Getting Started with WMC/HTPC?

Quiks123

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Getting Started with WMC/HTPC?

#1

Post by Quiks123 » Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:59 pm

Soooooo. Im a brand newbian to this. So new that I just learned that free high quality TV is readily available using an old school antenna, an possibly an old junk computer last week.

I can find my way around a computer rather well as I was a computer junkie in my previous life, but need “From Scratch” directions on how to get set up.

Ive heard terms like Windows Media Center, EPG123, Schedules Direct, and SiliconDust......

Is there a documented process to get setup for the BEGINNER.....

Right now, I have high speed internet through Spectrum, and thats it. How do I get “there”, amd what equipment software do I need? Because I want the wife to be happy, I need User Friendliness and an experience as close to DirectTV/DishNetwork as possible..... :)

[Moderator note: post split from EPG123 thread]

joelkirzner

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#2

Post by joelkirzner » Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:23 pm

I was going to encourage you to follow through with the WMC+HTPC setup UNTIL I read the part about the happy wife, happy life. :)
Seriously, at this point in the game, I would caution you against this if you want things to work flawlessly.

With that said... You will need the following:
  • PC running Windows 7 or 8. Do not attempt to install WMC on Windows 10, regardless of what some folks on this forum will say. It will break and you and your wife will be unhappy.
  • SiliconDust HD Homerun tuner. Either the OTA version, or a cablecard version (Prime, which requires a cable subscription)
  • Subscription to Schedules Direct ($25/year)
  • Installation of EPG123 (to cover for Microsoft dropping their electronic guide earlier this month)
Without going into too much detail, I would suggest you do a fresh install of Windows 7 on a PC with an SSD and decent RAM.
Make sure you have a wired ethernet connection, as WMC does not play well over a wireless network.
If you're hooking the PC to a 4K TV, you will need to make sure the video card supports that resolution at 60hz; otherwise, you will see flicker at 30hz and be completely disappointed.
I personally have 3 Alienware Alpha R1 PCs that have SSDs and dedicated graphics cards (NVidia 860m) that can support 4k @ 60hz.

There are lots of guides in this forum on how to tweak a fresh install, but for now, let that summary sink in. Let me know if you'd like more info.

adam1991

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#3

Post by adam1991 » Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:25 pm

Tivo.

artm

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#4

Post by artm » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:06 pm

I agree with the above two. Ease of use and the best "newbie", and wife, experience can be had with basic cable equipment. Basic Comcast and FIOS uer interface is just fine and glitch free. Add a DVR service and you're all set.

I've been on Win7 Media Center, Schedules Direct, EPG123, Silicondust Homerun Prime and a Dell 980 SFF. Went through several issues including a change of PC when Comcast changed format. I have two identical setups and am mostly fine now. But, it took a lot to get there and it's still not glitch free.

User experience? VERY lacking compared to cable service. In the end, that's where cable surpasses a DIY setup: the user experience can always improve by smple software changes in cable. You can't do that with the MC setup.

The ONLY reason I keep MC is for the "free" DVR feature. There is NO WAY I would recommend such a setup to ANYONE looking for a trouble free, no maintenance setup.

Bottom line, if your wife is part of this equation , stick to cable only.
-Art --
Win7 Ultimate x64 (NO UPDATES!), EPG123 v1.1.19, Schedules Direct, HDHomerun Prime,
Dell 980 SFF, i5, Nvidia GT710
Dell 780 SFF, i5, HD4000

Quiks123

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#5

Post by Quiks123 » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:17 pm

So what you’re saying is I should pay $60/month for an add free Hulu Live subscription and keep the wife happy..... hahaha

Quiks123

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#6

Post by Quiks123 » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:17 pm

So what you’re saying is I should pay $60/month for an add free Hulu Live subscription and keep the wife happy..... hahaha

artm

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#7

Post by artm » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:29 pm

I am not recommending any subscription service, as I don't believe in any. I have regular cable service, no added cost channels.

I am recommending that you NOT use MC as your main TV experience.
-Art --
Win7 Ultimate x64 (NO UPDATES!), EPG123 v1.1.19, Schedules Direct, HDHomerun Prime,
Dell 980 SFF, i5, Nvidia GT710
Dell 780 SFF, i5, HD4000

aznativekurt

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#8

Post by aznativekurt » Mon Jan 13, 2020 11:04 pm

I would agree also, WMC on windows 10 has to be reconfigured with every bi annual update. I used to love hulu but it is has so many restrictions. I ended up getting a TiVo roamio OTA with the life time subscription and it is amazing. no monthly costs. 1 button commercial skip. it gives the satellite/cable experience without the monthly cost and is very simple for wife and kids to use. I got a TiVo mini for the bedroom and everything is seemless between the two. I miss my WMC and have 2 wasted Hauppauge cards sitting in my computer not being used but TiVo is so much nicer.

