another new product coming soon: Beyond Media

[Eirikso]

Well, to get back to what this thread should be all about: Beyond Media:

Fantastic, I can't wait. I am currently running BeyondTV together with myHTPC. This combination is OK but far from perfect.

The most important issue is the playback interface in BeyondTV. It would be really nice to have this interface while playing back DVD and movies from my archive.

I really hope that you will support a method for giving movies and folders a picture in the same way that you can give music albums a cover picture. Quite like the possibilities in both myHTPC and DVDLobby.

It is very user friendly and fast to browse movies on basis of a picture rather than a list of titles.

Again: Cant wait! This is the piece of software that finally can make my HTPC really user friendly and streamlined.

With my positive experience with BeyondTV in mind I will buy BeyondMedia without even trying it!

_eirikso

[tkoenig]

Originally posted by Eirikso
Well, to get back to what this thread should be all about: Beyond Media:

Fantastic, I can't wait. I am currently running BeyondTV together with myHTPC. This combination is OK but far from perfect.

The most important issue is the playback interface in BeyondTV. It would be really nice to have this interface while playing back DVD and movies from my archive.

I really hope that you will support a method for giving movies and folders a picture in the same way that you can give music albums a cover picture. Quite like the possibilities in both myHTPC and DVDLobby.

It is very user friendly and fast to browse movies on basis of a picture rather than a list of titles.

Again: Cant wait! This is the piece of software that finally can make my HTPC really user friendly and streamlined.

With my positive experience with BeyondTV in mind I will buy BeyondMedia without even trying it!

_eirikso

Ditto on pretty much what he said. I am a Myhtpc/Snapstream user and although have gotten a lot of integration between the two, its still not perfect. And I cant say anything bad about Beyond TV minus the time it takes to go into "live tv" mode and if watching something while it is recording and behind a few minutes, it will exit out of watching and not "remember" where I was when the recording completes. No biggey though, I am a "old showshifter" user that got fed up with their POS software and couldnt be happier with Snapstream.

[koltz]

Came across the DVDProfiler in the thread and agree.

http://www.dvdprofiler.com/dvdpro/index.html

It is a great way to catalog DVD's and has a prebuilt database. You can add by typing the UPC, Title, and Disc ID. DVDLobby currently supports it so must have a command line option of some sort. Haven't played with it much, but hopefully just inserting the disc into the drive will recognize what it is and download info automagically.

[Wuukie]

I've read through the threads in the FAQ/Forum and haven't seen one feature that's on MS MCE and ATI 9600 Pro MMC, but not in the forthcoming BM and that's the ability to receive broadcast FM radio signals. Both MCE and MMC 9600Pro allow you "timeshift" the radio broadcast but only MMC allow you to schedule a time to record the broadcast like a PVR. Not having this feature is not a deal breaker but it would be nice to have since BM is pegging itself as the all inclusive media center of the future.

By the way, other companies are trying to get into the timeshifting of radio too besides the ones I've mentioned. Griffin Technology is one such company but the product has been "coming soon" for the last year and have nothing really to show for it.

[m1ket]

Originally posted by Mr.X
Ok, all you myHTPC users...

How come you don't use the tv plugin in myHTPC? I was thinking about trying it, but I'd like to hear from the myHTPC crowd as to what's wrong with it and/or why they're using BTV instead.

i found it to be totally unreliable recording wise and compared to beyondTV the UI is basic

Its a totally diffreent product;

im sure mytv could be just as good if it had lots of developers working on it but thats why you pay for a product

with the current exchange rate beyondtv was only £25.00 for a uk buyer

[Hosermage]

Why are the Beyond Media and Firefly being marketed as separate products? It's like people have been requesting additional functions to add in your Beyond TV product (photo viewer, music player.. etc) and then you just took those suggestions to make a separate product instead of making BeyondTV better.

[tkoenig]

Originally posted by Hosermage
Why are the Beyond Media and Firefly being marketed as separate products? It's like people have been requesting additional functions to add in your Beyond TV product (photo viewer, music player.. etc) and then you just took those suggestions to make a separate product instead of making BeyondTV better.

Firefly is a remote... Dont see how this would be bundled into beyondtv... Beyond media I kinda agree with you. However development = investment so I dont have a problem with a SMALL additional charge for the beyondmedia products. Just my .02

[Hosermage]

well... If I didn't purchase Beyond TV, it'll be very unlikely that I would buy either Beyond Media nor Firefly. However, now that I've purchased Beyond TV, I finds that I have to purchase 2 other things in order to fully complete what I intended to do with just Beyond TV. MythTV.org already have the Beyond Media capabilities and more, too bad it only runs on linux.

Firefly, I can care less, but I still think that Snapstream shouldn't have take our comments and suggestions for BeyondTV then transform them into a new product to take more money from us.

If they want to squeeze out the little man (myHTPC), atleast learn from the master, Microsoft, you gotta bundle the new additions FREE and integrate it tightly into your existing product!

[tkoenig]

Originally posted by Hosermage
well... If I didn't purchase Beyond TV, it'll be very unlikely that I would buy either Beyond Media nor Firefly. However, now that I've purchased Beyond TV, I finds that I have to purchase 2 other things in order to fully complete what I intended to do with just Beyond TV. MythTV.org already have the Beyond Media capabilities and more, too bad it only runs on linux.

