Media Center Software
The few applications in this section are responsible for playing back, categorizing and in general making your media look like a sports car on display. There are three key players in the Media Center game, and they are all represented here, although our recommended option is Plex all the way. The other two options, XBMC and Boxee are each intended for their own unique audiences, and I will detail the differences below.
Plex Media Center
Plex bridges the gap between your Mac and your home theater, doing so with a visually appealing user interface that provides instant access to your media. Plex can play a wide range of video, audio and photo formats as well as online streaming audio and video. The real power of Plex is it’s ability to take your existing files and and then pull all the information that pertains to it, such as backgrounds, IMDB information and lots more.
In a nutshell a lot of what I say for Plex can also be said for the other two programs. Plex is going to be the ‘Center’ of your Media Center. Once you configure it all your TV shows and movies will be organized with beautiful images and artwork that make scrolling through your media library an enjoyable task. There is a free ‘App Store’ which allows you to access videos and TV shows for programing all around the world (YouTube, Daily Show, etc) and there is also a very robust ‘Music’ section which will allow you to access numerous streaming music services (Pandora, last.fm, etc) as well as your personal iTunes music collection. Underneath the hood there are numerous tweaks; from upscaling standard definition video for your HD display to playing nearly every new video format you can think of.
Lastly, Plex bundles a lot of cool features under the hood that I will explore in tutorials down the road, especially when it comes to streaming your media to various devices. It hasn’t even reached version 1.0 yet, but it is still an amazingly robust media player that is sure to amaze your friends and make viewing your media a pleasure every time.
Plex: Tutorials & Featured Posts
(2011.08.18) Setting Up Plex for the First Time
Price: Free! (Donations Accepted & Recommended)
Website: Link
XBMC (XBOX Media Center)
XBOX Media Center is an open source application that started on the original XBOX and has dramatically evolved. Being open source, Plex actually borrows a lot of code from XBMC, which is why they look and act in a very similar fashion. However, XBMC is a little more technical in nature while Plex is a very polished and (relatively) simple application to use. At this point in time, both applications have worked out their kinks to make them user friendly, but XBMC is intended to be tweaked and customized to the ‘nth degree. Lastly, XBMC is available and intended to be used on all platforms, whereas Plex is mostly Mac-centric and can then be regulated to a better degree. My suggestion would be to use/try XBMC only if you are having problems with Plex.
Price: Free! (Donations Accepted)
Website: Link
Boxee
Boxee is the only Media Center software of the bunch that has deep roots in social media, which you will either love or hate. While Boxee will still playback and organize your files, it also does it’s best to pull new media to the front for you while integrating your other social services such as Facebook and Twitter. This means you can connect with other friends (who use Boxee), get recommendations as to what to watch and even manage individual user accounts, which is a unique feature for families/roommates. There are also ‘Apps’ just like on Plex which work as a portal for more videos. Like watching South Park? Install the South Park app and have access to all of the streaming episodes!
Boxee is really best suited for the person or family that wants to manage their media, but doesn’t want their media to be the only thing they can watch in a pinch. To some, all the social aspects will be a boon, to others it will be a key feature that the other two applications are lacking. If you are just getting started with your Media Center and don’t know exactly what you are looking for, Boxee is a good program to try for a while.
Price: Free! (You have to sign up)
Website: Link
Conclusion
If your goal is to watch your media in a beautiful and simple manner, from a wide range of devices, Plex is the application you should stick with. If you only plan on watching your media in one place and like to tinker, Plex is still a contender, but XBMC may be better suited to fiddling around. Additionally, the newest features are likely to show up in XBMC before they show up in Plex. Boxee is a very different application, and if you don’t know what kind of Media Center you are trying to create, it could be an excellent option. It is a lot more foolproof than the other two applications, but it also puts a lot more ‘stuff’ in your face.
Plex is still my media player of choice (and most of what is on the site is geared towards using Plex), but you have options should you feel the need for change.
