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More Cringley on Linux Embedded Hardware Hacking
enrico_suave writes "I , Cringley on Linux hardware hacking (the good kind). Some neat points on what enterprising individuals are doing with Hauppauge MediaMVP streaming content settop box/client thingie." The story is mostly about Micro ISPs, including a few choice digs on Slashdot readers.
...does every single Cringely article make front page lately??
...on Linux hardware hacking (the good kind)...
Is there any *other* kind?
I must say, I am impressed by the Hauppauge device. It has really good functionality and a not-too-bad price tag. These exploits are really pretty interesting, and I am surprised that it took so long for them to become mainstream. I figure that it is only a matter of time before people start building specialized devices like the Hauppauge. Overall, this is one of those nifty hacks that I love.
The famed router seems to be (unless I'm missing something) on sale for $66.49 at Amazon.com, and a $10 rebate is available as well, taking it down to about $56.49. Free shipping.
Pretty cool price considering most of your other options.
Is that his picture? Bloggers keep getting younger and younger. How long until we get the first fetus weblog?
...nobody RTFAs anyways, and we think its cool to talk about cheap Linux boxes?
CitrusTV (http://www.citrustv.net): the Nation's Oldest & Largest Entirely Student-Run Television Station
I am not discrediting the Hauppage device as it sounds really cool. But for 80 bucks I think I would compare the other devices in this category and find a better alternative. IMO that is.
http://jayceecorder.blogspot.com
From the article:
"... the MVP is attracting attention from people who want to alter its firmware.
This is a very different device from the wireless router. For one thing, it has hardware MPEG video encoding and decoding."
There's no mention of video encoding on the official product site. Is this an error, or is there a hack that allows for it?
I did some Google searches, but didn't turn up any 'hacked' firmware options for the MediaMVP. Can anyone suggest any links?
Does the MediaMVP support streaming of DVD VOB files from a file server?
In the Cringely article, he mentions:
For one thing, it has hardware MPEG video encoding and decoding
I don't think this is correct. According the the Happauge site, the MediaMVP has hardware decoding, but does no encoding (it doesn't even have audio/video inputs, only outputs). They only talk about acquiring video in the context of their WinTV products, some of which have hardware MPEG2 encoders.
It still looks like a cool device for SDTV use. But, I am waiting for one that supports at least component 480P output (preferably 720P or 1080i) and digital audio output for DD5.1 support.
that some companies get away with using GPL code illegally in their hardware projects.
/. give these companies a little trouble. Seems like an open and shut case to me.
See BusyBox's hall of shame here:
http://www.busybox.net/shame.html
May I suggest that we at
Gamers Europe - Gaming News. Reviews.
The link sets p=the+query and q=some other site. Clever but not enough.
I own a small development shop. Here is how I handle it -
(1) Build a static library containing the GPL'd code you want.
(2) Link against it.
(3) Don't tell anyone what you did and claim the code is 100% yours.
(4) Profit!!
Why does this "Cringely" fellow make any kind of news? Is he a producer of code, or hardware, or is he merely a Talking Head that PHBs can quote? In other words, why do we care what he says?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
"On Why You Should Pay Any Attention to Him
When it comes to information technology, I know what I am talking about. Twenty years in and around the PC business have earned me wisdom, if not wealth. It's not that I am so smart, but that my friends are smart. The best and brightest in Silicon Valley talk to me all the time. It's my job to sift through their thoughts for valuable bits to share with you. But wait, if I am so great, why is this service free? Good question! Maybe it's time to renegotiate my contract with PBS."
He's a sort of consultant/analyst person who appears on TV shows, writes books and more.
The BusyBox Hall of Shame lists this device as one of several that is violating the GPL in using BusyBox, and presumably other packages too. Anyone know if Hauppauge is actually doing anything about it?
