Why Linux for media PC? Redux - Page 9

I still use my Ubuntu Ultimate 2.9 religiously, love using my linux box, about two months ago, I bought a Ceton Quad HD tuner card for sharing cable tv, for use with Windows media center edition, where I could use linksys dma-2100 extenders to each and every hdtv in the house, and not need cable boxes at each tv, lot's of people are requesting for linux support from Ceton Corp, of which sounds that something like that will not happen, they are probably a Microsoft partner, probably getting special conditions for only supporting windows, but I would love to build my own drivers for this device, as this would be the ultimate DVR, with Linux/ Ubuntu's capabilities......

BTW: My new Win7, Home Premium, 32bit box, built just for the Ceton Quad tuner card, the os is not installing all the updates correctly direct from microsoft, I had to call a tech support to help resolve my os, of which he could not, he asked me if I had another PC to use, and I told him, at least my 3 year old Ubuntu Linux box has never let me down, at least I still use this as my main PC, and he was laughing in the background.....

I will never stop using Linux, thanks for posting such valuable info here, it's much appreciated!

Seldom to people take brand new hardware and run Linux on it. One of the few is people running XMBC which is highly mature but not without its issues.

Issues I have with Linux in general -

1. QAM might be okay, but Copy Protected Content? With broken PlayReady on my rebuilt HTPC, I got flagged for NASCAR on TNT and F1 on Fox (VGA or HDMI)
2. Blu-Ray platyback from Disc is not supported. An issue with all open source anything, to get some media playback you'll have to pay the piper at some point.
3. Supports Intel and Nvidia but not as much AMD/ATI hardware. Can't use Myth or any other DVR/PVR that is Linux based because I believe ATI makes superior PQ TV Tuners. Almost my VBox 150 is no longer supported.

Also I already paid for Windows 7 ($89 in 2008) and its very stable as long as you don't screw with it too much. IMHO, when you having to start applying band-aids like codecs to support .MKV its incomplete or doesn't work. Like VLC player for example, despite the settings Gundam Wing always defaults to the Japanese audio/English Sub-titles and I have to switch it. Inside XBMC that's fairly easy but like with most Linux players and Front Ends I have seen/used, they all do it, meaning I have to go throw the trouble of remuxing to remove the Japanese audio track.

If I was starting from scratch, I would give heavy consideration to a Linux based Media PC. I still depend on Copy Protected content however, so Windows going forward will be my best option. Especially since my tuners are supported by current kernel. The "eye candy" options are the most appealing, along with support for online media such as ESPN3/WatchESPN and a You Tube app far beyond wasn't being programmed for a Windows based machine. The problem with WMC, is that it forces the use of Internet Explorer for anything streaming.... Google Chrome is still the best streaming browser out there.

In closing, I use XMBC because it does things Media Browser does not do yet. I don't think the developers for MB where thinking hard enough or what. But with XBMC I watch streaming content without opening a browser and that's PEFECT and why we have Media Center. I shouldn't have to use it like a desktop just to watch Cat Riding A Roomba... Advanced Launcher does largely what Game Browser for MB does but, the one thing I hate, is I have to map a drive in order for emulators to use rom/iso files, I will map a drive for Advanced Lanucher but if it messes up Home Group I'll be

In this section of AVS Forums, it is done quite often.
Edited by waterhead - 6/16/12 at 11:04am

Not nearly as often as people are doing say -

XBMC on cheap hardware (Old PC's and Mini ITX system boards) and cheap media players (Apple TV v1)

I have Windows XP, Vista, 7 and now 8, no reason to run Linux, no support for my hardware. The new main board and APU are supported by XBMC not sure about Myth but the tuners aren't = No Dice

My first smart phone (still have it) was a Motorola Rokr E6 (Chinese market) ran on Linux, Android is based on Linux, that's enough "Linux" in my life besides XBMC on the Media Center and various distros to help fix "Windows" (not that often).

You sound like a troll.

You talk more about windows than anything else. But this is the Linux section. If you want advice on actual support for your hardware, post your specs. Otherwise shut up!

Seldom do people build a PC with the sole intent of using it as a HTPC.
Not nearly as often as people are doing say - buying a laptop.

So what?

In the Home Theatre Computers forum on AVS, that's what people do.
In the HTPC - Linux Chat forum, people run linux.
And it's better than Windows XP/Vista/7/8 for a whole bunch of reasons.
+1

Nice, mature much? I was just highlighting Linux shortcoming which are plenty.

