.omega

Oh yeah, I’m on a roll here. Time for some more testing. This time, it’s all about the simplicity - and the media. I’ve been tinkering with a HTPC (without HD support or a TV card…) to replace my aging X-Box/XBMC solution. XBMC is the standard I expect other applications to measure up to. It suits me perfectly - regular, old-school directory browsing (no fancy-schmancy indexing), speed, looks neat… I’ve chosen to use Linux (trusty old Ubuntu) as the basis for my HTPC, and so I’ve tried a few of the media center solutions out there. This is less thurough than when I tested autio players, since this is mostly a way for me to remember which I’ve tried and what I didn’t like about them. Currently, the HTPC is a bit sluggish, but rund XBMC for Linux without too much fuss.

Eliza

Inflexible, slow, indexes everything. Neat, simple interface, but lack basic features (like turning on/off subtitles).

My Media System

Inflexible and slow, like all indexing apps. Shows huge subs by default, lacks working configuration dialog. Looks great.

Entertainer

Very good-looking, but uses set directories and indexing. Next.

MythTV

A lot of crap I don’t need, geared towards TV-card users. Too much for me, and I couldn’t get its database backend to work properly.

XBMC Linux

Not as fast as its X-box counterpart. Looks good as always. Works great, too.

…In other words, I’ll probably stick with XBMC.