It's not limited to 120G. In fact, the fileserver it's hitting has two 200G drives in it right now. The 120G is just the size of the drive inside the XBox. That's just for the stuff I want to take with me when I travel. Surely you don't need 3000 movies for a weekend trip.
I think it's more a question of convenience than cost. A 200G 7200RPM 8M cache drive is roughly $70. 200G worth of DVD's would be about 50 DVD's, or approximately $25. So, the DVD route is cheaper, but it's also less convenient. (for my use anyway).
To watch the same movie on three televisions, I have to have 3 copies of it on DVD...or in my scenerio, one copy on the fileserver. The chances of scratching a DVD that's getting put into & out of DVD players all the time is extremely high, meaning I need to continually monitor them for wear and make copies of them when necessary. If they are stored on HD's, that's much much less likely to happen.
We were originally doing the DVD thing. We got a lockable DVD cabinet so the kids couldn't get to them, then were religious about (well, I was anyway lol) putting them back when done. I gave the.avi files on the fileserver method a shot and found out that when I didn't have to unlock the cabinet, find the DVD, put it in the player, then put it back when done, etc. I ended up watching more movies just because it was so much more convenient. To watch a movie I now just needed a remote, not a DVD.:)
In the end, it's all personal preference I guess, but from my experience, I can tell you that the convenience of not having to locate a DVD to watch a movie has made us watch more movies.
Well, Linux could go pay only at some point too, but it doesn't stop people from using it. That's really not a reason to not use a piece of software. For the record, I am using the freeware (limited to 700M version).
As for DVD's being updated so DVDShrink won't work w/them, well, that's possible. However, it's just as possible that DVDShrink will be updated to continue working.
The PC I use for the tasks mentioned is a 2.8Ghz Intel w/1G of RAM, and a pair of 7200RPM 8M cache drives (120G & 200G). Actually, pretty standard (and somewhat old) stuff at this point.
I can easily run DVDShrink (freeware) in combination with DVD Decrypter (freeware) to make copies of the DVD's, but to be honest, it's SO much more convenient having everything available on the fileserver and viewable via any PC, modded XBox, or DVD player that can handle DivX. I don't have to find DVD's, worry about scratching them, making sure the kids don't get their hands on them etc. While I'm pretty careful about that, the wife certainly isn't.
I love the setup the way it is. We either watch Directv, or switch to the XBox. The XBox has XBox Media Center which allows me to view either local movies (on the 120G HD in the XBox) or remote ones (on the fileserver).
I have folders for Drama, Comedy, Action, etc. which makes it really easy to find good shows to watch. It really is slick. It's truly TV on demand with regards to the movies I've converted (currently close to 70 of them).
I also keep copies of a lot of them on the XBox. If we go out of town, I simply take it along and we've got movies, games, music, pictures, and a dvd player (it plays DVD's) all with us. We watch a lot more of them now that we don't have to fumble around w/DVD's all the time.
I don't let my kids tantrums run my life. What I DO do however is pick and choose my battles. You show me a parent that doesn't do that and I'll show you a liar.
I've got a 1yr old and a 2yr old. If I paused or turned off the TV everytime I had to step out of the room, the one watching it would throw a fit. What you're suggesting just isn't realistic.
I said they'd throw a fit if I paused or turned off the television everytime I walked out of the room. I didn't say anything about bypassing commercials.
It used to be a pain, it's actually very easy now, and doesn't take too long on a faster machine.
Main steps are:
Rip w/DVDShrink (free) to.ISO
Convert ISO to.AVI using FairUse (free) using fully automatic settings.
On the DVDShrink rip, be sure to choose reauthor, and only select the "Main Title".
The whole process takes about an hour and the quality is very good on my 61" Toshiba. Filesizes are 700M, which means about 6 on a DVD if you need them to be portable.
I actually store them on my fileserver and watch them via XBox Media Center. It's nice having tons of movies (I've legally purchased) available at the click of a button and not having to worry about scratching the original discs.
I've got a 1yr old and a 2yr old. If I paused or turned off the TV everytime I had to step out of the room, the one watching it would throw a fit. What you're suggesting just isn't realistic.
Yeah, until you realize that most of the installers can't do the install without the ISP CD. I've seen multiple installers from two large ISP's with that deficiency. One even asked me to show him how to do it.
However, if they simply had.bin "backups" of popular routers one could download and use that might be a start.
Whatever. Here in the real world, people consider Redhat, Mandrake, Xandros, etc. Linux. Like it or not, people (those with common sense) don't argue about the fact that the kernel is the OS.
