I've eaten in small french cafe's and in McDonalds. I much prefer the Cafe's, but that's hardly the point. Obviously enough French people prefer McDonalds to keep them in business. Thats fine. Everyone should be able to make their own choices.
TV, Cinemas, Buses, taxes, newspapers, magazines and brainwash people with saturation advertising.
I get the idea! We should ban advertising because people are obviously like sheep, and cannot make their own choices. What we need is a government of "intellectuals" that know what is good for the "common people". People actually choose to go to McDonalds when there is fine French food available? We'll pass a law!
The reason the French won't abandon their "medieval" farming practices is that unlike the average American (or Brit) they care far more about the quality of their food than its price. Hence the targetting of McDonalds.
If that is true then there is obviously nothing for the farmer and the rest of the French people to worry about. The French buy their "quality" food, the McDonalds and the rest of the "evil" multinational organizations will fail, pack up and go home.
Or perhaps the farmer and his supporters will force the multinationals out and force their countrymen to purchase their (higher priced) goods because there is no other choice.
If people don't like the products that the multinational corporations produce, then they shouldn't buy them. They shouldn't force their goods on others. If their goods are truely a better value, then they will stand on their own.
What if we banned all "big companies" and had to buy our goods from local organizations. We'd have less choice, higher prices and everyone's standard of living would fall. Free trade is good for everyone in the long term. Period. Both the cheese tarrif and the beef ban should be stricken. Label the beef and let consumers make their own decisions.
The first link in the above paragraph should be this
Jim
Re:Do it yourself video recorder
on
Tivo Hacking?
·
· Score: 1
I'm not suggesting that Tivo help out with this, I'm simply suggesting that a Tivo-like device that is free from some of these constraints might be useful, and that the Tivo itself would make an ideal hardware platform for such a device.
I agree. Any company doing a box like TiVo's will have to contend with the MPAA. Individuals building such a box won't (hopefully).
Jim
Re:Do it yourself video recorder
on
Tivo Hacking?
·
· Score: 1
We should not respect broken business plans. We should behave in ways that benefit us. If that means cracking open the TiVo, then it should be done.
There are a couple issues here. First, I have no problem with a consumer cracking open any device he or she might own, but I also understand that if I do so, the manufacturer has the right to tell me "You're on your own. We cannot support you. Your warrenty is voided". If I disagree with this policy (and personally in most cases I do), I should not buy the product.
The second is the MPAA issue. TiVo has to try to protect the content on the hard drive or they will be put out of business by the MPAA. It's not TiVo's choice; The MPAA sets the rules. For example, if TiVo were to put a standard SCSI connector on their box for external storage using an ext2 filesystem, the MPAA would likely throw a fit and start the lawsuits...
Do it yourself video recorder
on
Tivo Hacking?
·
· Score: 4
Don't be too hard on TiVo. Realize that they are likely selling the hardware at a loss depending on customer's monthly subscription to make up the difference.
They are also walking a fine-line with the MPAA regarding recording copyrighted material. The MPAA is afraid that people will make a digital recording of first-run (Pay per view/HBO, etc ) material and start distributing it on the net. If the MPAA gets unhappy, they'll attempt to shut TiVo down. TiVo must at least attempt to keep the recorded material "protected" or they'll be put ot of business by the MPAA.
If you are interested in doing a box yourself, Here's a page describing the creation of one. This guys advantage is that he is dealing with a satellite receiver so the data is already professionally compressed.
No, but in urban areas there are broadcast television stations and cable.
True, but I was an urban Echostar customer even before I started worked here. I just had enough of the local cable outfit... Do you seriously think this is going to be a viable competitor to cable modems in areas where they are available? I wouldn't count on it. I get the impression a lot of cable modem users are into networked gaming...
My personal opinion is that it depends on the pricing. If the price is right, I think it will be a solution for some people. You'll be able to get HD TV (I see it in the lab here. It is amazing quality) and two-way satellite internet from the same medium size dish.
I'm in the middle of Denver, and I can't get a cable modem or DSL at my house, but I am on the Beta list for the new two-way satellite service. I'm really looking forward to it!
From your comments I surmise you have no experience with satellite TV.
Ummm... actually I work for Echostar, although I'm in the software side of the house working on our new Linux based set-top box.:-)
I'm not much up on the hardware though I know that we have 5 satellites up now with more on the way. Our new dishes are a bit bigger than the older ones and they can "see" at least 2 satellites to get up to 500 channels. The 2-way service will use an even bigger dish to see more. The C-Band dishes just aren't an option for most people in an urban area.
As far as getting stuck with a "custom" dish, it's not much of an issue since we are giving away the dish, set-top and installation for free when you sign up for service.
That's good. The bad part is they're partnered with EchoStar and won't support the use of real satellite dishes, just those stupid mini dishes. Everyone wants to create a little lock-in I guess. Everyone but the clueful customers.
Did you ever consider that the reason that Echostar uses those little dishes is because... drum roll...People want little dishes
If for some obscure reason you want a "big dish" Echostar sells larger ones, but then I would guess that you are not one of the "clueful customers"
It is my understanding that it uses the Wine libraries, not the wine emulator itself. So if this is true, it is not a windows.exe, it is a native Linux executable.