Joram

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#9

Post by Joram » Mon Jan 13, 2020 11:10 pm

My wife is no IT specialist but she vastly prefers using the WMC interface over that of Comcast or Verizon...

...when it works.

When WMC or the PC is acting up, as it inevitably does sometimes, she starts making dark noises about getting a DVR.

So it depends on how tolerant the wife is of the occasional hiccup.

Alan G

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#10

Post by Alan G » Mon Jan 13, 2020 11:18 pm

I have been running a Win7 WMC set up with a cable card that is needed for premium channels. I run the PC on WiFi but it's only 20 feet from my router so the signal strength is not an issue at all. I agree with others that you don't want to mess around with Win10 because updates will always be an issue. I think it is hard to find the Win 8.1 add on WMC software these days as it's not part of the OS install the same way it is for Win7. I have not had any issues with my set up other than some screen size issues. The big advantage of a DIY set up is you can put a lot of storage into your PC depending on your recording needs. The other advantage is you can use the PC to easily stream through your browser (Firefox in my case) for lots of stuff that is not available via TV (I stream Euro soccer matches on ESPN+ and BR/Live among other things).

I would note that this is my system and my wife wouldn't put up with it. We have a normal Verizon cable box in the bedroom with that television. Much more user friendly.

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#11

Post by jachin99 » Tue Jan 14, 2020 2:38 am

Are you trying to get cable through wmc or over the air channels? Honestly as long as you install minimal software and don't use the PC to surf the internet things should be fine. It's only easier if you want ota vs cable. I have run cable through wmc for a few years and can't think of many issues I didn't cause myself.

RedWMC

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#12

Post by RedWMC » Tue Jan 14, 2020 2:45 am

Quiks123,

What brought you to WMC?
If you are trying to get rid of (monthly charges for DVR or cloud services) it might be worth it.
But I’d agree with the others that it’s not just a setup, forget and your wife is happy. I’ve spent many hours fixing little quirky things, or tweaking things. Although for the most part it works and it’s better (IMO) then the other DVR services that exist from other vendors.
There are also alternative solutions to WMC that might make more sense. But none of them are going to be simply setup and forget.

So now on your plans:

Are you going to use just OTA (over the air) or are you looking to get cable channels/satellite?
If cable then I believe the only products that will allow you to record/view DRM content (you’ll have to investigate what your local provider supplies) would be WMC/TIVO/HDHomeRunDVR. My local cable provider just does ClearQAM/QAM meaning I can view it on other DVR systems, I have one channel that is DRM that I cannot view through alternative applications outside of those stated above.

I personally would stay away from WMC as a new setup unless you are really determined to play DRM content and you aren’t concerned about having your computer with security updates. Also unless you have MCE Extenders you can’t extend it to other TVs without tying in another service like Plex/Kodi.

I switched over to Plex and have a lifetime pass. Their DVR/LiveTV is technically in beta and hopefully it continues to work. But I have been very happy that I can stream live tv or my recordings to my phone/tablets locally or anywhere in the world. Plex is also good for playing your ripped DVD and automatically adding the metadata to show what movie and such as well as adding subtitles.


The channels DVR has a good write up of the things you would need that pretty much matches on all the other DIY systems and I would say is a good challenger to Plex and the other services.

https://getchannels.com/faq/

Some other ones you may want to look at is:
Plex
Channels
Emby
Kodi
NextPVR

Less DIY:
Tablo
FireTV Recast
TiVo

Here is the best tuner brand (imo) as it is basically supported in whatever solution you go with.
http://my.hdhomerun.com/






dab2kab

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#13

Post by dab2kab » Tue Jan 14, 2020 7:43 am

The general consensus above of "dont use media center if you want things to just work and the wife to be happy" is correct. Id advise that if you are looking to just simply record OTA digital tv, get a tivo roamio with lifetime. If you are looking for more live channels skip the tivo and get a roku or apple tv and sign up for youtube tv or a different internet tv service that gets you the channels you want. I wouldnt get spectrum cable at this point given that it is at least 15 bucks a month more than something like youtube tv, and youtubetv throws in an unlimited dvr for free. All of us here love WMC but it is far from easy to set up and is not being developed anymore, so its really hard to justify investing in tuners and an old version of windows in 2020.

adam1991

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#14

Post by adam1991 » Tue Jan 14, 2020 11:08 am

Agreed.

