What exactly does Ubuntu TV do

[pinelights]

http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/tv
I want to have dedicated linux based living room HTPC but what exactly is Ubuntu TV? Is it a cross between W7MCE and XBMC with many addons and such but actively scans the net for multimedia sources (as per user input/preferences) and works like IPTV and allows some form of recording? So TV Tuners are fully supported and auto installed? is Ubuntu TV strictly for Smart TVs later or for desktops/laptops/tablets as well? Where do recordings get stored @ the "cloud" or an option to store to a dedicated/networked hard drive :confused:

Lastly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_TV

Features

Ubuntu TV will be based on Ubuntu 12.04,[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_TV#cite_note-8) is expected to have its own movie store,[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_TV#cite_note-theverge-0) ability to record and play videos, DVD-Video (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Video) and Blu-ray Disc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc) support,[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_TV#cite_note-ubuntu1-9) touch-ready interface[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_TV#cite_note-ubuntu1-9) ability to integrate all standard terrestrial broadcast system and also satellite and cable services,[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_TV#cite_note-ubuntu2-10) ability to stream music, photos and videos from a PC to the TV[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_TV#cite_note-ubuntu2-10) and applications designed specifically for Ubuntu TV
Does this mean i could literally slot in an actual BR disc on a linux machine and Ubuntu TV just plays it?

[Copper Bezel]

If the machine has a Blu Ray player, then you can already play Blu Ray disks in Ubuntu. Same with the TV tuner - it's nothing special if you have the hardware and the configuration. The idea with Ubuntu TV is that you buy an all-in-one smart TV that has all of this set up and ready to go. They're not available yet - I don't know if any vendors have even actually said they're going to be working with Canonical. But an HTPC and an ordinary TV, with a Blu Ray drive and a TV card and so on, can do this with an ordinary Ubuntu install and a little bit of setup.


is Ubuntu TV strictly for Smart TVs later or for desktops/laptops/tablets as well?
Since it's a modification to the OS, it wouldn't make much sense on a laptop or something, but I think they intend to make it available when it launches for HTPCs and the like.


Where do recordings get stored @ the "cloud" or an option to store to a dedicated/networked hard drive
Locally, and shared to your private cloud through Ubuntu One.

[pinelights]

Oh i thought currently for Blu Ray playback on Ubuntu the machine has to manipulate the disc via MakeMKV and the like to save a file then play?

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, it looks like you're right. I guess it streams it now - it doesn't have to rip the disc and decodes as it goes - but it still does seem cumbersome. With any luck, 12.04 (on which Ubuntu TV is based) might simply streamline that process so that nothing needs to be done manually. But I don't know how they could offer that feature for free, any more than any of the other proprietary codecs that they can't include.

[grahammechanical]

In my mind the title of the link to Ubuntu.com says it all.


Everything you want in a TV. In a TV.

It is an interface for Internet capable televisions. I do not think that Ubuntu TV is intended to be a Home Theatre Personal Computer (HTPC) operating system.

When Microsoft brought out Windows Media Centre Edition it could only be purchased pre-installed on specifically designed media centre PCs. In this way everything worked as it should and there could be no complaints about Win MCE not having the drivers for someone's hardware or not giving a satisfactory viewing experience.


If Canonical do intend to release a HTPC Ubuntu then they should only make it available pre-installed.

Regards.

[andrew.46]

Oh i thought currently for Blu Ray playback on Ubuntu the machine has to manipulate the disc via MakeMKV and the like to save a file then play?

I don't know anything about Ubuntu TV but newer versions of MPlayer and vlc can play bluray disks directly. MakeMKV is still required for disks with bd+ protection...