10-16-2015, 05:24 PM
A few years ago I bought myself a little Intel Atom PC (A Zotac Z-Box) to sit next to my TV and act as both a central file server and for playing various media on the telly. I really wanted it to be Linux powered and I put Linux Lite on it. I had a terrible struggle trying to get the audio out through the HDMI and on top of that, hardly any media streamed across the internet worked. I persevered for a few months but eventually threw in the towel and put Windows on it, which, for all its flaws, just worked.
Being a good netizen, I kept my machine updated. With Windows 8 it started to feel the strain and when I offered it up as the sacrificial lamb for my first Windows 10 upgrade, well...the upgrade went fine and I actually quite like Windows 10 (what little I managed to experience of it)...but it was a step too far for the little machine and it was rendered useless.
So I've come back to have yet another stab at Linux. I liked Linux Lite before so I tried it again. So far I've just used Live mode from the USB, but it does seem to have come along. It only took a couple of minutes to get the HDMI audio sorted, and not a command line in sight (not that this bothers me).
What's more, most of the internet video works.
But not all of it. Notably, Netflix still doesn't "just work". A few catch-up TV services work, but a few don't. The internet is my only source of TV (I don't have a digital receiver and my signal's rubbish anyway) so it's rather important that all of this works for me. This day and age, I don't think that's asking too much.
So I'm here to ask you all: is this feasible yet? Can I genuinely use Linux as a Media Centre PC without having to resort to hacks and kludges (like WINE)? Or will I have to see if I can find an old XP CD that'll install?
Actually, even if it comes down to hacks and kludges, I'd be interested to know if I can get LL into a usable state.
Cheers,
Jez.
Being a good netizen, I kept my machine updated. With Windows 8 it started to feel the strain and when I offered it up as the sacrificial lamb for my first Windows 10 upgrade, well...the upgrade went fine and I actually quite like Windows 10 (what little I managed to experience of it)...but it was a step too far for the little machine and it was rendered useless.
So I've come back to have yet another stab at Linux. I liked Linux Lite before so I tried it again. So far I've just used Live mode from the USB, but it does seem to have come along. It only took a couple of minutes to get the HDMI audio sorted, and not a command line in sight (not that this bothers me).
What's more, most of the internet video works.
But not all of it. Notably, Netflix still doesn't "just work". A few catch-up TV services work, but a few don't. The internet is my only source of TV (I don't have a digital receiver and my signal's rubbish anyway) so it's rather important that all of this works for me. This day and age, I don't think that's asking too much.
So I'm here to ask you all: is this feasible yet? Can I genuinely use Linux as a Media Centre PC without having to resort to hacks and kludges (like WINE)? Or will I have to see if I can find an old XP CD that'll install?
Actually, even if it comes down to hacks and kludges, I'd be interested to know if I can get LL into a usable state.
Cheers,
Jez.