LinuxMCE

Introduce home automation related software here.....
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Snelvuur
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Post by Snelvuur »

This one is pretty new, it looks nice.. (perhaps for a mediastreamer)

http://linuxmce.com/

is the only solution seamlessly combining:

1. media & entertainment with a server for music, movies and tv shows, plus a PVR and DVD Player,
2. a home automation system to control everything in the home with touch-screen tablet and Bluetooth mobile phone controllers,
3. a phone system with video conferencing,
4. a security system that feeds you live video on your mobile phone when something happens, and lets you speak to visitors through your stereos, and
5. a home PC solution.

A typical LinuxMCE system consists of a Core: one PC acting as a dedicated server and interface with all the sub-components. The Core includes our own plug-and-play back-end so it listens for and auto configures all sorts of devices like network audio players (such as Squeeze Box), IP phones and cameras. The Core automatically exposes a network boot for any other PC's or thin clients you want to use as Media Directors, which you hook up to your TV/Stereo's to use as set top boxes, complete with a media player, PVR, video conferencing, intercom, and a GUI to control everything in the home. All Media Directors work together seamlessly as a total whole-house solution.

In addition to the usual infrared remote controls, LinuxMCE includes remote control software that runs on Symbian Bluetooth mobile phones as well as Linux, Windows and Windows CE devices like webpads and pda's. They all feature cover art, interactive maps and floor plans, and let you control any device in the house. The UI is skinnable and multi-language. The mobile phone has a "follow-me" feature so your media and other settings follow you from room to room. It switches from Bluetooth to cel****ar gprs/wap when you leave the house you're always in control.
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Post by RDNZL »

As far as I know, its based on or is another name for the older Pluto project plutohome.com
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Snelvuur
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Post by Snelvuur »

I've read some more information about this build. Seems its pretty much in child shoes, and the video is far from what the normal person can have straight away.
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Post by MindBender »

I have tried many Media Center platforms on both Windows and Linux platforms. Windows MCE, BeyondTV, SageTV, MythTV, etc. But in the end I've always returned to Windows MCE: It's bad, but any alternative is worse. Problems vary from difficult installation procedures on the Linux platform via non-working Electronic Program Guides to Windows not finding any channels on the cable because it's unable to work with off-grid-frequencies...
Even though I like Linux, I'll stay with Windows MCE for now by lack of a better alternative.
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Post by Snelvuur »

Well since i dont have any HD content i'am still sticking with XBMC for the old xbox. It sill rocks my boat, have one in the living room and in the bedroom. Have not seen anything match the functionality and dummyproof & always working.

Ony problem, it does not have HD output. If it had that, it would be nr 1 for me, i dont really need a pvr since i have a dreambox satelitte. (linux)
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Post by MindBender »

Nope, sorry guys: LinuxMCE is a joke. A bad joke. I have spend 4 hours to get it to work, but no dice. I can live with the quirky menus and settings at locations I didn't expect them, but in the end it just didn't work. I don't even know if it recognized my extremely standard Hauppauge MCE150 card: The menu showing all source was simply not filled out. Instead it showed me a black box.

Yes, I could have gone in and download a couple of driver packages, recompile the Kernel etc, but that's not how it was advertised. Features like automatically recognizing and switching on a TV-set and uploading a control application to Bluetooth telephones are mentioned. That didn't work either, but I don't mind about that: It would be a huge effort to get that to work with any TV set and on any phone. But missing menus and not being able to recognize the most widely used TV tuner card is just sloppy.

Everybody is entitled to have a hobby, but posting it as Microsoft's biggest competition is still a far cry: Redmond must be pissing their pants when reading that.
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Post by Snelvuur »

I never tried it to be honoust.. but i do want to try in the future XBMC for linux. I've allready tried the windows version and it does what it is suppose to do and it looks sleek as always.

// Erik (binkey.nl)
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Post by mgb »

I've tried Pluto and the basic concept is very good. It knows a lot of devices already and uses some kind of cvs mysql version to have always the latest drivers and scripts. I used it to control my AV system and xbmc and it worked very well. What I didn't like was and is the interface and the use of mythtv. I'm using sat tv and that is a nightmare to get it running with any mediacenter.
Currently I'm using XBMC in combination with dreambox but integration of tv inside xbmc is still in development. If tv is not a major issue than there is no better mediacenter than XBMC.
Current development is very fast and the community is large and growing. It currently runs on xbox classic, linux, windows, mac and appletv.
Support for domotica is very limited though.

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Post by Snelvuur »

i dont need a tv to show me my house stuff, by the time i "boot up" the screen for my domotica in xbmc , i would have allready used a remote control like the pronto. (just my 2 cents)

// Erik (binkey.nl)
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Re: LinuxMCE

Post by brononi »

Same here...

Very nice idea behind it all.
I specially love the idea to have my ipt architecture integrated into my home automation part.

But very bad support on how it all works. I've installed about 20 (you read it correct) times the server. Different versions, and every time, i encountered a new problem. Then it was problems with the sound, then with the video card, with the network cards, lately with the boot image of the ISO... And like you notice, i never came to the part where i can start injecting my hardware modules like relais, switches, phones...
On the forum, you're yelled out like a stupid user. Learn linux, learn scripting, buy proper (=supported?) hardware... For me, they focus to much on the fun stuff (like the mediaserver, small games(?) on your television, ...), and on their own hardware setup. For example, it's very strange how they push you to use kubuntu. I don't want that, i'm a big fan of of the normal ubuntu.


So for me the idea is great.
But it's still a long way away for a normal user to use it...
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