Forget windows mce - check out linux mce!

[derelicte1]

Has anyone seen this yet? Watch the video:

linux mce video

The ui looks pretty neat. It is like a cube that floats over the video that rotates as you select a new page.

I tried installing pluto on a test machine to check out the ui, but I never got it to work.

Any chance someone could reproduce it in sage?

[traker1001]

Corrected Link http://wiki.linuxmce.com/index.php/Screenshots

Pretty nice, Somwhat biased, However the OOBE pushing for linux mce is BS! Some outright lies in the video, There is a bit more setup than is stated. Im not saying Windows MCE is any better, But just goes to show you don't beleive everything you watch.

Sage, Linux or windows flavor, Still kicks both there arses all over the block!

PS, Whats nice is I watched the Video on my tv using my sage system...

[Halstead]

Looks quite cool. I hate that video, though. Seriously. I may be overreacting, but I think the obnoxious tone of the guy who sounds like Jimmy Fallon's I.T. character from SNL will turn off more folks than it converts.

It's very nice to see someone doing something meaningful with a Gyration mouse, though.

[grooves12]

I like the input system... but the interface looks like junk imo. Plus I seriously doubt any of the "automatically detects" claims. First of all it is nearly impossible for some of the things to be automatically detected (like TV type), plus Linux ANYTHING is generally a major pain in the ass to setup.

[bebanovich]

Ubuntu has changed things quite a bit. I'd say Linux set-up has gone from Major pain in the ass down to Sergeant pain in the ass.

[drowelf]

Why do I like pain?
Ok, I have a fully functional sagetv system that I love and yet, like many, I was enticed by that video (despite the creepy way he says "but-tons"). I spent 2 days going back to my pre-sage days of linux and myth with this new linuxmce system.

It's a pain to set up. The "wizard" is seriously buggy and in many cases lacks the functionality it advertises. Also, most of the cool stuff in the video is ONLY possible with a very very short list of equipment. Also, when he says "this is the default functionality out of the box", he doesn't mean what you think. So do not expect linuxmce to turn your tv on and off and don't expect it to push any control software to your cell phone. Finally, the interface is not as cool as it looks (as others have mentioned) and the gyroscope is neat-o, but is much slower than using a normal remote or mouse. Just look at the video, even he isn't controlling it that well. It has some potential, but it's no Wii!

Bottom line is that linuxmce isn't that cool unless you have a bunch of av equiptment (tv, receiver, dvd, cable boxes, etc.) that can be controlled via serial interface and don't have a hell of a lot of free time to mess with this system. I'd suggest just going with MythTV if you're into the linux solution. I've had funtional Myth and KnoppMyth systems up and running without problem, I just didn't feel like an appliance the way my sage system does.

There were 2 things I liked about my short lived linuxmce system. Being able to network boot any machine in my house to serve as a temporary media center. That was VERY cool. Also, I loved the screen saver that not only pulled random images from flickr, but did a pan+zoom and fade thing that was quite beautiful. I'll paypal anyone $29.95 (maybe more if it's pretty) if they can allow me to have that functionality in sagetv. Better hurry though...I might write it myself.

I'm back up with SageTV and I'm more appreciative of it than I was 3 days ago when linuxmce popped up on digg.com.

[nielm]

5 seconds into the video, the BS overwhelmed me...
'It autodetects my TV and Receiver'... Yeah, right... That is not technically possible in most situations (how can it detect a TV over a SVideo or Component link?!).

And the funny part for me was that it may well have autodetected his TV, but it didn't realise that it was a widescreen, so the 16x9 anamorphic DVD he was playing was pillarboxed! (almost as bad all the demo videos you see in TV shops running letterboxed on 16x9 displays)

I would also be interested to see how that UI works with a real remote (sorry, I like my real buttons, not waving a mouse around).

BTW the fonts on that UI seemed way too small - they would be barely readable on a 'normal' sized TV...

Anyway, that said, it does look quite an impressive prospect. I will wait for V3

[traker1001]

Originally Posted by nielm

And the funny part for me was that it may well have autodetected his TV, but it didn't realise that it was a widescreen, so the 16x9 anamorphic DVD he was playing was pillarboxed! (almost as bad all the demo videos you see in TV shops running letterboxed on 16x9 displays)

I would also be interested to see how that UI works with a real remote (sorry, I like my real buttons, not waving a mouse around).

