Need MCE, but whats the difference with it and XP Pro?

ps3ud0 · 10 Jan 2008 at 01:40

Hi guys,

Im considering getting MCE to support my TV card better (Terratec Cinergy 2400i DT) which has BDA drivers to allow me to have extra features like PIP and better recording abilities.

Im already on XP Pro and Terratecs own software isnt brilliant - rudimentary at best and quite flaky...

What I want to understand though is the functional differences between XP MCE and XP Pro (not interested in Vista due to overall performance and driver support - also the pricing isnt justified IMO) to ensure Im aware what features I might lose/gain.

As an alternative what MCE-type software could I use on XP Pro to perform the same functions without changing OSes? Ive got a MCE remote so want to use this to ensure my PC is central to my entertainment requirements...

Im not sure if this matters but Im getting an Auzentech Prelude so I want to make sure support for DDL and DTS Connect is inbuilt into this MCE program - unsure if this is a driver thing or software...

TIA

ps3ud0 :cool:

mandelbug · 10 Jan 2008 at 06:35

MCE is built on XP Pro but you lose a few things like domain joining however there is a registry key that you can modify offline to get round it. Functionally I didnt notice any difference when I was running MCE.

You would have to buy the MCE edition as its not just a downloaded add on patch, it requests the CD during install

afraser2k · 10 Jan 2008 at 09:56

I use Media Portal on a Windows XP Pro-based HTPC. The MCE 2005 remote works fine with it and can play all the usual media with the right codecs.

http://www.team-mediaportal.com/ and a section for supported TV cards here (your card seems to be supported).

Wiki has a nice page providing the main changes over XP and MCE 2005.

Butters · 10 Jan 2008 at 10:06

mainly its the domain, there is very little apart from that. You can join a domain during install or as mandelbug says there are a few registry hacks available but they dont always work for some reason.

With modern media servers and WHS, it seems a bit strange that the functionality was removed. It might be something they change in an update.

ps3ud0 · 10 Jan 2008 at 10:33

Cheers guys, I dont consider the main use of my PC as a media player (the TVs usually in the corner of the screen while Im working (can MCE/Media Portal support usage like that?!?)), but I do watch a lot of DVDs and game.

I dont think MCE is worth it for me, and Ive noticed that my assumption it being the best media player is wrong looking at a few posts here (Media Portal seems more popular and feature rich compared and doesnt need an OS reinstall!). I think I just need a more solid TV player, but Ill give Media Portal a try as it doesnt seem to come with an disadvantages (correct?) though I dont think it does PIP, but thats not a deal breaker...

Thanks guys - anything else I should know - gonna try it over the weekend if I get the chance...

P.S. On the subject of TV media software - how do they get EPG information?

ps3ud0 :cool:

Butters · 10 Jan 2008 at 10:40

EPG is all set up through MP. My only gripe with MP is that it can be buggy. I seem to have no end of problems with it and have repeadetly downloaded it to see if its better. However, that could be more to do with a limitaion of my system rather than anything else.

afraser2k · 10 Jan 2008 at 10:45

Certainly previous versions of MP seemed to be buggy but the latest version is stable on my system that's why I decided to use it than go with MCE. For the EPG usually there's a download link to some service that you can use, some charge though others are free. I'm not sure what MP uses as I don't use the EPG service.

As for TV software itself there didn't seem to be many decent ones available at the time I was looking, the software seemed to try and do too many things at once as an all-in-one PVR or HTPC. At the time I was looking at them the Hauppauge WinTV was very unstable on my system so I was glad to get rid of it.

ps3ud0 · 10 Jan 2008 at 10:46

The problem Im having with the Terratec software is that its very sensitive with the reception strength so it pixelates a lot if Im doing something resource-heavy in the background (say Photoshop). Half the time it loses signal or crashes out, which is really frustrating...

Im going to reinstall XP Pro anyway so I thought Id ask about MCE but you guys have made my mind up regards that. Hopefully it fixes the Terratec software, but I think Ill give MP a try too (it does windowed mode it says - PIP would be nice but not essential).

ps3ud0 :cool: