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Intel to Market PCs as Home Entertainment Hubs
wantobe writes "Yahoo! News is reporting that Intel is developing their own "new technology" to convert home computers into entertainment hubs. Does anyone even really want this?" From the article: "Analysts say the chip bundle and software will transform the PC into an all-purpose multimedia device designed to function as a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet."
Maybe Intel thinks that if their all-in-one Centrino can be successful, they might want to give it another go?
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
My computer can already do all of this, without some fancy package from Intel. I'll be interested to see how this goes...
I do have several (non comp.nerd) friends who allready uses thir PC:s (or rather a special-purpose PC) as "media-centers"...
--The knowledge that you are an idiot, is what distinguishes you from one.
Haven't computers been marteted as the "complete home theatre/entertainment/whatever" before? I know the PS2 has at least. They call it a "digital entertainment center" or something in their ads instead of a "game console".
Without regard to the processor!
" Analysts say the chip bundle and software will transform the PC into an all-purpose multimedia device designed to function as a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet"
Wish my computer could play cd/dvd's, record video, play games, do word processing and access the Internet! Man the future is gonna be cool!
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
I dunno where Intel is going with this, but I don't think that specialized technology is needed for it. MythTV or other offerings (for all sorts of platforms) are all that's really required.
You can mod your friends, you can mod your nose, but you can't mod your friend's nose.
This is a good time to start this, with the micro btx form factor gear coming out, and whatnot. It's not going to be acceptable to have a particularly noisy unit, so cooling is going to be a problem, particularly with the later processors and video cards. My x800 throws off as much heat as the rest of my computer put together.
Jerry
http://www.syslog.org/
What changes they have against Apple? Price maybe? Then there is also Sony.
Dyslexics have more fnu.
So what exactly is it Intel is offering?
for these same activities for some time now. Is this another marketing story on Slashdot?
HAD
Everithyng but the kitchen sink
can resist the temptation (and pressure) to embed strict DRM into the thing, I might be interested in giving it a try. Intel does have some experience with digital video, you know. But I'm sure it will be just as DRM-encumbered as anything comparable coming out of Redmond, so I don't really see the point. I'll stick with MythTV or something similar.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
...so long as the price is *less* than the combined cost of the items it intends to replace.
... and it had better perform better than them as well. In light of that ... hrm, i'll just wait and see :)
Oh, er
Want what exactly? Ask me again when they have a product.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
.. if this could in any way be related with InterVideo's InstantON technology? It allows you to watch DVDs and listen to music without booting into the actual OS.
...space heater.
With those dual cores these things are going to sell like gangbusters. Hell. Sell it at home depot as the first space heater that just happens to play dvds, record video, and plays doom III at acceptable framerates.
Now, I don't know about it allowing the computer to become a game console (as of yet), but I think Linux can do all the other things quite nicely so long as the hardware is present, and for free. In particular, why put a special chip to play a DVD when I can already do that by just having a DVD drive? (Yeah I know I didn't RTFA yet, but it just seems ridiculous).
Everyone wants this: a consumer-easy, completely configurable single device for multimedia handling that integrates CDs, DVDs, local storage (HDs), and the Internet for playing (and even recording), sharing and moving around our multimedia, regardless of format or form factor. If that's what Intel is selling. Otherwise, they're just competing with Dell and others for that market with another inferior attempt, because those retailers are increasingly turning to AMD and others for chips.
--
make install -not war
integrating technology is fun, but not when all the companies creating the technology just want to limit everything.
i can see it now......the simpsons error 404.
or rebooting my tv/dvd/cd player every 10 minutes because the buggy DRM software that microsoft wrote.....
It worked for Apple :)
He who knows not and knows he knows not is a wise man. He who knows not and knows not he knows not is a fool.
being a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet.except for the last part. And unless you are single, that is a good thing. Why? Because if you have a family, different members of the household want to be doing different things at the same time. If you have everything rolled up into 1 box, you are going to have some real fights over who gets to use said box...
I'll just take everything seperate thank you very much
Monstar L
As a fellow computer literate person who reads this site, I know many of us will post "I can already do this." For you, rolling your own TiVi like box is not only possible, but fun. For most people it is a burden, along with maintaining it. I am sure Intel will come up with a nice chipset to make a lot of this easier to integrate into an already exisiting home. This is the same cycle the car industry goes through. 5 years ago kids all over the country were putting small TV's into their car for a high cost. Just like a computer guy might build his own home entertainment computer. Now adays, a Honda Oddesy comes with a DVD player and a TV. We can not snap judge technology we already have avail. to us as a group of computer savvy people, because 90% of the people out there do not know about it or do not know how to use it.
Intel Media OS? maybe...
XBMC (Xbox Media Centre) already does this. Tom's Hardware reviewed it a while ago. The CVS version has a lot more functionality now. I use it. Whatever Intel will come up with, I guarantee you that it will be in the hundreds of dollars. XBMC is here now, and the XBOX is cheap. Also, if it does not have the functionality that you want, you can contribute. If the XBOX does not have the hardware that you want, you can add it.
I tried making my own entertainment system a while ago, the problem i had was the resolution of my 27" tv.
I could barely read webpages at 800x600.
With HD tv's coming more popular, i think the idea is going to catch on more.
"Analysts say the chip bundle and software will transform the PC into an all-purpose multimedia device designed to function as a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet." Uhh, thats already my computer. Its called get a DVD-ROM and TV tuner card and you have your multi-media computer.
"You see them trees out back, I take care of them. I'm a tree, I'm a tree wizard." - Crazy Homeless Guy
I seem to recall hearing promises like this a year or so ago. And a year or so before that. And a year or so before that. And a year or so before that...
If people wanted, en masse, to plug their PeeCees into their TeeVees, they would have bought such systems in the past. When sweeping new nationwide/worldwide computing crazes happen, they do so without half a dozen attempts by major companies to start them.
How many times did a big company have to make a grandiose public promise before Napster (the original, pre-selling-out Napster) took off? Zero. Kazaa? Zero. eBay? Zero. Google? Zero. Firefox? Zero. iPod? One, maybe.
Things that become popular ("popular" as in "beloved", not "popular" as in "everyone uses Windows because it's what everyone else uses") across the computer world do so without a decade of fruitless promises. It's all word of mouth, baybee.
Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin
it was the first thought that came to mind when I read
"Analysts say the chip bundle and software will transform the PC into an all-purpose multimedia device designed to function as a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet."
"Oh, they're going to turn it into a Macintosh?" (referring to the iLife software bundle, currently in its second year of shipping)
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Are they going to name it as MMX2? no, wait....
Is me or are PC technology companies getting ever more divergent from media companies? The Entertainment media companies don't even have a handle on how they are going to deal with the "digital age" and computer related media software and hardware is hungering for this more and more.
More on topic, I don't know how many people really want a PC for this, though. I know that I abandoned my PC-based router because I could go buy a Linksys for $59 and had no moving parts to deal with. I think people are more into buying a TiVo or DVD player than setting up a PC next to their TV. Couple that with all the DRM and software and licenses they may have to deal with to do it and it may become another headache for users and PC makers alike.
A device that allows high-speed input of alphanumeric characters or even a tool that might someday allow us to manipulate a cursor on the screen? The mind boggles.
MythTV on a chip
Myth TV seems like it would make a much better choice. It is open source and probably has a lot more features then Intel's version. The only advantage with Intel would be a much easier setup.
They're going to become resellers of the Mac Mini.
I leave the screen down, and use other PCs to remote control it (you can use XP's Remote Desktop, VNC, PC Anywhere, etc.).
That way, when I click play in the remote window, it plays out the stereo.
I use it with Andromeda (PHP/ASP software I coded) as well as Internet radio and Rhapsody (the music service).
Here's what I do: Bitty Browser & Andromeda
I think many geeks have already transfer one of their PCs to media center for palying CD, DVD, satellite TV or cable TV, hosting web server, runing as a file server... Intel just does the right thing. I hope they could design a more power saving processor. The cooling system is a little bit noisy.
Computers can do all this for some time now, nothing new to expect here.
But how much noise does that box make? When you go shopping for silent components, the price moves up rapidly. Or you have to compromise on performance like with Via C3.
Still, nothing new here. Where is the news?
