MediaPortal vs SMPlayer

MediaPortal is free, open-source software for turning a Windows PC into a multimedia center or home theater PC. It can show and record live TV, display a TV guide, and play or record TV across networked PCs. Its media library covers videos, DVDs, music, pictures, and home videos, with support for network playback, subtitles, and hardware acceleration. Listed formats include MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, MOV, H.264, VC-1, DivX, Xvid, AC3, DTS, MP3, AAC, Matroska, DVD, and Blu-ray. MediaPortal can also tune radio through a TV card or web stations and stream it to PCs connected to its TV Server. Remote access is available through a web browser, Android, and iOS devices, which can also serve as Wi-Fi remote controls. The project offers community plugins and skins. Its download page offers MediaPortal 1 and 2: MP1 is described as maintained with more plugins, while MP2 has fewer plugins. The software is free, with a free plan and no free trial listed.

SMPlayer is a free media player for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It includes built-in codecs to play most audio and video formats without requiring external codecs. Listed formats include AVI, ASF/WMV/WMA, QT/MOV/MP4, RealAudio/RealVideo, Ogg/OGM, Matroska, MPEG-1/2, H.264, MPEG-4, MP3, AAC, AC3, and DTS. The player supports network playback, subtitles, hardware acceleration, and 4K playback. It provides a graphical interface for MPlayer and can also use mpv as its playback engine. SMPlayer remembers playback position and settings such as audio track, subtitles, and volume. Controls include playback speed adjustment, audio and video filters, audio and subtitle delay adjustment, and a video equalizer. It can play YouTube videos, search for subtitles through OpenSubtitles, and send local videos or online streams to Chromecast devices. The project is free and open source under the GPL, offers source code, and directs users to a forum for help and a bug tracker for reporting problems.