Any good alternatives to Windows Media Center?

[EnergySamus]

Hi!
I have Vista Home Basic on my laptop, and Xubuntu 7.10 on my old desktop. Vista Home Basic lacks the Windows Media Center, and Ubuntu doesn't have any type of media center!:mad: Are there any good free alternative media centers out there (cross platform, Windows only, or Linux only)??????

Thanks!
EnergySamus

[LaRoza]

Hi!
I have Vista Home Basic on my laptop, and Xubuntu 7.10 on my old desktop. Vista Home Basic lacks the Windows Media Center, and Ubuntu doesn't have any type of media center!:mad: Are there any good free alternative media centers out there (cross platform, Windows only, or Linux only)??????

Thanks!
EnergySamus

What exactly are you looking for? For the ultimate cross platform media player, use VLC.

(I don't use Windows Media Center, although I have it, so you'll have to be more descriptive)

[EnergySamus]

I am looking for something that can play all of my media in one package.
Here is a description of Media Center: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/mediacenter.mspx

[LaRoza]

I am looking for something that can play all of my media in one package.
Here is a description of Media Center: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/mediacenter.mspx

VLC can do all your media. It doesn't have a big obtrusive GUI (it has a very well designed GUI that is minimal)

[EnergySamus]

VLC can do all your media. It doesn't have a big obtrusive GUI (it has a very well designed GUI that is minimal)

... I sort of want that big obtrusive GUI:lolflag:
I love the way media center looks and feels. I do like the VlC, though.

[phrostbyte]

Check out MythTV.

[raul_]

http://elisa.fluendo.com/

http://www.entertainer-project.com/index.php(Still in development)

[teaker1s]

superb, just what I'm looking for for my hp slim pc media setup:guitar:

[SuperSon!c]

http://elisa.fluendo.com/

http://www.entertainer-project.com/index.php(Still in development)

those look amazing - with the slight edge going to entertainer. high hopes for these!

[heartburnkid]

It sounds like what you really want is MythTV.

[myusername]

i really like elisa but i never could get it to work

[jondecker76]

LinuxMCE - hands down the most advanced media center ever made! Not only will it handle all of your media and share it throughout your entire house, it will also control you home automation equiptment (lights etc), security systems, telephones, climate controls etc.. via IR, RS232, IP.. I have a full blown setup in my home and its utterly amazing.

For example - in my living room, i have a touchscreen mounted on the wall. I can browse my entire DVD library for instance and pick a movie. Once I select that movie, my TV automatically turns on (via infrared), my lights dim to 25% (via X10) and the movie starts playing. If I get a phone call, my movie automatically pauses for me and resumes when I am finished talking. I can even bounce the movie to my bedroom with the push of a button - and my TV in my room automatically turns on and continues playing the movie from the same spot. In my Kids' rooms, their touch screens have a button labeld "Sleep" which starts the movie browser on their TV (after automatically turning the TV on of course), turns their ceiling lights off, turn a night light on, and dim thier bedside reading lamps to 10%, and sets a sleep timer on their TV to 90 minutes. Again, this was all at the touch of one button! Anyone that is serious about Media Centers and home automation should check it out, its truely an amazing piece of work.

http://www.linuxmce.org

[myusername]

dude thats freaking awesome i have seen the youtube video

[doorknob60]

LinuxMCE - hands down the most advanced media center ever made! Not only will it handle all of your media and share it throughout your entire house, it will also control you home automation equiptment (lights etc), security systems, telephones, climate controls etc.. via IR, RS232, IP.. I have a full blown setup in my home and its utterly amazing.

For example - in my living room, i have a touchscreen mounted on the wall. I can browse my entire DVD library for instance and pick a movie. Once I select that movie, my TV automatically turns on (via infrared), my lights dim to 25% (via X10) and the movie starts playing. If I get a phone call, my movie automatically pauses for me and resumes when I am finished talking. I can even bounce the movie to my bedroom with the push of a button - and my TV in my room automatically turns on and continues playing the movie from the same spot. In my Kids' rooms, their touch screens have a button labeld "Sleep" which starts the movie browser on their TV (after automatically turning the TV on of course), turns their ceiling lights off, turn a night light on, and dim thier bedside reading lamps to 10%, and sets a sleep timer on their TV to 90 minutes. Again, this was all at the touch of one button! Anyone that is serious about Media Centers and home automation should check it out, its truely an amazing piece of work.

http://www.linuxmce.org

Sounds exactly what I used to picture Bill Gates' house when I was a kid :D

[EnergySamus]

If MythTV were for Windows too. Thanks!

[Vaelrith]

How do the plugins work? I looked in the usr/share/elisa/plugins folder and there are lots of plugins there, but when I click on the gear icon in Elisa, nothing happens...