Mini-mac, I say. Apple threatens to offer a viable solution to the above dilemma and intel blows some marketing dust in the public eyes to the tune of "me too!".
605413? Yes, it's a prime.
Most of the people I know buying the MacMini are using for this purpose. $500 is pretty cheap for soemthing like this.
You don't actually need massive amounts of power for a working "media center" box; one of the newer Via C3s can put out performance that is adequate for playback of most formats. Encoding is much more expensive, but with hardware support it's also within the grasp of a "low-speed" processor.
The big market success is going to come as more companies take a cheap box, throw on preinstalled media software and make it easily networkable to a standard PC. I've already seen a few of those floating around the net, from Asia. They look damn tempting. And as the software improves so does the product value; I think MythTV will become more valued than XPMC and competitors over the long run because a media center box is really like an embedded box; it's going to run one program that does a few things very well, without fuss. Sticking it on top of the OS, especially as a "built-in," is a silly idea.
Been done allready for a LONG time. For me it's called my XBox. Only thing it doesn't do in thier list is capture TV streams. Anything XBMC can't do Linux picks up the slack for and to top it all off it's far cheaper than how Intel could ever do it.
Anyone's computer can do this, if they try to do it. You can build a kitcar too, yet most people don't,they spend the extra x-thousands to have it done for them.
....advertised on the TV.
Deal is, Intel has the money to get all of that on the shelf and then the most important thing *market it* with TV ads and whatnot, a lot of whatnot.
Say what ya want, I have yet to see....
"Joe's do it all absolutely no hassle turbomedia linux distro deluxe complete with new shiny kikbooty ultraXteme rad bitchin' computar! Get yours today, and remember kids, it has INTEL inside! The Bestus!
Heck, look how easy it is to download and install a different browser, yet some hundreds of millions or so people have NOT even done that.
If it ain't on the shelf and not advertised on TV it will remain a niche market, and it is quite possible to just keep rebranding the same old stuff and sell it, you just need a huge advertising budget and half way competent marketers.
This is why crap keeps getting sold all the time, crap is cheaper than quality, advertising is cheaper than engineering, and bribing off legislators is cheaper than offering really good warranties and customer service. So you will see marginally functional computers guaranteed to break soon after the joke warranty expires, running so-so media apps that more or less sorta kinda function, that will be chock full of delicious DRM goodness.
And people will gobble that up and ask for more.
By the same token people mod their XBoxes to get more features out of them (with XBMC or FriendTech Media Center, which functions as a MythTV front end) than are provided by the Media Center Extender Pack.
The problem with these convergence applications is while they do a lot more than other commercial devices, they can't do nearly as much as the average user can with data on their own PC. You can't use nearly as many codecs with the XBox Extender than you can with XBMC or FTMC, and although you can extend the Windows MCE, you can't do so with nearly as many features as you would get with MythTV or Freevo.
The boxes produced by Intel, HP, and MS are not nearly as interesting to the consumer as these companies would like to think the force-fed rigidity of their solutions can satisfy.
More seriously, there are a lot of people who are putting together media control systems, and -- for the most part -- it's not eating most of the CPU power of your average 2Gz CPU, so why not set up people to dual-use their home PC? It's just another way for them to maintain their hold on their market share.
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
I've one of these for years.. Made by Intel even.. It's called a... uhmm..
Oh yeah! It's called a Pentium with Winamp!
But the point is, while one can put together a very nice HTPC setup using a Mini-ATX (think: Shuttle) using MythTV or Sage, one still has to battle with the enclosed space, which could lead to cooling problems. The VIA C3 is very popular because it's based on the small Mini-ITX formn factor and it's nice and cool. But it still isn't very powerful.
If Intel could make a specialized chip that was optimized for video and audio processing and was capable of high speeds while remaining cool, they might very well have a hit on their hands. Combine this with some sort of media center software similar to MythTV that took advantage of these features (I'm thinking similar to AMD's Cool'n'Quiet or Intel's SpeedStep) and Intel might have another hit on their hands. It'd be just the thing they need right now, since AMD seems to be stealing the limelight.
Of course, it could also turn out to be a big flop. have you seen Sony's miserable media endeavours, such as their media software on the Vaio? Talk about bloat!
