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Open Source Multimedia Center For Windows
An anonymous reader writes "A new opensourced multimedia center for Windows has been released. Media Portal boasts the ability to turn your PC into an advanced HTPC (Home-Theatre PC) and PVR/DVR (Personal/Digital Video Recorder). It allows you to listen to your favorite music and radio, watch all your video's and DVD's, view, schedule
and record live TV and much more. The software is a port of the homebrew Xbox Media Center software which requires a Modded Xbox to run."
don't link the home page or anything
http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net/
From the homepage:
There are some rumors floating around about MediaPortal 1.0.
However this is very wrong, because as you can see below we just released 0.1. The current version 0.1 is not considered as the first stable release and it is definitely not final!
This does not mean the product is an alpha release! The 0.1 is considered a very nice and stable beta release, which everyone can and should test and help out to fix bugs and/or improve the product even further. And remember: it is free forever!
I've been running this for a while. It just runs on regular Windows, not the XBOX. It is just a port of the XBOX Media Program. Not bad for keeping a nice queue of DIVX movies at the ready for the kids.
The project is at SourceForge if you guys want to give maxconsole a break.
Tech News, Reviews and Tutorials
Clearly a threat to Copyrights, Profits and Homeland Security. In certain the authorities (MPAA/RIAA/Microsoft have already been notified and are moving the threat level up from Plaid to Paisley)
The software is a port of the homebrew Xbox Media Center software which requires a Modded Xbox to run."
Now I'm certain Microsoft will be activating their Bucket 'o Lawyers* The only people allowed to give away something like that for free must have an ulterior motive, such as locking everyone into mind control or market share...
*Not to be confused with the toys Bucket o' Soldiers or Barrel o' Monkeys, but toys of their masters all the same.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Ummm.... yeah... Linky!
This could be interesting.
What is the most inexpensive hardware with enough OOMPH to run this?
I looked at Mini-ITX systems, and the HUSH grabbed my eye. Then the price grabbed me somewhere else.
And I don't really want to get an XBOX then modify it, so don't give me the obvious answer...
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
Does it still require the MFC to be compiled ? If this is the case I then fail to see the interest of this especially when it requires an Xbox and then Micorsoft to gain alittle money from the operation.
They're saying that it's a port of the XBox app, which has already been around for a while. The new app is a Windows-based product and does not require an XBox
The Media Portal software appears to be a port of the media center from the xbox platform to normal Windows. Hence it doesn't require an Xbox. I.e. from the requirements page it specifies WinXP SP1 or SP2.
t
Some people don't read the articles, others don't even read the post.
Read this part once again and notice the "is a port of the" part then finish off with the "which requires a" part:
The software is a port of the homebrew Xbox Media Center software which requires a Modded Xbox to run.
You're still paying the Micrsoft tax after all.
Actually, if you buy the Xbox but no games for it you're screwing Microsoft, since the box is a loss-leader. The real revenue is games and services.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
This just in from http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net/
Latest News
01-December 2004
IMPORTANT NEWS PLEASE READ THIS!
There are some rumors floating around about MediaPortal 1.0.
However this is very wrong, because as you can see below we just released 0.1. The current version 0.1 is not considered as the first stable release and it is definitely not final!
This does not mean the product is an alpha release! The 0.1 is considered a very nice and stable beta release, which everyone can and should test and help out to fix bugs and/or improve the product even further. And remember: it is free forever!
Alot of people also use this as the dashboard, or OS so to speak, of their modded XBOXes. The version I have also has some built in VOIP capabilities. With VOIP locked into a media center, you could simulate the full movie theater experience, with everyone talking to each other during the movie.
Seriously though, comedies tend to seem funnier in theaters, i think in part to the fact that you are with a bunch of other people laughing. Its like how children, and some adults, look around before or while they are laughing, as if they are looking for approval.
VOIP in a media center could also be fun and useful for streaming educational videos, sporting events, sales, what have you. I hope they port those options over too. Forgive me if they mentioned that in TFA, but i couldnt seem to connect to it.
Well it would be if it was for the fact that it is for xp.
All ye all ye outs in free!
...an extraneous apostrophe remover?
I just got my Xbox modded yesterday, and it included the excellent XBMC. Only problem is upgrading it. My version is a few months behind, and you cannot download binaries from Sourceforge, because the project must be compiled with Microsoft's dev kit for the Xbox, and XBMC is an unlicensed project. I still have not figured out how to get binaries!
.NET, I tried running it on my PC before modding my Xbox and it crashed every time I tried to do anything, I might download and try again.
