Media center application


A media center application, or simply media center, is a type of multimedia and technological convergence software that is designed to be used on a large screen like a television or a projector. They are intended to be controlled by wireless devices such as a remote, game controllers, or a smartphone connected via Wi-Fi.
They usually inherit the combined capabilities of media playback, digital media library organization and aggregation, connection to a media server, music and video playlist creation, music visualizations, live TV playback, media streaming, among others. They then present the content on a 10-foot interface that’s easy to view from a couch or seat, and can have multiple views for browsing media.
File:Mediaportalmain.png|thumb|MediaPortal, a Windows exclusive application with an XP Windows Media Center-esque skin shown.
Media center applications started appearing during the early 2000’s as large screens and DVD players were becoming mainstream, and they provide a solution for personal computers to be used as a front-end interface for large screens. They are the main software application of home theater PCs and can also be seen on regular computers, mini PCs, or digital media players.
File:MythTV-main menu.png|thumb|MythTV, usually used as a live TV backend, is also a media center application in its own right.
One of the first media center applications to be created is Kodi. Originally created in 2002 as a homebrew mod for the original Xbox, it has expanded to many platforms such as Windows, Android, Fire TV, and more. MythTV was released in the same year as Kodi and while mainly used as a live TV backend, it’s also a standalone media center application. Once popular among some Windows users, Windows Media Center is included with Windows XP MCE, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 before its discontinuation. MediaPortal, released in 2004, is a Windows exclusive application often considered as a modern alternative to WMC. Other applications include the Plex App, JRiver Media Center’s theater mode, NextPVR Player, and SageTV. Discontinued applications include Apple’s Front Row, GB-PVR, Beyond TV, and Boxee.
Nowadays, features these applications usually have are incorporated into game consoles, digital media players, and some smart TVs combining local content with streaming content. Digital media players include the NVIDIA Shield, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV. They have largely replaced media center applications for most people, though some users still use these applications for added flexibility or use cases such as enhanced live TV or local library functionality.

Overview

Media center applications are multimedia applications for digital media and combines many media functions, such as live TV playback and media browsing, and are designed to be displayed on a large screen through a 10-foot user interface. They allow users to list and search media, play media, and control the application using a remote.
The applications are usually run on computers or digital media players and provide for one’s media preferences. They are the main software application of home theater PCs other than operating systems like Windows and are defined by their dedicated use for large screens like televisions or projectors, and their combination with the application.

Interface

The interface of media center applications is a 10-foot user interface that’s designed for large screens for easy viewing from a distance, such as a couch or a seat. The content and text are large and the interface is fullscreen. In some applications such as Kodi or MythTV, the user interface is fully customizable and can install new themes or sound effects which let users customize their experience.
They usually start with a home screen with buttons to the types of media and services, and can contain widgets that show information locally or from the internet such as what’s new and trending or continue watching. Home screens can be customized on some applications to fit one’s preferences and interests.
Media center applications usually present the content in unique views such as thumbnail, list, film banner, or more while browsing content locally or online. The content can also be sorted by rules such as name, date created, genre, and more. The interface can also include a search box within the folder, or globally for searching content.

Media libraries

Most media center applications allow users to curate and organize their media library from a variety of sources, local or online. Common local sources include photos and videos taken from digital cameras or phone cameras, photos and videos downloaded from the internet. music ripped from CDs or downloaded from the internet, and movies and TV shows ripped from DVD or Blu-Ray discs, or recorded from a stream for saving. Sources online can include media from streaming services such as YouTube, live TV and its guide data, RSS feeds, and more.
Media center applications can play music and video playlists and can show the playback queue on what’s coming next. Some applications can also create playlists by selecting the media using a remote then saving the playlist. Other applications can also play external playlists within a local network or online, playing back items that can point to a file within local storage, or stream within a local network or online.
Some applications can connect to an external media server that serves them files and information such a network-attached storage through the local network or, if configured, remotely.

Playback

Media center applications are designed with media playback and it’s controls are designed for large screens. The basic playback functions such as play/pause, seeking by any amount of seconds, and volume control are included in the interface or remote. Other playback functions include displaying the queue, speeding up or slowing down footage, controlling photo or video slideshow playback, and stopping.
Most applications can also play and record live TV through a TV tuner card, a capture card, IPTV, or a backend such as MythTV. They can get the guide data and usually allow users to set the exact time when to record based on the guide data, or manually. The media center then records the program then saves it as a video to the library.
Some applications can gain the ability the ability to curate, display, and stream content from services such as YouTube or Spotify through official or unofficial add-ons. One downside however, is that it may require some knowledge to obtain the API key if the service does not officially support the media center, or the API key is unavailable. In these cases, it is inconvenient for the average person and the application’s growth is halted. If an official app is installed outside of the media center application, it’s usually easier to use that instead.

Remote control

With their main interface being designed for large screens, media center applications are usually controlled by remotes from a distance, such as a living room couch or a home cinema seat. The use of compact remotes instead of larger forms of input, such as a mouse or keyboard, makes it possible to control the interface with a single hand.
A popular remote for many applications is the Windows Media Center remote, which is supported by Windows Media Center, Kodi, MediaPortal, and JRiver Media Center. Other media center applications such as Kodi or MythTV support many other remote control types and protocols through addons.
Many media center applications support the use of smartphones as remotes, and many smartphone applications have been created to control the media center applications. Kodi, MythTV, and JRiver Media Center has their own respective smartphone apps for remote control; Kore, MythMote, and JRemote.
Kore is an Android app made by the same developers as Kodi, and is designed to control Kodi with extra features such as viewing information on what’s playing on phone screens, managing playlists, and wake-on-LAN functionality for powering on the hardware with Kodi in it. An official alternative for iOS devices is Official Kodi Remote. MythMote is an Android app for controlling the front-end interface of MythTV, and JRemote can control JRiver Media Center and browse, search, and play through JRiver’s media libraries on the phone screen.
A number of third party remote applications for smartphones have also been created, such as Yatse, designed to control Kodi and Plex Media Server and also has a swipe gesture control mode, and allows users to browse and search through the media center application’s media libraries.

Features

Media center applications are software applications dedicated for digital media and can have a lot of features included built-in, or have new features added by add-ons. A media center application can have the following functions:
  • Create and manage a media library from folders, playlists, and online content
  • Connect to a media server such as Jellyfin or a NAS
  • Display what’s new from the internet in widgets or the home page
  • Display weather information
  • Contain unique views such as thumbnail, list, or film banner view for media browsing
  • Allow user interface customization through background ambience, sound effects, and themes
  • Perform music and video playback and seeking
  • Display music album art while playing
  • Display music visualizations
  • Display photos and photo slideshows
  • Create or display photo albums
  • Play or create music and video playlists
  • Create and play auto playlists based on artist, genre, year, and more
  • Aggregate movie and TV show information from the internet
  • Enable media streaming from services such as YouTube, Netflix, or Spotify
  • Display and record live TV through a TV tuner card, a capture card, IPTV, or a backend like MythTV
  • Display movie pre-rolls
  • Perform video game emulation
  • Create shortcuts to external programs such as those in Windows for extra utility
  • Allow remote control through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth remotes, game controllers, smartphones, and more
  • Allow custom command control through command scripts, custom devices, and more
  • Allow integration into a home automation system