Early last year I made the decision to rip all my movies and store them on a server so I could watch them from any TV in my house. I already had a Home Server to store them on, so the only piece I was missing was the software to organize and play the movies with. I knew I wanted to use Windows as the OS because of Windows Media Center. That is when I discovered My Movies 2 (a plugin for Windows Media Center) which provides a way to organize and play movies from a remote server. Fast forward nearly 2 years and we are now looking at My Movies 3 and the new features it has to offer.
I’m not going to cover all the features found in My Movies, just the changes that were made for My Movies 3. If you want more detail you can read my review of My Movies 2.
One of the first changes you are going to notice is that the installer has changed quite a bit. No longer do you have many different installers to choose from, instead all the server, client, and stand alone versions have been combined into one installer. The installer is also quite a bit smaller because things like SQL server are no longer bundled. Instead they are downloaded during the install only if they are needed.
Installer |
After the software is installed you are required to start up the collection management software. This step will setup My Movies to connect with your server and also get you to log into your My Movies account. Both these steps are required before you can begin using the software.
The Collection Management software has mostly stayed the same, except for one small but important part, all configuration settings have been moved out of the Media Center interface and into Collection Management. At first I was frustrated because I thought this meant all configurations would be global and shared with all clients. However, this is not true. Each client stores its own settings, so each computer can have its own Default list, Custom buttons, View, and much more.
Collection Management |
Options |
Since I already have all my DVDs in the database I can skip right to using the Media Center interface. The first time you start Media center you will immediately notice that My Movies no longer asks where you want the buttons installed. Instead, My Movies will always integrate into both the Extras/Program library, as well as create it’s own strip in the start menu. At this point, depending on if you are using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, the start menu strip will have a different look, with different icons. Windows Vista’s SDK does not allow the use of the wide icons used by Media Center’s own menu icons, but Windows 7 does. This gives Windows 7 a more integrated feel because all the buttons are the same.
Windows 7 Strip |
Vista Strip |
The Start menu strip has 5 options on it, including movie library, trailer library, search, play disk, and copy disk. The trailer library is completely independent from your movie library and you have no control (that I could find) over its contents. The maximum bitrate of the trailers is the only option you have control over. I did find that the trailers that were played from here were very choppy and not at all pleasant to watch, perhaps lowering the bitrate would help on my network. I would prefer an option to turn this off. I really don’t view movie trailers all that much, and when I do, I always go online so I can download the HD version and view them more smoothly.
Trailers |
Trailer Details |
Probably the biggest change in all the software is with the movie library. My Movies 2 used a combination of the movie cover and title, sorted left to right, and it would scroll up and down. With My Movies 3 you cannot have titles and covers. This new interface is modeled after the Windows Media Center movies list, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. When I showed this to my wife she asked if I could switch it back to the old view. Unfortunately, this is not possible. The only views are Covers full screen, Covers and details, Covers Centered, and List and details.
Covers |
Covers and Details |
List and details |
When viewing covers you can also choose how many rows are displayed. I recommend you keep the number down, because the screen gets really busy if you get too many covers on the same screen. As a case in point, see how long it takes to find the movie U.S. Marshals in the below image (click to enlarge, login to get full size). If it took more than 5 seconds it is too long. I personally set my covers at 4 rows, which seems to be a good balance for me.
Small Covers |
The other new features all focus on integrations. For example, My Movies 2 had it’s own integration of HD players, but My Movies 3 now automatically detects ArcSoft TotalMedia Theater 2 or 3, and launches this player directly without the middle layer that My Movies 2 had. Since Media Center plays all the formats that I need, I have not needed to use any 3rd party players.
Overall I am very impressed with the changes. Except for the way movies and trailers are displayed (no titles, and sorted top to bottom) I like the changes. My Movies has come a long way and it is really a useful program. If you are in the market for a Movie management program and you use Windows Media Center then My Movies is what you need.
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