Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with center

I can haz media centre?

sully75 — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:14:56 -0800

I'd like to build the world's cheapest media center PC. Budget is teensy. My roomate and I decided we'd like to get rid of our monster TV and the cabinet it came in (left by a former roomate). We don't watch TV but do enjoy a DVD, maybe once a week. The TV was never hooked up to an antenna or cable. We also both love music A LOT.

I was thinking that we can sell the cabinet (and the somewhat crapped out TV) on craigslist...and maybe get $150 or a little more than that for the two of them.

My idea is that we could get a cheap ebay dell ($50ish) and a cheap LCD ($100ish) Mounting the whole thing on some sort of rolling cart, with speakers attached. Installing Linux on it, and using this to play DVDs, music, youtube and things like that. Oh and I'd probably install a cheap big hard drive, there's a lot of music floating around our other computers.

I searched online quite a bit but mostly found people who are looking to do Tivo kind of stuff, which is not a priority for us at all. My main concern is that DVDs look reasonably good on screen. Our TV was crappy but ideally the color on the LCD would look good and it would not be choppy.

Suggestions of computers (is this Dell overkill for what we need, or undergill) LCDs (would we be terribly dissapointed with a cheepy) and software (Windows is a possibility too, and what programs would you run on this?). Also alternatives to this whole plan would be good too. I'd also consider modding a xbox off ebay. You can consider me moderately handy with computers and OS stuff.

Thanks!

can I use an Atom eeeBox as a Media Center "server" for an XBOX 360 "client"?

bartleby — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:21:48 -0800

XBOX 360 as Media Center hackery: what's the minimum hardware I can get away with to serve as the Media Center PC "server" to the 360's "client"? NOTE: I am aware of things like MythTV, XBMC and TVersity that can act as replacements for a Media Center PC, and display content from there. But I'm not asking about those on a full PC as a solution - I'm asking about something minimalist to act as a Media Center "server" and using the XBOX 360 as a "client" that does the streaming and display.

I'm going to do a case mod on my 360 because the thing is so damn LOUD it makes a lousy home theatre. I got a replacement case (Lian Li XB01)that promises to be much quieter.

Opening it up, it definitely looks like there's room for something small and quiet like an eeeBox or a mini(micro?)-ITX motherboard to also live inside the case, running headless and acting as the Media Center PC, adding MCE features to the XBOX 360. But it's gotta be small, very quiet, and have minimal cooling needs.

I already have an eeeBox (Atom N270 @ 1.6 ghz, 1gb RAM) at home. I'm not using it for anything, since I first got it to use as a mini HTPC and found out that it's NOT up to doing something like watching Hulu on an HDTV; between the streaming, processing, and HD output, it's underpowered.

But as I understand it, the XBOX would be doing all the video output processing; so I'd just need something to be the Media Center "backend", on the same router/switch as the 360, and stream from that backend to the 360's frontend.
Do I have that right?

If I could get everything I want, it would:
-enable Hulu watching through the 360, like PlayOn does on a windows box

-allow me to hook up a Hauppauge USB TV Tuner stick or ATI TVWonder unit and record/watch HDTV (since the eee's Atom would have a hard time doing video transcoding on the fly, if it could just capture and then play back after chewing on it for a day, that would be fine - I'm almost never watching anything the day it's on anyway.)

- for super extra bonus points, it would run on Linux. Since it's going to be always-on, internet connected, and headless, I'd like to not have to worry about malware, windows crashes and patches, etc. But that may be asking for too much.

Any Media Center or XBOX 360 experts out there able to advise?

Help me get this job!

Bageena — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:35:48 -0800

I have an interview for a Dialer Admin II position at a huge collections outfit in four hours. Although I have about 10 years of collections call center experience and have worked extensively ON a dialer, I've never actually done any Dialer Admin-type work. What can I say or do to help me get this job? I've already landed a position as a collector for said company, but this could make the different between a job and a career. I feel like I have enough experience in collections to do the job right, even if I don't know much about building a dialer campaign specifically. So yeah - hoping there are some dialer admins, HR or manager-type people who can give me some good advice on how to win this possibly life-changing interview.

