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There are software programmable remote tools available. It's all there. It just needs to be integrated, refined, and made into a distribution.

Hmm, kinda. The parts are there, but no-one has put them together in a neat package yet. That's probably since Linux video software has really taken off in just the last 6 months.

There's mplayer which is a great player for any video-format out there. It can even play DVD's, although it doesn't have menu support like Ogle. It can also rip DVD:s to MPEG-4 (a.k.a DivX) using a couple of different encoders. Xvid is my favorite open-source MPEG-4 encoder, it's also got good reviews on Doom9 (good place for DivX info!).

For the TV-in recording part you can use a $50 WinTV card and the Video4Linux drivers. On top of that you need an audio-video capture application that can use encoders such as Xvid and Lame to encode to MPEG-4 (video) and MP3 (audio). I use NVrec. If you try the NVrec suite, use the DIVX4rec app (with the Xvid library instead of divx4linux which isn't maintained anymore). On my P-III 500MHz I can compress 29.97 Hz (NTSC) 320x240 in real-time to 800 kbit/s (video) + 80 kbit/s (audio). It takes about 5 hours to make a one-pass encoding of a DVD, so with a faster CPU it's probably possible to do real-time de-interlacing and encoding of 640x480 video.

A drawback is that NVrec is a command-line app for recording, I'm working on a patch for real-time preview on Matrox G400 TV-out. Or if you have a fast enough computer you might be able to run mplayer on the file as it is being recorded. This would allow for Tivo-like pause and resume. It might be a problem with AVI files from NVrec though since I don't think they're streamable.

Now, to put all of this together you need some kind of control application. That's not really that hard to write compared to all the other pieces (mplayer, xvid, nvrec). I've been working on one for the last couple of months, and have an alpha version that is usuable. It only supports the Matrox G400 for TV-out, and is a little crude, but it works good enough that I have it hooked up to my TV for everyday use. It's controllable by a remote control (see Lirc), using a very simple text-menu system to view tv, play avi/mpeg/mp3/dvd, record tv-in and rip DVD's. I'm getting ready to put it up on Sourceforge as Freevo within the next couple of weeks.

The application is written in Python which is great for stuff like this. Once the basic stuff is done, it might be cool to make a plugin architecture where you could interface to other stuff. For instance, with OSD (on screen display), it is easy to add things like new mail notification while you're watching TV. Or new Slashdot headlines, ICQ chat notif, phone caller ID interface, www control, etc. And, of course, an interface to some kind of tv-guide.

I haven't really found any other complete applications like this. Not that I've looked that hard, I'm always looking for an excuse to write software. mplayer might end up with all these feaures eventually, it is improving at an incredible rate at the moment.

* A remote
What about LIRC?

* Detailed TV schedule data
XML TV

* Able to record up to 30 hours of programming
I think thats only limited by the size of the hdd.

* Easy to use UI that is usable on a TV screen
What?? You wouldn't use cron? :) Seriously, there is a link (I wish I bookmarked it) where I saw a linux app doing on-tv UI. Does anyone know the site?

* (and this is a big one) DOES NOT CRASH
I don't see how this project is anymore crash-prone than others...

The "cool" factor is there, but that's not why I'd do it.... oh who am I kidding, that's the only reason. :) You could rig up networking, so you could program the thing to record from your desktop, you could transfer recordings to your PC for burning or p2p sharing, etc.

As for the cheap factor, I don't know if it would be, but it sure doesn't seem so. The main things you need are a decent cpu, hard drive, and capture card. And at least you wouldn't be tied to TiVo at the hip for the schedule uptdates.

Buy an irman... Perfectly supported in both Linux and Windoze... I use mine to control XMMS, MPlayer and some other stuff using lirc.

I use an IRMan plugged into a serial port. Then LIRC reads it and translates the codes into something more generic, and provides an easy-to-talk-to socket interface for apps.

Linux Infra-Red Control (LIRC) is what you need to bridge the gap. Simple, cheap and works great.

Exactly. There is a nice plugin for LIRC that will control xmms quite nicley. LIRC is also more useful since it will also control xine, xawtv, mplayer and many more.

You can setup remote control of your PC with an IRman from Evation. I use this to control xmms, there is a plug in so it's trivial to setup. You can also setup a much more complex IR gateway using software from LIRC. This will allow you to map IR input to shell scripts.