This project is compiled with Vanilla
Although modding an Xbox isn't for the faint of heart (I just had someone else do it), it's fun and the software you get is very powerful. I was up and running with MP3's burnt on a DVD-R and some Divx TV shows. By the way, you can make XBMC be the default program when you boot the Xbox, if thats all you want to use your console for.
welcome our new open source overlords.
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
I remember awhile ago I installed this a long time ago when it first started development, and it still supported my old hauppauge card and my Riva TNT2 video card, Installed it yesterday when I saw 0.1.0.0 was released and it doesnt even open, read the min requirements, and you NEED a mpeg2 hardware encoder, WMP9 which crashes my system so I refuse to install it, and a directx 9 card. After my frusttration yesterday, I convinced myself maybe I should install mythtv, Not sure if I will need a mpeg2 encoder for time shifting, but it will be a fun project over the break.
The point is:
* The VAST majority of computer users are using Windows ie... they've already paid for it, so it's not an issue (ie. it came with their computer or whatever)
* They don't want to wipe it out completely to install a media center
* Things like this can exist harmoniously with Windows, and can be tried before wiping it all out... or you can use the computer for both purposes (htpc and normal)
There is another free (not open source) windows based media pc solution... It's called myHTPC.
Now, it's since turned into a paid product called Meedio, however you can still get the free version and have access to a gazillion (oh yeah baby, that's a number) plugins for it.
I usually ignore both sides of the OSS / Microsoft debate, but in this case the attitude of "trow da bums out" is just too divisive. If you're OK with paying Microsoft dues, then fine. If Robyanetta is avoiding it, that's fine too. Just both of you should recognize the other point of view isn't going away, and you should learn to cooperate on the common ground that exists between you.
John
What does this do, besides lack any substantial development history, that MythTV doesn't do?
That being said, it seems to be working great on my Xbox, that mighty 733MHz P3 w/no hw MPEG capabi...BUFFERING...
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Except that the destination part of the URL can be trivially spoofed. The base64 hash is what really determines the page you get.
: www.microsoft.com/+&hl=en This takes you to google's cache of its own home page, not to Microsoft.
Demonstration: http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:zhool8dxBV4J
Karma: Segmentation fault (tried to dereference a null post)
On a side note, I should write a HOWTO on how I found the perfect Geek wife.
Yes, you should. I havn't heard of an American woman under 40 that cooks, cleans, and pays bills without also being a psycho bitch on the side. If she still does this in 5 years (without bitching)...
Wow. I'm speechless, and thats hard for me to say.
I can't speak for the grandparent, but...
Yes, I found her. She's under 40, cooks, and pays the bills. She cleaned until a couple years ago, when as a birthday present I got her someone to come in and clean every other week.
"If she still does this in 5 years"? Try 14. Yes, she still does. And no, she's not a psycho.
Where did I find such a gem? In church. (What, you thought I found someone like that in a bar?)
It's not for XBox... It's for Windows. It's a PORT of a program that origionated on the XBox.
On the whole - if you are looking for some free PVR software NOW, get MythTV or Freevo. There are excellent tutorials on the net on how to set up a MythTV system - from scratch - no hardcore Linux skills required.
i use gentoo and before that slackware, ive never had to chmod my dsp device, even on advanced distro's like gentoo and slackware.
sound is now very easy using alsa (alsaconf)
device management is now very very easy using
udev, hotplug and coldplug
package management (including dependancies) is very simple now using apt-get or emerge (slackware's not there yet).
i cant think of anything else that supposed to be hard, but im sure its not quite there for everybody.
maybe its just because im now used to using linux and it seems natural and actually find it easier to use than windows (it does what i tell it rather than guessing what it thinks i want).
Im sure times have changed since last time you tried installing a distro at home, if you get time try one.
*not a troll, but i am now familiar with linux and prefer administering it in a home environment to windows and i know that things were not always this easy.
Why not try SageTV? It's mature, inexpensive, pretty stable, and nicely designed. It's even hackable (via STV modules) to boot. People have already written STV mods for weather, early itunes functionality, and a web interface for it.
I'd say RUNS ON WINDOWS is a pretty damn big feature that MythTV lacks. :P
Joseph?
Why not try Knoppmyth(http://www.mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html )? It's a package of Knoppix with MythTV already installed.He's made it mucchhh easier for anyone to install mythtv without any hassle. All you need to do is pop the cd in and install. However, you'll need to repartition or wipe clean your hard drive before installing.