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Playstation 3 as Linux HTPC

post #1 of 18
10/20/06 at 7:42am
Thread Starter 
well i've been lurking for quite some time, trying to figure out the best route to go for building or buying an htpc or media server for the living room, primarily to play HD movies in XviD and x.264 format. So far nothing has really looked good other than an expensive HTPC, which i was actually starting to build.

I was thinking about waiting for the TViX 5100(?), but all those wierd companies seem too unreliable, as far as info about release time (although Sony has been doing a pretty crappy job with release time as well).

but lately i've been hearing about Yellow Dog Linux coming out for the PS3 and it sounds almost too good to be true. Sure the PS3 only has 256 ram, but that processor sounds amazing as well as the HD hookups will be great. not to mention blu-ray fun.

So i was just wondering what some of you guys think about the capability of this as a Linux HTPC, as i have no experiance in this area. Hopefully Sony wont find a way to screw this up by somehow locking everything down and taking away the ability of us using it for a wonderful HTPC.

I cant post links to the story's but just look around Gizmodo, Slashdot or the Yellow Dog Linux website.
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post #2 of 18
10/20/06 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
...not to mention, the $600 suggested retail price sounded like a kick in the nuts to me before, but after all these thoughts running through my head about using it as a Linux HTPC, the $600 price sounds pretty damn nice. I mean an insance cpu, 60gig hard drive and a blu-ray rom, not too shabby
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post #3 of 18
10/21/06 at 9:43pm
Quote:


http://ps3.ign.com/articles/739/739688p1.html

Terra Soft today announced that it will bring its Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 to Sony's forthcoming PlayStation 3. This news
makes Sony's announcement of Linux support via the console 100% official and means that users will essentially be able to turn their gaming system into a fully-functioning computer, replete with whatever applications they feel like installing, be it for entertainment or business. According to Terra Soft's website, Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 will be available in mid-November for the PlayStation 3, and then a version for Apple PowerPC systems will follow shortly thereafter.

Following the company's standard release system, v5.0 will be made available in a three-phase product rollout. At launch, users of the company's YDL.net service (which comes at a cost) will be able to download the OS to their computer and burn a bootable disc for installation on the PlayStation 3. Two weeks later, the company will offer ready-made installation discs for purchase through the site. Two weeks after that, it will be made freely available on public mirrors. In short, if you're willing to wait one month after the system's release, you'll be able to download Linux for it for free.

Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 will come with both a single-click installation mode for casual users and an advanced installer for power users. In other words, Terra Soft aims to allow even Linux novices an extremely easy entry point to the OS, while also allowing veterans the ability to customize the system to their liking.

The OS, which is based upon Fedora Core 5, will ship with the following components:
# kernel 2.6.16
# gcc 3.4.4 and glibc 2.4
# Cell SDK 1.1
# OpenOffice.org 2.0.2
# FireFox 1.5.0 and Thunderbird 1.5.0
# Nautilus 2.1.4
A number of "personal accessories; development tools; sound and video, Internet and networking applications" will also ship with the package, though the press release does not disclose any specifics.


...
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post #4 of 18
10/30/06 at 7:32am
I, for one, would be VERY interested in how this turns out if you decide to go forward.

Please get back to us and let us know what the results are if you do go ahead with it.

Shplad
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post #5 of 18
10/30/06 at 10:37am
Thread Starter 
well Sony just announced what the PS3 will be able to play without the Linux distro, this is just with the PS3 OS...

Quote:


October 26, 2006 - Sony is clearly intent on making the PS3 the all-in-one hub for your home entertainment. A new list of media formats supported by the system right out of the box includes a variety of hard and digital formats, and should satisfy the needs of just about everyone.

The hard media has been known for some time, but here's the full list.

# BD-ROM
# BD-R
# BD-RE
# DVD-ROM
# DVD-R
# DVD-RW
# DVD+R
# DVD+RW
# CD-ROM
# CD-R
# CD-RW
# Super Audio CD

The PS3 will also allow you to access a variety of media file formats from the video, music and photo menus of the Cross Media Bar. We're assuming these files can be stored anywhere, including the hard disk and memory cards.

VIDEO
# MPEG-1
# MPEG-2 (PS,TS)
# H.264/MEPG-4 AVC
# MPEG-4 SP

MUSIC
# ATRAC (.oma .msa .aa3)
# AAC (.3gp .mp4)
# MP3 (.mp3)
# WAV (.wav)

IMAGES
# JPEG
# GIF
# PNG
# TIFF
# BMP

sounds very nice, i especially like the part about H.264/MEPG-4 AVC

i cant post the link to this (not cool enough yet) but i found this on IGN under PS3 news.
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post #6 of 18
11/4/06 at 2:25pm
Quote:


"Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 will be available in mid-November for the PlayStation 3, and then a version for Apple PowerPC systems will follow shortly thereafter."

I have a feeling this linux wouldn't make use of the cell processor. You would get better performance out of a $600 computer (although you woudn't have as awesome a gaming machine/blueray player).
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post #7 of 18
11/6/06 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by greeniguana00 View Post

I have a feeling this linux wouldn't make use of the cell processor. You would get better performance out of a $600 computer (although you woudn't have as awesome a gaming machine/blueray player).

Linux was the first OS supported by the Cell processor, and it was used in tests performed by the Cell's designers.

The IBM Cell SDK is available for Linux here:

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/power/cell/

While Sony may not provide specifications and/or drivers to interface with all of the PS3's features (and copy protection may make it difficult to install a new kernel), we should at least be able to exploit the Cell itself to its full capability.
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post #8 of 18
11/7/06 at 7:49am
I just find it suspicious that this linux is so quickly changed to work on PowerPC processors (which is the non-cell processor in the PS3).
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post #9 of 18
11/7/06 at 11:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by greeniguana00 View Post

I just find it suspicious that this linux is so quickly changed to work on PowerPC processors (which is the non-cell processor in the PS3).

