media centre

[falafael]

Just wanted to let you know about a superb media player for your pc, even lets you watch streaming tv series and movies as well as watch your fav youtube videos, internet radio...the list is endless!!
The best there is....and its free!!
www.xbmc.org
Try it, i use it ALL the time...links my movies on my pc and i watch them via a old xbox in the living room!(hard modded)!
Thanks

 

[BrewStew]

christ i've been using that since it was called Xbox Media Player!

i can vouch... i hard modded both my xbox 1's about a year after i got them and replaced the crappy dashboard with (now called) XMBC so it boots straight into it.

the only downside is a modded xbox cant do hi-def or AAC audio in Xvid/DivX movies. so running XBMC on Linux or windows would be the alternative.

if you want to see something REALLY cool though, check out Linux MCE if you want to completely control your home and be able to control every bit of AV in your house with one remote. my favourite part about it is if you change rooms, you just press the "follow me" button on your remote and it'll switch everything on and transfer whatever you're watching to the room your in

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2176025602905109829

 

[falafael]

hey brewstew, xbox 1 can actually do 720p!, and thats its limit, by the way, yes been using mine for years now, love it, quick question, have you managed to play with scripts/plug ins?, as i am having a problem with tv shack!!
Let me know mate, i have loads of scripts etc, if you require?
Thanks again!!

 

[falafael]

BLOODY HELL!!!!, that linux mce has got me wetting my pants!! lol, wow, that..is one kick *** piece of kit...going to research that a little!!

 

[BrewStew]

hey brewstew, xbox 1 can actually do 720p!, and thats its limit, by the way, yes been using mine for years now, love it, quick question, have you managed to play with scripts/plug ins?, as i am having a problem with tv shack!!
Let me know mate, i have loads of scripts etc, if you require?
Thanks again!!

the youtube 2a script works... but not the latest one. i dont run scripts that often though so i cant say about tvshack

BLOODY HELL!!!!, that linux mce has got me wetting my pants!! lol, wow, that..is one kick *** piece of kit...going to research that a little!!

:lol:

it's still in it's infancy and some hardware isn't yet supported... but there are companies out there making media machines specifically designed to work with LMCE from the off!

i'm well pleased that it supports my cinema amp serial connection (yamaha, forget the model).. just need it to get support for my LG plasma's serial port and i'll seriously consider it! of course i could use an IR blaster though.

 

[falafael]

looks like you looked into it more than i have upto yet, what equipment is needed then in terms of hardware?, like all the wires and stuff to get it to actually work?, do you have a link to a site that details it in more detail for example?

 

[BrewStew]

the links on the right of the http://linuxmce.com/ website have some useful bits of info, specifically the wiki.

they've got a compatitble hardware list and links (and reviews) on media server/hybrid hardware and client hardware aswell.

 

[falafael]

right, i have got the installation dvd sorted out, nearly 4 gig in size!!, going to look into more detail over the next few week, at least my cambridge azur amp has a rs232 socket, as well as satellite!, getting there!!!

 

[BrewStew]

is that amp on the compatibilty list then?

i suggest installing it on a spare PC (for testing purposes) and see if it's right for you before taking the plunge totally.

i couldn't do much with it cos i dont have that funky remote, dont have a TV card and dont have an IR blaster... so couldn't really test it to it's full capacity.

someday though when i've got the spare cash i might build my own proper media server. it's a shame though that there aren't any freesat or cable tv PCI cards around though, or a compatible TV in card that'll take a HDMI or Component input so you can watch whatever's on TV in hi def elsewhere in the house.

 

[steve_flack]

someday though when i've got the spare cash i might build my own proper media server. it's a shame though that there aren't any freesat or cable tv PCI cards around though,

Check this link

http://www.avforums.com/forums/freesat/ ... ost7173721

I think the problem is more getting the EPG to work rather than actually watching it.

 

[falafael]

not entirly sure about the amp, this sort of stuff interests me, when i first had xbmc, i didn't have a clue about how to ftp movies onto the hard drive!, now am fully used to it!
Thing is, although this linux is good, am now thinking, do i need it?, after all my satellite remote, changes the satellite obviously, but also turns the amp volume as well.....and all my movies and music, photos, internet media etc are all on the xbmc...so what would i gain from using linux mce, apart from money!!
Also, does linux mce allow you to stream from the internet with such media as youtube, best of itv, shoutcast radio/video, veoh, tvshack, as well as loads of streaming tv series...with no buffering....with xbmc, i can watch the same movie from 3 different locations at the same time!!!
Don't know,thinking, if it ain't broke.....because at the moment..xbmc does me just right....tell you what brewstew, you oughta get the satellite system i have, am getting 30+movie channels, 20 sports, all discovery,history,geograpic, entertaiment, as well as loads of HIGH DEF, and bar the equipment, cost nothing to watch!!!
Really good mate......