I ran Cat-5 through my house recently, and I'm happy with the results. Here's a few tips :
If you are going to pull cable through the walls, do it with two pairs just in case you need another later or in case something goes wrong with one. ( bulk Cat-5 is cheap, 5 cents a foot ). You might even consider leaving a string/wire between the end-points in the walls where you ran a cable so you can use it in the future.
Crimping your own ends on the cables will save a lot of money and is not too hard.
You only need 4 wires for ethernet. I used the other 4 for a serial connection to my Bat House, I think this is a very common use of the extra wires:-)
We (Echostar) are building a HDTV set-top satellite receiver box that will run Linux, but ideally a consumer won't even know it. All they know is that they get a nice HTDV picture, and not a solid blue screen:-)
Way back when I wrote a little java applet that did this. It was pretty easy. When loaded it just connected back to the server, port 25, and did a SMTP conversation. A header trace on the email would show that it indeed did originate on the box of the person viewing the page. I made the originator as root because I couldn't get the "real" user name. I still have the applet on-line, but it no longer really sends mail because my web server doesn't have a SMTP server running anymore. The source is here
OK, forget the first part of his question, but what about the BIOS? Does an up-and-running Linux system use the BIOS at all? I've seen comments indicating that it doesn't, but I see plenty of picbios calls in driver source. And what part does the BIOS play in the boot sequence? Inquiring minds want (and need) to know...
I'm not sure what is available on the market right now but I know that we are moving full steam ahead with our high-res HDTV boxes. The infrastructure is in place, and it's only a matter of time.
Note that Echostar (Dish/TV) is broadcasting high resolution HDTV now from their satellites. You can check it out at various retaliers such as Sound Track. I believe the feed originates from HBO and is a test feed only, but it shows that the technology is already there. With additional satellites going up all of the time, you should be able to get High Res HDTV all over the United States. I don't think that Europe has anything comparable.
Note also that Echostar will be using Linux for at least some of their HDTV set-top boxes, and that's why I work there:-).
Yeah, that's something that I need to put up, although it would be pretty un-interesting. It just looks like bottomless bird house with a cable coming out the bottom.
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I've eaten in small french cafe's and in McDonalds. I much prefer the Cafe's, but that's hardly the point. Obviously enough French people prefer McDonalds to keep them in business. Thats fine. Everyone should be able to make their own choices.
TV, Cinemas, Buses, taxes, newspapers, magazines and brainwash people with saturation advertising.
I get the idea! We should ban advertising because people are obviously like sheep, and cannot make their own choices. What we need is a government of "intellectuals" that know what is good for the "common people". People actually choose to go to McDonalds when there is fine French food available? We'll pass a law!
The reason the French won't abandon their "medieval" farming practices is that unlike the average American (or Brit) they care far more about the quality of their food than its price. Hence the targetting of McDonalds.
If that is true then there is obviously nothing for the farmer and the rest of the French people to worry about. The French buy their "quality" food, the McDonalds and the rest of the "evil" multinational organizations will fail, pack up and go home.
Or perhaps the farmer and his supporters will force the multinationals out and force their countrymen to purchase their (higher priced) goods because there is no other choice.
If people don't like the products that the multinational corporations produce, then they shouldn't buy them. They shouldn't force their goods on others. If their goods are truely a better value, then they will stand on their own.
What if we banned all "big companies" and had to buy our goods from local organizations. We'd have less choice, higher prices and everyone's standard of living would fall. Free trade is good for everyone in the long term. Period. Both the cheese tarrif and the beef ban should be stricken. Label the beef and let consumers make their own decisions.
The first link in the above paragraph should be this
Jim
I'm not suggesting that Tivo help out with this, I'm simply suggesting that a Tivo-like device that is free from some of these constraints might be useful, and that the Tivo itself would make an ideal hardware platform for such a device.
I agree. Any company doing a box like TiVo's will have to contend with the MPAA. Individuals building such a box won't (hopefully).
Jim
We should not respect broken business plans. We should behave in ways that benefit us. If that means cracking open the TiVo, then it should be done.
There are a couple issues here. First, I have no problem with a consumer cracking open any device he or she might own, but I also understand that if I do so, the manufacturer has the right to tell me "You're on your own. We cannot support you. Your warrenty is voided". If I disagree with this policy (and personally in most cases I do), I should not buy the product.
The second is the MPAA issue. TiVo has to try to protect the content on the hard drive or they will be put out of business by the MPAA. It's not TiVo's choice; The MPAA sets the rules. For example, if TiVo were to put a standard SCSI connector on their box for external storage using an ext2 filesystem, the MPAA would likely throw a fit and start the lawsuits...
Don't be too hard on TiVo. Realize that they are likely selling the hardware at a loss depending on customer's monthly subscription to make up the difference.
