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Multimedia Home Entertainment System for Linux
An anonymous reader writes "A group at the University of Saarland in Germany has been busy
developing a Linux-based networked multimedia home entertainment
system. The project consists of two parts: the
Network-Integrated Multimedia Middleware
(NMM), to provide a common framework for audio and video playback
using open source software, and the
Multimedia-Box,
a Linux box outfitted to be a TV receiver (digital and analog), video recorder, and a
CD-, DVD-, and MP3- player using the NMM. Screen shots of the
inside
of the Multimedia-Box and the
user interface
are available, as well as videos and a
detailed description
(PDF) of the hardware and software used throughout. Can't wait to
stick one of these on my network..."
Hmm. Didn't ever see me doing this.
Cool, though
Seems like too much special hardware for something that for most features, software will do nicely
My other
It's linux for gosh sakes! There's no reason not to.
Mmmmmmm....
Linux Entertainment System, kghallll......
At least it's linux, so adding codecs should be relatively simple.
// Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO)
// IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
We call screenshots of real things "photographs".
A project like this is more worth my time than modding X-Boxes (which are too pricey outside of the US).
"Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
This will be perfect for my multimedia David Hasselhof collection...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
I noted with some interest that this thing will play DVDs under Linux. As sucky as it is :-( , this isn't legal; like Redhat with MP3, this is a high profile target that needs the same walking on eggshells approach. All existing DVD playing software for Linux uses the illegal DeCSS codec, and I need hardly mention that the Linux kernel itself is currently in violation of the DMCA w.r.t media systems, as it has no TCPA to prevent criminally stolen movies from being played.
The hardware looks big and ugly. My media center Linux box is smaller and nicer looking than the one they are using. I mean really what does a media center need a floppy drive for?
The software looks nice though. I'll have to see if I can try it. Their software looks nicer than mine. Will have to see how it stacks up as far as functionality.
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
Yeah, boy, that's really hurting Linux's reputation. If Windows can survive daily crashes for users, I'm sure linux will be just fine. Most people that know what Linux is, know what it's good at. Most people who don't, don't really care.
Dead. Anyone got a mirror?
That's silly. Microsoft is pushing 'Microsoft Flight Simulator' and stuff like that
Besides, all the free software *nix movement has been called silly and amatuer and anything during its entire life, and that didn't kill any of it.
My other
If their server is running Linux, then I'd say yes, it has already killed Linux. (Here's a mirror).
Just because Linux starts expanding into new markets doesn't mean it will start failing in the server market. I think this is a good thing. The more uses Linux has, the more ways it can be marketed to people, and the more people will use it.
That user interface is ugly. Try mythTV for a great Linux Tivo/MP3/Ogg/Image/MAME media center. I'm putting one together in a Shuttle XPC box. Making it as pretty as possible increases the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor).
--- witty signature
Quick someone mirror the photos! Please? I dont want to wait till tuesday to see them :-(
Seems like slashdotted already. Mirrors, anyone?
This is a troll. Enough said.
Slashdot ran the article when Microsoft released their Multimedia OS, so why not when there is released one for Linux ?
MythTV
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Nintendo 64!
Here's Google's cache of the article
Slashdot should consider hosting a copy of their linked pages on their own server in case of a slashdotting
Speaking as someone with a strong dislike of things like sound cards and screen saver, no. Stick a multimedia entertainment center on a production server. A decent OS will keep them from messing with each other too much. The main reason we're currently using Linux on servers is an early test where a fancy-schmancy screensaver did not impact the responsiveness of a telnet session.
this was +2 interesting last time I looked..!!!
Can you say 'dont shoot the messenger'? Yes, it sucks, but it's true
Of course it's /.ed by now, but I like the idea. I've been trying to come up with a workable linux multimedia solution for our household. We watch countless hours of anime, and windows seems excessive for just playing videos and mp3s. I'd really like to see a linux distribution geared towards being an entertainment PC.
Besides, if you had installed Linux you would not have this problem. First you pay through your nose for Micro$oft malware and then spend weekends fixing the damage caused by it.
it is the creation and distribution of DeCSS that may be illegal. Not its possesion or use for otherwise legal activities.
