This page sums up the state of the art on the Linux Media Center subject.

This will allow the Ubuntu Media Center Team to have a clear vision for the software choice.

Functional analysis

Nb : (p) means the feature is available with an additional plugin.

Detailed analysis

Elisa

Freevo

MythTV

MMS

• Implementation overview

  • Language : C++
  • MMS kernel, consists in making the communication between different kinds of plugin (actually Input, Output, Features and Players (Audio and Video) ).
    • Input plugins are an equivalent of what I have called Controller modules.

    • Output is actually the output device FootNote(Should it be up to the kernel to specify the output ? Can every player play on every output ?).

    • Features (OuattaraAziz : I didn't understand what is this) they are of 4 kinds : Audio, Movie, Pictures and EPG

    • Players : Audio and Video

    • See : http://mms.kicks-ass.org/wiki/index.php/Writing_plugins

• Discussing

  • OuattaraAziz : First when I tested MMS I have been refrained by its UI and having no customization option.

  • OuattaraAziz : But after looking at the code, I had to notice that the code is clean, understandable and the architecture is just the one I wanted for the Media Center. If we have to take that one, we will easily understand the code, we can easily add more modularity and configurability.

LinuxMCE

• See http://plutohome.com/support/index.php?section=mainDownload&package=0 to have an overview of every package installed by LinuxMCEFootNote(From time to time, we'll use the name '''Pluto''' referring to the GPL part of Pluto which has be entirely copied by LinuxMCE project). The dependencies are hell ! To me the most interesting things is the Pluto Core Programs section. If Pluto is the software we choose, we should get in touch with their developers to get help developing a lighter version and to use the maximum of Ubuntu capabilities, not to have drivers packages installed by Pluto.

GeeXboX

VDR

• VDR is primarily a (dvb) Digital TV Recorder -- it is meant to be used with a remote like a Tivo.
• There are not that many features included (this is as designed). However, what VDR does, it does incredibly well. Stability and ease of use are second to none (including commercial digital video recorders).
• The plugin system is fairly nice and there are plugins for images, music, DVD, etc.
• Installation is often not straight-forward or easy. There are some live-CD distros based on VDR that try to overcome this.

Notes

• non [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOSS FLOSS] software have been discarded:

  • SageTV
• GeeXboX teams up with freevo for LiveCD/distro.
• LinuxMCE is more than just a Media Center. It can manage your whole house. So that's also a problem cause the installer comes with all its stuff (to manage the whole house) and, at the end, you're lost in all those functionalities ( and the software becomes unusable ).
• My Media System (mms) also have a kind of plug in approach. It wrappes existing players and supports LIRC. However, it doesn't do a special job apart being an interface to existing players. I didn't find a way to select set up the player. It's easy installable and testable. I propose you do.

Useful external links

• [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_center WikiPedia]

• [http://www.homemedia.fr/articles-tests-guides/65-6-logiciels-Media-center-testes-lequel-choisir-0.html Media Center test] (french)

• [http://wattazoum.fr/spip.php?article56 A spec definition of a Media Center]