Dell to Sell Ubuntu with Default DVD Playback

[DarkOx]

According to this article (http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7924076658.html), Dell is going to begin shipping Ubuntu with the ability to play DVDs out of the box.

Personally, I think it's great that a manufacturer is beginning to modify Ubuntu so it just works out of the box, patents and license fees be damned (or as the case is, paid for). If nothing else, it shows Dell is slowly starting to increase its investment in Ubuntu and suggest that they'll eventually start promoting Ubuntu based systems more heavily.

Opinions?

[some_random_noob]

What the hell? If they pre-install those codecs isn't it illegal? They must make you agree to some sort of disclaimer/user reliability thingy. Surely Dell isn't stupid.

[Presto123]

Obviously, if they are at the level where they WILL start selling them, there's already an agreement in effect. I doubt a large company like Dell would be doing this without really checking in on it. But, then again, things have happened to large companies like this.

I would assume, though, that there's something cool going on with Dell. ;)

Also, take a further look at the specs of the computers...they are listing even higher end PCs/Laptops with Ubu. People wishing for better performance from Dell should read that bit. I think I'm beginning to like Dell a bit better now.

[jrusso2]

What the hell? If they pre-install those codecs isn't it illegal? They must make you agree to some sort of disclaimer/user reliability thingy. Surely Dell isn't stupid.

What stops them from buying a license like anyone can?

[kripkenstein]

This is excellent news. Yes, the current patent system is a mess, but if you want Linux to be sold in the US then you have no choice but to pay the patent licenses. I am very glad that Dell realizes this and is making pre-installed Ubuntu even more useful.

I wonder if this will also eventually include WMA licenses and so forth.

[some_random_noob]

What stops them from buying a license like anyone can?

Damn, you just owned me! :( That's a really good point. Maybe Dell could eventually make companies like Cyberlink develop Ubuntu compatible products? I would very much like PowerDVD6 to run on Ubuntu (It came with my DVD drive). These kind of ideas/deals could make Ubuntu a mainstream OS.

[RomeReactor]

These are awesome news! Dell has received a lot of criticism for the lack of promotion for Ubuntu on their site, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

[Midwest-Linux]

Dell announces Ubuntu 7.10 PCs with DVD playback

http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7924076658.html


Dell has told DesktopLinux.com that it will be announcing later today, Dec. 19, that it will be releasing PCs with Ubuntu 7.10 (aka Gutsy Gibbon) as part of its Dell Consumer Linux lineup along with the ability to legally play DVDs.

According to Dell spokesperson Anne B. Camden, the "Dell Inspiron 530N desktop and Inspiron 1420N notebook PCs are now available with Ubuntu 7.10 pre-installed." Both of these models were part of Dell's second wave of Ubuntu-powered PCs, which were released in June 2007.

Ms. Camden continued, "Possibly in the 'more importantly' category, we are now pre-installing DVD movie playback all Ubuntu 7.10 systems -- a feature we feel will resonate with … Linux enthusiasts as well as the mainstream consumer market. In fact, one of the key requests from customers interested in Linux is the ability to watch their favorite DVD movies."

The Inspiron 1420N, which comes in eight different colors, is powered by a 1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 processor. This chip set also comes with a 667MHz FSB (front-side bus) and a 2MB cache. Dell will let users who want a faster processor upgrade it to a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 with an 800MHz FSB and a 4MB cache.

For storage, the default setup starts with an 80GB SATA (Serial ATA) hard drive with a spin rate of 5,400 rpm. At the high end, Dell offers a 160GB SATA hard drive with 7,200-rpm speed. It comes with a 24x CD burner/DVD combo drive or an 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability.

For graphics, it uses an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 on the motherboard. The X3100 takes its RAM from the main system memory. The 1420N starts with 1GB of RAM.

The Inspiron Desktop 530 comes in a minitower form factor. It's powered by an Intel 1.6GHz E2140 Pentium dual-core processor with an 800MHz FSB and 1MB of Level 2 cache. It can be upgraded to an Intel 1.8GHz E4300 Core 2 Duo Processor with an 800MHz FSB and a 2MB L2 cache.

Its default storage device is a 160GB SATA hard drive. On the high end, users can upgrade to a 320GB SATA drive. All the drive options run at 7,200 rpm.

For an optical drive, the desktop comes with a 48x CD-RW/ DVD combo drive, but users also have the option of a single 16x DVD+/-RW drive or a dual-optical-drive configuration. To connect with the Internet, this laptop has both a Gigabit Ethernet port and a 3945 802.11a/g Wi-Fi Mini-card.

The 530N comes with a gigabyte of single-channel DDR2 (double data rate) SDRAM at 667MHz. That's more than enough memory to run Ubuntu 7.10. Users can crank the 530 all the way up to 4GB of dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM.

For graphics, the 530N comes with a 128MB Nvidia GeForce 8300GS graphics card. For an additional $100, users can upgrade to a 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600GT-DDR card.

The system also comes with a Dell USB keyboard and Dell optical USB mouse. After plugging these in, the user will still have eight USB 2.0 ports. A 13-in-1 Media Card Reader and a 3.5-inch floppy drive are also available as options.

