Date: 24/06/2011

Broken laptop updates

I've updated to Ubuntu 11.04, boxee has been replaced by XBMC due to stability issues. XMBC had to be tricked into thinking it was being installed on a 10.10 system rather than 11.04 or else installation would fail. Unfortunately many videos have been stuttering and audio sync is constantly lost on both boxee and XBMC. I now have to accept that this laptop just doesn't seem to be powerful enough to act as a media box even for standard definition content.

Date: 05/05/2011

Broken laptop boxee setup

I've been converting my brothers laptop into a boxee media player, The screen broke on his laptop and he decided to get a newer laptop rather then repair this one. Ubuntu 10.10 has been installed. Settings have been changed to stop the laptop from going to sleep when the lid is closed. The laptop is connected to the TV (Sony KDL-EX500) by VGA and aux cable. Media will be streamed to the laptop over ethernet. I know this laptop will not be capable of playing HD content but it should manage SD content.

I bought this HTPC remote on dealextreme for cheap. It comes with a usb IR receiver on a cable. Plug and play with both Windows and Linux makes setup a non event. It has buttons to control most media program functions. The mouse pad has a bit of a mind of its own but it's manageable and a very useful feature. This remote even can function as a T9 keypad which is tricky to use but great for typing in passwords and searches the odd time.