Why I don't use virtual machines

**Copper Bezel** · February 14th, 2012

Originally Posted by cariboo907

Isn't the idea behind having a HTPC, to have a stable platform to watch videos, listen do music, and do other media related tasks?

By not purchasing a TV, you are limiting yourself to watching videos on a small screen. All LCD/Plasma/LED Tv's include a VGA connector, as well as multiple HDMI connectors. There is no reason not to use a TV as a video monitor.

Yeah, that'd be my understanding of it. I don't have a TV now, simply because it's not a priority for me at the moment and my 19" external is enough for now, but when I've had a TV, I had an HTPC brain for it that wasn't my work machine. If a real TV is ~$500 USD and the HTPC is ~$200 or less, it seems like the TV is the "investment," there; I can't imagine buying a TV and then not buying a dedicated box for it.

**linuxyogi** · February 14th, 2012

Originally Posted by cariboo907

Isn't the idea behind having a HTPC, to have a stable platform to watch videos, listen do music, and do other media related tasks?

By not purchasing a TV, you are limiting yourself to watching videos on a small screen. All LCD/Plasma/LED Tv's include a VGA connector, as well as multiple HDMI connectors. There is no reason not to use a TV as a video monitor.

The reason I purchased a PC monitor instead of a TV is coz its cheap. I purchased this 22" monitor for Rs 8200. A LCD TV of the same size will cost me about 18000. I don't know about plasma but yes LEDs are comparatively cheap but still will cost more than the monitor.
I am using Samsung B2230.

**Copper Bezel** · February 14th, 2012

I think he's working on the assumption that the TV would be larger than the monitor. Like, an actual television, 40"ish or more.

If you're using a 22" monitor, you don't have an HTPC. That's just called "watching movies on your computer" (which is, again, what I do, so I'm not judging.) The HT in HTPC stands for "home theater."

Edit: Which still leaves the question of why you would want to watch movies in a VM when you have a perfectly good host system....

**linuxyogi** · February 14th, 2012

Originally Posted by Copper Bezel

I think he's working on the assumption that the TV would be larger than the monitor. Like, an actual television, 40"ish or more.

If you're using a 22" monitor, you don't have an HTPC. That's just called "watching movies on your computer" (which is, again, what I do, so I'm not judging.) The HT in HTPC stands for "home theater."

Edit: Which still leaves the question of why you would want to watch movies in a VM when you have a perfectly good host system....

So to be called HT a television is a must ? A monitor won't do ?

Or is it the size of the display ?

Just need to clear some doubts.

Its just one of the things I wish worked on a VM. That's all.

**robsoles** · February 14th, 2012

Soz, just bouncing to my initial reaction to OP's OP (

)

If I just want to see how the interface goes etc etc I pop it in a VM in a heartbeat. I can just barely think of two things I couldn't get going in VM of whatever the only (or best) supported OS was - VLC hasn't failed in a VM of anything that actually came with a GUI yet.

If it succeeds (or doesn't look too arduous) from a LiveCD then it is likely it can do as my operating system I primary boot for a while, as time has progressed I have gone on to spawn an XP VM and a Linux VM, each that I rarely refresh installs on, and everything I really rely on is adequately support between those two VMs.

I can usually make the host system manage everything I need but those VMs provide me with insurance, provided whatever I've been foolish enough to install can support a virtual machine manager capable of importing a VirtualBox VM - usually the one from www.virtualbox.org works like a treat

**mips** · February 14th, 2012

Originally Posted by linuxyogi

I always do real installation of distros I wan to try and trust me its like I want to try them all

but I dont use VirtualBox coz vdpau doesn't work. Playing videos is a must for me.

So, when you use VirtualBox you don't play videos ? What kind of usage do you do with the

virtual machines?

TIA

Xen Hypervisor supports VGA Passthrough. Maybe see if that meets your needs. It gives one VM direct hardware access to the GPU.

It does have certain hardware requiments you need to meet though.

**Paqman** · February 14th, 2012

Originally Posted by linuxyogi

So, when you use VirtualBox you don't play videos ? What kind of usage do you do with the virtual machines?

I use them for anything I can't do in my main OS, which plays video just fine.

Graphics support is getting better in VMs though, it won't be long before the guest OS has good enough access to the GPU for most stuff.