[xirb]

Hi!
I am thinking about buying a cheap  Activy 300 - but have a lot of doubts about what the machine can do - and what it can't be used for. (It comes with this standard/default hardware: Celeren 800 Mhz, 256 MB RAM, DVD-drive, Intel 810 chipset, 40 GB HD, 2 remote controls and 1 wireless keyboard.)

I am happy to see that this website exist! - but sadly I do not use my german enough - so I cannot understand much of it. I therefore hope that you could be helpfull in english - thanks a lot! (Perhaps some of the answers can be be edited and used for an english FAQ? (I will gladly do that. )

This is my questions:
(There are a lot, but even if you can only answer a few I will be very thankful! )

1) I am told that it is a quiet ?, small and nice looking PC. I have read that the machine is originally supposed to be some type of TV-device - but I guess it is only for digital broadcast of some sort (e.g. digital satelite) - and not "as it is" usable with a normal antenna / cable-tv signal? (I do not have digital TV/satelite).

2) Is it correct that the "build-in" software (Win98-based) is unusable/ rather bad?  

3) I would probably like to install Win XP Media Center edition (MCE):
- Is the deafult/standard hardware even strong/powerfull enough to RUN WinXP / WinXP MCE?? Also the newest version (WinMCE 2005)?
- If not: What do I need to upgrade? (Is 256 MB extra RAM enough?)
- Can I still use the scart-cable to  connect the Activity 300 to my TV (easily)?
- If not: Can I then connect the machine to the TV in some other way (in other words: is there an alternative tv-out built-in, e.g. S-video/SVHS?)
- Which functions should I expect to be unusable under WinXP MCE (in other words: what hardware does not work under Win XP?) :computertod (I've read in this forum, that the remote control with keyboard DO work. )
- Even if some speciel hardware might not work with WinXP MCE: Is the hardware powerfull/strong enough to be used as a media center PC? (In other words: Will it be able to play DVDs, Xvid/DivX and so on even without special hardware support?)

4) I want to be able to record normal TV (from my normal antenna cable) on the PC! :applaus
- Can I insert a tv-card (PVR) like Hauppauge PVR150 into the machine and record tv-programmes?
- Will recording work with Win XP MCE on the Activity 300? With the build-in sotware? MiniDVBLinux? Or os some else needed?

5) Does the Linux-distribuation presented here (MiniDVBLinux) solve "all" problems with the Actity 300? (Also as asked above: And make it possible to record from normal antenna signal / cable?) Or is some other solution worth considering when I want to use it as a media center PC with recording - e.g. something called "mythTV"?

6) Any warnings, tips or other helpfull advice in creating the "perfect" Media Center PC recording device for the living room with an Activity 300 is very welcome!    :unsure:  

[xirb]

Anyone? Please? Bitte?  

Perhabs I just have to have a bit more patience. But I really hope, that some of you could help me out.

Thanks a lot in advance! (Vielen Dank im Vorhande )

Sincerely,
Christian from Denmark

[clausmuus]

Hi xirb,

I can only answer your quastion 5:
No, not all Problems with the Actity 300 are solve. E.g. at the moment the powerbutton at the remote control dont work (I hope this answer is correkt).
At the moment you can only use digital TV carts for the MLD.

Claus

[xirb]

No, not all Problems with the Actity 300 are solve. E.g. at the moment the powerbutton at the remote control dont work (I hope this answer is correkt).

At the moment you can only use digital TV carts for the MLD.

Thanks you for the answer!

Ok, the powerbutton seems like a minor/small problem. Do you remeber any more/other details that is not solved (but still gives problems with WinXP)?
- Important things like the hardware mpeg decoder, scart-tvout and so on works fine, I pressume?

I'm afraid I don't understand this line: :unsure:
"At the moment you can only use digital TV carts for the MLD. "
- Does it mean, that I cannot buy and use e.g. a Hauppauge 150 with the Activy 300?

Mit Freundlice grüsssen
Christian,
Dänemark

[clausmuus]

Hi,

the Hauppauge 150 with the Activy 300 will work in the Activy (I think so), but not with the MLD. The reason is, that I have not bild the analogtv-Addon vor the MLD, and also no other MLD developer.

Claus

[xirb]

the Hauppauge 150 with the Activy 300 will work in the Activy (I think so)

- Sounds great!

but not with the MLD. The reason is, that I have not bild the analogtv-Addon vor the MLD, and also no other MLD developer.

- This is the part that I (sadly still) don't understand.
The reason is probably that i don't know what MLD means.. What is MLD?

Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Christian - Denmark

 

[clausmuus]

Hi xirb,

MLD is the name of this distribution (MiniLinuxDistribution).

Claus

[xirb]

MLD is the name of this distribution (MiniLinuxDistribution).

NOW I understand!
Thank you for clarifying this.

- I my head the short name for this distribution was MDVBL (or perhaps MDL could be understood too) (MiniDVBLinux) - that is the reason why I'm didn't understand completely - sorry!  :rolleyes:  

[clausmuus]

Hi xirb,

you are not the first people with this problem... But the name MLD ist older than the name MiniDVBLinux, and cames before I begin to help to develop the MLD.

Claus

[obrien]

I have an Activy 300 with a Siemens DVB-C, a SL DVB-T and a PVR250 (for analog cable), running a Debian Sarge based Linux with VDR. Works quite fine for me.

The system is rather quiet, just a single, large and thus slow fan in the middle, so the only thing you hear is the harddisk (which is also a bit suspended). It runs with a 80W power supply, so it should be quite ok to run it 24/7. I also use it to log into my home from outside the world and wake up other machines from there.

The scancodes of the stock remote control are somewhat tricky, making it rather unusable at least on standard Windows systems which don't have a modified keyboard driver. Running Windows on it will probably at least require an additional, external remote control, possibly with some kind or trackball or similar, if you need a mouse.

I don't know the MCE and haven't tried it on the Activy yet, but the stock CPU (666 or 733 MHz PII-based Celeron) sounds a bit weak to me for running XP. However there are ways to put in a more powerful one. For VDR it's far more than enough, though.

There is no standard "build-in" software for the Activy; if you buy a used one, you may not get any software at all. I've seen two GUIs which both are based on Win98 embedded. The old "dive" is indeed pretty bad and not worth a look. The Datacargo "VisionGate", which can also be bought separately, isn't that bad in the latest versions. I don't know, however, if it is available in English, since it was mainly made for the german market.

Hope this helps a bit.

ob

[obrien]

It might be worth to add that my configuration with three PCI cards is unusual, a bit tricky and required some engineering work. Normally only two slots are available.

ob

[HelAu]

Hi,
There is also another Linux Distribution wiith activy support named Gen2VDR. There it is possible to integrate a PVR150 easily.
This is a nearly full-blown Linux Distribution based on Gentoo including GCC, KDE, freevo and of course VDR.
Also most activy features are implemented ( Remote control support, TV-Out .. )
It can be downloaded here:
http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/mediaportal/helau/
Unfortunately the documentation is only in german ( I was too lazy to translate it til now ... )
Bye
HelAu