[SuperSon!c]

LinuxMCE - hands down the most advanced media center ever made! Not only will it handle all of your media and share it throughout your entire house, it will also control you home automation equiptment (lights etc), security systems, telephones, climate controls etc.. via IR, RS232, IP.. I have a full blown setup in my home and its utterly amazing.

For example - in my living room, i have a touchscreen mounted on the wall. I can browse my entire DVD library for instance and pick a movie. Once I select that movie, my TV automatically turns on (via infrared), my lights dim to 25% (via X10) and the movie starts playing. If I get a phone call, my movie automatically pauses for me and resumes when I am finished talking. I can even bounce the movie to my bedroom with the push of a button - and my TV in my room automatically turns on and continues playing the movie from the same spot. In my Kids' rooms, their touch screens have a button labeld "Sleep" which starts the movie browser on their TV (after automatically turning the TV on of course), turns their ceiling lights off, turn a night light on, and dim thier bedside reading lamps to 10%, and sets a sleep timer on their TV to 90 minutes. Again, this was all at the touch of one button! Anyone that is serious about Media Centers and home automation should check it out, its truely an amazing piece of work.

http://www.linuxmce.org

nice! would you mind providing the specs of the box you're using for linuxmce?

[madjr]

vids:

Linux MCE vs Windows MCE (1of2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcNwnANrCpw

Linux MCE vs Windows MCE (2of2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-YwwQ1Pkk


note these are old videos, but even then LMC was better than WMC :)

now is much better and nice looking.


Also if you want a solution out of the box try Mythbuntu, it has extra tools to create a great home entertainment center and file server.

[duckgoesoink]

Those first two links - Elisa and Entertainer project - look really cool for people wanting the intrusive UI (replacement Media Center style). And that last one - LinuxMCE - holy moly, talk about fully automated home! Radness! (I also used to imagine Bill Gates' house like that.)

[jondecker76]

My LinuxMCE "Core" server has:
Asus M2NPV-VM Motherboard
2GB RAM
AMD BE-2400 dual core low wattage processor
Logisys 650w 80 plus certified power supply
Hauppauge PVR-500MCE
6x1TB Software RAID 5, 1 500GB system drive for OS
HD Component output bracket/SPDIF output bracket for motherboard
Dual gigabit ethernet
x10 CM11A connected to serial port

My LinuxMCE "Media Directors" (4 of them in different rooms connected to TV's)
Various old computers I had laying around, from 700MHZ P3's to 2.5 GHZ P4s.. All have 512 MB Ram, and are diskless and boot over the network. Also, each one has a USBUIRT connected to control IR devices.

My LinuxMCE "Orbiters" (touch screen remotes) are all:
Datalux iPix industrial touchscreen computers, 15" screen, Pentium M processor @ 1.5ghz, with wireless NICs. I got lucky and hit an auction for a closing hospital and got 4 of these for just under $800

All-in-all I probably have around $5000 invested in it. But my setup is pretty extreme (every wall switch and outlet in my house is automated, which took a good portion of the total)

Most people can get started with just an old computer they have laying around.

[G|N|]

I also like Freevo as an alternative!

http://freevo.sourceforge.net

[graabein]

I had Freevo running last year. Had it configured pretty good but it looks like I should definitely give Elisa a spin! :KS:KS:KS


Off topic:
My main problem is setting it up on one computer.

I want to run Freevo/Elisa fullscreen on my television as a separate xscreen from my desktop monitor (xscreen0). I would have to get a remote control an make it input directly to xscreen1 without messing up mouse and keyboard to xscreen0...

Is this possible? :confused:

[SuperSon!c]

My LinuxMCE "Core" server has:
Asus M2NPV-VM Motherboard
2GB RAM
AMD BE-2400 dual core low wattage processor
Logisys 650w 80 plus certified power supply
Hauppauge PVR-500MCE
6x1TB Software RAID 5, 1 500GB system drive for OS
HD Component output bracket/SPDIF output bracket for motherboard
Dual gigabit ethernet
x10 CM11A connected to serial port

My LinuxMCE "Media Directors" (4 of them in different rooms connected to TV's)
Various old computers I had laying around, from 700MHZ P3's to 2.5 GHZ P4s.. All have 512 MB Ram, and are diskless and boot over the network. Also, each one has a USBUIRT connected to control IR devices.

My LinuxMCE "Orbiters" (touch screen remotes) are all:
Datalux iPix industrial touchscreen computers, 15" screen, Pentium M processor @ 1.5ghz, with wireless NICs. I got lucky and hit an auction for a closing hospital and got 4 of these for just under $800

All-in-all I probably have around $5000 invested in it. But my setup is pretty extreme (every wall switch and outlet in my house is automated, which took a good portion of the total)

Most people can get started with just an old computer they have laying around.

thanks a lot for that info. most of that is very do-able for me.

