Windows Media Center Electronic Program Guide Alternatives

Anonymous
2019-10-02T00:29:35+00:00

I've recently received a popup on my Windows Media Center home screen stating that the Electronic Program Guide will not be available after January 2020.  I've long expected this day.  The popup gives you a click option for alternatives to the EPG, but the link it takes you to is a nothing link for generic guide troubleshooting (I got the same popup on my Windows Media Center Extender.  Clicking on it rebooted the extender).

Are any 3rd party EPG alternatives even in the works?  I am trying to figure what my next DVR setup will be and need to get on it.  Am thinking of getting an Amazon Recast box, but kind of want to see if they have a second generation (with larger HDDs) in the works.  Thinking about SiliconDust's HDHomeRun stuff, or perhaps rolling my own with Plex or something.  Again, having an EPG is paramount.  

For what it's worth - I've bought into WMC since the beginning - I was the lead factory escalation engineer for a vendor's line of Media Center products - it will be like saying goodbye to an old friend, and even though it was pretty much abandoned in place for the past ten plus years, there was someone there to make sure it still was working.  Just a thank you to the Windows Home team...

-Dale

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video

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Anonymous
2019-10-28T00:53:58+00:00

Hi,

For what its worth I am also a long time WMC user and hate to see it go. However, in anticipation I've set up a Plex server and have been running it in parallel with WMC the last couple of months just to see how it would work as a DVR. You had to buy a one time DVR license from Plex which I think was around $80 (it's normally more than that but they were running a special over the summer). The one time fee was another reason that I decided to try Plex versus some of the other options that had recurring fees.  Anyway, I've been using Plex with my OTA antenna and an amazon firestick and it seems to be working fine without any EPG issues like the ones that always seemed to be popping up with WMC. As an added plus I can also stream from my server to my phone which comes in handy at the gym. 

Regards.

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-11-29T03:06:41+00:00

    but with Plex your computer must be on 24/7.  it won't wake computer and start recording.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-11-29T17:38:37+00:00

    I noticed that it was a subscription service for the guide - I will likely wait till the first of the year and buy a years subscription at that time.   Like I said earlier, will likely get an Amazon Recast box, but waiting for the second generation.  As to discontinued products I loved.  Office 2007, Money, Encarta, Cinemania, Streets & Trips, and last but not least - my Nokia Lumia Icon Windows 10 phone.   Office 2007, while it still got updates, wouldn't re-install once I updated to Win10, and I needed to reinstall after some update screwed up the Office install.  My Nokia had the best camera I've ever seen in a smartphone.  I held onto it as long as I could until it met a slow-motion death on a pile of rocks.  Now using most of the MS Suite of products on my Android phone.

    I too was a diehard Windows 10 phone user with a Nokia Lumia Icon.  And then MS abandoned it, as they seem to do more often these days.  I've since replaced it with a Nokia 8 (android) and put Square Home 3 on the UI, which is actually better than the OEM Windows 10 mobile interface.

    --Russ

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-12-02T15:54:34+00:00

    I still have the Money Sunset Edition, but I quit using it almost as soon as I got it because, unless I remember incorrectly, it does not support automatic, in-app connections to my accounts.  My banks support connections by Quicken, and Quicken only.  I',m not aware of any institution that supports on-line connections using ANY other product.  Sure, I can manually download the data from each of my dozen-plus accounts and import the downloads into Money+.  But many financial institutions don't even provide QIF-formatted files anymore, and QIF is the only format the Money+ will import.  I might be mistaken, but I don't believe Money+ supports the new QFX format.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-12-02T16:05:17+00:00

    I switched to EPG123 and it works just fine.  It's worth the $25/year cost.  My WMC laptop dual-boots both Win-7 and Linux (Ubuntu).  As a bonus, EPG123 works equally well with the MythTV package I installed on the Ubuntu image as a replacement for WMC. 

    I expect Microsoft to release some sort of a "Sunset Edition" for WMC (as they did for MS Money a decade ago.)  Depending on how well WMC continues to work as we move into 2020, I now have a fully functional backup/replacement for WMC in MythTV.

    There are a number of web sites out there, including https://thegreenbutton.tv/ and https://windows10mediacenter.com/ that claim WMC will run under Win-10 too, but I haven't spent the time to work my way thru them.

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