As I said, My Tuners are not supported. If you MUST know, Visiontek ATI 650HD PCI is not supported (No Drivers). I suppose if I kept searching I may find somebody that wrote their own driver like somebody has for some Hauppauge/PCTV USB Tuners. The other is a V-Boxx Cat's Eye 150, they no longer make PCI or PCIe cards, but the last Vista driver works, Windows 7 will automatically download it, when you click "Update Driver". No Linux driver exist.

So at minimum that would mean investing in a new capture card. I don't think that's worth it. As I said I believe AMD/ATI have nailed PQ especially with SD content on their old tuners. The cheapest card that appeals to me is the AVerTV ComboG2 (No Linux drivers). One supported by Linux is The Hauppauge HVR-1250 which seems to work better in Linux than it does in Windows (according to New Egg Reviews), cost $55. Even if I wanted too (and have considered it) to upgrade my main tuner/capture card to PCIe version which gives me combo instead of a hybrid tuner I currently have, I can get a cheap 650HD PCIe for $40 which gives me combo tuners (One NTSC and One ATSC), I save $15. Again no Linux support but dead eye Windows support. I feel the better PQ is a trade-off vs compatibly with Linux .

Otherwise others are running XBMC on AMD APU's, no drama there, I am sure MythTV will work too.

My budget is limited and I am saving for much bigger things. I already spent $60 more than I wanted too on Friday and hope to get $40 of that back. Buying tuners for the sake of supporting Linux when my WMC machine works perfectly fine, save for the NIC but that's likely a quality control issue and the main board might get sent back, the first ASRock board was DOA.

I support Linux and Open Source software/Hardware. Trolls don't explain their positions as I just did, so keep that BS to yourself. I am not a Windows fan boy, but I don't buy into the Apple hype, not the Linux hype. I looked into MythTV because of the customization that's possible with it. However I found Internet TV (Streaming Content) problematic with MythTV. The program that was available wasn't easy to understand, XBMC is a better option.

XBMC does what Media Browser does, but adds some additional functionality that currently isn't in MB (But for Game Browser). I just rebuilt my HTPC and had problems with using Sysprep on WHS image, so for the time being I am building a new image just in case I can never get that image to work and delete that folder/client.

Linux is a great option if you're willing to live with some limitations and as I said its mostly with hardware. The money saved by not purchasing Windows would have been burnt up buying compatible hardware (Tuners). Nevermind that I bought W7 when MS was gong to disable the RC1/2 in late 2009, money already spent. I spent $200 ($300 total now) to build 4TB Server that could have been Linux but at the end of the day I wanted TV Archive and not configure Robocopy where it MIGHT work. WHS 2011 installed without issue, while I fooled around with Amahi and FreeNAS for Occupy Los Angeles, neither would work right. I could get FreeNAS to run in a VM, but not on the hardware available that was donated to OLA. I had problems installing Amahi. I got Ubuntu Server to work by following a detailed tutorial. But the learning curve is a bit high and we opted for WHS v1 instead.

I have an extra motherboard, I need a case, I will be experimenting with Linux while it leaves my main machines alone. Ubuntu and Mint don't support Atheros WiFI both times I tired to run it on my laptop. I don't need to explain myself but I just did.

So much for being a troll with almost 1,300 post since 2005.
Edited by dj4monie - 6/17/12 at 5:40pm

And what shortcomings are those? If I was you, I would run before the others chase you out of here with pitchforks and torches. Linux can run circles around Windows in more ways than one.

I was making a statement I don't have issues directly related to OS's. I know AMD GPU's are supported, but the TV Tuner/Capture cards are not, only the old HDTV Wonders and TV Wonders the previous generation are supported.

I was just saying DRM is an issue, I don't care about Steam, I don't play games on PC's often enough to justify it. I rip disc, not really an issue and I never said that. But if one want to just pop in a store bought BR, no luck there, you'll have to rip it homie if you're running Linux.

Its not ridiculous if you have hardware that's already running and supported. Why spend around $100 more just to use Linux?

All I said is that Linux has limitations and you just pointed out that you're at the mercy of programmers that take their free time to write programs/add-ons for whatever OS or Media Front End your using. I was just highlighting short comings in Linux and not all bases are covered, only some of them. If you're willing to work with those limitations that's fine.