LOL, Somehow I missed that, I think I was choling over the BS by that point.

I dont trust anyone but me with the KB and Mouse to my media center, I dont even let my wife use em!

Its the remote to everyone else.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by nielm

5 seconds into the video, the BS overwhelmed me...
'It autodetects my TV and Receiver'... Yeah, right... That is not technically possible in most situations (how can it detect a TV over a SVideo or Component link?!).

And...

Which Home Depot did he get his Z-Wave stuff from (HD doesn't list any z-wave on it's website). What Z-Wave controller for the PC? Did the PC run around the house syncing to all the Z-Wave devices?

And the funny part for me was that it may well have autodetected his TV, but it didn't realise that it was a widescreen, so the 16x9 anamorphic DVD he was playing was pillarboxed! (almost as bad all the demo videos you see in TV shops running letterboxed on 16x9 displays)

Yeah, I loved that, auto-this, auto-that, and yet the AR was still wrong

I would also be interested to see how that UI works with a real remote (sorry, I like my real buttons, not waving a mouse around).

Funny I was thinking the the same thing. For one, I hate using a mouse for a home-entertainment device, and I've even got a Gyration. Plus I hate video background. That's one of the first things I disable in Sage.

BTW the fonts on that UI seemed way too small - they would be barely readable on a 'normal' sized TV...

That and all the spinning would drive me mad in seconds.

Anyway, that said, it does look quite an impressive prospect. I will wait for V3

On a technical level I agree, and even to some extent on an aesthetic one.

I still wonder how many weeks it took him to get it to that "out of the box" state. Maybe IVB will stop by and give us some perspective on what it takes to accomplish that sort of automation. I'm guessing months.

If it did all that "out of the box", and as seamlessly as let on. Microsoft, Sage, Tivo, Crestron, Charmed-Quark, Cinemar.... would be in serious trouble.

Somehow I think they'll be around for a while.

[stanger89]

Also, I'd have thought Hugo Weaving could land bigger roles than narating Linux propoganda.

[DJD]

We run Ubuntu (Dapper) on our kitchen PC, so I tried LinuxMCE on the HTPC this past weekend. New things are fun, right? No offense to the developer - it looks like a good product - but it needs to be at least as easy to install as its competition, in order to be competitive. Linux installations usually require extra steps, but SHOULD that be the case? Of course not, especially not if they're looking for a wider user base than dedicated computer hobbyists. Rather than squeezing new features onto the bleeding edge of instability, I wish that the open source community would focus on stabilizing existing software. Stability is what builds credibility in the commercial world.

We've run SageTV (v4) on our HTPC for over a year now, and we're familiar with its (minor) bugs. It's performed as expected, and if we upgrade, it will be to a newer version of Sage.

For the record, the Gyration mice are as accurate as the Nintendo Wii remotes. I use a Gyration at work, and I have a Wii at home.

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Which Home Depot did he get his Z-Wave stuff from (HD doesn't list any z-wave on it's website). What Z-Wave controller for the PC? Did the PC run around the house syncing to all the Z-Wave devices?

I haven't seen the video, so I don't know specifically to what you're referring to.. Lowe's will be carrying a ZWave from Cooper Wiring. Also, check out:

http://www.onestopbuy.com/Home-and-O...productsearch=

for Leviton. I have one of these in the theater room, they have changeable face plates.

B

[mickp]

Meh, The interface looks like utter rubbish imho. I reckon they've missed the point somewhat. Seemed to me like trying to watch tv inside a copy of excel or lotus 123. Maybe the menus would be better with a remote or keyboard. I can't see it passing any kind of waf test.

OOB experience? I genuinely thought that the video was very clever satire for the first couple of minutes I can see that others have tried it out though so it must be real.

Ooooh. It discovers all of your videos everywhere. Can't wait to have the visiting mother in law checking out my porn collection on the big screen

The idea of dedicating a capture card for sending output of a video recorder and remoting the ir is interesting but also kinda beside the point. Haven't felt the need to touch a vcr for the past three years or so.

Mick.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

I haven't seen the video, so I don't know specifically to what you're referring to..

The narrator made the statement that Linux MCE worked with the ZWave thing he "picked up at the Home Depot".

It was just another example of the gross oversimplification of the situation if not outright lying in that video.