Why I don't use virtual machines

[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

[Bachstelze]

Computers are not TVs. You can do a lot of things on them besides watching videos (not to mention that you can watch videos without VDPAU).

Personally, I use them to play Solitaire.

[linuxyogi]

Computers are not TVs. You can do a lot of things on them besides watching videos (not to mention that you can watch videos without VDPAU).

Personally, I use them to play Solitaire.

I use this PC as a HTPC. I have purchased a 22" LCD & a TV tuner box. I deliberately haven't purchased a TV. Computers are often used as HTPCs these days. Don't you agree?

Without vdpau HD playback demands 100% CPU.

[Bachstelze]

I use this PC as a HTPC. I have purchased a 22" LCD & a TV tuner box. I deliberately haven't purchased a TV. Computers are often used as HTPCs these days. Don't you agree?

Maybe. I must admit I am not very knowledgeable about the latest trends in PC use. But why would you want to use a VM for that, anyway? That's not what they are for. Solitaire, on the other hand...

[linuxyogi]

Maybe. I must admit I am not very knowledgeable about the latest trends in PC use. But why would you want to use a VM for that, anyway? That's not what they are for. Solitaire, on the other hand...

Its just that if vdpau worked I would have installed a dozen distros.
Solitaire is awesome. :popcorn:

[QIII]

Multiboot?

Some of us use virtualization extensively... But some of us don't use the virtual machines for video.

You and I may use our machines for entirely different purposes. For me, a computer is a tool. If I want to watch a video, I slap a dvd in the drive and sit on the couch with the wife for 90 minutes. I don't see any good reason for having an HTPC with 500 movies on a hard drive.

[BrokenKingpin]

I deliberately haven't purchased a TV. Computers are often used as HTPCs these days. Don't you agree?

Yes, but as Bachstelze said computers are used for more than video playback. I use vbox for testing out distros, but HD video playback is not one of my tests, as I never have issues with that from distro to distro. If I also want to try out a new application I will try it in a VM before installing it on my main rig.

I am also a software developer, so testing application deployment in vbox is very useful.

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, I don't get the focus on video particularly. My computer is my only DVD player, television, etc., but I don't know why I'd be watching videos through a VM when the host is perfectly capable. I have to admit I find it odd when non-developers who don't need specific environments still have a number of virtual machines at hand - I really don't see the appeal. But that's a different question, I suppose, if you're already interested in "trying them all." = )

[cariboo]

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.

[jerrrys]

Makes a great test box for me, nothing more.

[Copper Bezel]

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]

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]

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]

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. #-o

[robsoles]

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

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]

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]

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.