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Showing posts with label MythTV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MythTV. Show all posts
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Time to lay it out there
Ok, so I've been reading the posts and all are great. I know that this blog has focused mainly on Xbox360 and PS3 because these are the commercial packages out there. For the price, you get a killer gaming system plus home media and access to online content.
But what about the non-gaming options? I like to play video games, but honestly now that I have a job and a family it's hard to find the time to game. Also, PS3 and Xbox games are like $60 at BestBuy. I'm sure there are probably deals out there, but that can get pricey fast.
I think I'm going to start trying to contribute some info on non-game console options.
Options such as computer based home systems that offer more towards customization, home automation, DVR, and centralized home media. Sure PS3 & Xbox are trying to get there too, but right now the main consumers of these units are gamers, not mom or dad looking for a way to connect everyone in the house.
Here are the options and I'm sure this list will grow:
Commercial:
Tivo Series 3
Window Media Center Edition
Apple Front Row
??Others??
Open Source:
MythTV
iTheater
I know that each of these presents their pro's and cons. With a homebrew system you now become responsible for weeding through the myriad of hardware options as well as becoming the administrator of the system. For most geeks, this is ok because the setup is part of the fun. But for someone who wants to have something that just works, the commercial options are all they really have.
I think I'm going to dig into this a little to see what the best options are out there for MythTV and others. MythTV has been around for a while, and there's a lot of good hardware out there now that's not that expensive. If a mini-itx board will power the encoding/decoding necessary for HD (forgetting the DRM /encryption issues) then I would probably be happy with that.
The potential of using my widescreen TV as my main computer monitor brings a nice feeling of home media integration. The flexibility of something more open than PS3 or X360 is appealing.
Instant weather or traffic info is great for the morning rush out the door. Hopefully, the constant family photo screensaver on my HDTV will help reduce the number of holes I need to put in my walls for picture frames. And the possibility of seeing real-time e-mail alerts, RSS feeds, or (God help us) MySpace updates only helps less technical buy into the whole project.
I think it's time to start laying out all of the options and coming up with a list of pro/con for each.
But what about the non-gaming options? I like to play video games, but honestly now that I have a job and a family it's hard to find the time to game. Also, PS3 and Xbox games are like $60 at BestBuy. I'm sure there are probably deals out there, but that can get pricey fast.
I think I'm going to start trying to contribute some info on non-game console options.
Options such as computer based home systems that offer more towards customization, home automation, DVR, and centralized home media. Sure PS3 & Xbox are trying to get there too, but right now the main consumers of these units are gamers, not mom or dad looking for a way to connect everyone in the house.
Here are the options and I'm sure this list will grow:
Commercial:
Tivo Series 3
Window Media Center Edition
Apple Front Row
??Others??
Open Source:
MythTV
iTheater
I know that each of these presents their pro's and cons. With a homebrew system you now become responsible for weeding through the myriad of hardware options as well as becoming the administrator of the system. For most geeks, this is ok because the setup is part of the fun. But for someone who wants to have something that just works, the commercial options are all they really have.
I think I'm going to dig into this a little to see what the best options are out there for MythTV and others. MythTV has been around for a while, and there's a lot of good hardware out there now that's not that expensive. If a mini-itx board will power the encoding/decoding necessary for HD (forgetting the DRM /encryption issues) then I would probably be happy with that.
The potential of using my widescreen TV as my main computer monitor brings a nice feeling of home media integration. The flexibility of something more open than PS3 or X360 is appealing.
Instant weather or traffic info is great for the morning rush out the door. Hopefully, the constant family photo screensaver on my HDTV will help reduce the number of holes I need to put in my walls for picture frames. And the possibility of seeing real-time e-mail alerts, RSS feeds, or (God help us) MySpace updates only helps less technical buy into the whole project.
I think it's time to start laying out all of the options and coming up with a list of pro/con for each.
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