Dell has made it crystal clear since the introduction of Ubuntu 7.10 that it planned to pre-load the distribution on some of its PCs. Indeed, even before Ubuntu 7.10 was available, Dell had announced that it would be shipping systems with Ubuntu 7.10.

It has long been possible to play DVDs on Linux. However, with most Linux distributions, it is necessary to manually enable this functionality. That is because while the user may legally own both the DVD he or she is trying to play and the computer it's being played on, in the United States, enabling open-source-based operating systems to play commercial DVDs, with their wide variety of DRM (digital rights management) schemes, is something of a legal swamp. There are legal ways around this, and presumably Dell has invested in one of them.

Dell Product Strategist Daniel Judd will be releasing more details shortly on the Direct2Dell site about this next step forward in Dell Ubuntu-powered computers. The 1420N starts at a list price of $599 and the 530N starts at $754.

[SunnyRabbiera]

hmm, I wonder what they are going to use for it.
It would be nice if dell offered it to us rather if its free of charge or not, that way we can get rid of some legal clout...
I gets the windows codecs are next huh :D

[christhemonkey]

I heard they are using LinDVD from InterVideo for the DVD playback.

[SunnyRabbiera]

well thats sort of good, maybe now lindvd might become available to us without us having to use CNR

[Antman]

Nice.... I hope more PC vendors follow their lead!!:guitar:

[Midwest-Linux]

Maybe this should be moved to Ubuntu Dell Support forum?

[p_quarles]

Maybe this should be moved to Ubuntu Dell Support forum?
Why? It's not a support question . . .

Anyway, I'm glad to see them doing this. I want Ubuntu to stay true to its promise of remaining free-as-in-beer. But, there's also a need for some licenses if it's going to reach beyond its current audience. OEMs are exactly the ones who are in the position to provide this.

[Incense]

I was actually really surprised to hear after dell started selling preloaded ubuntu PC's, that no changes to the distro were made. I thought for sure we would see the fluendo codec pack included if nothing else just to make it legal for their customers to play MP3's or DVD's. I still want to know how they are doing it, and I still really want to see them come out with a dellbuntu made just for their machines with legal codecs, and maybe a customized interface, much as the gOS folks did.

[GMU_DodgyHodgy]

I am actually pleased with this news. While I am all for open source - I agree with including proprietary software - where necessary to make the distribution useful. This is another step of Dell (a major distributor) making a Linux PC an attractive offering. Especially since they are coming preloaded and tested to work out of the box.

One step at a time - one step at a time. :)

[popch]

I still want to know how they are doing it, .

I do not actually know, but I would presume that they have some kind of contract or agreement which covers their whole production of PCs and not only the Windows boxes.

The difference in price (if they do indeed pay per seat and not some flat fee) can not be that much, and the accounting overhead for subtracting the machines sold without those licenses might be just too large to bother.

[smartboyathome]

This is great! If dell gets some more decent PCs, I may buy my next one from them!

[bruce89]

I suspect LinDVD will be about as GNOMEy as Firefox or OOo.

[hanzomon4]

It's about time... They do the same with windows; many people don't know that windows default can't play dvds either.

[timcredible]

What the hell? If they pre-install those codecs isn't it illegal? They must make you agree to some sort of disclaimer/user reliability thingy. Surely Dell isn't stupid.
the codec is only illegal if you don't pay the owners of the patents for it (i think it's like $0.75US per machine). however, in some backward countries, the government has been bought by microsoft and the codecs are illegal no matter what (i think france is one of the countries that made this law).

[tbroderick]

I suspect LinDVD will be about as GNOMEy as Firefox or OOo.

It's ugly. Uses gtk1.

[sr20ve]

One step at a time. I knew there's more to come from Dell and their Ubuntu computers.

[misfitpierce]

Tis good news for sure

[bruce89]

It's ugly. Uses gtk1.

Oh dear god.

[tiachopvutru]

Haha... I was never a fan of Dell but I'm starting to like it more. :lolflag:

Shoot... I'm starting to act like a fanboy. Anyway, I'm glad with what Dell is doing ;)

[x0as]

Looks like dell are going to sell the XPS M1330 with ubuntu.

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/segments/gen/client/en/ubuntu_landing?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anavml

[SunnyRabbiera]

Looks like dell are going to sell the XPS M1330 with ubuntu.

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/segments/gen/client/en/ubuntu_landing?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anavml

thats for england though

[ctt1wbw]

What the hell? If they pre-install those codecs isn't it illegal? They must make you agree to some sort of disclaimer/user reliability thingy. Surely Dell isn't stupid.


Can some PLEASE explain to me why watching DVD's on Linux is soooo bad, but watching DVD's under Windows or OS X is okay?

[ctt1wbw]

Haha... I was never a fan of Dell but I'm starting to like it more. :lolflag:

Shoot... I'm starting to act like a fanboy. Anyway, I'm glad with what Dell is doing ;)


I love Dell laptops. Mainly for the fact that Dell doesn't build them. Plus, their build options are more suitable for Linux than most other manufacturers. I've just bought two of them in the last two months. To go along with the other two in the house.