But here's something to think about as well. Personally I have a hardware decoder and two legitimately licensed software players. That means that, in fact, I *have* the legal right to use the decryption code to play DVD's. One could even argue I've already overpaid for that right.
The fact that, as delivered, that code will only run on under Windows has nothing to do with my payed for right to decrypt.
KFG
So *that's* how you spell gurgling. Impressive.
What about my Nokia Media Terminal?!
obli should consider reading the FAQ and why the editors can't cache a linked site.
I never thought we could have something like this (sarcasm).
In other news, there's about 15 inches of snow and rising outside my house and its starting to get on my nerves. If you live in DC metro area, scrap any plans for the next two days. That includes going to Microcenter.
Also, sucks to be you if you have no toilet paper and you lack 4WD. ^_^
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
That is, the interface (to its credit!) looks a lot like MythTV. That's important because it means the control interface could be used on a variety of low-res output devices, like those little LCD panels for the car. (How much do those cost these days?) Interfaces built on the assumption of a high-res monitor degrade poorly, but this one looks well done.
:)
:) -- easy enough to add audio playback formats. I'm sure that these could sell well at a price close to $400. If the developers are reading, I'm offering :)
Wrapping it all up in guaranteed-working hardware etc is a smart idea of the sort that people have been whining for it for a long time. Glad these guys actually did it
Some wishlist items for the next generation:
1) provisions for monitor-less use as a car entertainment system (there are EPIA systems which I think would have enough power to do what this box does, and I believe there are 12v power supplies for them, too).
2) I don't see anything on there about Ogg playback (or FLAC for that matter), and these would both be necessary features in the perfect Anything Box. I don't have any music in FLAC yet, but I know I will in the near future.
Those are pretty trivial complaints, of course
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
well it's not a commercial site, so i'm assuming this is the part of the faq you are referring to:
/. could simply provide the cache and a link to the original site. this way people can visit the original site if they want to. then when the story is archived delete the cache and links to the cache. this would leave the archive story with only the original link to the site.
/. does to smaller sites is irresposible.
Of course, most of the time, the commercial sites that actually have income from banner ads easily withstand the Slashdot Effect. So perhaps we could draw the line at sites that don't have ads. They are, after all, much more likely to buckle under the pressure of all those unexpected hits. But what happens if I cache the site, and they update themselves? Once again, I'm transmitting data that I shouldn't be, only this time my cache is out of date!
what
-- john
Flame thrower linux is a similar project that I have been following. It seems to be slightly dead, but still fully funtional with a "pre alpha" version out.
Ah yes, the old 'I don't like your opinion so I'll call you a Nazi' ploy. Great job!
To be excruciatingly exact, the EPIA you are thinking of is EPIA-M The M stands for "Media" and this iteration of the mini-board includes MPEG-2 decoding onboard (with a dedicated co-processor, no less) and 5.1 audio. There are a few Chinese companies who are actually looking to build EPIA-M based DVD players...the Chinese name for the VIA CPU is "Heart Of China" and there is a certain amount of national pride involved in the EPIA gaining acceptance. VIA might be based in Taiwan but its boards are manufactured on the Mainland.
One drawback, if you look at it one way, is that the EPIA-M chipset is set up for DDR RAM, not the less expensive SDRAM that previous Eden Platform systems used. However, if you look at that another way, it means a faster bus speed and a little better performance. No, it won't turn this puppy into a gaming monster system, but it will make this a friendlier platform for a MAME box, for instance.
VIA is trying to make a play for Linux support for their EPIA platform too...the article I referenced is basically a how-to about Linux on EPIA-M. They haven't been forthcoming to the point of providing all the little details on their stuff to open-source developers, but their binary drivers have been pretty good.
