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Messages - Ray_N

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46
Users / Re: USBUIRT How Many Devices Can it Control
« on: February 17, 2009, 08:45:56 pm »
Excellent...
  Thanks for that Seth...

R

47
Users / Re: USBUIRT How Many Devices Can it Control
« on: February 17, 2009, 08:14:59 pm »
The USB-UIRT has support for three transmitting zones. I don't thing linuxMCE explicitly supports these zones but the point is that the componentry is meant to work with the built-in transmitting LED and two additional transmitting LEDs which can be positioned whereever you like.
...
Adding LEDs is quite straightforward and they are just wired to a normal headphone jack. If you use a stereo one then it will represent two zones as mentioned above.

Pardon my ignorance Darren, but could you shed some more light on this. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "adding LEDs...wired to a normal headphone jack".

- Does the USBUIRT have a headphone jack? I haven't seen one.
- If I connect an LED to a headphone jack on a system (LinuxMCE HTPC, DVD, VCR) how will that help USBUIRT control it?
- Would the additional LEDs become IR receivers , or IR emitters? I suppose you mean emitters, since you mention that "the USB-UIRT has support for three transmitting zones". But if they are connected to other systems, how is the USBUIRT control them?
Confused...  :-\

Thanks,
Ray

48
Users / Re: My wife is jealous of LMCE
« on: February 10, 2009, 05:41:16 pm »
I'm with you Dale...latest project type of deal...right now the entire living room and dining room table looks like an electronics lab with all the parts, tools and boxes laid around. I keep telling her how cool this thing is going to be and "Wow! Look at this humongous turbine and heat sink" and she just looks at me like I'm crazy ;-)  Just wait till she sees it in action, right? At least she got to play a little with the Gyro remote...but my PSU was DOA so I had to RMA the thing...see what I mean?  ;D

49
Users / Re: Newbie with Installation from Scratch
« on: February 03, 2009, 11:59:24 pm »
Thanks for the insight Andrew, it does help. However, I just received all the parts shipment yesterday and started building the system already. On the BluRay, I decided to go the "rip somewhere else" route...'cause you're right on... those players aren't cheap.

Thank you...looking forward to contributing my successes/frustrations. :-)
R



50
Users / Re: why does mainboard choice matter so much? (core)
« on: January 31, 2009, 06:34:33 pm »
   Additionally, one minor thing to keep in mind, but can complicate things greatly, is simply the issue of age. The fact that old motherboards, on where any operating system or media center solution or system is found to work 100% may not be available anymore from motherboard manufacturers. So if you're trying to build a new system from scratch (like I am right now), manufacturers may not be selling those appropriate 100%-working boards anymore...

  Also, just by changing one component in the board, changes the entire numbering, and therefore it "becomes a different board".
For example, take a look at these two ASUS boards M3A78-EM and M3N78-EM  and you'll notice that basically, the only thing that changes is the onboard Video. So one board may work and the other may not.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010200022%2050001315%201070930149%201410330297&StoreType=-1&CompareItemList=N82E16813131324%2cN82E16813131354&bop=And

   So that's why there's so much information on the wiki about specific motherboards.

51
Users / Re: Orbiter without the Windows logo
« on: January 30, 2009, 04:39:33 am »
Note: Orbiter = the remote control interface used to control LMCE, not a handheld remote as such. You can use such a remote to control the Orbiter, or a mouse, touch screen, etc. Essentially, it is the graphical menu system on a screen (UI1/2).

Well thanks for the clarification...I stand corrected.

I guess I'm going to have to try to open the Gyration up and remove the logo myself  ;)  ...and void the warranty BTW.

I hear what you're saying colin, and I do appreciate that (its just a means to an end), its just that I feel it would be kind of insulting that I'll get to show off my new LinuxMCE stuff to all my friends and there is the flipping Winblows logo on the apparatus from where they control everything. As if "Yeah, its all great but still Windows has power over Linux"...kind of annoying...but anyway I know that's sort of a paranoid behavior...  :o

BTW, Just got my USB-UIRT on the mail today... should be getting the rest of the parts next week... Woohoo! Here we go!

