Linux Media Center

[Zachstar]

Check out this video!

http://wiki.linuxmce.com/index.php/Video

Now this is just stunning. It puts all the 80s and 90s audio/video equipment I have to shame.

It also puts to shame the "Xbox media center" which for a time was gaining wide popularity.

And it keeps an eye on the house with the right sensors. How about that!

[SUBMAN1]

Check out this video!

http://wiki.linuxmce.com/index.php/Video

Now this is just stunning. It puts all the 80s and 90s audio/video equipment I have to shame.

It also puts to shame the "Xbox media center" which for a time was gaining wide popularity.

And it keeps an eye on the house with the right sensors. How about that!I run a Linux media server. I have Gentoo Linux on it. I posted this before, but this is what it looks like:

http://www.kurobox.com/revolution/images/kuro-box_hg.jpg

Not much bigger than a hard drive. It has a 500 GB stuffed into it, and I use it as my primary home server, as well as my ftp server for when I'm on the road.

http://www.kurobox.com/revolution/what.html

Here is the flavor of Linux I have on it:

http://www.gentoo.org/

The reason for Gentoo is that you can optimize it for any platform, and make a special install of it that only works with the box it is on, but since it is optimized, it will run faster and more efficiently (no bloat) than a generic flavor of Linux. A smaller footprint can also be created. There is a downside though - since what I describe means you have to compile all the code on the box, and compiling code on this little guy (PPC 266 Mhz) can take a while.

For serving media out to various windows platforms and to my TV, I use this media server:

http://www.twonkymedia.com/

It will serve up various forms of media to any device capable of playing it.

My main device I use to play back this media is this:

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=438

There are no fans, and it has perfect silent operation so it is perfect for an entertainment center. I pipe the sound over to my Rotel surround proc via digital coax, and I use the DSM to decode the video and also pass it to the Rotel. Picture quality is perfect from the DSM.

-S

PS. As I type this, I am processing video (A nice way of saying that I am removing the commercials) from a slew of video that my media center recorded, and I will dump it on the Kuro. Takes about 2 minutes to remove the commercials. Its mainly waiting for my RAID drive to chew the large files.

[SUBMAN1]

Just looked at the little Kurobox. Currently is is holding on to about 330 TV prgrams. The average TV program it has on it is 1 hour long. Of course not one has any commercials in it, so figure 40 to 43 minutes each in length.

I have a lot of TV! :D I guess if cable goes down, I probably won't notice much.

-S

[Zachstar]

Well don't expect that to last too too long. DRM is really attractive to them you know...

However if that dosent happen I am quite interested in this whole idea. I first heard of computerized media centers in 2000 and thought it was a stupid idea having a loud computer with bright lights cluttering up a beautiful setup.

However, Today this sounds like a solution for my home, not just my living room...

Currently the little media that I do have is stored on my PC. I have experimented with VLC to record in perfect detail the government public domain stream called "NASA TV"

I would really like to be able to go to work without missing things such as EVA coverage or landings (I refuse to get a TIVO because I am not interested in their data collection policies) and have a graphical interface for the bit of media I have.

On top of that the ability to act as an alarm system with cheap sensors is nice.

[SUBMAN1]

There is no DRM that will never not be broken. Even Sony's Blu-Ray player that they said the DRM would not be broken for 10 years is , well, broken! :D

Anyway, a DVR is a good idea. I use Microsofts Media Center 2005 to capture most of my video. I also have a Tivo too, but it is hacked and mainly used for recording from my computer. I don't use it for recording TV.

This is what the quality looks like when using the Tivo to capture video from my main gaming box:

http://www.stage6.com/user/xman11/videos/

-S

PS. I think Microsoft's MCE 2005 is the best solution here. The reason? You don't have to pay for the guide data. It is free for life. So you get Tivo functionality, without the monthly bill.

[Zachstar]

Um no thanks. I much rather use a stable OS like Linux that is maintained by people and is free at the same time.

Also MS MCE is missing features compared to Linux MCE

[SUBMAN1]

Um no thanks. I much rather use a stable OS like Linux that is maintained by people and is free at the same time.

Also MS MCE is missing features compared to Linux MCELike what? There is nothing a Linux box gives me over MCE 2005. Actually, I'd have to say the Linux box may be missing a thing or two. Don't get me wrong though, I run a combination of Linux and Windows in this house, and each have their pluses and minuses. Free is a plus for Linux, but $99 for an OS (About what an OEM copy of MCE 2005 can be found for) and free guide data for life is too good a deal. Last I checked (about 3 to 4 months ago), with the Linux box, you have to still 'pay' for your guide data. It stopped being free. So sooner or later, you are going to pay more for your guide data than you did for your MCE 2005 copy.

And I can't remember a crash - its simply XP Pro with Media Center Capabilities. So for stability, it is a rock.

-S