computer science

MediaPortal

MediaPortal is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MediaPortal rather than just read about it. In short: MediaPortal is a free and open-source media center application and digital video recorder software for Windows, often considered an alternative to Windows Media Center. It provides a 10-foot user interface for performing typical PVR/TiVo functionality, including playing, pausing, and recording live TV; playing DVDs, videos, and music; viewing pictures; and other functions.

Key takeaways

MediaPortal belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MediaPortal to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MediaPortal from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MediaPortal is a free and open-source media center application and digital video recorder software for Windows, often considered an alternative to Windows Media Center. It provides a 10-foot user interface for performing typical PVR/TiVo functionality, including playing, pausing, and recording live TV; playing DVDs, videos, and music; viewing pictures; and other functions. Plugins allow it to perform additional tasks, such as watching online video, listening to music from online services such as Last.fm, and launching other applications such as games. It interfaces with the hardware commonly found in HTPCs, such as TV tuners, infrared receivers, and LCD displays. The MediaPortal source code was initially forked from XBMC (now Kodi), though it has been almost completely re-written since then. MediaPortal is designed specifically for Microsoft Windows, unlike most other open-source media center applications such as MythTV and Kodi, which are usually cross-platform.

Features DirectX GUI Video Hardware Acceleration VMR / EVR on Windows Vista / 7 TV / Radio (DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-T, DVB-C, Analog television (Common Interface, DVB radio, DVB EPG, Teletext, etc...) IPTV Recording, pause and time shifting of TV and Radio broadcasts Music player Video/DVD player Picture player Internet Streams Integrated Weather Forecasts Built-in RSS reader Metadata web scraping from TheTVDB and The Movie Database Plug ins Skins Graphical user interfaces

Control MediaPortal can be controlled by any input device supported by the Windows operating system, such as a PC Remote; keyboard and mouse; a Gamepad, Kinect, Wii Remote; or Android / iOS/ WebOS / S60 handset devices.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MediaPortal

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MediaPortal claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MediaPortal before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MediaPortal ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MediaPortal

In research: MediaPortal appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MediaPortal in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MediaPortal is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2004 software, Free television software, Free video software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MediaPortal outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MediaPortal in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MediaPortal means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MediaPortal out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MediaPortal in simple terms?

Why does MediaPortal matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MediaPortal?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MediaPortal.