[Bagster]

Yes mythTV is what you want. Why not try mythbuntu? http://www.mythbuntu.org/

[EnergySamus]

I think that I will install Mythbuntu and add Ubuntu-Desktop, or install UbuntuStudio and add MythTV... I just can't get rid of Windows, but I need Linux on my laptop because the old Xubuntu desktop won't run most of these apps:(:(:(


Thank you guys for your help! I don't know how to mark the forum as solved in this new version of vBulletin... Maybe someone can tell me....

EnergySamus

[Tristam Green]

Haha, one of my coworkers/friends is working on the Entertainer Project. Some of the things he showed me was pretty cool.

[meborc]

LinuxMCE - hands down the most advanced media center ever made! Not only will it handle all of your media and share it throughout your entire house, it will also control you home automation equiptment (lights etc), security systems, telephones, climate controls etc.. via IR, RS232, IP.. I have a full blown setup in my home and its utterly amazing.

For example - in my living room, i have a touchscreen mounted on the wall. I can browse my entire DVD library for instance and pick a movie. Once I select that movie, my TV automatically turns on (via infrared), my lights dim to 25% (via X10) and the movie starts playing. If I get a phone call, my movie automatically pauses for me and resumes when I am finished talking. I can even bounce the movie to my bedroom with the push of a button - and my TV in my room automatically turns on and continues playing the movie from the same spot. In my Kids' rooms, their touch screens have a button labeld "Sleep" which starts the movie browser on their TV (after automatically turning the TV on of course), turns their ceiling lights off, turn a night light on, and dim thier bedside reading lamps to 10%, and sets a sleep timer on their TV to 90 minutes. Again, this was all at the touch of one button! Anyone that is serious about Media Centers and home automation should check it out, its truely an amazing piece of work.

http://www.linuxmce.org


My LinuxMCE "Core" server has:
Asus M2NPV-VM Motherboard
2GB RAM
AMD BE-2400 dual core low wattage processor
Logisys 650w 80 plus certified power supply
Hauppauge PVR-500MCE
6x1TB Software RAID 5, 1 500GB system drive for OS
HD Component output bracket/SPDIF output bracket for motherboard
Dual gigabit ethernet
x10 CM11A connected to serial port

My LinuxMCE "Media Directors" (4 of them in different rooms connected to TV's)
Various old computers I had laying around, from 700MHZ P3's to 2.5 GHZ P4s.. All have 512 MB Ram, and are diskless and boot over the network. Also, each one has a USBUIRT connected to control IR devices.

My LinuxMCE "Orbiters" (touch screen remotes) are all:
Datalux iPix industrial touchscreen computers, 15" screen, Pentium M processor @ 1.5ghz, with wireless NICs. I got lucky and hit an auction for a closing hospital and got 4 of these for just under $800

All-in-all I probably have around $5000 invested in it. But my setup is pretty extreme (every wall switch and outlet in my house is automated, which took a good portion of the total)

Most people can get started with just an old computer they have laying around.

dude... DUDE... you are my absolute hero right now... =D>=D>=D> worship

[teaker1s]

mines a hp slim pc fanless 2.6ghz duel core,2gb ram,320gb hd and proper duel boot ie I have windows boot loader and grub (sp1 issue).
32 inch lcd

Cheaper than the overpriced media centre computer offerings

[Mateo]

I want a program that has a TV Guide that you can record shows off of. I don't want a huge overblown full-screen program like mythtv. Just a program to record shows off of. that's all. I can't find any of those out there.

[raul_]

I didn't mention Linux MCE because i thought it would be an overkill :D I see MCE more as a "home center" than a "media center", but it's a promising project as well.

My opinion, anyway? Too much time spent on configuration to save a couple of double clicks and watch our media in our favorite players :)

[teaker1s]

has anyone come up with a slim profile keyboard/mouse or bluetooth remote combo.
Reason I ask is I'm using a rather large logitech keyboard and mx 1000 laser mouse, until I find a suitable one

[Afkpuz]

I'd just like to say that if you go with linuxmce, you'll need alot of patience. The online community is no where close to the ubuntu community, so you'll have to be willing to try to fix most of your problems on your own. I know I did, but man, once I got it working going, it blows everyone out of the water. The gyro-remote alone is cool enough to make your guests go "WHOA!" Also, here's another tip: if you go with linuxMCE, don't do it in dorm room! Linuxmce tried to take over my dorm's local area network and I got a stern talking to from the IT guys. In other words, it likes to be in control of your network, so be sure to let it!