52
Users / Orbiter without the Windows logo
« on: January 29, 2009, 11:56:33 pm »
Hey guys and gals!
    Any recommendations for a good oob orbiter like the Gyration remote but that doesn't have the @#!#$&* Windows logo?
I've looked around the wiki and forum but can't seem to find anything related to this subject.

Thanks a bunch,
Ray
   

53
Users / Re: Newbie with Installation from Scratch
« on: January 27, 2009, 12:42:52 am »
Ok...so all these conversations about the MoBo made me look for possible alternatives. I found this one.
ASUS M2N68-AM AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7050PV Micro ATX AMD Motherboardhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131342

Everything seems to be the exact same that the one I originally picked except for a lower nVidia chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 7050PV
and the Audio Chipset:    VIA VT1708B

I searched on the wiki and forums for comments on the audio but found not one comment. So I'm kind of worried on this one.

What do you say guys?...any good/bad experiences with this audio or MoBo?
Thank you,
R

54
Users / Re: Newbie with Installation from Scratch
« on: January 26, 2009, 08:36:26 pm »
Well that's just great...  >:(
   I don't think I want to buy 100 Fiire Chiefs just so I could use one. Thank you for the heads-up Tim. I did look at the Gyration remotes but I just don't like that awful Windows logo right in the middle...It would be kind of insulting to have all this nice Linux thing going and have to look at that stooopid logo every day. Any ideas? I actually called Gyration and asked them if they would manufacture now or in the future the exact same remote but without the Windoze logo. Their answer: "Hell no...We won't go...", and he referred me to a company called Fiire. How about that?  So I asked him about manufacturing a remote that (just like some ladies watches and cellphones) you could open the clear plastic flip cap where the logo is and put in any picture that you wanted. He said No to that also.
   But he did say that I could, myself open up the remote and change the logo...but did clarify that that would void the warranty...How about that now?

   In terms of the MoBo, I think I'm getting confused by the numbers here:
- M3N78-EMH HDMI: This one seems to be the one that Tim mentions is having huge issues
   (www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=149&l3=643&l4=0&model=2082&modelmenu=1)

- M3N78-EM: Seems to have worked to some people with minor tweaking (http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/ASUS_M3N78-EM)
   (www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=149&l3=676&l4=0&model=2319&modelmenu=1)

Is this not true? And so based on http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/ASUS_M3N78-EM , I should not have that many problems. Especially when 0810 comes out. Am I missing something?
Thanks,
R

55
Users / Re: Newbie with Installation from Scratch
« on: January 26, 2009, 05:16:10 am »
Excellent!
   This is great...thanks guys.
Thom:  Thank you for that insight into ripping BluRay, I think that will work. Rip somewhere else and then LinuxMCE will play the BluRay .iso file.
   So here's my "final" shopping list. I added the NIC, lowered the memory and HD capacity and even changed to a nicer case with the money saved. What do you guys think? Any showstoppers? Comments are welcome...

Thanks,
Ray
Item
Cost
Description
Website
Case$58.99 hec Black 0.7mm Thickness SECC Steel 7KJ9 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retailwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121068
CPU$78.00 AMD
  Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W  Dual-Core black edition
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300
Motherboard$89.99ASUS M3N78-EM  AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8300 HDMI Micro ATX AMD www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131354
RAM$22.99 Kingston HyperX 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memorywww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104012
Hard Drive$34.99Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEMwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106
BluRay Player$109.99 LITE-ON  Black 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal 6X Blu-Ray DVD  ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Model iHES106-29 - OEMwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106270
TV Capture Card$114.00pcHDTV PCHD-5500www.pchdtv.com/
2nd NIC$27.49Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter 1 x RJ45 - OEMwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121
Transceiver$55.00 USB  UIRTwww.usbuirt.com/order.htm
Orbiter$149.00Fiire Chiefwww.fiire.com/fiire-chief.php
Sound CardIn MoBoRealtek  ALC1200 - 8 Channels
Graphics cardIn MoBoNVIDIA GeForce 8300
CPU Cooler$24.99 COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-P912-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Coolerwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103041
Thermal  Compound$5.99Arctic Silver 5  Thermal Compound - OEMwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007
LinuxMCEFREE!!!Woooohooo!www.linuxmce.com/

