XMBC Media Center freezes on Windows 7 PC

I am trying to configure my own HTPC. I am having a pc which has a 1TB storage. It is loaded with all kinds of videos, music and other files. Now I want some way by which I can stream everything to my tv and other systems in the network. My friend suggested me to go with XMBC as it is one of the best media center software available. Everything here works well. I can see the shared content on other system but when I try to stream the same through XMBC it freezes and due to it everything on the network is slowed down.

I can only recommend you one thing here. Just re-install it. There can be some problem with the installation and media streaming due to which you are facing problem. But if you can simply re-install it with all needed stuff then it might work well. Update your system codec and video driver also.

That is a common bug with XMBC. There are several factors behind the problem. First this can be due to slow lan network. A number of time when you stream HD videos through the lan network and if the bandwidth is limited or if there is an outdated drivers then streaming does not goes well. It is more in-appropriate. The first thing you have to see is to verify the lan transfer speed. See how much speed your getting and check that on different devices. The second thing I will recommend you to do is to update your systems video driver. Download essential codec pack from the web and add them in the system. That will give more stability to the system. For streaming videos on TV you need a compatible cable that can stream hd videos instantly without buffering and other stuff. Hard drive performance also relies on the same to some extent. The last thing you have to do is just disable firewall or some security application in your system for sometime and then check back. A number of security applications like Zone Alarm also cause this kind of problems.

Which version of XMBC you are using. Check for the latest version. I think by updating the same will help you to fix the problem you are facing. You just need to update the same and then check back. I am sure that will fix the problem.

Why don't you try something else. Like Windows Media Center or some other tool that is more proper. I am having a Media Center laptop. I use it for streaming my content directly on my TV. I am not sure about the lan configuration but it really works fine. I might be having around 100 movies that appear well on the screen with albums. It is more easy to choose them and then watch it as per your need. I had also purchased universal remote which works fine with Windows Media Center. There are other ample of great media center software available on web that work really well with windows. One of them is Plex Media Center software. It is also having a very nice layout where you can any movie of your choice instantly with less effort. I think it is the time you must switch to another media center that works more better compare to XMBC.

I found windows media center as one of the best tool for video streaming. The entire htpc setup mostly rely on your system and the different type of video in it. It is not possible that all hundred movies that yo are having is in .avi or .mp4 format. There are vob files, dat files, etc and many more format. So you need a kind of universal media player that can read everything. For windows media player after installing klite codec pack everything works fine. It is having a nice layout can add movies simply on the same. It is very simple to configure also. I am streaming video through a TV Tuner card directly windows media center and it works fine. There is no issue at all.

I am using Boxee. It is a nice media center. Actually I got this pre-installed on my pc. The main feature that I really liked about the media center is the online streaming video. Which is not really possible in other media players. The media center offers a simple layout and configurations is quiet easy. I am sure you will find it simple to use.

If XMBC is crashing or freezing then try to re-install it. If still the problem persist then to test just launch it in your pc and see whether you are able to play video or not. Configuring a simple htpc is a bit complicated on windows. At my home I had configured a Linux media server. I am using Ubuntu on the same. I had copied all the movies in a single partition which is also the largest. I had copied everything on that and then it is easily available via shared resources on the lan. So that makes the job more easy when there are guest in the house and want to watch their favorite movies. The benefit of using linux is that it works fine and it is less resource intensive compare to windows application. Even on low memory you can create a decent media sever. There is no need to upgrade nor you need to worry about any kind of video codec. Today there are ample of media server version available under open source.