In any case, only if Intel manages to provide some tangible benefit such as a cooler processor or media optimization would the tech community or manufacturers embrace it.
People listen, the usefullness of a product like this really depends on how easy it is to use. Sure, we can all already do this stuff with our Linux boxen, but how about an appliance that ... makes it easy?
Otherwise I would be curious to know exactly what products Intel would market. I would expect that they would consist of building blocks that other firms could use to build products of this nature. (This as opposed to Intel selling multimedia appliances to home users.)
MIKE
You should do some reading on Intel's "Platform Strategy."
. ht ml/ plat formreorg.htm
For example:
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2005/0117updat-int
http://www.intel.com/employee/retiree/circuit
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6835731/
You can find some other stuff on www.intel.com or www.google.com by searching for "platform strategy."
LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
I am an employee of Intel but am speaking as myself, not speaking for the corporation, not speaking for any executives, and not revealing any classified information.
Intel meet bandwagon,
1,2,3 JUMP!
I don't like Mac's. I don't own a Mac. I can count on one hand the number of times I have used a Mac.
Yet I can't shake the feeling that Apple is the only company who stands a chance in hell of actually doing this right.
I find it funny, that consumers are just starting to get into the idea of using PC's as media centers just at the same time that **AA has taken away all our rights to do that.
Computer industry lawyers vs **AA lawyers
(Now thats an episode of Survivor that'd want to watch.)
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
What about Xbox? Doesn't it do everything already? Games, video, music, web/news/RSS/weather? And, isn't Miocrosoft touting it as the living room entertainment center?
All about the $$$
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." -- Sigmund Freud
I have had plans to build a "Tivo" style box for some time, now, but a serious financial crunch has been preventing it. This new chipset could certainly make this task a lot easier and less expensive. We will obviously have to wait and see.
;)
I see value in this new chipset/box as a standalone unit. Not to replace my existing PC, but instead, to function exlusively as a Multimedia Center: IOW, a replacement for my VCR and DVD players. I could use it to record TV programs, edit them, and then burn them to DVD, rather than video cassettes as I do now.
When the time comes, I would, indeed, like to build a box like this. It would connect to my existing LAN, so I could transfer files to/from it easily. With the right case, it would look nice in my Entertainment Center. I already have "spousal approval" as long as it looks like it belongs there.
I say: Bring it on!
Willie...
What are the chances of that? lol
Does anyone even really want this? I'd say a cautious, conditional "Yes". But the condition is tremendous: it has to compete on cost with CD and DVD players, which are some of the cheapest pieces of hardware available.
I think a better approach might be to integrate small computer systems into CD and DVD players - add the brains of a PDA, a hard drive, some firmware and ethernet or wifi to a standard DVD player and you might have something interesting. Perhaps this is a direction TiVO could pursue, since they're 4/5 of the way there already (and the outstanding components are the cheapest).
Regardless of our thought that they are beating a dead horse, and despite the fact that I hate turning computers into TV's. I have to say that I think it is a good concept...
Years ago I was hanging out with a thrid grade teacher friend of mine and he was talking about how he spent a week just letting the kids guide the curriculum, and by the end of the week they were talking about algebra and chemistry and some socially progressive issues. It all started from the kids fantasy worlds and followed into reality as they began to try to figure out how to actualize them.
So... get the tool to get information on actualization closer to the device that is used to generate the fantasy, and I THINK... it is a good thing...
sorta off topic... but it's what it made me think of...
* If I download a video clip from the web, I would want to watch it on my main TV. Beats having to spend 4-5 hours burning a DVD of the movie.
* Access to online radio stations.
* Access to online contnet.
* The ability to surf from the computer to get some quick information, instead of having to go to the computer area, boot it up, wait, then surf.
* Be able to see if that email you've been waiting for comes in right from the TV. No I will not et my speakers on high on my computer to tell me I got mail.
There are a number of advantages that the convergance of the computer and tv are almost there and necessary.
In other words, no change whatsoever! Whoo-hoo!
