Monday, May 25, 2009

LinuxMCE alpha2 Day 2


Day 2 was much better.


After a fresh install of Kubuntu 8.10, I performed all the updates and rebooted. Then loaded the restricted nvidia driver and then rebooted. I then loaded the linux mce install and rebooted. To my surprise AVWizard started up just fine and I heard "Sarah". After setting up the core I rebooted and then placed the core as the main dhcp server for the network.

All devices started getting leases and my nas, squeezeboxes, voip mta were recognized in the orbiter. After all the software was installed from the autoconfig session I started on the Media directors.

Diskless Media Directors

amd64 w/ Nvidia

vmlinuz-2.6.27-14-generic and initrd.img-2.6.27-14-generic was missing from the /usr/pluto/diskless/*/boot/ directories. I copied both from the /boot directory

I did not get the AVWizard on the screen after the 2nd boot so I rebuilt the image as i386.
After this was done, I got the AVWizard but the mouse froze after selecting continue on the first screen. I had to reboot the Media Director and upon reboot I got a transparency error but finally something on the screen and then nothing but gray screen.

I changed the video card settings to standard and the acceleration to XV and the orbiter appeared on the screen.  Yeah!

I don't have sound but the major hurdle is over.

amd64 w/ Ati
I never got anything on the screen at all after the second boot outside of the console messages. X never started.



A couple of new bugs that I've found. 
  • Turning off any media director from the orbiter also turns off the core :-( very bad.  I'll open a bug for this soon.
  • The Squeezecenter needs manual setup before it will even work
  • Mythtv has not added my hdhomerun as tuners.  I cannot watch tv from the tuner from any media director and even on the core.
  • The orbiter menus are a little buggy and I cannot go back in the menus sometimes.
  • The media director cannot control my LG LCD tv via serial yet.  I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but it has not turned the display off when using the orbiter to turn the display off.  I have to tinker with that.
  • My N800 orbiter running the 5/2008 update cannot connect to the core running the Maemo 710 software.  I'll speak with the developer about that.
  • I cannot make any calls out using the orbiters and my Grandstream Handytone. I need to go check on the diaplan settings
  • X10 Motion sensors are not included in the Security Templates. Bummer.
I'll know at Dawn and dusk if the Sunrise/Sunset Events work.  If so I can stop using when this experiment ends.  

Tests
  • I also have to play around with adding my security system as a Generic Serial Device.
  • Importing my mythtv recordings database
  • Figuring out how to get cover art for all my movies and mythtv recordings on my NAS.
  • Controlling my Roku Media Player via ip or ir and having it available from any Media Director.
  • Follow me audio/video on my media director and squeezeboxes.