Zviewer vs. "Media Center" software
Posted on: Tue, 11/04/2008 - 14:00
dbone1026
Joined: 2008-08-19
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Zviewer vs. "Media Center" software
Hello. I just recently downloaded the beta version of Zviewer (I am not a ZvBox owner). The layout and interface is really nice and user friendly. I am curious though, is the intention to eventually turn this into a full flegded media center application? As much as I like the interface, I see no reason to use the Zviewer in its current form (as a non ZvBox owner). If the online content could be played from directly within Zviewer (instead of opening up an internet browser), and if the Zviewer could play back media content on the user pc from within Zviewer instead of just opening up another application, then I think there could be a lot of promise (I understand to do this there would be a lot more work needed to be done for codec support, possible PVR capabilities etc...). As I understand it also, you are working on making the zvRemote available separate from the ZvBox, so I would think the natural progression would be to bundle the ZvRemote/Zviewer as a bundled media center suite. Since I do most of my streaming via HTPCs, a fully functional Zviewer Media Center (I guess "ZMC") with ZvRemote would be very interesting, and well as expand your customer base for individuals like myself where the zvBox does not really fit into my current setup. I currently use VMC and SageTV, as well as I am trying out now Media Portal, XBMC, and GB-PVR, but I am still looking for that all-in-one application that does everything, is easy to use, and has a high WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor)
We provide a platform to all content – not tied to any specific brand, or content owner, or even operating system (soon we'll support MAC). In order to do this, we need to invoke the native player for each content source since not all of the content available on the internet can be played back using anything except the site’s own proprietary player. Limiting ourselves to content that we could play back ourselves would seriously limit our content options. And trying to keep up with the ever shifting player technologies would be a daunting task and very redundant, whereas we prefer to stick to doing what we are doing and let the player authors write the players and the content providers provide content.
We do integrate local content, online content and other applications. To do this, we have created an link to other players. Our goal is to make this integration smoother and more seamless over time. For instance we are considering adding features like automatically restarting content from where you left off, making old episodes of serials disappear from recently viewed as soon as you start watching the subsequent episode, and launching players in full screen with a single click.
My question for everyone is what kinds of features do you want to see in the future? Are you interested in getting suggestions for content from other users? Sharing content with specific people? Watching and commenting on content with others in real time? Better search capabilities? Content ratings? Better remote control integration?
Zviewer is the building block on which we plan to do many of these features. Help us understand which ones we should do first. And thanks for trying it out.
jlm@ZV
jeremey, The zviewer ROCKs!, I really like its integration to Amazon and other vvid viewers as the content area is all over the net and is expanding. My family now leaves it up on the media center PC we have and just uses it ( whether we are ZV broadcasting or not) . I have WMC 2005 too but your Z viewer is significantly more stable and using the ZV remote with it has made our Media center PC so much more useable and the content selections are fabulaous ( keep em coming!).. the organization of the pictures, tightly mapped is really nice and allows for quick scrolling. once I found the "back" <--- key I realized I could baounce back form the Hulu or ABC site after viewing and back to the viewer for some thing else, that has probabably become the most important button I use aside from "play".. thanks!