People might take you more seriously if you didn't have to put people down with every post. Hopefully, 7th grade will be a little easier on you.
I understand that. So, let's go back to my question... What exactly can I accomplish by using the kernel itself? What can I do w/the kernel alone? The answer is, "not much".
He's nitpicking the issue to defend his dear baby...Linux. Do people not consider Windows insecure because of Internet Explorer? Of course they do. Is Internet Explorer Windows? Not by his definition. But how often do you think he jumps in and says "Internet Explorer isn't Windows!"?
hmmmm..I don't think so. That would be the case if he argued that Xandros Desktop OS Deluxe was Linux but Xandros OCE (Open Circulation Edition) was not. A step beyond that would be him arguing that Redhat was Linux, but Xandros was not.
He was arguing that the distro isn't Linux, but the core "engine" (kernel) is.
Real servers? That could be argued, but I understand your point.
I'm referring to a desktop PC. With just the kernel, can I browse the web? Check email? Play games? If not, then it's not logical for him to argue it as: Linux is the kernel! The distro isn't Linux!
I mean, isn't that like me saying the car has issues and him arguing how the car is separate from the engine?
It don't know if the two are connected, but 100% of the time it locks up, the network card doesn't work in Xandros upon reboot. It doesn't have any effect in WinXP though.
Once I'm in Xandros, I can easily fix it (I'm don't remember exactly what it is I have to do to fix it, but it's similar to doing a "repair" on the network connection in WinXP).
Xandros delivers a desktop solution that combines the best of open source technologies with a corporate attention to completeness, usability, and support. It is based on v3.0 of the award-winning Corel LINUX OS and represents the next step in the evolution of the desktop. Furthermore, Xandros announced its enterprise management solutions (Xandros Desktop Management Server) at Linux World Expo in New York earlier this year and is expanding its product line to provide an end-to-end solution.
Taken from http://www.xandros.com/about/about.html
Just as an FYI, that's not flamebait, that's a fact. On a clean install of Xandros 3.0.0 OCE, I get lockups within probably less than 2 hours of typical usage (email, surfing, copying, etc.
Slashdot Mirror
Anyone aware of a list of Windows software (perhaps on MS's site) that'll benefit from it?
It's not limited to 120G. In fact, the fileserver it's hitting has two 200G drives in it right now. The 120G is just the size of the drive inside the XBox. That's just for the stuff I want to take with me when I travel. Surely you don't need 3000 movies for a weekend trip.
.avi files on the fileserver method a shot and found out that when I didn't have to unlock the cabinet, find the DVD, put it in the player, then put it back when done, etc. I ended up watching more movies just because it was so much more convenient. To watch a movie I now just needed a remote, not a DVD. :)
I think it's more a question of convenience than cost. A 200G 7200RPM 8M cache drive is roughly $70. 200G worth of DVD's would be about 50 DVD's, or approximately $25. So, the DVD route is cheaper, but it's also less convenient. (for my use anyway).
To watch the same movie on three televisions, I have to have 3 copies of it on DVD...or in my scenerio, one copy on the fileserver. The chances of scratching a DVD that's getting put into & out of DVD players all the time is extremely high, meaning I need to continually monitor them for wear and make copies of them when necessary. If they are stored on HD's, that's much much less likely to happen.
We were originally doing the DVD thing. We got a lockable DVD cabinet so the kids couldn't get to them, then were religious about (well, I was anyway lol) putting them back when done. I gave the
In the end, it's all personal preference I guess, but from my experience, I can tell you that the convenience of not having to locate a DVD to watch a movie has made us watch more movies.
Well, Linux could go pay only at some point too, but it doesn't stop people from using it. That's really not a reason to not use a piece of software. For the record, I am using the freeware (limited to 700M version).
As for DVD's being updated so DVDShrink won't work w/them, well, that's possible. However, it's just as possible that DVDShrink will be updated to continue working.
The PC I use for the tasks mentioned is a 2.8Ghz Intel w/1G of RAM, and a pair of 7200RPM 8M cache drives (120G & 200G). Actually, pretty standard (and somewhat old) stuff at this point.
I can easily run DVDShrink (freeware) in combination with DVD Decrypter (freeware) to make copies of the DVD's, but to be honest, it's SO much more convenient having everything available on the fileserver and viewable via any PC, modded XBox, or DVD player that can handle DivX. I don't have to find DVD's, worry about scratching them, making sure the kids don't get their hands on them etc. While I'm pretty careful about that, the wife certainly isn't.
I love the setup the way it is. We either watch Directv, or switch to the XBox. The XBox has XBox Media Center which allows me to view either local movies (on the 120G HD in the XBox) or remote ones (on the fileserver).
