Linux MCE

[Applefiend]

This is old, but I've only gotten round to reviewing all the info

Screenshots and video: http://wiki.linuxmce.com/index.php/Screenshots

I've gotten a Windows Media Center, I'm a Mac man but Apple don't do anything like I want. (I need a PVR that works with Ir blasters), but I really hate my Gigabyte Windows Media Center. It...

a - Crashes all the bloody time
b - Pish poor user interface
c - Only works with other microsoft products
d - Won't talk to my iTunes and iPod
e - Doesn't hibernate properly, so it's on all the time sucking up electricity.

So I'm looking at this very carefully. Anybody got a LinuxMCE? How you finding it?

[Garfunkel]

haha your thinking of converting are you ;) :stirpot:

I haven't tried Linux MCE personally, however i have tried numerous other similar apps. I have a tv tuner and use Kaffeine to watch tv with it, (it's just a media player with the works, nothing amazing, not a media center but it works for me).

Linux MCE though is really cool, look for some vids on youtube of it, there are movies of the developers showing how you can turn on/off your lights and showing you how to turn on/off devices and streaming data and all sorts of wonderful things :) check it out.

It is basically an add on to Ubuntu, you install ubuntu, download the .deb package off their website, it's an installer. Then you download the CD, start the installer and away you go. Past that i'm not too sure how you run it or configure it. One thing though, your house really needs to be fully rigged up for it to be of full use to you.

You may also like mythtv or knoppmyth, they are the same basic thing.

[Applefiend]

I never really convert, I just look for good solutions to problems. :)

Hmmm... I think I need to work out what I want exactly. The ideal thing is if I could turn a Media Center's recorded TV programs into a podcast of MP4s I could subscribe to in iTunes, and then it can just be more media I can watch on my ipod, iphone, laptop, appletv and the rest.

Perhaps I should research Windows Media Center alternatives on Windows first, find one that doesn't crash and has a half decent user interface. It's not Windows that's crashing, it's Windows Media Center. It can't play a simple AVI without screwing up.

Hmmm.... I shall continue to research.

[Garfunkel]

what sort of tuner do you have?

[Applefiend]

Errmm... Something obscure I think, it's a gigabyte AVPC. Have to look it up.

[Garfunkel]

crack 'er open and check on the card if you cant find it elsewhere.

*tries and fails miserably to use Aussie vernacular*