It's not really all THAT hard, but you have to find a Win7 machine and a video card that supports your situation and adequately drives your TV. That can be a challenge.

Then you add a tuner. Then you install EPG123.

Then, during WMC setup, you follow the EPG123 instructions.

It helps if you have a scheduled task set up to reboot the machine in the middle of the night.

After all that, it just works. Oh, you want to watch your stuff on remote TVs?

The ladder gets shakier and shakier with every turn. For wife acceptance, at this point, just get a Tivo.

dkrom

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#15

Post by dkrom » Wed Jan 15, 2020 12:33 am

I think I’m going to disagree - the wife acceptance factor of WMC is excellent, just get a cheap linksys dma 2100 off of eBay and have that connected to the TV for your wife to use. She’ll be able to use it just like a “cable” box and keep the computer somewhere else in your house.

Stick with Windows 7 and turn off updates, just don’t browse the web with the computer. Use epg123 for the guide and you’re good to go.

Yes, at some point you’ll have to move on, but if you have the equipment why not use it and save $$$ for as long as you can.

jachin99

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#16

Post by jachin99 » Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:11 am

If you want to add or use extenders I would go with the xbox360. They give you an experience that is very close to the PC itself and they have Netflix, and prime video apps if you use those. Just my thought

map_uk

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#17

Post by map_uk » Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:04 am

Building a media centre such as this is more akin to a hobby than a project. You may start with wanting a one-off build to record TV, but it's not a fit-and-forget solution.

I originally built mine in 2005 and it has constantly evolved since; bigger hard disk, several iterations of tuners (extra, then HD, then more HD), SSD for the OS, quieter fans, then latest is the EPG swap.
There's also amp integration and updates to the linked sound system.

Achieving the WAF took time. Several-teen times I've had the 'why can't we just buy a proper recorder' comments, usually when one of her programs hasn't recorded. An all-in-one remote was a big step to acceptance - I would class this as an essential component.

A couple of people have asked me to build one for them and I've refused - I don't want to 'own' / be responsible for their essential upgrades.


What I've built does exactly what I want it to do, but it's taken a lot of time and effort to get there, and it will require more in the future. I've not paid for consumer AV kit (sound system excepted) or subscription services for 15 years.

The WMC interface is excellent, and one of the things that my wife is familiar and happy with so I'm going to persist with it and W7 for the foreseeable, but I expect an OS and another media centre will be required at some point - most likely with a mobo and processor update.


So I'm not trying to put you off - just set expectations; a media centre is never finished.
If you do go ahead I highly recommend these and AV Forums - particularly the home entertainment computers forum.

dkrom

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#18

Post by dkrom » Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:36 pm

I guess I just have a different perspective than many others on this topic. Yes, this can be a set it and forget it setup. I rarely touch my setup, in the last two years I’ve really only had to mess with the epg123 task because it didn’t update a few times. I’ve installed new cable boxes more often for a friend than I’ve had to mess with my WMC system. I NEVER have any missed recordings. Yes, if you want to you can add more to your system (hard drive, fans, etc), but you don’t have to. Typically what you “have” to tinker with is really what you “want” to tinker with (and it’s fun).

No, do not use an Xbox 360 for an extender if you want the wife acceptance. Unless your wife is a gamer she probably won’t want a loud gaming box loading every time she wants to watch tv and manipulate multiple menus to get to the other streaming options (plus the 360 wastes quite a bit of energy). If that doesn’t bother her, then it is a really good solution, otherwise go with a dma2100 (or 2200 if you want DVD play) it’s quiet and just works.

adam1991

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#19

Post by adam1991 » Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:15 pm

bah. I have a couple XBox 360 Slim that I set up...8 years ago and haven't touched since. They are quiet, and they power up directly into WMC. They are nothing but extenders, and that's how they behave. Very much an appliance.

Not loud, no "managing multiple menus to get to the other streaming options," and the energy use is minimal since they're not on 24/7.

The DMA2100 is a worse bet overall.

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#20

Post by tonywagner » Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:41 pm

adam1991 wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:15 pmno "managing multiple menus to get to the other streaming options,"
Just curious, do you use them for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc? I think that is what he meant by "other streaming options".

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