First I would like to say that the videos I've seen of LMCE are incredible. The things the software can do are amazing. I like how the home automation is tied into the software. BUT.... It appears the LMCE has little support for HD. I've been using HD for almost two years on a samsumg 61" DLP, Dish Network HD, and a Playstation 3 as a Blu-Ray player. Right now I use my PS3 as a media player and have a FreeNAS box (Great Addition!!!) on my network holding videos, pictues, and music. I'm upgrading my network and drives to support the speeds necessary to stream HD signals (~20Mb/s). Right now I use wireless G to my PS3, a little slow seeing how my PS3 is a little tucked away. I also intend on adding a firewall using IPCOP.
Enough about what I have and intend to do....
I have some questions?
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1. Is it true LMCE is limited on support of HD? I want to know is I can record local HD stuff I recieve over the antenna with LMCE? Is anyone doing it, what equipment, how does it look, Is the signal degraded???
2. Is there any support for the PS3? Using it as a remote player.
3. I want to know is the overall usage of the software smooth, graphically? If you have a fast enough computer.
4. I have access to Windows Vista Ultimate at a discounted rate through school and I 'm considering trying out that MCE, but I'm becoming a linux fan fast and would like to find a solution using linux, but it must provide solid HD capabilites. If I use Vista for it's MCE, what is available for linux concerning home automation?
Before I address your points, You don't need the external IPCop. Set up the LinuxMCE box like we describe in the directions. We provide a full firewall, with full QoS for everything.
With that said,
1. All the computer based media centers are very limited in their support of HD in forms other than over-the-air. This is true of LMCE, of Windows MCE, period. This isn't our fault. Yell at the media companies for their oppressive paranoid DRM measures which encrypt all the digital stream ports.
With this in mind. This is what you can do, NOW: (and yes, do ALL of these, there is a method to it!)
(1a) Get a Hauppauge PVR-150/250/500/USB2. Connect the S-Video output from the satellite box, to the S-video input on the tuner card. This will allow you to get an SD tream into the LMCE system. This stream can be viewed with the LMCE menu overlaid over the top, because it's being digitized by the computer.
(1b) Attach a USB UIRT or GC-100 I/O interface, to control the TV and Satellite box. (If you use a USB UIRT, get a Xantech 286 double-emitter, if you use a GC-100, use as many of their IR emitter adaptors as you need.), and create device templates for your satellite box, and your TV/other AV equipment, and tell LMCE about how they're connected together. This allows LMCE to control the satellite box and TV and Recievers etc, to do the following point...
(1c) now that you have LMCE Controlling your A/V equipment, it can switch inputs automatically to the Dish Network box, so that you can still watch shows in HD completely, while retaining control with the LinuxMCE remotes and orbiters. You can go into LiveTV (Dish Network Box), and select Direct AV. It will then flip things appropriately... When you press the menu button, it will flip the inputs back to the SD, so it can display the menu on top.
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2. Currently limited support. We do have some interested people trying to port LinuxMCE to run as an OS under the boot loader. It will be ported so that you can boot the PS3 either as a disked or as a diskless MD, but it is going to take some time. Want to help?
With that said, We do have support for UPnP exporting, so you can play MythTV recordings and stored videos on the system from the PS3.. but this is rather limited in comparison to a full Media Director. So just point your PS3 onto the network, and see what comes up.
3. Yes, very smooth. Get a fast enough graphics card. I recommend at least an NVIDIA 6150 (onboard) or 6200 (card).
4. I really wouldn't use Vista for its MCE, you'll wind up with a feature set much less than LinuxMCE. And the other home automation systems on the linux front are much rougher around the edges to install and use than LinuxMCE.
The bottom line is,
* Use hardware we recommend. Come onto the chat forum and talk to us, we can help you put together a hardware configuration that will work.
* Use the main LinuxMCE system as the DHCP router and gateway on the network. A great deal of LinuxMCE's power comes from this. We need this to both detect network devices, and to allow for network booting media directors.
* The core runs 24 hours a day. It needs to, especially since it needs to control the home automation bits.
-Thom