Intel? They make hardware! Not software! Microsofts making the software for this; why is this even news - they already make that; and nobody buys any. Still, Intel and Microsoft are pretty retarded to have even considered releasing a 2 core centrino for MULTIMEDIA CENTER before they make multicore centrino DESKTOPS or LAPTOPS - its not like their primary function is to produce COMPUTER based products... Why are these companies, that we somehow rely on for certain products, end up WASTING their energy on useless crap we dont want, instead of working on what we expect them to make for us? Message to Intel: Stop slacking off and make COMPUTER CHIPS!!!!! And please, make ones that DONT SUCK this time. Message to microsoft: Stop screwing around in every market, and focus on making Consumer WINDOWS compatable with new hardware! Frig!
I suspect that we will see more hyperbole coming from Intel to try to shake off the suspicion that they have reached the plateau of their game. Cell may not be anything near what the hype is saying it is, but if this is Intel's response, you've got to know that they THINK it is.
I've got one of these... plays CD, DVD, DivX... records on internal HD (80 GB) in several qualities...
...and it is a Linux... boot time is ca. 30 sek...
have a 100 Mbit ethernet... recives webradio... etc. etc.
Remote is as complex as one for a normal VCR...
NTP client and FTP server has also been included...
Upgrades of system may be freely downloaded...
...don't know if it will work. Perhaps Intel will have an advantage if people feel they need to run Windows XP on their game machine, though I doubt that.
Beats having to spend 4-5 hours burning a DVD of the movie
You got a 0.25X DVD burner?
I'm interested. How much will it cost? When on standby how much power will it suck from the wall? Will it turn on (nearly instantly)? Will it run my BSD (linux is acceptable but I'm a BSD guy) with complete driver support? Will it be cheap enough? Will it be small? Will it be silent?
I bought one of those wifi audio players a few months ago, and returned it the next day because it wasn't compatible with my systems. (I cannot accept any license agreement to not reverse engineer it, as a hacker reverse engineering it half the fun)
I'm very interested. However I'm picky about what the system must do. I've come close to building a mini-ITX system already to fill my media center PC needs. Now that the mac-mini is out I'm considering that. (Mostly I'm not sure if I can hack in a remote control, and a display that does a few lines of text)
That is all.
Instead of getting a home theater, sound system, etc. I decided to invest in a high-end sound card and top of the line speakers, making my computer into my DVD player and music player, since most of my music is in there anyway. You can many more things when your computer is your audio player than any of the consumer devices do.
The only thing I don't do on this machine is watch TV, and that is because I haven't gotten around to get a TV card.
I don't think we need "Media Center" or "Media Hubs" boxes dedicated to this role.
I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
My freeview(tm) Box (which has a software problem) /usr/etc/local/man... NAH, Linux with its uPnP, linux with its yes mee tooo .conf file it said ME? A booozed up nobody edit a .conf your 'aving a larf 'aint yer?
Processor: IBM power PC CPU
252 Mhz, 350 MIPS
RAM memory (PPC+video) 16 Mbytes
Flash memory 4 Mbytes
This cost about £50(GBP), can I run FreeBSD on it?
Hey or what about an Amiga emulator?
I FUGING H8 linux, nah maybe its BASH or
Linux with its TTF, Linux with its GUI ERRRG FUGING X windows WOT A LARF, edit my
To do wot I ask, down load pr0n 'an listen to mpeg3's ?
Fug that lets code tetris in LISP, life's too short!
trailing, again. Linux and Mac already offer this sort of thing, Linux can do it better.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
The demo was a great demonstration TODAY (not just plans) of the possibilities of integration between online music services, MP3 software, phones, and consumer products. The gui-based integration of everything with Lindows 5.0 was excellent (they showed the beta to be released very soon).
Links:
Disclosure: I have no affiliation with the companies, just thought as an audience member that it was a cool demo.
Sometimes I want to surf while watching a DVD,sometimes I like to have a sports event on TV while I play video games at halftime, etc etc.......
Vote Quimby!
Go to most people's places and they have to wrestle with the remotes for the DVD player / VCR / TV / Radio / etc ... WTF? This is just crying out for a simple unifying device. Its bleeding obvious to anyone once they discover they have to use more than one remote. What they want is a simple remote, perhaps with visual assist of some kind ... so think a PC sitting there picking up the IR commands displaying somehow (LCD or whatever) the mode, and list of commands.