Firefly, I can care less, but I still think that Snapstream shouldn't have take our comments and suggestions for BeyondTV then transform them into a new product to take more money from us.

If they want to squeeze out the little man (myHTPC), atleast learn from the master, Microsoft, you gotta bundle the new additions FREE and integrate it tightly into your existing product!

I wont get into the whole mythtv/beyondtv comparison, but simply put you get what you pay for. If you feel like mythtv is a better alternative as its free, then by all means you should use it. I will try to save you some time and effort and say that beyondtv is far superior in overall look, feel, reliabilaty, ease of configuration than anything else out there. And yes, I have tried myth, myhtpc video, showshifter, etc and nothing compares.

[tkoenig]

Just another reply to my prev one, if you dont want to pay for an upgrade to beyond media, then use myhtpc. Its free and works fine. There is good information on integrating beyond tv and myhtpc together to give you pretty good functionality. If you want tight integration, then stop complaining and pay the money for beyond media when it comes out... just my .02

[DanielS]

I am so happy with Beyond TV for the piddly $50 I paid for it that I'd have paid twice that amount in a heartbeat. If another few bucks helps to keep Snapstream in business (and thus Snapstream.net free) then that's just fine with me; I'll buy their next product too.

[Eric3a]

I don't think BTV was ever advertised as being a front-end for a multimedia PC.
Of course, many of us asked for all kind of nifty features, and Snaptream responded by creating Beyond Media.

Reallistically, a media front-end and a PVR are different products, and I see no problem with Snapstream charging for Beyond Media. hopefully, existing BTV users will get a break, while new users will get an extra reason to join in.

I am pretty sure that non BTV users should have some use for it too, so it can be a stand-alone product. At it's best it is meant to be integrated with the Snapstream products.

Firefly is purely a Hardware solution, and will come with a software interface as well. For us existing users, we most likely already have our own solutions to remotely control BTV, so we don't have a huge need for "another remote". I should come with top integration with BTv though, and should be highly customizable.

Eric

[robmill]

Has any thought been given to developing and interface to the Nirvis Slinke Mega CD Changer Control system. With its Serial interface to a PC and a usable front end, who knows the possibility.

If someone is about to install a Media Control Center like this, they probably already have some computer and Media Savy.

Robert

[devguy]

Hello All

If I may throw in my 2 cents on BM. I recently bought beyond tv and have found it to be a very good product. I also have an ms media center pc and enjoy that very much to. I will say I enjoy the the media center pc more because of the extra features it offers such as mp3, video etc.. which snapstream is finally bringing to there product with this new software. I do feel beyond the extra features my ms media center pc offers that beyond tv is a great product and has more features when it comes to tv recording and viewing and it holds its own against my media center pc for that. Unfortunately I am kind of disappointed in the way snapstream has chosen to release this package as a separate application. All there competitors currently offer these features built into there products which cost about the same amount as btv I see this as a trend with them because they do the same thing with there remote control unit. For example my media center pc remote I got from new egg cost me $33. It has the capability of changing my cable box channels built into it. NO OTHER HARDWARE NEEDED FOR IT. With beyond tv I ordered the remote and found out in order to do the same thing and change my cable box channels I had to buy a IR Blaster Cable Pack for another $25 more out of pocket. Plus it is unsupported by snapstream so I do not know what to expect from it but that is off subject and for a complaint letter not this post. I am not here to bash there product or there policies. I love the product and would recommend it to others. The tv feature surpass media center I believe but I think they should very cheaply price this beyond media package to the current owners of beyond tv or even better yet do what’s fair and give it to beyond tv owners after all there completion sells there products with these features already installed by default. MyHTPC is no substitute for the missing beyond tv features. I tried it and did not like it very much. Well that is just my opinion otherwise the product looks very good and I would consider buying it.

[Cayars]

Devguy,

Just because other companies bundle other apps into their PVR solution doesn't mean that SnapStream needs to do this. It's not like it's a requirement or anything.

Behond TV is a PVR application. Nothing more, nothing less. I own a couple of other products that also bundle DVD, picture and music in their apps. At first glance it seems nice but the problem is that with most of these other apps the bundled "extras" are on the light side and not fully functional as one would want for everyday use.

With the approach SnapStream is taking it will be a seperate product. This should translate into a more fully developed product. We as consumer can then have the right to gripe, bitch and complain if it doesn't work the way we think it should. We will have much more involvement with the ongoing development of features in the future.

With most of the other products, these light "extras" don't get much attention and don't get new features added. BM will continue to grow and get new functionality.

I originally thought this should be "bundled" also. I then got thinking about it and don't want it bundled as one app. I like being able to pick and choose the apps I use. For me now at the moment I do use myHTPC and do like it. When BM is released I'll evaluate that.

If SS was to bundle the app with BTV it would surely be a new version of the software (maybe 4.0???) and I would expect to have to pay an upgrade fee to get it. With BM being it's own product I'd expect it to cost around 1/2 as much (guessing) as BTV and as a BTV user I might even get a discount on it (would be nice). Either way upgrade or new purchase it would end up costing me about the same... Given the choice I'd rather it be two seperate apps that both get solid development.

Carlo