My server needs more space!

gregr — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:08:33 -0800

One of my servers needs more space, but due to several reasons I can't add space directly to the server... I have a server that I use for backup and restore. When doing a restore BackupExec uses the local hard drive to store the data while it is being read off of tape.

I have a giant restore that is using all of the space on the drive in the machine. I can't add another physical drive because the server is in a blade center and the blade only has one hard drive slot. (I might be able to use an external hard drive, but because of the way the Blade Center shares USB ports none of the other blades would be able to use USB.)

So, some of the other servers on the network have extra drive space, but BackupExec will not restore to a mapped network drive. I've also tried making symbolic links directly to the other servers on the network using Junction, MkLink, Junction LinkMagic, and several other tools. I've also tried mapping a network drive then making symbolic links to the folders on the network drive.

Does anyone have suggestions about how to trick BackupExec into writing to a drive that is not physically attached to the backup server?

TV on PC

ducktape — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:09:32 -0800

I've dug through the archives, googled my fingers off, and I'm tired of all the searching. All I want to know if there is a fairly cheap, easy to set up, decently functional media center PC out there to be bought off the shelf. I don't want to do any hacking or tweaking, just want it to work.

What's the PIT like at a rock concert in Camden, NJ? (Susquehanna Bank Center)

thankyoumuchly — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:55:25 -0800

Will I like PIT area tickets for a rock concert at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ? Thinking about attending a rock concert at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ. I am considering purchasing tickets in the PIT area dead center in front of the stage.

Will I like these tickets? I'm an averaged size guy so I can take a little shoving but I want to watch the concert and enjoy it.

Here's a pic of the seating chart. The PIT is orange, smack dab in front of the stage:

http://www.indux.com/map/131_TweeterCenter_EndStage_tn.jpg

Have any of you MeFites attended a concert there? Can you speak to the experience of the PIT in front of the stage? Will my neck be craned the whole time (is the PIT way below the stage?). Will I get moshed into oblivion. Are there seats or standing only? Can I move around within the entire PIT area or are there "front PIT tickets", "back PIT tickets" etc?

I've been to a concert there on the Lawn back when it was the "Tweeter Center" (note: Camden, not Boston). But the lawn was wayyyy back from the stage and I don't remember if I saw the PIT.

Please let me know you experiences. Details are a plus, please elaborate!

Los Angeles Area Cyber Cafes for WoW?

felix — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:44:03 -0800

What's a good, clean, safe cybercafe/lan party place with decent computers in Los Angeles? Objective: 5 hours of World of Warcraft. A catastrophic billing error has put me without internet access at home for the next two weeks. But, I run a world of warcraft raid guild, so that's clearly not acceptable. All my neighbors are rightfully paranoid and have protected wireless networks.

What's the best way for me to get back up and raiding, given that I have to get out of the house to do so? Have raid-capable laptop with 802.11g/n, blizzard authenticator, car, and UNENDING TWITCHING FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO DO MY DAILIES FOR MORE THAN 2 DAYS NOW

Portable Media Centre

edbyford — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:46:22 -0800

I've just bought an external hard drive for carrying around my music, movies, and pictures. Is there a portable media centre program I could also put on it? At home I use XBMC, and I love it!

However, when I'm playing movies etc. on someone else's computer, I don't want to have to install XBMC on their computer to get the same functionality.

Is there a program designed to be lightweight, portable (and preferably open source) which I could store on my external drive and just run it when playing back movies on someone's computer?

Medica Center, give me access.

baggers — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:41:54 -0800

I have an XP Windows Media Center PC that accesses two network drives called M: and N:. The problem is that media center can't access the drives unless I go into windows explorer and open the drives manually. How can I set it up so the drives are accessible immediately? The PC works purely as a media center, which is why this is annoying; I don't want to have a mouse and keyboard connected to it, and I don't want to have to . But for whatever reason, Windows does not properly reconnect network drives until the user actually accesses the drive. Any suggestions?