  Total:  $771.42

56
Users / Re: Newbie with Installation from Scratch
« on: January 25, 2009, 06:03:07 am »
  Oh wow...this is excellent feedback. Thank you colin.
Now I'm kinda disappointed here. One of the main reasons for us to do this system is to watch BluRay movies. We don't really watch a whole lot of TV programming (months can go by without us even turning the TV on for cable), but we do like our Netflix.
  So...ok here we go:
- I'll get the other NIC...no argument there.
- The 8300 chipset is MOBO integrated, so selecting a different one because 8300 would be wasteful means selecting a different MOBO. I have no issue selecting a different one but would then appreciate knowing which NVIDIA would be the best to have without going overboard. The page in hardware here (wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Hardware) mentions "It is recommended to use one from a GeForce 6200 to a GeForce 8500". That's why I went with the 8300. Don't know if it matters, but obviously I prefer to be able to send 1080p whenever possible. If it's that important to go lower I could save about $20.00 right there, so that's good. So please advice what number should I go to.
- I'll drop to 1Gb RAM (saves me some money to buy the NIC)  ;)
- I'll drop the internal HD to say...160GB? (saves some more money there too)

   Now for the big question: How could I play BluRay? Should I (can I) just buy a separate stand-alone player and somehow connect it to LinuxMCE? And, still be able to keep one control over everything, so LinuxMCE controls everything? The video mentions connectivity to VHS, so I assume you could also connect a BluRay player. It'd be kinda strange to have two different drive bays there, but hey! you do what you need to do, right...
What say the gods?

Thank you,
Ray

57
Users / Newbie with Installation from Scratch
« on: January 24, 2009, 12:05:44 am »
Hello there guys and gals...
   I'm new to LinuxMCE (or any other media center solution for that matter), but I want to jump in with both feet and get myself soaked. And (side benefit) I want to show all my friends the power and flexibility of Linux. ;D By reading throughout the website, I've come up with this shopping list that I'm planning on buying to get me going. But before I actually plop down my credit card I wanted to check with you the experts to see if this makes any sense.

   This will be a Hybrid/Core system only for now...only serving my living room, to a 40" 1080p Samsung...Maaayybeee (big maybe) later extending to other rooms in the house. So that's why I'm not planning for another NIC since everything will be on my one network.

   Also, I'm seeing on the wiki page for the MOBO I picked (wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/ASUS_M3N78-EM) that this board may not have best performance out of the box for UI2 with alpha blending, so I'm thinking maybe I should wait until LinuxMCE v0810 comes out.

   Any thoughts, thumbs up or down on the shopping list, anything I should change or add, or anything else will be very much appreciated.

(I'm fairly technical, as you can see I'm planning on building this myself, and have some intermediate knowledge of Linux so feel free to talk tech. Although I would prefer if I didn't have to be running a bunch of scripts or recompiling things to get everything going).
Thank you all,
R

Item
Cost
Description
Website
Case$49.99 hec  Black 0.7mm Thickness SECC 7K09 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Casewww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121027
CPU$78.00 AMD
  Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W  Dual-Core black edition
www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=19-103-300&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&SelectedRating=-1&PurchaseMark=&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&Keywords=(keywords)&Page=2
Motherboard$89.99ASUS M3N78-EM  AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8300 HDMI Micro ATX AMD www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131354
RAM$45.98 (2)
  Kingston HyperX 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104012
Hard Drive$74.99Western Digital  Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache  SATA 3.0Gb/swww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320
Bluray Player$109.99 LITE-ON  Black 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal 6X Blu-Ray DVD  ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Model iHES106-29 - OEMwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106270
TV Capture Card$114.00pcHDTV PCHD-5500www.pchdtv.com/
Transceiver$55.00 USB  UIRTwww.usbuirt.com/order.htm
Orbiter$149.00Fiire Chiefwww.fiire.com/fiire-chief.php
Sound CardIn MOBORealtek  ALC1200 - 8 Channels
Graphics cardIn MOBONVIDIA GeForce 8300
Heatsink$24.99 COOLER  MASTER RR-CCH-P912-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Coolerwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103041
Thermal  Compound$5.99Arctic Silver 5  Thermal Compound - OEMwww.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007
LinuxMCEFREE!!!Woooohooo!www.linuxmce.com/

  Total:  $797.92

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