a fee just to play them.

Huh? MakeMKV is free. No monetary cost involved in ripping discs. DVDFab Passkey is free and there's a paid version given away by the company for free constantly. There's an indirect cost for subsequent storage - but then, there's an exact similar indirect cost to storing physical discs too. And an indirect time cost from ripping you can argue. But I don't rip every single disc to come through my door as some do. I watch the physical discs in my BR player, and only if I liked the movie enough to keep it and watch it again I then rip it. I don't do extras or any of that though, just the main movies.

[STC]

Sorry I was replying to mcewinters post about AnyDVD from Tapatalk. Thought I quoted but had not.

[Ed]

Ah.

[mcewinter]

^that would be your cost choice. I wanted to play discs. No requirement to break encryption for a fee just to play them.

Understood. I purchased lifetime updates of AnyDVD on sale many years ago. On the other hand, I've also found myself purchasing and renting DVDs more than Blu-ray for several reasons that mostly relate to me being cheap. Nevertheless, my media center will play BD without fail.

[mcewinter]

Sorry I was replying to mcewinters post about AnyDVD from Tapatalk. Thought I quoted but had not.

Slysoft, actually. In cast it matters to anybody.

[STC]

Tapatalk is the app I was posting to the forum from

[mdavej]

Plex won't play a blu-ray ISO.

Does Plex bitstream multi-channel audio?

I have no idea. I rarely use Plex.

My point is, we're talking about Tivo compared to WMC, yet you require Tivo to do many, many things that WMC can't do and has never been able to do.

Tivo can at least run Plex. WMC can't. I agree Tivo is a terrible option for streaming one's movie collection. Keep your PC for that.

[3rob3]

Tivo can at least run Plex. WMC can't.

Well, technically it can. On a dedicated HTPC install Plex Home Theater (it will automatically add entry points into WMC too). On a 360 Extender install Plex for free from the Store.

[mdavej]

Tivo can at least run Plex. WMC can't.

Well, technically it can. On a dedicated HTPC install Plex Home Theater (it will automatically add entry points into WMC too). On a 360 Extender install Plex for free from the Store.

In that case, WMC and Tivo are equal. At what point do WMC's capabilities exceed Tivo's?

[3rob3]

I wouldn't go that far . With WMC's questions regarding guide data Tivo is definitely the better, future-proofed, option. I just hope to get another couple years out of my setup because I'm still very happy with it and still think it's very capable.

[mcewinter]

@mdavej

For the record, I don't require anything of Tivo. Also, WMC does not need Plex.

You're supporting the fact that Tivo isn't exactly a MC replacement. Tivo is a DVR with added features that mostly relate to streaming, which is where MC falls short.

[kmp14]

Well, I decided to stay with WMC for now. I chatted with a TiVo rep about availability of their commercial skipping feature on their previous gen Roamio line of DVRs and the answer I got was pretty much "no guarantees, it might never be offered in my area, and even if it is, it is just a test and can be yanked at any time". I then said "OK, i guess I will be returning my new Roamio and not becoming a tivo customer", to which the rep said "Ok, have a nice day" and ended the chat. Good work trying to keep/earn a new customer. Lame.

[Ed]

Lol what did you want? That was a straight up legit, honest and truthful answer on their part. Don't try to make it sound like they did something wrong cause you decided to go fishing and didn't catch anything - so you took your ball and went home.

[IownFIVEechos]

When the new box came out talking about skipping commercials I read that human beings actually do it in real-time. So east-coast doesn't get it live and also only the very popular shows get it. Am I mistaken here? But that blew me away when I read about it. WMC till its dead; then hopeful SD! Never TIVO NEVER!

[Ed]

When the new box came out talking about skipping commercials I read that human beings actually do it in real-time. So east-coast doesn't get it live and also only the very popular shows get it. Am I mistaken here? But that blew me away when I read about it. WMC till its dead; then hopeful SD! Never TIVO NEVER!

Yes - but you don't have it quite right; people in the same market as you are paid by Tivo to watch and then mark where the commercials start and then end (during initial airing/the night of airing). Commercial skip is then available the next day/day after airing on your recordings (the people mark the commercial marks, it gets uploaded to Tivos servers, and then displays commercial marks/functions w/ commercial skip on your box when Tivo servers have it and process it). This is because as good as auto-commercial skip software is - it can be fooled/tricked like with CBS and com-skip software at times. No substitute for actual confirmed start and end marks is Tivo's approach. But, that comes with a delay.

[mdavej]

When the new box came out talking about skipping commercials I read that human beings actually do it in real-time. So east-coast doesn't get it live and also only the very popular shows get it. Am I mistaken here? But that blew me away when I read about it. WMC till its dead; then hopeful SD! Never TIVO NEVER!

It's true. But only temporarily, until the software is debugged. They resorted to humans to meet their dates, which I respect. It's better than Dish in that it works on the top 20 networks versus 5. None of the other providers have it at all.

All Bolts already have it. It's slowly rolling out on other platforms in other markets based on how it does in the test markets, also something I have no problem with. Not sure why that's so upsetting. WMC never had built in comm. skip, and the 3rd party solutions aren't exactly easy to set up.

SD solution is looking pretty terrible so far, and I've got my own money sunk into it. It's a shame to not even consider the best WMC alternative out there. I think I need to change my name to Iused2own5echoes.

[Ed]

It's true. But only temporarily, until the software is debugged.

I was under the impression it will always be 'human-powered' from what I've read about it.

SD solution is looking pretty terrible so far, and I've got my own money sunk into it.

Luckily, I got my $150 refunded from that thank God (did a charge-back, was approved based on what I provided as the basis of the charge-back)