I suspect that this version of the EPIA could handle MythTV, Freevo and the other TiVo-like projects. The same cannot be said about the earlier EPIA motherboard/CPU combos...those are best left to web servers, file servers, firewalls, and other similarly light-duty projects.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
Great store. The $2 games are: Heritic II, Railroad Tycoon 2, and Myth II. Look in the operating systems section. They also have a couple other games (Terminus and Tux Racer come to mind) plus a small selection of non-game titles from the Kompany and a good selection of distros as well as some BSD. A special this month, $13 Inland u-Connect firewire / ieee 1394 card, works well (VIA chipset, one 6 to 4 pin cable).
My only complaints are that some non-sale items are over priced (buyer be aware) and that they don't have a Maryland store!
This is new? I thought I already had one called Tivo.
Quod scripsi, scripsi.
Thanks for the linked articles!
;))
I've been reading a little bit on the mini-itx.com site because I like the idea of a low-power TV/TiVo (and at the price of those EPIAs, esp. the older ones, you could attach a cheap optical drive and a small monitor, make a knoppix terminal for any room in the house).
I wonder how soon the GHz variety (and by that I mean one that is on par with Intel / AMD GHz processors) will be available fanless from VIA; that's the breaking point I'm looking for, having just assembled an Athlon system in the SS40 case from Shuttle. (For which I wish I had had smaller fingers, btw
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Hello, ... Almos every {video,music} format in the world. It also have a image browser and a cute TV Guide (now a Web version too!) and it plays Mame!
There is Freevo http://freevo.sf.net that has a better UI! Also, you can run it under X or Framebuffer or anything else SDL supports (like DXR3!)
As it uses the great MPlayer as the underlying player, it supports Mov, DivX, Mp3, Ogg,
The time shifting is in the work.
Freevo: http://freevo.sf.net Mplayer: http://www.mplayerhq.hu
Mod up now!! Freevo looks excellent!!
The license of the player software is independant of the license to use the key code. I have purchased the right to use both.
KFG
Why isn't there a knoppix-like iso available?
Does it strike anyone else as odd that there are 3 (or more?) open source initiatives competing in this area...can anyone tell me the difference between them (because they look pretty much the same on specs to me)...and, if they do serve the same functionality, why they're bothering competing with each other when obviously collaboration would turn three not too bad systems into one insane one?
The xbox is probably cheaper than most other PC-based boxes, and with a modchip installed (total cost for xbox+modchip about $250) you can install Xbox Media Player on it.
I have used it for a couple of months now, works like a charm for playing dvds, divx, xvid, mp3 etc.
Check it out!
My problem with all of these media boxes is that they all rely on having files on the drive (except DVD). I just don't have that much HD space. It'd be nice to have a system that can automagically queue up media (DivX, etc.) from CD-R when I stick the disk in the drive. I also think that all these systems (freevo, mythtv, etc.) all suffer from the problem of trying to do to much, but don't seem to do any of them exceptionally well.
(And don't say "HDs are cheap now!", because they're not. I'm a student, and can't afford squat. That's why everything is on CD-R.)
this time as a thesis work? Well ...
open (SIG, "</dev/zero"); $sig = <SIG>; close SIG;
How about making a USB/networkable all in one box which only needs an attached filesystem?
They are out there. Hauppage also has a newer card (the 350) with even more features.
Mail Hauppage (sales@hauppauge.com). Tell them how many you would buy if they would start supporting open source. Be sure to tell them that binary Linux drivers are NOT "support". I want to see these cards working under *BSD, too (that means documentation, not a Redhat-only kernel module).
By the way, I am in no way suggesting that Hauppage is the only company making these things. I just can't think of any others off the top of my head. If you know of others, post below with the relevant links and contact info. Let's get after these hardware companies: I want to build my own DVR, dammit.
Serve Gonk.
Why are you my foe?? Have I done anything bad to you??
You are so heartless!
Slashdot community, please notice: I am looking for a girlfriend.
Nave H. Weiss
Does biff in bo work
coz it biffin doesn't beep
an if biff in bo is broke
then biff in bo I will delete
I've tried biff in bo with 'y'
I've tried biff in bo with '-y'
no biffin output does it show
so poor wee biff is gonna go.
-- John Spence on debian-user
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