gpg: failed to create temporary file '/var/lib/lurker/.#lk0x576c8100.hantslug.org.uk.16602': Permission denied
gpg: keyblock resource '/var/lib/lurker/pubring.gpg': Permission denied
gpg: Signature made Mon Aug 3 13:52:02 2009 BST
gpg: using DSA key 20ACB3BE515C238D
gpg: Can't check signature: No public key
On Sun, Aug 02, 2009 at 07:53:59PM +0100, Stuart Matheson wrote:
> My girlfriend is moving out of her current splace and will no longer have
> access to the expert she had there (ie someone with an xbox with xbmc). I'm
> looking for a quiet multimedia PC that can be plugged into a TV for watching
> iplayer, youtube and other online video as well as video files and possibly
> a dvd (I have an external dvd player she could use though so it isn't a deal
> breaker). She said the xbox was quite noisy though so she'd like something
> quiet. Something that shouldn't have much trouble running something like
> xbmc (which she is familiar with, or any other easy to use program) and can
> connect to a SD tv would be great. A remote will also likely be required. An
> internal or external HDD would be fine as I have one spare. She is also
> interested in wii fit so a nintendo might be an option, but I have no idea
> if it would fit the bill in regards to the other requirements.
>
> What can people recommend for this (unit and remote)? It doesn't necessary
> have to be brand new so 2nd hand laptops/refurbished PCs aren't out of the
> question. Like most people (or in her case, public servants) she is pretty
> skint so the cheaper the better.
I'm not certain if this will be suitable for your needs, but I have
a Popcorn Hour A110[1] here. I use it mostly for playing TV I've
recorded off-air with a DVB USB stick in a separate machine.
It plays almost everything that I've tried on it (barring DVB
MPEG-2 transport streams, oddly); it can pull content from Samba, NFS,
FTP and UPnP servers, from its internal HD, or from external USB HDs,
off any of the three USB ports. Barring any hard disk noise, if you
have one installed, it's completely silent, with no fans.
The user interface is web-based, and is documented and somewhat
hackable. It can visit remote websites and display them, although its
built-in browser is of limited capabilities. It explicitly states that
it supports YouTube, but doesn't mention iPlayer. It can handle
BitTorrent downloads as well, if you have a hard disk in it. There is
a reasonable set of third-party applications built around the
machine[2], too.
My only complaints to date are that it seems to be quite hard to do
playlists for audio material, and that I've had some trouble with the
reverse button.
Hugo.
[1]
http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/index.php?pluginoption=catalog
[2]
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
--
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