Home Theater on the Cheap with GeeXboX

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://lifehacker.com/software/featured-download/create-a-bootable-home-theater-pc-with-geexbox-291532.php' target='_blank'>http://lifehacker.com/software/featured-download/create-a-bootable-home-theater-pc-with-geexbox-291532.php</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Temporarily turn your computer into a home theater with the GeeXboX live CD. All you need to do is drop the GeeXbox CD into your drive and restart. When you are done with GeeXbox, remove the CD, restart your computer and you will return to your existing operating system. Originally created just to play DivX videos, GeeXboX can now play virtually any file format you throw at it. GeeXbox has extremely low requirements and can be used to turn an old computer into a media center."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cgg-GeeXboX-082107.jpg" /><br /><br />Have any of you given this a try? Seems like a great way to turn an older PC into a serviceable HTPC.

[jeffd]

huh, I'll give it a try on an old laptop I been trying to turn into something semi usefull, but ive seen these types of packages before, its simply linux and a linux media player, and linux still has a hard time with auto detecting video cards and optimal video modes.

[jeffd]

a little late, but I tried it out, its junk. The older laptop used a cyberblad a1 chip, and the result was the program booted into a flashing pink screen. totaly unusable. I decided to try it on my 1505 since it has an x1300 in it, and i figured it HAD to atleast have good ati and nvidia drivers. I got video, but it was glitchy/stuttered, both in the menus and video playback. Also it did not support my software based volume controls, so I could not change the volume (though apparently, there are hotkeyed volume controls on the keyboard).

And for some reasons the arrow keys did not move the menu selections, stupid. ^^