[emmanova]

OK Here is the deal. I've been a user of BM and BTV for quite a while now. I read forums, I got opinions, I search the internet. Since SS people (Ill try to reserve my opinion about SS and their Service with BM) are not longer supporting BM I've been looking around for options.

I want something that work as easy as BM and plugins are as easy as BM. I already tried SesameTV, Elisa, XBMC, MediaPortal, Meedio (YahooTV), SAgeTV, MCE and honeslty I cannot make anything work. Each product has individual features and none of them has everything like BM (thanks to the developers)

Right now I am happy with BM but I really dont like the Music Library part of it so here is my summary:

Beyond Media
- Play Videos
- Play DVD
- Photos
- Music
- Have Netflix Plugin
- ShowTime Plugin
- Game Plugin
- DVD Library Plugin
- Web Video Plugin
- Missing the Weather Plugin can't find it =(
Note: The only thing I dont like is the interface of Music and Videos

SesameTV
- IS not updated for quite a while now, and there's too many manual settings and configurations. I dont have time to figuret it out and the forum is now closed

Elisa
- Pretty good, but is still a virgin software, not too many pluggins, can't play dvds, netflix, etc

XBMC
- Love the interface, but still virgin, not too many plugins

SAGETV
- Im not going to pay for another software, plus I dont like the TV part of SAGE, dont like the interface either

MCE
- Kinda like the interface and the sounds and the compatibility, dont like the restrictions from Microsoft. Plus I cannot use the TV it doesnt detect my Hauppage cards. Oh! Im not going to pay for a software

Meedio and Myth
- Forget it too many manual settings, and copy and pasting pluggins everywhere in different folders, etc. Instead of making just one installation file

Meedio Portal
- Like the interface, like some of the plugins, but I couldn't make have of the plugins to work. Netflix, didnt work I have to do copy Netfix Id, and copy cookies, and copy folders, etc
- Showtime Plugin, no matter what zip code I put in it never find the theaters
- DVD Library never workd, it found a few of my movies, but didnt bring the cover of the Movie, just a folder. Plus I got so many movies ripped now that theres no way Im gona rip them again in iso format
- Summary, the plugins dont work too good, and too many steps to make them work.