Bitter and proud of it.
And more, and more, and more.
Plus, fifteen minutes after they release something like this for cheap, someone (maybe you, the reader) will figure out a way to put Linux on it and use it to take over the world.
Or not.
It's still a stupid idea.
Of course, that's what they said about the Internet.
And the personal computer before that.
No, it still seems stupid in comparison.
They can market them as space-heaters when they get their dual-cores out~
There is no good argument against a cheap PC/entertainment hub, except the one you've explicitly made: the argument from snobbery.
Did somebody say something??
:)
I can't hear you above the din of the consumer public's rushing to Apple solutions which aren't actually marketed as hubs but are doing nicely as hubs
Funny that... but then Apple sort of outlined the "digital hub" strategy at least as early as 2001, if not sooner. Sorry I don't have that quarterly report on hand.
Oh sure, we've heard noise from both Intel (ladies and gentlemen, the Ottoman PC) and Microsoft (how's this for a catchy name: Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition) before, but nothing delivered thus far delivers quality near the iLife suite + iPod (and maybe even a Mac Mini, or in my case an old laptop soon to be upgraded to a mini).
Ladies and gentlemen... the fat lady ain't about to sing on this one. Hold on, more FUD, vapor/promise/bloat/crash-ware is falling your way.
That is what we call stupid BIOS tricks. I mean, flash ROMs are getting so cheap you can fit an embedded system in there, which is what that is. I mean, if the IDE controller and VGA controller is onboard, then there's no need for device detection. You just 'do it'.
Intel is just planning on re-targeting their chipsets with builtin video as some kind of media platform like Centrino was for laptops. (Centrino just meant a Pentium M and a Intel-branded wireless mini-pci card pre-installed)
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
so you pay more money so that you can have a regular computer that acts as a media hub. So really you just waste money on a machine identicle to your home computer.
The poster asks the question, "Does anyone really want this?"
Well, isn't convergance of media devices almost exactly what numerous OSS projects are trying to accomplish? Between loading Linux and custom software on Xboxes to make them into PVR and webservers (Dreamix or Xebian, for example) to programs that make your average PC into a PVR with the help of software (MythTV or Freevo) and some hardware (WinTV PVR-250 or 350), it would seem that yes, people want this. They want to play their video games, stream their MP3s and watch DVDs all on the same box, while said box also records the latest episode of "The Simpsons." Right now the above projects consolidate the number of boxes but don't make it into an "all-in-one." Don't tell me that you haven't looked at your entertainment center and grumbled at the sheer number of devices sitting on your shelves (Mine currently has the TV, the PS2, the Xbox, my VCR, my DVR from Comcast, my DVD player and my receiver on it... and I haven't gotten my "Squeezebox" MP3 streamer installed yet). I know I'd love to regain some of the shelf space and eliminate some cable clutter by getting rid of some of those metal cases.
And hey... if people want it then it's only logical that commercial manufacturers will try to cash in on it. We already have Tivo and ReplayTV (along with the cable-branded options from Motorola, etc). It should not come as a surprise to anybody that other major "brands" are going to try to diversify into this market when their technology is already being directed that way, leveraging the other features (Say... Doom3 on the PC) as an added selling point.
I bet they are scared over the Mac Mini taking over this market. Combine 1080p HDTV with a digital payer that is 6.5x6.5x2 and consumes less than 85 watts with NO noise. On top of that it has a user interface that is renowned for its ease of use and the OS is know for its stable heritage, UNIX.
:-(
If the Mac Mini becomes the next entertainment system Intel has a LOT to loose. They lost a LOT of the farm on the failure of NetBurst. They lost MORE of the farm on the Itanium. Third loss might be catastrophic.
Remember 2 is not enough and 10 is too many.
Your Average Joe
It's called a PC with customizable hardware and software. Why try to reinvent something we've already got?
