Messages

1

Users / Re: New Core - Hardware evaluation requested!

« on: June 20, 2008, 07:14:35 pm »

Well, there's one way to find out.

Install and let us know!

2

Users / Re: New LMC User - Hardware Opinions Appreciated

« on: June 20, 2008, 07:10:22 pm »

Here's my current hardware setup (but please keep in mind I do not have LMCE running on it, just MythTV on Ubuntu 8.04 64-bit):

Mobo:  EVGA e-7150/630i (112-CK-NF77-A1)
CPU:  Pentium 4 631 3.0 gHz w/stock fan (loud as heck when screen saver is running or encoding/decoding)
Case:  Antec nsk2480
Ram:  2GB OCZ Gold Enhanced Latency
DVD:  Plextor DVD Burner (can't recall model ATM)
HDD:  2x500GB Western Digital Green drives (low power consumption, low noise but no NCQ, which I think has negatively affected perf)
Tuner: Dvico FusionHDTV 7 RT Gold - yes, it works, but after a recent update of software on my Ubuntu 8.04 box, is no longer recognized;  will have to troubleshoot.
Audio: onboard; for some reason only optical digital out would work from the MOBO, coaxial would not.
Video: onboard, using HDMI out
TV:  Panasonic 42" Plasma HDTV (TH-42PZ80U); not ideal for connectivity with LMCE, but a beautiful picture.

Notes:

When I first attempted to use LMCE (installed while waiting for tuner to arrive), I was able to get GUI2 w/Transparency working from the onboard video @ 1080p and it was quite nice but VERY slow.  GUI2 with Overlay was very fast and seems perfectly usable.

With the Dvico tuner, I was testing capturing HDTV content and it looked great, but I experienced frequent glitches (not sure of exact terminology) which made the recorded shows impossible to watch.  I'm not sure about the exact cause of the problems ATM, but I'm thinking it's caused by the lack of NCQ on the hard drives.  Just a hunch.

I use a PS3 for my Blu-Ray viewing and have audio routed out from optical (from both the PS3 and the HTPC) to an Onkyo-based home theater setup.  Sounds awesome!

I will likely reinstall LMCE this weekend, seeing as I have more experience with getting the various components working under regular Ubuntu.

3

Users / EVGA mATX board on NewEgg has a good rebate!

« on: May 02, 2008, 09:45:34 pm »

Hi All,

I just saw this on NewEgg:

EVGA 112-CK-NF77-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce e-7150/630i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard, retail box.

It's gotten good reviews on the MythTV forums so it may be a good choice for a LinuxMCE box.

With mail-in rebate the total is $64.99USD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188021

Edit:  The $20 rebate lasts for the entire month of May.

4

Compatible Products & Services / Re: Building a new rig - need system requirements.

« on: May 02, 2008, 09:37:00 pm »

I was hoping to find a "benchmark system" made of known-compatible components that exercises the core features of LinuxMCE.  I couldn't find such a system spec anywhere in the wiki, forums, or web.  I did, however, find lots of wisdom and guidance in those places. Based on that, I am designing a system that can hopefully become that "benchmark system" I was seeking.  I will be documenting that design on my user page in the wiki which you can find here:

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/User:Alx9r

At this point, my hope is that I can get this system working without too many issues.  Once I can do that, I am hoping to sufficiently document my system so that others can replicate it for themselves.  That way newbies have a way of getting a basic system up and running without the huge learning curve that I encountered.

If you are interested in this "benchmark system" spec, please reply here, so I can gauge how useful this exercise is likely to be to everyone.

Cheers,

Alex

Heck yeah, I'm interested in how it goes for you.  I'm also building a system, and once I get all the parts together I'll also post on my user page how goes.

5

Users / Re: Has anyone tried ASUS P5N-EMH HDMI motherboard?

« on: April 30, 2008, 08:03:31 pm »

I'd like to know about this board, also.  You could just go ahead and try it and see what happens, and then let the rest of us know.

One question to the more knowledgeable members of the site:  When looking at particular boards, what are the best resources to look at to see if they are already compatible with similar systems, like MythTV (can you tell I'm a newbie?).  Is there a list of URLs for sites we can do some research at?