Windows Phone App Review: Ceton Companion
Media Center has been a part of Windows for a very long time, information technology allows for the addition on TV tuner cards and streaming movies, pictures, music and live television to other devices around the habitation. As information technology requires a PC running Windows to exist put under your television it only caught on with a hobbyist audition. For those that want to cut the cord with their subscription television service or merely build a corking entertainment arrangement with tons of flexibility, it is still hard to beat.
When Microsoft built Windows Phone, they left a few things out, one such omission was its power to integrate direct with Media Middle, even basic remote control duties were overlooked. As nosotros all know, where Microsoft cannot provide, others stride in to make full the gaps. Ceton Corp has done merely that, having just brought their Ceton companion app and services out of beta. The app promises more than merely a simple remote control functions, nosotros power upward our Media Centres and Xbox 360s to see how it does.
Take Control..
Getting up and running
The installation is a ii part thing, you'll need the app for Windows Phone and also y'all'll need to head to their website to take hold of the Ceton Services desktop app and install it on your Media Middle PC. The desktop installation is very straightforward, run the installer and every bit long as you lot're happy with its defaults you're set up to become, easy. The PC software is like to the Zune desktop client, having clean, easy to read menus that exercise abroad with the clutter.
Desktop awarding for Ceton Services, like style to the Zune customer..
The desktop app's default options should be fine for nearly merely should you have extensive media libraries, TV series and Movies, yous may demand to tinker around with the settings. In my case, I needed to signal the app in the direction of my Movies folder that lives on a carve up hd. Since I have been incredibly lazy with organising my movie collection, I opted to permit the Ceton Services to grab the Artwork and Metadata (metadata is things similar release date, actors, synopsis etc.) for my films. That was surprisingly like shooting fish in a barrel and the event is my collection is now far more than enjoyable to browse.
Action, Guide, Movie Gallery and Remote..
The App for Windows Phone
The app has a three pane panoramic layout, which is broken downwards into Tv set, Movies and Activity sections. It is articulate a great deal of thought and attention has gone into designing the app to attach properly to the typography-based principles laid down with Metro. Windows Phone has a fantastic UI prototype and seeing apps respect and blueprint around it properly makes for a very pleasing experience. Whilst the app has some complex interactions and a surprising number of features, everything is easily discoverable and the smart design keeps it feeling low-cal.
Goggle box Section
At the heart of Media Center is the guide, the digital schedule of all the upcoming TV programs. The companion app brings a mini version of this to the phone. What we become is a make clean, ii-column view with nine stations visible in portrait manner and 5 stations visible in mural mode. It is well laid out and gives total admission to recording options, and plan details. The residual of the television section is well featured, allowing quick viewing of upcoming recordings and serial direction. Compared to the actual user interface on Media Heart it is oft more than straightforward to attain many common tasks.
Get your guide where you want it...
Activity Section
The activity pane gives an at-a-glance view of events such as upcoming recordings, recently completed recordings and the most recent additions to your picture collection. I really similar this feature as I often forget when I have recorded or added things to my collection. A articulate case of non just replicating existing Media Middle functionality but edifice upon information technology and helping to brand the content more than accessible.
Movies Department
The movies section has a dainty gallery view, showing big thumbnails of recent movies added to your drove. Gallery uses, to good event the cover art from the movies to bring the content to your attending. You can likewise drill into your collection by championship with the familiar alphabetical sorting methods used in the People hub; you can sort by release appointment too.
Universal Search
The app also has the powerful ability to complete avant-garde universal searches allowing for a whole range of conditions. Channels, Movies, Programme guide, recorded TV, Boob tube Series and even the types of programs from the program guide. Getting to the heart of your bachelor content is much easier with this feature and a welcome addition. In that location isn't any universal search in media center, so having this app will permit you to achieve that, not only that but as information technology'south a smartphone, typing the search is significantly easier.
What else does it do?
If yous take any Extenders set up around the firm you tin can easily play content from your media centre to those. When the extenders are up and running, you'll be given the option when you click on play for which device you want to sentry it on. I tested this with my Xbox 360 and was able to transport Television and Movies to it without any bug.
Last Thoughts
Experiences with initial setup are very positive, with the whole process being uncomplicated and pain free, only accepting the defaults volition become y'all a very capable remote app. The Ceton services desktop app makes it straightforward to include additional folders with TV series and Movies, should you practice want. You can also opt for the retrieval of the artwork and metadata to make your content easier to search and organise.
App performance is practiced, scrolling is smooth and the typography and design blend perfectly into the Windows Telephone UI aesthetic. The but niggle I had with the app was when using the guide, having to load the channel data in chunks felt like information technology could do with some improvement. From a features perspective the app really delivers, bringing universal search and nice touches similar the activity pane to help enhance the feel across what Media Center can offering in its own UI. Ceton have certainly put serious efforts into making this app a well-rounded experience. If you need a controller app for your home theatre PC, you should get to the marketplace and have this for a spin, it is hard to think of a reason why you lot will not like it.
Price US $4.99 UK £3.99
Market place link Hither
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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-app-review-ceton-companion
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