What is this strange buttoned-on loop on the inside of my coat?

Your Time Machine Sucks — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:14:18 -0800

What is the purpose of this weird detail (a button-on loop of some kind with wool on one side and velvet on the other) on the inside of my new coat? I just picked up a new winter coat and it has a weird interior detail which I've never seen before, and I can't seem to find reference to what it might be in any fashion dictionaries or bespoke sites, and the curiosity is starting to get to me.

As you can see in this crappy cameraphone photo, it is a buttoned-on loop of some kind, right next to the edge of the inside lining, and is basically positioned near enough to the belt line that I suppose it could be a belt loop, but I can't imagine what the possible use of belting your belt to your coat could be. The inward-facing side of the loop is velvet. Is it for securing my sidearm? I hope so. Anyway, please let me know what it is, if you know. Thanks!

(Bonus note to Berlin mefites: Karstadt Schnäppchen-Center on Karl-Marx-Str. 92 has a good coat sale right now).

What's the best option these days for building a home theater PC (HTPC)?

twiggy — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:09:48 -0800

HD-capable HTPC advice / help? I'm overwhelmed here... XBMC, Boxee, MythTV, Windows Media Center, CableCARDS, Popcorn Hour, Apple TV -- too many options! What should I build to fit my needs within a reasonable cost? I should start by saying I'm plenty tech savvy. I'm not overwhelmed by the terminology. However, I've been putting off building an HTPC for a long time now and the longer I do, the more crazy software/boxes show up that muddy my idea of what I should do!

So, in my ideal world, here's my needs:
- Absolutely HAS to decode 1080p video without dropping frames -- from what I've heard a Mac Mini can't handle 1080p. I'm guessing then that a hacked AppleTV (which I see you can now install XBMC or Boxee on) is also not an option?
- I'd like it to serve as a DVR - I have Comcast Digital Cable, so I may need CableCARDS for this, right? I do have a Comcast DVR, and could live with using that instead, but I can't "copy off" my programming and archive it which sucks.
- I'd like it to also serve as a great media player -- I use XBMC on an original Xbox and I love that...
- Assuming I build something myself - I have no idea what a good video card is that has HDMI output and is reasonably priced. I don't really have much interest in playing games on it, so I don't need the craziest card out there...
- While looks aren't super important (it'll be in a cabinet behind frosted glass), it should at least have a case that will keep it running quietly (unlike Xboxes, which are loud as crap!)
- Future expandability is a big plus, but not 100% necessary as long as it fits today's needs. I love that XBMC is continually updated, has cool plugins, etc, but I'm not 100% married to it.
- I have a Logitech Harmony 890 remote that I love. I've got to at least be able to hack something together to control it with that.

Basically, a machine that runs XBMC and can decode 1080p, combined with a DVR, would be perfect. I just don't know what the ideal way is to build that for a reasonable price.

Then the HTPC world gets more confusing -- there are boxes out there like Popcorn Hour, AppleTV, etc that look like they either do a lot of this, or are hackable to do this stuff.. am I better off going with one of these? I see Popcorn Hour will even act as a NAS and a BitTorrent downloader, which is fantastic, but it doesn't seem to have any recording capabilities.

Any help would be sincerely appreciated - the vast array of options has become too much for even the finest google-fu given my lack of available free time.

How do I control my media center remotely?

geoff. — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:59:27 -0800

How do I control a media center pc from a laptop? The catch: I want to make my terminal session run as if I was logged in at the console. This is to control a media center from afar. Right now I'm running Microsoft Vista Ultimate. I realize that I can add a patch to enable concurrent sessions, but that just starts another session. I want control the console session, so that the audio and video plays through my HDTV and my receivers. Right now I'm using a wireless mouse and keyboard, but it'd be so much easier if I could just use my laptop to terminal in.

