Best HTPC software ?

[jbartlett]

Collections are manual in Plex, correct. Collections are a personal thing. It's not that much of an effort, however. In the post-play screen after finishing a movie, other movies in the same collection(s) are displayed.

 

My input:

I used to use Boxee & then Kodi but Kodi seems to be designed primarily for streaming sources on the web while Plex is intended for local media. That was my deciding factor to use Plex.

 

I use Plex to watch my library locally as well as to share it with family & close friends. My media, however, is all in MKV in lossless format generated from MakeMKV with only 5.1/7.1 English audio and forced subtitles (for Blu-Ray). I don't care for menus, I just want to select a movie, hit play, and have it start then & there as well as being able to stop/resume anywhere & on any device. Being able to link my phone or hook up a Chrome stick to a TV and start streaming immediately is a nice plus.

 

I had some issues with running Plex Media Server in a Docker container and switched to running it in a Windows 10 VM and that has been no issue. I created a qcow2 drive just for Plex's use for ease of backup & restore as the Plex metadata can take up a LOT of disk space, especially if you enable the thumbnail preview feature that displays when you're navigating the timeline.

 

ETA: I have a SSD mapped to the Windows VM for Plex Media Server to use for transcribing video as to not impact the VM's drives or impact the cache drives which the VMs are running under.

Edited February 23, 2017 by jbartlett

[Endy]

51 minutes ago, jbartlett said:

 

Collections are manual in Plex, correct.

 

 

There is a setting to use collection info from the moviedb, I think, that makes it automatic. Had to rebuild my movie info for it to be used, though. The one problem I have with collections in Plex is that it doesn't group movies into collections as I am scrolling through all of my movies.

[dmacias]

I use Libreelec/Kodi in several NUC boxes in the house with the Emby docker as the backend and Mythbuntu/mythtv backend VM for tv. Then have Emby app on all tablets and phones.

[jbartlett]

5 hours ago, Endy said:

 

There is a setting to use collection info from the moviedb, I think, that makes it automatic. Had to rebuild my movie info for it to be used, though. The one problem I have with collections in Plex is that it doesn't group movies into collections as I am scrolling through all of my movies.

 

You can filter by collections though.

[clearzero]

Like others in this thread I have been doing this for what seems like forever.  I use Plex for a few simple reasons.  

 

1. I prefer ATV's (set top boxes in general) over a PC at the TV.  I have done both extensively and a PC is tedious at this point.

2. The Plex UI, specifically on the ATV, is the best available.  Plex in general is good but it is significantly better on ATV vs. say Android or Roku.

3. Remote streaming is a no brainer.  I have roughly 5-10 remote streams going at any given time and it works great.

 

Based on some of the posts here I recently installed Emby.  So far I must say I don't know why I would want to use that over Plex.  I don't see any advantages.  The UI is rather terrible on the end points ( ATV and Roku)  and the navigation is bad in comparison.  I have about 3000 movies and getting to something specific is not fun.  That said I haven't spent a ton of time with it so who knows.

[BetaQuasi]

Have also been doing this for years.  Back in the day, I used to transfer .avi files via FTP over to XBMC (Kodi) on my modified Xbox!  Nowadays, Plex just works.  I use the linuxserver.io docker and it has been solid for some time now.  Previously, I used Phaze's Plex Plugin, and prior to that, my own build of Plex in a Ubuntu VM when I was running unRAID on ESXi.  The metadata library has survived migration through each iteration of Plex, which is quite impressive as it is getting very large these days.

 

It does everything I need.  Streaming/syncing for when I travel (a lot for work), accurate matching and metadata (can't remember the last time I had to 'fix' a match), it's quick, robust, and the clients are solid.  I also have an Emby docker running on my unRAID box, but rarely use it.  It's more there to take a look at every now and then when I want to see what the competition is up to.  It has yet to convince me to think about moving to it, although its Live TV integration got close!

 

For front ends, I have 3 - an Apple TV and a PS4 Pro in the media room (ATV's lack of DTS via the plex client means I'll use the PS3 for movies.. hopefully that changes), and a Roku in the bedroom.  All solid choices and they share the same look and feel.

 

 

Edited February 24, 2017 by BetaQuasi

[Endy]

12 hours ago, jbartlett said:

 

You can filter by collections though.

 

I know, but that's not really useful for me. One problem I have with many of the options out there is how they make you have to drill down through so many menus to finally get to the view you want. Trying to browse collections in Plex falls into that category. The other problem I have with it is that I like to just scroll through my movie library, but at the same time, I do like things to be grouped together. As an example, the Bourne movies. Sure, the first 4 will be right next to each other, but the 5th one is named Jason Bourne, so it's off on it's own now.