I had a Vbox cat's eye. But I wanted to run MythTV, because it runs circles around anything Windows had to offer, so I gave it away. I then bought an ATI HDTV Wonder. It worked perfectly in Linux. It does sound like you have some very old hardware. You are willing to spend money on new mobos, but not a newer capture card? Go figure. And Microsoft thanks you for shovelling your cash their way. I haven't purchased Windows since XP SP2 was out.

You can't be serious when using PQ and SD in the same sentence. SD and NTSC are dead. SD PQ is horrible compared to modern HDTV broadcasts. HDTV capture cards capture the MPEG stream unaltered, so PQ doesn't even come into play. It would be the video card that would have the limitations, and Linux IS limited in that area. Mostly because of AMD's poor support for it's cards in Linux.

And I said you SOUND like a troll, and you still do. And if you want to talk maturity, I didn't go into a Windows forum and start trash talking about Windows. You came to a Linux forum and trash talked about Linux. Oh, and I do apologise for my emotional response. I do actually try to help people, not call them names. But, you did hit a nerve.

As for WiFI, Atheros has great Linux drivers. Sometimes you may need to install them, which is no different than Windows. But Windows lovers feel this is normal for Windows, but unacceptable for Linux. Things are not harder to do in Linux, you just need to learn how to do things. Like you did for Windows.

I hope you actually try to do more things in Linux, and try to keep your negative leanings towards Linux suppressed. The more you use and learn Linux, the more you will find that you don't actually need Windows. That is unless you want DRM material. Then you must use a closed source operating system.

dj4monie, we can't help it that you do not understand the operating system. I cut my teeth on CP/M in the early 80's, and playing around with the Unix terminal at my father's office, and our local community college back in the 70's. The only reason that you see everything Windows, is because Microsoft paid developers to create stuff for them, and in turn have burned their bridges with developers.

HTPC's have been around since Windows 95, and even before that, there were people in the Homebrew computer club that created Dos & Unix based htpc's, that in turn they put out full fledged htpc's running on Amiga computers, before Windows became known to be known as it is now.

There are cards out there that will work with LInux, but the problem in turns lie with the good ole DRM issue, not the hardware. If developers would get on board and start allowing more and more hardware, which you should start seeing more of within the next two years, that will allow people to do more with Linux, in the way of using Cable card capable tuners, things will change.

But in turn, you have Sony, Microsoft, the monopolies like Comcast keeping a throttle hold on people being able to use Linux over Windows, to record video off of catv. But of course, it does not stop people from using Linux as a media server for their video & music collections.

BTW, I am still waiting for you to point out those short comings that Linux has. As was stated in the past by FDR "You only have fear to fear itself." When I come home on lunch and from the end of the day, I am either on my nook running Android on the N2A card that is in it, on my netbook running Linux 12.04, or managing a server running Resara, which is linux based.

Only Windows based machine in my house, is the laptop my wife brings home from work, due to her job. And that is a duo core running XP, because they have not moved up to 7 yet, because they are not ready. Talk around my state is going to a total Linux based infrastructure, because the licensing is killing them, and they are finding every way to save money, but the hinder will be the fact that a lot of legacy apps will either be tossed, or find work arounds.

Going back to the subject at hand, inquiring minds like myself are waiting for you to spell out those short comings, so have at it, and I do not mean cross-posting trash that you just did a quick search for, but factual evidence and information from YOU first hand.
Edited by gregzoll - 6/17/12 at 7:18pm

I have Arch linux & XFCE on my laptops and in the very rare occasion that I have to boot Windows, I consider it a huge disadvantage. Arch does everything I need for it to do on my terms and it boots in 15 seconds.

+1 to all especially #9

That's all telemetry data. Used to make improvements in the OS. What's the problem?

I find this shocking. You're telling me that not only does Bing ask me for what i'm looking for (the search query), they also want to know where to send the results (my ip address), how to filter the results (my cookies), and how to format the results (browser config). How horrifiying. The last time I felt so violated, I was at a restaurant where an employee kept asking me what I wanted to eat...as if it's any of their business. They couldn't even serve me until I coughed up that data....my personal private data!. I was appalled at all the other sheeple in the restaurant that were immediately answering such intrusive questions like "how do you prefer your steak" without even thinking twice. Gah!