[x0as]

thats for england though

That's where I am ;)

:confused: XPS M1330 aint showing up now anyway.

[hanzomon4]

Can some PLEASE explain to me why watching DVD's on Linux is soooo bad, but watching DVD's under Windows or OS X is okay?

I guess because no one is buying the license needed to play dvds. To watch dvds you need to buy a dvd, buy a dvd drive, and pay for the right to watch the dvd. OEMs(Dell, HP, Apple) pay for this, an off the shelf vista install won't play dvds(or other codecs) just as a default Ubuntu install won't. Now that Ubuntu has an OEM supporting it that OEM can pay for the right to enable dvd support on that OEM's systems.

Correct me if I'm wrong folks...

[jrusso2]

It's about time... They do the same with windows; many people don't know that windows default can't play dvds either.

Since Vista came out it can. Vista now includes DVD playback except Home Basic I think. Also all the windows boxes you buy from Dell or any other Major mfg come with some kind of DVD playback software included.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Can some PLEASE explain to me why watching DVD's on Linux is soooo bad, but watching DVD's under Windows or OS X is okay?

the argument is mainly over libdvdcss, it is a very debated thing on rather if its legal or not.
Contrary to popular belief there is no real law prohibiting using libdvdcss at this point as both OSX and windows can use it, but most linux distributions dont ship it as a "just in case" measure thanks to the stupid laws proposed by the DMCA

[DoctorMO]

It's something I tried to get clear when I contacted the freedom law centre about it last month. unfortunately they didn't want know and blew me out despite Shuttleworth backing me up.

The problem is that people don't think there is a problem, or feel that the DCMA is somehow an impregnable fortress of evil. It's just a law and I suspect that libdvdcss is legal under the compatibility clauses.

But you ask anyone and they'll say that libdvdcss is legally dubious, that's because no lawyer has done the leg work to find out the real situation.

[SunnyRabbiera]

uh huh, but for me I see no shame in using it, until there is something passed about it I will use it...
then again I use the win32 codecs, but for me I personally think I should use them as I did buy the codecs when I bought windows... microsoft may think otherwise but I never gave a crap about them anyway.

[cprofitt]

I guess because no one is buying the license needed to play dvds. To watch dvds you need to buy a dvd, buy a dvd drive, and pay for the right to watch the dvd. OEMs(Dell, HP, Apple) pay for this, an off the shelf vista install won't play dvds(or other codecs) just as a default Ubuntu install won't. Now that Ubuntu has an OEM supporting it that OEM can pay for the right to enable dvd support on that OEM's systems.

Correct me if I'm wrong folks...

Correct; except that Vista Ultimate or Windows XP Media Center edition could play the DVDs off the shelf.

[cprofitt]

The codec stuff is good, but the fact remains that Dell doesn't do enough.

I want Dell to put Ubuntu as an option OS on the computers that show up on the main site -- I don't want people to have to type in 'ubuntu' in a search to get to the page.

Why no 15.4" screens? Why no 17" screens?

Its a good step, but it is a mostly hidden one.

[forrestcupp]

the argument is mainly over libdvdcss, it is a very debated thing on rather if its legal or not.
One problem with it is that it bypasses any copy protection. With libdvdcss installed, you can copy any commercial DVD.

[igknighted]

Can some PLEASE explain to me why watching DVD's on Linux is soooo bad, but watching DVD's under Windows or OS X is okay?

Windows doesn't come with the codecs to play commercial DVDs either. You need to download a codec pack separately to do this (in XP and Vista both, IIRC).

[Linuxratty]

well thats sort of good, maybe now lindvd might become available to us without us having to use CNR

Yup..I'm hoping so...Not used CNR since I left freespire.
I also heard a rumor that Ubuntu was working on it's own version of CNR...if so,maybe they can offer it and folks downstream from Ubuntu can also take advantage of this...Time will tell. :-k

[Shazaam]

Windows doesn't come with the codecs to play commercial DVDs either. You need to download a codec pack separately to do this (in XP and Vista both, IIRC).

You don't need codec packs if you have this (ugly but free)....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Player_Classic

[igknighted]

You don't need codec packs if you have this (ugly but free)....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Player_Classic

I just got the codecs for free from cnet/downloads.com for WMP11, and use VLC for some stuff as well. Still, its jsut kinda funny when windows users complain about no codec support like that when windows is the same way... the only difference is that the OEM usually pays to distribute the codec, where as linux in the past has had so few OEMs.

[Dimitriid]

Their desktop system - the monitor its actually damn solid: $339. My parents are in the market for a new pc, maybe I should sell them my current system for half that and buy one.

[bruce89]

thats for england though

Strangely Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also.


Still, its jsut kinda funny when windows users complain about no codec support like that when windows is the same way... the only difference is that the OEM usually pays to distribute the codec, where as linux in the past has had so few OEMs.

I know, they don't support Vorbis, Theora, FLAC or Speex out the box. Ridiculous.