[kizer]

On 2/24/2017 at 7:46 AM, Endy said:

 

I know, but that's not really useful for me. One problem I have with many of the options out there is how they make you have to drill down through so many menus to finally get to the view you want. Trying to browse collections in Plex falls into that category. The other problem I have with it is that I like to just scroll through my movie library, but at the same time, I do like things to be grouped together. As an example, the Bourne movies. Sure, the first 4 will be right next to each other, but the 5th one is named Jason Bourne, so it's off on it's own now.

 

Cracks me up that you use Bourne as an example. It was a collection I just setup a few minutes ago. You would think you'd click on a Movie and just like the trailers below it would give you a folder or something so you could just click other movies in the collection possibly. 

[Dieseldes]

I have tried a few front ends but settled on Mediaportal a few years ago. It does all I need with plugins like TVseries and my movies. I use it mostly for live TV from satellite and terrestrial here in the UK along with watching acquired TV series and movies. Also does a good job of online streaming with another plugin onlinemovies.  I use streamed mp as a skin and it is so easy to use that my family including 73 year old dad can do it with a remote. 

 

Mediaportal 2 is now at beta stage and it includes all the plugins I use built in so I will probably switch to that at some point.  I'm I missing out on something by not using plex or whatever? 

 

 

[CHBMB]

19 minutes ago, Dieseldes said:

I have tried a few front ends but settled on Mediaportal a few years ago. It does all I need with plugins like TVseries and my movies. I use it mostly for live TV from satellite and terrestrial here in the UK along with watching acquired TV series and movies. Also does a good job of online streaming with another plugin onlinemovies.  I use streamed mp as a skin and it is so easy to use that my family including 73 year old dad can do it with a remote. 

 

Mediaportal 2 is now at beta stage and it includes all the plugins I use built in so I will probably switch to that at some point.  I'm I missing out on something by not using plex or whatever? 

 

 

Plex is not much use if DVR functionality is a must.  Only currently supports network tuners rather than DVB, which is what we tend to use in the UK.

 

I used to be a big Mediaportal fan myself, using Argus as my TV backend, but once xbmc/kodi integrated DVR I switched to a combination of a centralised MySQL/mariadb database on my Unraid server, TVHeadend as a backend and I use LibreELEC on my HTPC.  All the backend stuff runs on Unraid.  One thing Mediaportal is better at is streaming from things like iplayer etc as it's windows based.

[Dieseldes]

Yep dvr is an important feature for me and my wife even more so. What would stop you running Mediaportal in a virtual Windows machine within unraid? I know nothing about virtualization but this would be very nice? At the moment I have a hp microserver doing the unraid stuff and an amd a10 htpc I uses as a Mediaportal server and client. Combining the 2 might be nice. But as what I have works great maybe I should leave well enough alone... 

 

 

[garycase]

7 minutes ago, Dieseldes said:

But as what I have works great maybe I should leave well enough alone... 

 

That's what I'd do .

 

The old adage, "don't fix what ain't broken" is sometimes the best choice.

 

[CHBMB]

7 minutes ago, Dieseldes said:

Yep dvr is an important feature for me and my wife even more so. What would stop you running Mediaportal in a virtual Windows machine within unraid? I know nothing about virtualization but this would be very nice? At the moment I have a hp microserver doing the unraid stuff and an amd a10 htpc I uses as a Mediaportal server and client. Combining the 2 might be nice. But as what I have works great maybe I should leave well enough alone... 

 

 

 

I did for a short while run Argus as the TV backend on a WHS2011 machine, but to be honest, although it worked well enough, I'd had enough of Windows and all the faff of installing Mediaportal, my overwhelming memory of which is a really long time to configure and setup.

[CHBMB]

Just now, garycase said:

The old adage, "don't fix what ain't broken" is sometimes the best choice.

 

Nah, that's for wimps......  

[stacyy11]

OpenHTP

[Dieseldes]

6 hours ago, CHBMB said:

 

I did for a short while run Argus as the TV backend on a WHS2011 machine, but to be honest, although it worked well enough, I'd had enough of Windows and all the faff of installing Mediaportal, my overwhelming memory of which is a really long time to configure and setup.

Mediaportal 1.x does take a bit of setting up as it's so flexible and to be honest if it wasn't for a guide I found online I wouldn't of got it to were it is now. But that was much like unraid for me when I got involved at first with version 4.x. I had no idea what I was doing and relied on following an online guide and asking questions on forums when I got stuck which was quite often to be fair! But now unraid is quite easy to use with its gui and Mediaportal 2.x seems to be an easier setup from the testing I did on another pc I have. Version 2 of Mediaportal is a complete rewrite of the code and while it does the same thing as version 1.x it isn't contained by the old code with patches on that Mediaportal 1.x is now. Version 2.x is way faster and smoother so runs well on old weak hardware like an amd e350 I have.  