For IR output I quite like the RedRat2 as an IR driver. I wrote some GUI software for it, initially to drive my ReplayTV, but eventually to drive my whole A/V stack. See Linux RedRat2 Software. The package can easily be used to wrap a simple control panel around most any mechanism(IR, X10, web, ...). For example I used the same software to create a control panel for my TV card(All in Wonder Pro). Here is a screenshot

The home grown package I have put together gives me most of what I want. It's lacking some integration, the ability to use the TV as the visual interface, a web gateway ... Then there are some features such as librarian and presentation tools. It would be rather cool to be able to script a Music/Video/Picture/X10 party mix!!!

a) CAJUN - Linux-based car (or rack stereo) MP3 player. Includes plans for powering remote LCD panel from serial port. Replace a 5.25" bay cover on a 1U case with an LCD panel, and put 802.11 in the PCI slot, and it's great in a stereo system. Some people do IR input with LIRC for album/song/genre selection and start/stop. Someone gave me a RaQ4 which is a great case, but no PCI slot for sound or PC Card slot for the 802.11.

b) get another StarTAC to share my minutes with as a rolling dial-up for things like checking movie times or raising/lowering the thermastat, setting the vcr, and feeding the cat via Misterhouse :)

c) I'd use a 12v power supply in the car, but be sure to power it through a special adapter that powers up the computer after 8 seconds (to avoid that weird power fluctuation between first turning the key and starting the car) and sends a "ups shutting down" signal but continues to power the PC for 30 seconds after the car is powered off.

d) can't forget the 802.11. I've also considered putting a crossover RJ45 on or near the dash for my laptop, but with the 802.11, I can do some "war driving" every time I get in the car not to mention the typical remote updating.

I'm planning on using a small (15 button) remote for often used functions (Tivo menu keys and volume). And a cheap, small PHP programmabletouchscreen PC and LIRC.

I use my laptop with 802.11 wireless to play MP3s. I hit a web page on a server on my office, which plays MP3s through the server's soundcard. I have RCA jacks running in the crawlspace under my house from the server soundcard to an input on my receiver. The web page can also serve up the MP3s over http if I want to listen through headphones on the laptop itself.

I use MSDE to store the album info and playlists. I am looking at moving the database to MySQL.

I originally started this project using LiRC, but then I realized how much cooler a web interface would be.

I used to open the http port through the firewall, but yahoos were hitting my page and cranking up my stereo while I was at work, and freaking out my dog.

And with MAME and Snes9x (plus a couple USB gamepads), I'd have a nice game console, as well. With some of the best games ever made, natch.

Now, if only the whole thing were cheaper...

As with all other similar solutions (ShowShifter, Telemman HiPix, Hauppage WinTV PVR & HD, AccessDTV, etc), what will make or break this product is the level of integration, and the quality of the SW. So far, the integration with existing A/V equipment has been rather poor. The Destination had to use expensive Computer-IR out transceivers to control your cable/satellite box and VCR, plus the input remote (and I think they never got the SW quite right), and most solutions right now don't offer any kind of IR control integration.

Currently, SnapStream is working on adding more support for this type of integration. John Vanderbeck is leading an Open Source project (IRTuner) to support multiple IR out transcievers. He has written a driver to use the ActiSys 200L (~$65) from SnapStream. He is working on adding support for the RedRat2, and future candidates are the CiR and LIRC. We are also looking into integrating with Girder, making the interface available to other applications beside SnapStream, and adding more functionality and in general, making it easier to turn your PC into a real A/V integration tool...

Here are some useful links I found while doing my research:

• First, check a similar ask slashdot story
• MP3 Server Box
• An even older related slashdot story
• LCDAT - Linux Compressed Digital Audio Transport
• Linux Central has lots of LCD display modules that are perfect for this.
• Cajun Car Audio Jukebox
• Linux MP3 Players Project Page
• You already know about LIRC but here's the link for those who may not.

Linux InfraRed Remote Control? My two eurocents...

DVD Player TV Tuner MP3 Ripper/Player CD Player

video capture and playback infrared receiver for standard remote control

Plus I'm lazy. The All-in wonder would really only be usefull to Windows boxen (especially with all the cool software.)

Oh... And the patent's pending ;)

"LIRC is a package that allows you to decode and send infra-red signals of many (but not all) commonly used remote controls. "

"LIRC is a package that allows you to decode and send infra-red signals of many (but not all) commonly used remote controls. "