 

[BrewStew]

not entirly sure about the amp, this sort of stuff interests me, when i first had xbmc, i didn't have a clue about how to ftp movies onto the hard drive!, now am fully used to it!

ftp? why not just share your media on your pc and browse to it from your xbmc? it'll stream it straight from the network!

Thing is, although this linux is good, am now thinking, do i need it?, after all my satellite remote, changes the satellite obviously, but also turns the amp volume as well.....and all my movies and music, photos, internet media etc are all on the xbmc...so what would i gain from using linux mce, apart from money!!

the ability to transfer whatever your watching in the lounge, to the office, bedrrom.. whatever at the press of a button... the ability to control everything from one remote that most multi remotes wont do. all your media is stored on one box, no faffing with FTP and transferring files etc

Also, does linux mce allow you to stream from the internet with such media as youtube, best of itv, shoutcast radio/video, veoh, tvshack, as well as loads of streaming tv series...with no buffering....with xbmc, i can watch the same movie from 3 different locations at the same time!!!

it definitely does youtube... i'm sure others are supported.

Don't know,thinking, if it ain't broke.....because at the moment..xbmc does me just right....tell you what brewstew, you oughta get the satellite system i have, am getting 30+movie channels, 20 sports, all discovery,history,geograpic, entertaiment, as well as loads of HIGH DEF, and bar the equipment, cost nothing to watch!!!
Really good mate......

a freesat HD box with dual tuner, hard drive and network support is on my agenda

 

[falafael]

pah, freesat is nothing but a sky box!, you still get the 'free' channels thats on sky, only that you have paid £199? for it, you'd be better of with a sky box in my opinion, as for itv hd...just whats worth watching on itv in the first place....for the same money you could get a technomate hd receiver, that will not only pick up freesat as well as other stuff like i get, heres a link for you...

http://www.technomate.com/viewproduct2.php?product=81
or:
these are some of the high definition channels that i get....let alone standard definition..
http://www.canaldigital.dk/TV/parabol-t ... V-kanaler/

Bear in mind this is in danish, but the channels are in english and in most cases dolby digital!

Heres the other channels!!
http://www.canaldigital.dk/TV/parabol-t ... NAL-TOTAL/

wetted you appetite.. lol

 

[BrewStew]

freesat gets more than just the free channels on sky... HD channels too, but you dont have to pay for them... i believe you still have to pay extra for HD channels with sky. and then there's the monthly fee because they make you purchase at least one package... and i only want the free channels and no monthly fee... and also the ability to record one channel and watch another, pause, rewind etc... i'd have to pay £100 for a plus box with sky.

the freesat box i had an interest in gets channels from the other satelite (i forget what it's called) too. so all those foreign channels are included if you connect to both at the same time. dunno whether that needs two dishes though.

 

[falafael]

hi, no mate your missing the point! yes freesat gets the free channels like a sky box, as well as hd, upto yet, theres only BBCHD, that only broadcasts about 6 hours or so a day, channel 4HD don't start till spring, although i get that now!, Itv HD, well, on and off at moment.
Thats why i said you'd be better of with a sky box from ebay, probably £20!
Freesat boxes will not pick up other satellites either, like sky, they have limited symbol rates and F.E.C's, so all you would get is whats on freesat! Not only that, they are not DISEq compatible at all!

Yes your right, you have to pay extra for sky hd as well as a monthly charge, which is a rip off....thats why i gave the links to a reciever that woudl be right up your street for freesat and other satellite(motorised!), and the list of channels i shown...well i get all those for nothing....i don't pay for any tv mate, albeit the tv licence!.
Hope you understand now brewstew!!

 

[BrewStew]

ah ha! now i get you

do you get all those channels without a motorised dish?

 

[falafael]

at the moment, i have 2 dishes, both 90cm, one is pointing to 1w, for all those channels i gave the link for, not only that, it also picks up 0.8w as well!!
Then the other is pointing to 3 satellites, and one of those is the freesat satellite (sky), and all go into a box outside, so theres only one wire going into the house!!
U could in theory just use a 90cm for the movie channels, and use your existing sky dish as well!
That way you would only have one receiver.
Having a set up like that would work, but would limit what you can actually receive if you were to motorise the 90cm, then you'd only have the one dish!
And believe me, there is a hell of a lot more tv for you to watch!! as well as news/sport feeds!!
i used to have a 1.2metre dish motorised a few years back!!