 

Anyhow it's worth a look. 

[Dieseldes]

7 hours ago, CHBMB said:

 

Nah, that's for wimps......  

While I do appreciate what garrycase said above I am tempted to try some virtualization.  I have another pc that has an Intel i5 3570 non k, 16gb ram, a good graphics card, 0.5tb ssd and a big case that would hold plenty of drives that I built a few years ago to see what modern games were like. Basically I couldn't get into games (I'm 38) so the pc sits in my "home office" and gets used for word processing, Excel and surfing the net occasionally. Seems like an ideal machine to use as an unraid server with virtualization for the Mediaportal server. 

 

So my question is does the i5 pc sound good enough for running unraid and a version of Windows simultaneously? I would fit my quad dvb-s2 card and my 2x twin dvb-t2 cards and use them in the windows session with Mediaportal. Would these TV cards pass through? Or is that even required? As I say im total beginner to virtualization but I like challenges....  

 

As I see it I could start off with a trial version of unraid and get the virtualization version of Windows running without pulling drives from my unraid microserver. I could then borrow the TV cards from the Mediaportal server and try getting them running. If it works out I could then use my paid unraid license in the i5 pc and move all the drives across. If it fails I just put the TV cards back in the a10 Mediaportal server and tell nobody anything about it lol. Thoughts? 

[CHBMB]

My server is based on an i5 3470s and it supports virtualisation and I've done so successfully, so I don't see any reason why not.  Some of this will be dependent on your motherboard so you're going to have to suck it and see.

 

[Dieseldes]

4 hours ago, CHBMB said:

My server is based on an i5 3470s and it supports virtualisation and I've done so successfully, so I don't see any reason why not.  Some of this will be dependent on your motherboard so you're going to have to suck it and see.

 

OK that's good to know. I didn't think of virtualization when I got the motherboard but it was a higher end one which allows overclocking so may have extra features like virtualization. Will check it out. As for the TV cards do they need to be special pass through versions or should the windows virtual machine pick them up with the normal drivers? 

 

Any links to idiots quids to virtualization in unraid? Do I just install Windows from a cd or do I need a special version? I have heard or images but where are these available from? 

 

Cheers des 

[CHBMB]

Once they're passed through, treat them like normal in Windows,  I wrote a guide a couple of years back about passing through my DVB card, but it's so outdated and so much has changed I wouldn't recommend it.  I don't really use VMs much anymore so I'm not much help sorry.

[Dieseldes]

29 minutes ago, CHBMB said:

Once they're passed through, treat them like normal in Windows,  I wrote a guide a couple of years back about passing through my DVB card, but it's so outdated and so much has changed I wouldn't recommend it.  I don't really use VMs much anymore so I'm not much help sorry.

You have already been very helpful thanks. If you do have that guide I would still like to read it to give me some idea of what's involved. When I type virtualization into Google some of the results make my head melt so a starting point from someone who has done it might be useful. 

[CHBMB]

10 minutes ago, Dieseldes said:

You have already been very helpful thanks. If you do have that guide I would still like to read it to give me some idea of what's involved. When I type virtualization into Google some of the results make my head melt so a starting point from someone who has done it might be useful. 

 

Here you go.

[garycase]

Nothing wrong with trying out combining your server & HTPC.   My earlier comment was simply based on what I'd do -- you already have a system that "works great" for your HTPC needs; and an HP micro server that I presume you're happy with for UnRAID ... so personally I'd just leave them as is.

 

I have 11 "real" computers and 41 VM's for various purposes (and another 50 VM's that I've created over the years, but are essentially just saved on a server "because I have them").    Absolutely no desire to combine all of the PC's into a single system.

 

 

[RobJ]

3 hours ago, Dieseldes said:

Any links to idiots quids to virtualization in unraid? Do I just install Windows from a cd or do I need a special version? I have heard or images but where are these available from?

 

I don't know if you have seen the Guides and Videos page.  We have some good guides in there, and we have great people who keep making more of them.

[Dieseldes]

Thanks guys I'm doing some reading and learning now. It does in theory seem like the way to go. But it's a steap learning curve. I'm thinking that I will transition to Mediaportal 2 soon anyhow so there will be some disturbance during that and so it might be the time to try the virtualization setup. Need to figure out if I need to buy yet another version of Windows even if it's just for testing in a virtual machine.