I'm not wedded to Vista, and am looking at XBMC on OS X, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do this. The end result is I want the video/audio to be selected from a terminal session and output to my DVI/optical out on the headless machine (or a web browser like a SlimServer setup ... in fact I loved the ability to select songs and albums from a web browser and have them output through my Roku and receiver).

FYI I found that media centers, as a whole, disappoint. It is much easier to navigate the file directory and play something in VLC. This is hard on the eyes when you're 10ft away.

Help with MS Outlook 2002

CollectiveMind — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:23:52 -0800

I am using a computerized telephone management system called Advanced Call Center. One of its features is it emails me whenever I receive a call at my business. That feature needs and uses the Telephone Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) feature within Outlook to function. But Outlook generates a popup on the host PC that requires that I allow or disallow the message before it will allow ACC to reinitalize the modem and return to answering mode. If I'm not there, I can't turn off the window, so ACC doesn't answer anymore calls. Is there a way to turn this notification function off in Outlook 2002, or have it automatically send without notification?

all-purpose home media center.

nyu2 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:33:44 -0800

Is this home media center set up possible and if so how much would it cost to set up? I'd like to set up an all-purpose home media center, but am not sure if its even possible. I would like to connect my HDTV to my computer/home server and be able to surf the web from the couch and be able to switch between the computer screen and television screen seamlessly. I'd like to use the PC as a PVR and play the recorded shows on my television, access ripped dvds, music and photo stored on the server, play divx and .iso files at a high quality on the television, and play download SNES emulations stored on my hard drive. Is this set up possible?

How does one get on a headhunter list?

jseven — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:45:44 -0800

How do I get on a headhunter list? I am an executive in a major call center environment and I'm looking for something new. I would like to move on to something where I am responsible for the entire operation.

How does one get on a headhunter list?
Would one want to get on a headhunter list?

TV Tuner Card

Aanidaani — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:27:14 -0800

I'm interested in buying a TV Tuner Card for my PC, but I don't know where to find good reviews. Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap, decent-quality card that preferably comes with a remote? I'd like to buy a card that I can use to watch and record shows on my PC, with an S-Video input if possible. HD support would be a nice plus, but it's not necessary. A PCIExp-format card would also be desirable. Thanks!

Multiple Gaming Platforms, need one plug...

bkeene12 — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:38:42 -0800

I have a Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii and a Playstation 3. I want one plug for all four. I am looking for a unit/container that will house all of my gaming machines and have one universal plug that goes from the container into the TV. Anyone seen something along these lines? Google wasn't much help as I am not sure what this thing would be called.

City community center: Free to them, fee for us

mikelly — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:43:33 -0800

Can a public community center charge a private daycare for space that is free to the public? I work for a privately owned summer school and daycare center. Each day, for the past several weeks, we have been taking our 30-40 students to an indoor gym at the local community center, which is free to all minors (adults pay $2). Initially, the staff at the community center were fine with our kids spending an hour a day there. Last week, however, they decided that since we are a for-profit organization, we must pay $1 a day per child. Understanding that we do take over most of the gym while we are there, I asked if we could bring a smaller number of kids to the gym to avoid charge, and they said no.

Do they have a right to charge our kids because they are under our supervision? The community center is government run by the parks and recreation department. Public parks and libraries don't charge us for free public space and services. I do realize that public centers charge private parties for reservations and room rentals, but would the community center be justified in charging us to bring in, say, 10 children for an hour a day to share the gym with everyone else?

How can I really play Monkey in the Middle?

landtuna — Thu, 24 May 2007 09:49:58 -0800

Are these ways of finding the centroid of a backyard equivalent? I've often thought, when mowing the lawn, that if I start along the outside perimeter (ejecting grass outwardly, of course), spiralling inward, that the place where I stopped would be the centroid of my lawn. (This is, of course, ignoring the fact that I have to mow around obstacles.)

I believe the usual definition of the centroid is the point upon which my 2-D lawn would balance, weighting all of the points of the lawn according to their distance from the centroid.

