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1

Users / Re: Help! simple answers for simple needs to use LMCE

« on: November 02, 2007, 12:05:18 pm »

1) Read up on RAID and Linux, the built in RAID will give as good performance in this app as any other choice, and be easier to deal with if there is a crash.
2) HD Capture- if you mean HD OTA or un-encrypted cable get the HDHomeRun. There are no solutions for HD component or HDMI at present.
3) USBUIRT for IR blaster/receiver/learner
4) Use the latest version LMCE d/l or disk.

What you have will do most of what you want I think with the provisos above. However the Divx codecs and the MP3 codecs may need to be manually installed, I'm not sure they are included.

Thanx alot for helping 1audio.  Your answers brought up some new questions but I kind of thought that might happen of course.  I'm so mystified by some of this because so much of it is so new to me and partly because my questions probably weren't as clear as maybe they should have been.  Your answers helped though. In part to clarify what questions I should ask. 

I had kind of guessed from what I read on the pages of this project USBUIRT might be the best solution, I just wondered really if if was the easiest for a newb to Linux to configure.  I'll order that today.

The raid, I'm not quite as concerned with but I chose that board because I read on here that the Asus  M2NPV-VM was the board the developers used in testing the software had onboard true hardware raid.  So I thought that was the "built in raid", but begs the questions if I got your point right.  Would Linux software raid as opposed to hardware raid be an easier solution?  Also which would give the best performance advantage?  Or does a raid 0 configuration give enough of a performance advantage in this application to be worth the effort in any case? I was was thinking it would if I was encoding incoming HD programing to it, otherwise I would just slap in a SATA300 750gig and skip the raid altogether.  I have had some experience with hardware raid in both XP and my Ubuntu media server uses hardware raid for redundancy.  It was a little confusing but I figured it out well enough to get it working.  Wasn't sure though if it would be as easy to do with Kubuntu.  From what I've been able to glean from reading here it's easier to do it with a separate text install of Kubuntu and then use the cd install of LinuxMCE.  Can anyone tell me for sure if that's correct?  I have not had much luck with the dvd install so far.  I just hoped that someone who has used this motherboard for a working installation could tell me what worked for them.  I am reading up on Linux and raid, that's for sure, I was nearly an expert on XP and now I'm back to newb.      

I thought that HDHomerun might be the simplest answer, though wasn't sure.  Does anyone know does the software recognize and autoconfigure that, doesn't seem like it would need to? I don't really need OTA where I live that wouldn't be of much use to me.  My only source of incoming HD programming is what comes out of the cable box.  I'm assuming that the output from HDHomerun would be dealt with by LMCE similarly to the way it would deal with video from my media server.  How hard is it to configure LMCE to use either of those sources?  In the confirmed hardware list for capture cards none of those listed as far as I could tell could capture true HD.  I was surprised because most were Haupage cards and they make several now that can.

I think that I should be able to manage with the Codec install.  On my Ubuntu server I just used a script called EasyUbuntu, I believe it's called, and it gave me about everthing I needed.  I can use streamed Divx encoded films and Mp3's on there with no problems.  Thanks a ton 1audio for your kind response, I hope eventually to understand this well enough to be of help to others here too, I love this project and hope it blows Vista off the playing field.     

2

Users / Help! simple answers for simple needs to use LMCE

« on: November 02, 2007, 12:10:27 am »

Hi everyone:

I need to build a simple LinuxMCE setup.  Really not much more than a pvr.  I know there are many simpler solutions.  But I really want to use LinuxMCE.  I have been coming here, the home page and the wiki when I have a few free moments.  Unfortunately I have hardly any free time and the more I look around and read the more I'm just confused.  Most of this stuff is way more than I need and way over my head.  I'm not a total newbie to either Linux or A/V gear, but pretty limited Linux experience.  I am very computer hardware savvy though; except for new to hardware raid.  I'm hoping someone can help me with just a few simple questions the answers to which are tried and true.

I have so far:

Asus M2NPV-VM motherboard
AMD Athlon X2 5600+
The Fiire gyro wireless remote in the video
2 1 gig dual channel ram strips compatible with the board
Three SATA2 250gig drives I would like to use as hardware raid 0 array for the system for speed
A simple Linux server with near 2 terrabytes of HD Video mostly in HD Divx format and mp3's hooked to lan
My cablebox is a motorola DCT6416 III box with 2 HD tuners onboard with dvr capability hooked to monitor with component connector
34" Samsung HD monitor not digital has a picture tube Display is 1080I

What I need bare minimum is just a way to play MP3's and HD DivX video streamed over wired gigabit lan.

It would be nice to have it also be a PVR and be able to control the channels on the cable box but not necessary unless tried and true and easy.

I was previously using beyond media on XP, but want to eliminate all M$ from my home.  It does not need to be a server and will only be for the one tv and surround system.  The most important thing for me is that everything is sure to work and takes as little Linux software knowledge and configuration as possible.  Price is not a problem, I will find enough as needed.  I will probably want to add more capabilities later as I can find the time and understand it all better.  For now though it just has to be relatively simple and stable.  I'm really interested in this project and intend to keep trying to understand all this stuff as the project progresses and I make myself more time.

My Questions:

1.  What HD capture card would be the easiest sure fire solution? Prefer it have 2 tuners but one would be fine.  If it is a daughter board it would have to be PCI, PCI Espressx1, PCI Expressx16, otherwise USB2, Firewire or Ethernet would be ok.

2.  What infrared blaster type device would be the easiest solution?

3.  What Version of LMCE software would be best for my needs the CD or DVD?

4.  If not the DVD what flavor of Kubuntu would be best that will easily allow me to setup hardware raid?

5.  Am I leaving out anything I will need to make this simple system work?

6.  Will my onboard audio work or will I need a card and if so which would be easiest?

Thanx so much in advance for your help with this, I have tried with two other computers I had available and have failed miserably.  One mostly worked but I could not solve some issues that made it a no go.