On the surface, it may appear suspicious, especially considering how limited the PS2 Linux kit was. However, a brief consideration of the history of the Cell CPU and Linux support for PowerPC chips suggests that if there are problems they will be with other parts of the system (i.e. a copy protection system), and not the CPU.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_microprocessor, the Cell actually contains a PowerPC core, which is able to control the coprocessors. The PowerPC core has additional instructions for this purpose. So, "non-cell processor" is slightly inaccurate, as the PowerPC is an integral part of every Cell, not just the PS3's.

Linux itself has been a multiplatform OS for quite some time (well over a decade). A brief history of PPC Linux at http://gate.crashing.org/doc/ppc/doc003.htm indicates that Linux has worked on the PPC since ~1995.

Finally, Linux was the operating system used in testing and designing the Cell. It makes sense that Linux would support the Cell so quickly, because 1. the Cell is based on a PPC core, and 2. the designers of the Cell were adding Linux support while the chip was being developed.

There are numerous other products that use the Cell already on the market, such as servers and supercomputing clusters, powered by Linux and using the full capability of the CPU.
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post #10 of 18
11/25/06 at 6:49am
Now that the PS3 is out, has there been any more information on this?

A PS3 capable of being a MythTV frontend would be fairly interesting. Obviously it would get even more interesting if it could take advantage of the Cell capabilities for video processing (or even supplementing the backend for transcoding or commercial detection).
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post #11 of 18
11/26/06 at 10:39am
Near 720p xvid playback on Linux PS3.

I'm still looking for the best news/forum site for HTPC functionality on a Linux PS3. Most of the sites emphasize warez/piracy attempts and barely touch on news like this.
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post #12 of 18
12/8/06 at 11:38am
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=764246


PS3 with Yellow Dog Linux Pre-installed Pre-orders opened

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://ps3mods.blogspot.com/2006/12...quires-non.html
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post #13 of 18
12/23/06 at 7:29am
well seems like the ps3 it´s a very powerfull pc that can run blu-ray without problems so maybe it can run also HD DVD! We could make this like an HTPC HD combo. It has an OS yellow dog 5.0 linux, we only need is a software that can read hddvd like cyberlink powerdvd ultra (Linux compatible) and use the new hddvd addon player from xbox and make an HTPC combo HD with 800$; Just my thought! It can be done???
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post #14 of 18
12/24/06 at 8:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by drigos View Post

well seems like the ps3 it´s a very powerfull pc that can run blu-ray without problems so maybe it can run also HD DVD! We could make this like an HTPC HD combo. It has an OS yellow dog 5.0 linux, we only need is a software that can read hddvd like cyberlink powerdvd ultra (Linux compatible) and use the new hddvd addon player from xbox and make an HTPC combo HD with 800$; Just my thought! It can be done???

The problem is the software. Some corporation that studios and the DVD Forum trust would have to develop a software player specifically targetted for the PS3 that can decrypt and playback HD DVD discs. They would also have to assume responsibility for any flaws in their code that could one-day be exploited to circumvent AACS, keep the product updated, etc. I don't think the "Let's mod our PS3 to be a Blu-Ray/HD DVD/Media Center" crowd is large enough for a corporation to cater to. The Blu-Ray Disc Association, and esp. Sony, would probably exert pressure to keep HD DVD playback off the PS3 as well.

Unless AACS is cracked sometime in the near future, it's unlikely we'll have the ability to playback HD DVD or Blu-Ray discs under Linux. That, or some other exploit is found.

I don't doubt that some exploit will be found within the next 1.5 years, but such still won't be a legal, easily viable solution.
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post #15 of 18
12/28/06 at 8:00pm
Slashdot already had an article on it being cracked.
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post #16 of 18
12/31/06 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bUzzbOmb! View Post

Slashdot already had an article on it being cracked.

Not quite.

That article refers to someone who has found a method of gaining title keys for HD DVDs and has subsequently posted those title keys as well as used them to decrypt the discs using the non-secret, very public AACS decryption algorithm.

The significance of this work isn't that big of a deal. Sure, the discs for which the title keys are published are now completely unprotected (Full Metal Jacket, Van Helsing, Tomb Raider 1, Apollo 13, The Last Samurai, and The Fugitive) and can be copied at will; but it's only a matter of time until the software player that was exploited to gain those title keys is patched and/or has it's device keys revoked on all upcoming disc releases. Without a valid device key, the cracked software player won't be able to decrypt title keys, and without new title keys you won't be able to play anything but those discs cracked before the revocation + update.

AACS itself is still very much uncracked, with only a single software player behaving badly and letting too much information get out. Nothing new was discovered that would allow one to write an application for Linux that could play any HD DVDs (although, HD DVDs with publically posted title keys would play fine), nor was anything learned that could help figure out how to crack the software Blu-Ray player inside the PS3 (which doesn't run under Linux anyway).

BTW, most people think it was PowerDVD that was compromised given that it's seen in a screenshot. If that's so, Cyberlink may have just lost any rights to ever release any HD playback software ever again. Would be a shame too, given that their newest software is the first to playback HD DVD and Blu-Ray at full resolution on a HTPC. Whatever player it was, I really wonder how hard the MPAA will come down on them.
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post #17 of 18
1/3/07 at 12:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bUzzbOmb! View Post

Slashdot already had an article on it being cracked.

Can you provide a link to the article? Searches haven't been very helpful.
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post #18 of 18
1/3/07 at 3:32pm
Here are the two slashdot postings on it:

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.../12/28/0259244
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/31/1929250
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