So is the place where the lawnmower ends up the centroid of the lawn? (I'm assuming an infinitesimally small lawnmower.)

A Good, sub $1500 MCE with Cablecard?

Apo11o — Tue, 22 May 2007 04:34:05 -0800

Are there any good sub $1500 notebooks with Vista MCE's new cablecard for recording high def video? Are there any good sub $1500 notebooks with Vista MCE's new cablecard for recording high def video? Preferably one with a good amount of RAM, 15.4" and good connections.

How to center vertically in a LaTeX table?

leahwrenn — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:06:01 -0800

How do I center text (or, really, images) up-and-down within a tabular cell in LaTeX? I have a table, created in LaTeX, using the tabular environment. I would like the contents of the cells to be centered within each cell vertically, as well as horizontally. (That is, if the cell is a box, I want there to be white space above and below the text, if there is some other cell with more text.)

(For the purposes of full disclosure, I use the tabular environment within a figure environment to easily make multi-part figures; the issue is I have a big image and a small image side-by-side, and I'd like the small image to appear centered vertically with the big image, aligned with the baseline of the big image! If you can tell me how I really should be doing this, that would be an acceptable answer too.)

Can't connect to a web with FrontPage 2002 running on Windows Media Center Edition 2005

jurczyk — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 14:27:02 -0800

Is there a way to create a web and connect to the server directly with FrontPage 2002 running on Windows Media Center Edition 2005 ? I'm working on a project for a client that has an existing web site built in FrontPage 2002. My primary computer is a Dell Inspiron with XP Media Center 2005. I am able to connect to the web server through FrontPage on another laptop running FrontPage 2002 on Windows XP Pro SP2 (now SP3), but not on the laptop with MCE 2005.

I'm guessing it's a prob w/ the OS but I couldn't find any fixes or references on the MS web site or in the various related Knowledge Base articles.

What else can I do with Windows Vista Media Center?

Servo5678 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:16:13 -0800

I just got a new PC with Windows Vista and have been exposed to Windows Media Center for the first time. What neat things can I do with it? Can I add channels to the online media library? It comes preset with Comedy Central and MSN and so forth, but can I add to that list (something like, say, AOL's in2TV?) Are there any must-have plug-ins or hacks I should explore?

Basically I want to know what else the software can do. Searching for raw information on Media Center only brings back lots of marketing and PR talk about how great it is which gets tiresome quickly. I should add that I did get the remote control for the PC but did not opt for the TV tuner card, although I plan to pick one up later on down the road. I also didn't get a media extender since I didn't see the need for one at the moment.

Where can I volunteer-teach programming in Toronto?

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:20:01 -0800

Are there any organizations in Toronto where a person with a few months of time on his hands and a bachelor's degree in computer science could really help? To quote my father, "I'm tired of helping people that could help themselves." I'd like to break out of working for a boss and help some people get their first start with programming. I don't think I would be of much help teaching them to use Windows/Mac/whatever-os, or software package; I just tend to skim the surface of whatever app/environment will help me out at the moment. What I would like to teach is everything about programming, starting with "Hello World" and moving up from there at a pace where the kids would be comfortable.

Details: 1) I'd be able to hold several classes a week. 2) I wouldn't expect any compensation, except for making a few kids feel better about computers. 3) It would probably only be for a few months (May-August) 4) I don't have any teaching credentials; just a lot of experience in the field. 5) I'm reasonably sure I don't unnerve people overly.

MCE and Tablet edition on one Vista Machine?

Apo11o — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:59:48 -0800

Can Vista Laptops Have the equivalent of both Windows XP Tablet edition and Media Center Edition on one system without having to boot into separate partitions? I will be going to college soon and I'd like the convenience and features of a Tablet with the features and ease of MCE in one package. Is this possible on a Vista Machine or am i thinking a bit too wishfully? If possible, Who makes the best and best Priced Tablets? Thanks All.