They are also walking a fine-line with the MPAA regarding recording copyrighted material. The MPAA is afraid that people will make a digital recording of first-run (Pay per view/HBO, etc ) material and start distributing it on the net. If the MPAA gets unhappy, they'll attempt to shut TiVo down. TiVo must at least attempt to keep the recorded material "protected" or they'll be put ot of business by the MPAA.
If you are interested in doing a box yourself, Here's a page describing the creation of one. This guys advantage is that he is dealing with a satellite receiver so the data is already professionally compressed.
No, but in urban areas there are broadcast television stations and cable.
True, but I was an urban Echostar customer even before I started worked here. I just had enough of the local cable outfit...
Do you seriously think this is going to be a viable competitor to cable modems in areas where they are available? I wouldn't count on it. I get the impression a lot of cable modem users are into networked gaming...
My personal opinion is that it depends on the pricing. If the price is right, I think it will be a solution for some people. You'll be able to get HD TV (I see it in the lab here. It is amazing quality) and two-way satellite internet from the same medium size dish.
I'm in the middle of Denver, and I can't get a cable modem or DSL at my house, but I am on the Beta list for the new two-way satellite service. I'm really looking forward to it!
Jim
From your comments I surmise you have no experience with satellite TV.
:-)
Ummm... actually I work for Echostar, although I'm in the software side of the house working on our new Linux based set-top box.
I'm not much up on the hardware though I know that we have 5 satellites up now with more on the way. Our new dishes are a bit bigger than the older ones and they can "see" at least 2 satellites to get up to 500 channels. The 2-way service will use an even bigger dish to see more. The C-Band dishes just aren't an option for most people in an urban area.
As far as getting stuck with a "custom" dish, it's not much of an issue since we are giving away the dish, set-top and installation for free when you sign up for service.
That's good. The bad part is they're partnered with EchoStar and won't support the use of real satellite dishes, just those stupid mini dishes. Everyone wants to create a little lock-in I guess. Everyone but the clueful customers.
Did you ever consider that the reason that Echostar uses those little dishes is because... drum roll...People want little dishes
If for some obscure reason you want a "big dish" Echostar sells larger ones, but then I would guess that you are not one of the "clueful customers"
It is my understanding that it uses the Wine libraries, not the wine emulator itself. So if this is true, it is not a windows .exe, it is a native Linux executable.
I bought it and am satisfied. Now my wife and kids can generate a nice looking document without rebooting to windows.
Anyine else buy it?
I've been using Nyx since the early 90's. You can get an account by telneting to nyx.net logging in as "new", and following the directions...
I ran Cat-5 through my house recently, and I'm happy with the results. Here's a few tips :
:-)
If you are going to pull cable through the walls, do it with two pairs just in case you need another later or in case something goes wrong with one. ( bulk Cat-5 is cheap, 5 cents a foot ). You might even consider leaving a string/wire between the end-points in the walls where you ran a cable so you can use it in the future.
Crimping your own ends on the cables will save a lot of money and is not too hard.
You only need 4 wires for ethernet. I used the other 4 for a serial connection to my Bat House, I think this is a very common use of the extra wires
We (Echostar) are building a HDTV set-top satellite receiver box that will run Linux, but ideally a consumer won't even know it. All they know is that they get a nice HTDV picture, and not a solid blue screen :-)
Way back when I wrote a little java applet that did this. It was pretty easy. When loaded it just connected back to the server, port 25, and did a SMTP conversation. A header trace on the email would show that it indeed did originate on the box of the person viewing the page. I made the originator as root because I couldn't get the "real" user name. I still have the applet on-line, but it no longer really sends mail because my web server doesn't have a SMTP server running anymore. The source is here
OK, forget the first part of his question, but what about the BIOS? Does an up-and-running Linux system use the BIOS at all? I've seen comments indicating that it doesn't, but I see plenty of picbios calls in driver source. And what part does the BIOS play in the boot sequence? Inquiring minds want (and need) to know...
We're looking at next year for the Linux based box, and yes the box will likely have networking, most likely HPNA.
I'm not sure what is available on the market right now but I know that we are moving full steam ahead with our high-res HDTV boxes. The infrastructure is in place, and it's only a matter of time.
Note that Echostar (Dish/TV) is broadcasting high resolution HDTV now from their satellites. You can check it out at various retaliers such as Sound Track. I believe the feed originates from HBO and is a test feed only, but it shows that the technology is already there. With additional satellites going up all of the time, you should be able to get High Res HDTV all over the United States. I don't think that Europe has anything comparable.
:-).
Note also that Echostar will be using Linux for at least some of their HDTV set-top boxes, and that's why I work there
> Hey, if they're GPLed, do your part and post the source! :^)
I would but it wasn't my $ that purchased it.
> Hopefully, they'll contribute the new hard drive
> drivers back to the community.
They are available. I got a copy of the source from TiVo on CD for a handling fee of $25
Picky, Picky :-)
Yeah, that's something that I need to put up, although it would be pretty un-interesting. It just looks like bottomless bird house with a cable coming out the bottom.
Uh, Bats? My wife tells me that if I get any bats, the bat house will have to come down ;-)
I've got the only Linux Powered Bat House in the world.
And it's on the Internet here