SF Cribs: The places behind the clothes

Originally Posted by Roy

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XBMC is awesome! Open License software rules.

+1

I have run it for years on its namesake...but an xbox does not do HDMI and struggles decoding higher bitrate stuff even though it is technically capable of putting 720p or 1080i over component video.

I just recieved my dual-core Acer Aspire Revo (with nvidia ION)...It is a nice compact little unit and can handle HD content with hardware decoding (on linux). I am still setting it up to behave more like an integrated system than a computer (and getting used to xbmc controls that aren't based on an xbox controller...) but it is a great little box.

WOW. Just wow, Roy.
Awesome place, and the location looks superb!
From the bathroom picture, is it a sauna or a steam room hiding behind that glass door?

(Oh, and if you're running Mac OS X, check out Plex! I like it a tiny bit better than XBMC, even though they're basically the same. Awesome software!)

Originally Posted by Roy

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XBMC is awesome! Open License software rules.

+1

When I get some time I think i'm gonna write some code so that it will handle classical music better though. It's seriously lacking there.

roy's place is kind of alright but i still think the guy with the plastic palm tree in his living room wins it

Originally Posted by GQgeek

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+1

When I get some time I think i'm gonna write some code so that it will handle classical music better though. It's seriously lacking there.

Any tips for handling music in general? Since I have been using it on the xbox all of these years, I skipped out on any more advanced skins and library features (everything was over the network and it was used very rarely for audio-only). Now that it is a separate computer with HDD space, it might be nice to use it to run the music so long as the interface is good for building playlists, etc (as opposed to play X song and then go find Y song to play)

Jesus H, Roy. That place is sick. Not necessarily my style entirely but obviously totally beautiful and covet-worthy. What a playground.

I have alluded a few times to a new project I'm working on - it's a total re-model of an older (1928) house in Baltimore City. I'm essentially gutting a lot of the inside, tearing out a secondary stairwell and a bathroom to make room for a normal kitchen/den up to 21st century norms, and a lot of the bedrooms and all the bathrooms are being totally re-configured, in addition to all kinds of boring stuff like storm windows, new HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lighting, roof and structural work, etc etc. The house hasn't really been properly lived in for 30 years or so, besides very temporary renters now and then. Anyways, more photos will follow in probably 6 months when we've wrapped everything up (still haggling out details with the architect and contractor right now), but for now here's a sneak preview of the bones we have to work with. Sorry for the large-ish images, I didn't intend for them to come out this big:

Originally Posted by otc

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Any tips for handling music in general? Since I have been using it on the xbox all of these years, I skipped out on any more advanced skins and library features (everything was over the network and it was used very rarely for audio-only). Now that it is a separate computer with HDD space, it might be nice to use it to run the music so long as the interface is good for building playlists, etc (as opposed to play X song and then go find Y song to play)

Right now, I'm just using it to feed my projector from my main computer so it's not running all the time and I'm using another program for music that's more suitable for using as a desktop application. When I get a new job I will build out a dedicated machine for it that will be always on and that can be controlled from my iphone or a similar touchscreen remote.

The control options are where it really shines. You could have it hooked up to your hdtv but using an iphone or whatever you wouldn't have to turn the tv on to select your music, and you can browse with full album art etc, just as if you were looking at the full interface on your TV.

The functionality of the music section of the program itself is about what you'd expect though. You can browse by artist, album, etc. You can uses playlists. You can view lists or thumbnails, and you can generally find high-res thumbnails that will look good on a big high-res display. It will download art/info for you if you want although i generally do this outside the program because i'm very anal about that kind of thing. It's probably a lot easier to make your playlists outside the program itself since you can use a mouse to do multiple selections and drag&drop. That's a lot faster than using a remote to add items individually.

Where it's lacking in the music department is that the xbmc database doesn't contain the fields needed for the way a lot of people like to organize/sort/view their classical, since the proper identification of classical requires more info than artist/album popular music uses. For instance, I might have multiple recordings of La Traviata, or Beethoven's 9th, recorded in different years by different labels, with different conductors or singers, etc.

Nice house Douglas. Looks like it has good bones.

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

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Nice house Douglas. Looks like it has good bones.

Wow, +1 Douglas, that place looks fantastic.. looking forward to seeing the progress.. did you buy this as an investment or do you intend to move your family into it?

Originally Posted by gnatty8

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Wow, +1 Douglas, that place looks fantastic.. looking forward to seeing the progress.. did you buy this as an investment or do you intend to move your family into it?

Beautiful.

Where in the city is this? Up north?

Originally Posted by Douglas

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I have alluded a few times to a new project I'm working on - it's a total re-model of an older (1928) house in Baltimore City. I'm essentially gutting a lot of the inside, tearing out a secondary stairwell and a bathroom to make room for a normal kitchen/den up to 21st century norms, and a lot of the bedrooms and all the bathrooms are being totally re-configured, in addition to all kinds of boring stuff like storm windows, new HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lighting, roof and structural work, etc etc. The house hasn't really been properly lived in for 30 years or so, besides very temporary renters now and then. Anyways, more photos will follow in probably 6 months when we've wrapped everything up (still haggling out details with the architect and contractor right now), but for now here's a sneak preview of the bones we have to work with. Sorry for the large-ish images, I didn't intend for them to come out this big:

[COOL PICS]

Wow Douglas, looking good. I'm sure with all the work you're gonna put in it, it will be an excellent home for you. Looks very spacious and comfortable. If I were you, I would also consider putting in a wired gigabit network. Since you're doing all the work now anyway, it's a pretty easy thing to add. If later on you'd like to add it, it's a problem.

Oh, and you will get frustrated with your contractor and the speed with which he works, the extra time it will take. You will not be done in six months. Just suck it up and remember it is for you and your family and when it is done you will have a beautiful home.

Originally Posted by GQgeek

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+1 When I get some time I think i'm gonna write some code so that it will handle classical music better though. It's seriously lacking there.
If you have this code ready I'm very interested.

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Click to expand...

The control options are where it really shines. You could have it hooked up to your hdtv but using an iphone or whatever you wouldn't have to turn the tv on to select your music, and you can browse with full album art etc, just as if you were looking at the full interface on your TV.
I'm using the XBMC remote app on my Iphone. It is EXCELLENT. http://www.collect3.com.au/xbmc-remote/

Originally Posted by otc

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+1 I have run it for years on its namesake...but an xbox does not do HDMI and struggles decoding higher bitrate stuff even though it is technically capable of putting 720p or 1080i over component video. I just recieved my dual-core Acer Aspire Revo (with nvidia ION)...It is a nice compact little unit and can handle HD content with hardware decoding (on linux). I am still setting it up to behave more like an integrated system than a computer (and getting used to xbmc controls that aren't based on an xbox controller...) but it is a great little box.
That's what I built mine on. The ION platform is seriously powerful!

Originally Posted by Roy

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I'm using the XBMC remote app on my Iphone. It is EXCELLENT. http://www.collect3.com.au/xbmc-remote/
Me too. It rocks!

Originally Posted by spencers

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That's what I built mine on. The ION platform is seriously powerful!



Me too. It rocks!

Only problem is that I have not been able to get it to run FoFiX (basically guitar hero/rock band for computers) at tolerable framerates and input lag. I got a guitar controller at a thrift store for $3 a week or two a go and ebayed up a set of drums. Since I couldn't get it to run well, my desktop has just been sitting in front of the TV since saturday...it can handle the game just fine (my guess is that they overdid the visual effects and underdid the efficient coding--there is a DDR clone for PC that runs fine on ancient hardware and lets face it...they are exactly the same game with different controllers)