Getting more out of your HTPC.

I have mentioned in previous posts about various Plug In applications you can get that can add functionality and value to your home theater PC. This time, I thought I would share a few that I am currently using and provide a list of several more that exist.

However, before jumping into things, let me first explain a little about “plug-in” applications. As I had discussed in the What Can a Home Cinema/Home Theater PC Do?, Microsoft has developed a very nice application called Windows® Media Center. Windows Media Center provides some great functionality that allows you to enjoy much of your favorite content from the comfort of your couch. However, the very nature of the HTPC makes it very flexible, allowing it to do so much more. As such, Microsoft has enabled tools that allow software developers and others to write their own applications that “Plug In” to the Windows Media Center application. Once installed, most of these applications can be launched and used from inside the Windows Media Center almost as though it were part of the original application. In some cases, the plug-in might run in the background or reside on the desktop to make the Windows Media Center experience better.

The availability of plug-ins has enabled professional software vendors as well as individual software programmers to write a variety of applications that can enhance the overall functionality of your HTPC. There are applications that let you organize and store your DVD collection onto your HTPC, allow you to shop/bid on sites like eBay, provide localized, national and international weather updates, plus a lot more.

Below are some screen shots from My Movies and MCE Weather to give you an idea of the different types of features that can be added to your HTPC.

One thing to note about plug-ins is that while many of these are free, most of the developers do accept donations as they do spend a great deal of their free time writing and debugging these applications. If you find one you really like, consider making a donation to show your appreciation and support for the developer. Other plug-ins are fee based but may offer a trial version. Lastly, some plug-ins have specific hardware or software requirements, so it’s important to check the requirements before downloading and/or installing the application.

Below is a list of various plug-ins that I have collected with the help of folks on various forums. Again, this list is not all inclusive nor should it be considered a “recommended” list — it is just a sampling of some of the plug-ins available today.  Most of the sites below will have screen shots and detailed information about their application.

VMC Netflix
vmcNetflix is another Netflix oriented plug-in to manage your Netflix subscription.

My Movies Plugin
Shown above, index all your DVD movies automatically, browse, read about and watch your movies, etc.

ArcSoft TotalMedia™ Theatre (Fee based)
This is a great plug in for Blu-ray and DVD playback. The software supports multiple audio/video formats (Blu-ray or DVD Drive required).

Web Guide 4
WebGuide allows you to remotely view live/recorded TV programs as well as manage your recorded television programs. Offers remote access from any machine that has a web browser an internet access, including mobile devices.  This currently only works with Windows Vista®

Secondrun TV Plugin
Here is a nice plug-in that brings Hulu to Media Center. This is an early release and still a work in progress, but it is a great start.

My Channel Logos for 7MC
Here is a nice plug-in that allows you to add channel logos to TV channels in the EPG (Program Guide).  It is limited to Microsoft’s Windows 7 at this point in time.

MCE Google Calendar
Plug-in for adding Google calendar to Media Center.

Video Browser
Plug-in that provides a simple interface to your videos, movies, and TV shows.

Media Browser
Media Browser is a free media aggregator plugin for Media Center that takes your recorded, digital, or ripped media and presents it in a simple, easy to use interface. Media Browser prides itself on delivering a fast, intuitive, media rich experience for the whole family.

MC Shoutcast (Fee based)
mcShoutCast adds internet radio to your HTPC. +13,000 stations at your fingertips, save your favorite radio stations. Top 500 Station list shows you the hottest stations.

Music Browser
Music Browser is a Vista Media Center application which allow for folder based navigation of your music files, ditching the need to have the Artist and/or Album Artist tagged correctly in all of your files.

MCE Buddy
MCEBuddy is a file compression tool to make large TV, Video, etc. files smaller, saving disk space. It can also remove commercials from recorded TV shows.

MCE Weather
mceWeather shows weather for your region on your TV or PC. The plug-in provides data from all over the world. It shows the forecast for the next days and also shows you a satellite image of your country.

My TV to Go (Fee based)
Easily convert and transfer TV shows directly to your mobile device. Watch TV on your iPod, Sony Playstation Portable, Laptop, Pocket PC, Smartphone etc. Transfer directly to your device using your remote control (connectivity hardware may be required).

Lifextender
Lifextender is a simple commercial-removal application designed exclusively for Windows Vista® Media Center users.

ShowAnalyzer
ShowAnalyzer is another commercial removal based plug-in that basically “watches” the show for you, only really, really fast.

MCE Auction
Just imagine sitting on your couch in the living room with your remote in the hand while you search, browse, bid or buy on eBay! mceAuction brings eBay to your living room on your Microsoft® Windows® Media Center 2005 or Window’s Vista® Media Center.

MCE Contacts (Fee based)
Brings your contacts into media center with the ability to add pictures and detailed info on each contact.

Media Center Mail
With Media Center Mail you can read your e-mails on your Media Center TV. Media Center Mail comes with its own mail system for receiving e-mails from POP3 servers.

Media Center Status
Media Center Status is a simple application to keep your Facebook and Twitter friends up to date based upon what you are watching in Media Center.

MCE Phone Skype Application (Fee based)
With mcePhone for Skype, your Microsoft® Windows® Media Center turns into a full communication machine. Make/Receive Skype calls from within Windows Media Center (additional hardware may be required).

Menu Mender
Not so much a plug in per se, but more of a nice utility that allows you to customize the menu strips in Windows Vista® Media Center, add short cut icons to launch applications, etc.  This does not work with Windows 7®.

Media Center Studio
Media Center studio is the follow on product to Menu Mender.  It is another nice utility that allows you to customize the menu strips, add themes and customize your Media Center experience in both Windows Vista® and Windows 7®.

MCE Zone
A site with several different plug in applicaitons. They have calendar plug ins, Twitter® plug ins, VOIP plug ins and more.
 
As you can see, there are lots of ways to extend the functionality and enhance your HTPC experience.  Next time, I will provide more info on my own experience with our Maui HTPC.

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.