Notably, NextPVR does not include decoders. Granted, WMC has a more deluxe UI and greater ease of use (although setting up EPG123 might be considered difficult by PC users who are, shall we say, not MSFN material - but let them buy Tivos). I hesitate to mention this in the Windows 7 forum, but NextPVR can readily be installed on Windows 10 (WMC only with difficulty, if at all), and NextPVR is about to go cross-platform when version 5 is released from public beta (I'd like to see someone get WMC to work on Linux or Mac). NextPVR is certainly not the only alternative to WMC: just the only alternative I'm well-acquainted with. Alas, our North American ATSC broadcasts contain only several hours of data, but NextPVR can utilize that data if desired (whereas WMC cannot), which might be sufficient for time-shifting purposes but obviously not for elaborate recording schedules. In the UK, DVB-T (terrestrial) channels contain a week of completely free in-band guide data. OTA broadcasts actually contain guide data. You like Schedules Direct's guide data? NextPVR has native support for it - no need for something like EPG123 to convert the data to Microsoft's MXF format. (SiliconDust had a "Kickstarter" project to develop an alternative DVR with DRM for American cable, but nothing became of it.) I'm not rushing to find an alternative because I've actually had NextPVR installed since 2012. Well for those like you and I who are watching and recording over-the-air TV broadcasts, the fact that Microsoft paid licensing fees to Cable Labs of America in connection with DRM is irrelevant - and that is actually the only feature of WMC that is irreplaceable. If you haven't seen such a pop-up either, that might mean that you haven't installed any Windows updates for quite some time - or that you know exactly which updates not to install for Win7? My vintage Vista with TV Pack appears to be immune. Mathwiz, have you been getting annoying pop-ups in Media Center advising you to "switch to an alternate TV program guide provider"? There is a GreenButton thread about this issue, and setting up EPG123 evidently doesn't stop it. (I hope that MSFN will become a stronghold for Windows 7 diehards to the same extent it has long been for XP diehards - and FWIW it is also the best Vista forum IMO.) I wish someone in the UK would post about the situation there, but you and I may be the only DVR enthusiasts at MSFN. Using EPG123 with WMC (and NOT upgrading to Win10) is no doubt the best solution for North American cable junkies who are fond of their HTPCs, but there are a variety of options for others. Other than buying a Tivo or renting a DVR from your cable provider, the only solution for issue (2) might be EPG123, which would again entail a Schedules Direct subscription.ĭon't get me wrong Mathwiz: I will be SHOCKED if the Rovi data continues a day after January 31 (and January 29 is still as far as it goes at the moment). Of course there are third-party DVR programs such as NextPVR and MediaPortal, but (1) in North America you would need a Schedules Direct subscription for EPG and (2) only WMC supports DRM for North American cablecards. The relative few running Windows 8.1 with Pro Pack will apparently be shafted, as well as anyone still running Vista Home Premium or Ultimate and using TV Pack 2008 (I might be the last TV Packer remaining AFAIK). WMC is not supported on Windows 10, so this change mainly affects those running Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate who use WMC as a DVR. To continue receiving TV Program Guide information on your Windows Media Center, you’ll need to configure an alternate TV listing provider. Starting in January 2020, Microsoft is retiring its Electronic Program Guide (EPG) service for all versions of Windows Media Center. Plan for change: Windows Media Center Electronic Program Guide retiring in January 2020
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