The technology may already exists but, here is the latest of what Hollywood has persuaded the government to do to restrict what computer users can do. They had the policial clout, here in the USA, to get the FCC to severely restrict what hardware will legally be available to record high definition televison. After July 1, 2005 it will be illegal to manufacture or import DTV tuners unless they include DRM technologies. Here is what the Electronic Frontier Foundation said about that:
. ph p#step7
t _info.php?products_id=33&o sCsid=5108977bb78c29b44df641705b4de5f4w .gossamer-threads.com/lists/engine?do=po st_view_flat;post=109909;page=1;mh=-1;list=mythtv; sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/
So after July 1, 2005 it will be illegal for us to build our own TiVo like personal video recorders that record high definition televion signal that we receive with an antenna. We will still be able to buy devices which have their covers epoxied shut or which have other similar precautions against their owners tampering with them. It will be legal to purchase the un-crippled versions HDTV video capture cards until the July 1st deadline. Fortunately, it will still be legal to continue using the HDTV video capture cards whe have already purchased after July 1st. Here is another EFF link on the subject:
http://www.eff.org/broadcastflag/cookbook/guide
The HDTV video capture cards that they are talking about only work for digital HDTV signals that are broadcast over the air, not with cable or satellite, so perhaps not many people would be interested anyway. Unfortunately, the computer hardware requirements are also very high. But anyway, I use Linux and these are only these two Linux compativle HDTV video capture cards currently available:
http://www.pchdtv.com/
http://mythic.tv/produc
http://ww
This is akin to something that we've seen before in smaller bits here and there. For example, WebTV, which gives you limited PC functionality but works with your TV set. Or the Roku Soundbridge, which links your MP3 collection to your stereo. I built a system to do something like this, only going a step further so that I could have the visualizations play over the widescreen television. The effect was amazing, but I found that even an extremely nice HDTV-capable widescreen TV couldn't quite do justice to the signal coming from the PC. Once this mismatch has a decent solution, then I think this would be a fine idea for many people.
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
Unless Intel and mobo makers are finally gonna get off their lazy a**es and add more interrupt controllers, this is one consumer who won't be suckered into buying such a system.
Unfortunately, the Mac Mini has a 2.5" HDD, which is certainly not meant for heavy-duty use, such as this.
DEC tried using notebook components in desktop systems years ago with their "Multia" system, and it's widely recognized as a very unreliable system.
So, in addition to your $500 MacMini, you also need to throw-in a couple hundred dollars for a much larger desktop drive, and Firewire case.
I built my own 2GHz multimedia PC for about $300. It's not as compact, but any old desktop case fits perfectly above/below your other multimedia components.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
"2GHz multimedia PC for about $300"
I have a couple of those Hoovers, when I want to watch TV or listen to music I just turn up the volume. That beige case looks real wicked next to the TV.
Your Average Joe
Robert Cringely Said Mac Mini For HDTV Over The Web. He also said others would copy MacMini - one way or another.
DEC is dead for a reason
notebook components are like every other components they evolved by 2
I am a REAL American from Canada , not a wanna-be from the country , self called "last remaining superpower" "of America
If your PC is loud, it's only because you aren't smart enough to get the right fans/drives for the thing.
Some of us don't give a damn about the color of a case, but you can always either get a black destop case that will effectively hide amongst your other components, or you can always effectively just hide the case (also dampens the noise).
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
Yes, they are dead because they failed to realize just how much they needed marketing, and not just technically great products. And above all, they always made technically great products. The particular system I mentioned was the exception. The hardware was fine for it's intended purpose, but not for the heavy-duty use many customers put them through. Exactly like the case with the MacMini to me. A year down the road, you'll start hearing from a large number of unhappy users when components start failing after months of 24/7 use.
No, they haven't. I have a 40GB 2.5" hard drive that is showing signs of failing right now. I didn't even put it through much heavy use, physical forces, or very high tempuratures. Notebook drives are still less reliable than desktop drives, and with the number of (Western Digital) desktop drives I've had failing on me, I wouldn't trust a 2.5" hard drive for very much at all. Certainly not IO heavy activities like a PVR.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
DEC add some great product but most of them where crap.
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Yes they have evolved by 2
http://www20.tomshardware.com/mobile/20041213/i
thats part of last years models
I dont think a 4 year old hard drive is whats to be used for comparing evolution , try buying something which whas not built 4 years ago
And Hard drives are not the only component in a notebook.
I am a REAL American from Canada , not a wanna-be from the country , self called "last remaining superpower" "of America