But his name is wrong in the headline... :)
So Cringely thinks the city of SF is going to start handing out pocket pcs to homeless people?! Right! Homeless people have a hard enough time finding accomodation (and yes, some homeless people would rather be on the street than in "dry" hostels, but there's a significant number that would welcome free, clean accomodation). Central point: given the stretched budgets of cities and states due to the huge Bush tax cuts for the wealthy there won't be a techno utopia any time soon. Comfy speculations from people in silicon towers cheapen the discussion of interesting technologies.
I have an MVP, and I wouldn't reccomend them. If Hauppage had used a CPU one model farther up the product line, they'd have AC3 decode.
The evening I figured out that all my MPEGs with AC3 audio weren't going to produce audio, I was very unhappy.
The video looked great, and people have even put together software to allow serving files from Linux, but without audio, its a waste.
Pinback
From a recent post to a mailing list click
Hostels are *not* homeless shelters, which I'm assuming you must have ment. Not trying to be a smart ass, I've worked at one (in multiple capacities) for years and this is a common misconception (unless you consider european student/vagabonds travelling abroad homeless..I guess that would do ;)).
Quack, quack.
obligatory: beowulf cluster of all your STB belong to us - Darl.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Of course the same could be said for thousands of
cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
this is just like the saying goes:
/. can the very first post be modded redundant.
only on
605413? Yes, it's a prime.
Why not link to some of your writings and commentaries and, if they are good and insightful, perhaps you will become the pundit you apparently dream of being. In case you were unaware, columnists and writers aren't tapped on the shoulder by Big Media and asked out of the blue to become experts, they actually develop their craft, just as you have, and come up through the system on the merits of their work.
As it stands, you merely sound like an envious, whining moron. Good luck!
Well, you see, your problem is that you're overqualified for the job of not working.
Signs that you are overqualified for not working:
1. Have you studied the field of logic? If you have any rigorous understanding of analyzing arguments for validity, then you're overqualified for not working.
2. Do you have competency in at least one technical area that allows you to determine if an argument is sound? If you can spot a false premise about one or more fields, then you're overqualified for not working.
3. Are you a trained engineer? (Note: This does not include fake people that call themselves Software Engineers. If you've had training in engineering, you will know it.) If you are then your expertise in analyzing problems and applying the scientific method and engineering principles to solving them in cost-efficient, timely, and safe ways means that you are overqualified for not working.
See, not working requires a special absence of skills. Once they have been acquired, only mild to severe brain damage can ever return hope that you too, can get a job of not working.
Only when you can be blatantly and wholly wrong about most things on a relevant basis in front of an undefined by arbitrarily large group of people, some subset of which will actually understand what you're talking about, can you have the vision necessary to setup deals with VA to get Slashdot to frontpage every one of your ignorant articles, so the resulting shitstorm of anger will massively increase hits for both you and Slashdot! See? You have to be completely oblivious to the subject at hand, so you can post absolute nonsense without shame and subsequently profit from socially-engineering people that see through it!
You're overqualified! You try to solve the problem! You're not just trying to make money!
Yes, you can buy a TIVO box for $100, but then add another $300 to make it functional.
The $100 is pretty much close to bait and switch although I'd argue that everybody in the universe knows you've got to pay $400 for a TIVO.
It's pronounced Hophog. A lot of towns (here) on Long Island have Native American names....
- Mike
--<Mike>--
Some new wireless routers shown at Computex Taipei:
Gen-WAN
OvisLink
Well Communication
Xavi
Minitar
WebPro
SENAO
Amigo
While the Slashdot crowd argued about what is or isn't technically or legally possible,
He's right, the revolution will not be slashdotted...
Have you Meta Moderated t
Some requests for Hauppauge MVP:
1. PRoxy server that allows me to hook it to a server on the internet...to view remote files on someone's eles's computer
2. Bootable firmware that lets me use it as a general purpose CPU - yes, yes, beowulf cluster...
3. mini distro that lets me hook this up to an internet connection and use my tv as a web browser
4. hardware upgrade instructions that let me increase it to 512mb ram and increase the flash memory size.
Except all I hear about is the Chinese *closing* Internet cafes as a threat to their system of domination.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."