To make it short. I haven\’t tried both of them 😉 The current hardware is not yet trimmed to fulfill all those media needs. But I was wondering where the Open Source solution Media Portal [1] would differ from Microsoft Media Center Edition 2005 [2] – if they are at all comparable.
From the Microsoft page:
Windows XP Media Center Edition offers the best Windows experience in any room in your home, whether you’re looking for a family computer or to enhance your home theater. Enjoy integrated home entertainment experiences including photos, music, TV, and more. Connect with devices around the home and on the go that extend your entertainment.
From the Media Portal page:
Media Portal turns your PC in a very advanced Multi MediaCenter / HTPC. It allows you to listen to your favorite music & radio, watch your video\’s and DVD\’s, view, schedule and record live TV and much more. You get Media Portal for free/nothing/nada/noppes and best of all it is opensource. This means anyone can help developing Media Portal or tweak it for their own needs!
Well, yes. They seem to be comparable from a users perspective. It is mostly about computer based entertainment. Mostly your eyes and ears are addressed 😉 For further commenting those tools I will need to upgrade my whole PC hardware… which will last months I guess. 😉
[1] http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net
[2] http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/