I have folders for Drama, Comedy, Action, etc. which makes it really easy to find good shows to watch. It really is slick. It's truly TV on demand with regards to the movies I've converted (currently close to 70 of them).
I also keep copies of a lot of them on the XBox. If we go out of town, I simply take it along and we've got movies, games, music, pictures, and a dvd player (it plays DVD's) all with us. We watch a lot more of them now that we don't have to fumble around w/DVD's all the time.
Unless you know me as a parent, don't judge me.
I don't let my kids tantrums run my life. What I DO do however is pick and choose my battles. You show me a parent that doesn't do that and I'll show you a liar.
Thank you.
It used to be a pain, it's actually very easy now, and doesn't take too long on a faster machine.
.ISO .AVI using FairUse (free) using fully automatic settings.
Main steps are:
Rip w/DVDShrink (free) to
Convert ISO to
On the DVDShrink rip, be sure to choose reauthor, and only select the "Main Title".
The whole process takes about an hour and the quality is very good on my 61" Toshiba. Filesizes are 700M, which means about 6 on a DVD if you need them to be portable.
I actually store them on my fileserver and watch them via XBox Media Center. It's nice having tons of movies (I've legally purchased) available at the click of a button and not having to worry about scratching the original discs.
I've got a 1yr old and a 2yr old. If I paused or turned off the TV everytime I had to step out of the room, the one watching it would throw a fit. What you're suggesting just isn't realistic.
Tell your sister to go put together a MythTV box.
See how Tivo is still relevant?
That actually made me switch from a faster cable connection to a slightly slower (but quicker (ping) and more consistent) DSL connection.
Yeah, until you realize that most of the installers can't do the install without the ISP CD. I've seen multiple installers from two large ISP's with that deficiency. One even asked me to show him how to do it. However, if they simply had .bin "backups" of popular routers one could download and use that might be a start.
Whatever. Here in the real world, people consider Redhat, Mandrake, Xandros, etc. Linux. Like it or not, people (those with common sense) don't argue about the fact that the kernel is the OS.
People might take you more seriously if you didn't have to put people down with every post. Hopefully, 7th grade will be a little easier on you.
I understand that. So, let's go back to my question... What exactly can I accomplish by using the kernel itself? What can I do w/the kernel alone? The answer is, "not much".
He's nitpicking the issue to defend his dear baby...Linux. Do people not consider Windows insecure because of Internet Explorer? Of course they do. Is Internet Explorer Windows? Not by his definition. But how often do you think he jumps in and says "Internet Explorer isn't Windows!"?
hmmmm..I don't think so. That would be the case if he argued that Xandros Desktop OS Deluxe was Linux but Xandros OCE (Open Circulation Edition) was not. A step beyond that would be him arguing that Redhat was Linux, but Xandros was not.
He was arguing that the distro isn't Linux, but the core "engine" (kernel) is.
Real servers? That could be argued, but I understand your point.
I'm referring to a desktop PC. With just the kernel, can I browse the web? Check email? Play games? If not, then it's not logical for him to argue it as: Linux is the kernel! The distro isn't Linux!
I mean, isn't that like me saying the car has issues and him arguing how the car is separate from the engine?
It don't know if the two are connected, but 100% of the time it locks up, the network card doesn't work in Xandros upon reboot. It doesn't have any effect in WinXP though.
Once I'm in Xandros, I can easily fix it (I'm don't remember exactly what it is I have to do to fix it, but it's similar to doing a "repair" on the network connection in WinXP).
That's been argued to death. What exactly can I accomplish by using the kernel itself?
That's why I didn't recognize you, you must be one of the fast morons.
So, Redhat isn't Linux, Mandrake isn't Linux, etc.? Ok, so, to run Linux I get what? A kernel?
Go act superior somewhere else, you're underqualified to attempt that here.
Where does one go to find the list of good Linux distros vs bad Linux distros?
Again, not flamebait, just asking the question...
What makes Xandros buggy? Isn't it all the same basic sets of open source code that's so much more secure and stable than anything Microsoft produces?
Taken from http://www.xandros.com/about/about.html
Just as an FYI, that's not flamebait, that's a fact. On a clean install of Xandros 3.0.0 OCE, I get lockups within probably less than 2 hours of typical usage (email, surfing, copying, etc.
What stability? Xandros locks up in less than a day, yet WinXP hasn't crashed on me in months.
Thank goodness. I was afraid everyone had forgotten what he said almost 15 years ago.
I got a file not found, but thanks for replying.