[kwlug-disc] Kodi plans

Thu Mar 31 13:04:58 EDT 2016

Our living room machine is a Core 2 Quad running stock Ubuntu + KODI
and I've shared DVDs, Bluerays, Music and Photos via SAMBA to the rest
of our network. In our room we have a MyGica ATV582 I picked up at
Canada Computers when they were on sale for $100 even:
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=44_567&item_id=073308

I didn't share the database so when we go room to room we don't have
the same preferences, but sharing via SAMBA (as opposed to upnp) does
allow is to have a local scrape of all the meta-data for the shows. We
connected the MyGica box via ethernet (gigabit between machines)
rather than wireless because we're still working with an older N
router.

You can always set up a cell phone to control KODI if you want more
options. I like the "HP Windows Media Center" remote shown (warning -
annoying pop-up on page) here:
http://www.evertek.com/viewpart.asp?auto=62055&cat=CMO&cpc=CMObsc It
installed without further work by just picking Windows Media Center
from the lircd setup. The remote that comes with the ATV582 is kind of
limited compared to the media center remote, but its one saving grace
is that it has a tiny keyboard on the flip side...

By the way if anyone is interested in locally sourced Rii i8 keyboard
(https://www.amazon.ca/Rii-Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-Mouse/dp/B00WQG6A8C/ref=pd_bxgy_504_img_2/183-2023673-1258918?ie=UTF8&refRID=YPY3QMXEPFMGPGMREW48)
I saw them at Cambridge Surplus in the paintball area. They also have
those flashy LED strips... Think pricing is comparable to Amazon.

On Thu, Mar 31, 2016 at 12:02 PM, Colin Mackay <zixiekat at gmail.com> wrote:
> Personally I have a Core i5 quad core, running Mint 17.1, sitting under the
> main TV, but I like to use it for normal desktop computing as well.
> Upstairs I just got a Matricom Gbox Q2 from Amazon.ca and it works well, it
> even handles deinterlacing 1080i OTA recordings from MythTV.
>
> Never used a Raspberry Pi for it yet.
>
> https://www.amazon.ca/Matricom-G-Box-Quad-Octo-Android/dp/B00I0ABY16/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1459439164&sr=1-1&keywords=matricom+g-box+q2
>
> It's a full android box, and I am contemplating a new 'air mouse' remote for
> it, as the one it comes with doesn't have some functions, but the box itself
> seems nice, thus far.
>
> On Thu, Mar 31, 2016 at 11:39 AM, CrankyOldBugger
> <crankyoldbugger at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> OK, so I will still need to drop some sort of client (eg. RasPi or Roku)
>> with Kodi install behind each TV to pull from the database.  Any preferences
>> for those?
>>
>> Ideally it would be great if said client can use the TV's existing remote
>> control...
>>
>>
>> On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 at 11:30 Colin Mackay <zixiekat at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> The best way to keep Kodi centralized is to actually use a database.
>>> This will store all your settings, including watched, position and of course
>>> all your media metadata.
>>>
>>> You don't need a centralized Kodi server, as long as one Kodi system
>>> spots the new files, MySQL will be updated and all should be well.  Just be
>>> sure that ALL Kodi systems see the files the same way, nfs, smb or uPnP.
>>>
>>> http://kodi.wiki/view/MySQL/Setting_up_Kodi
>>>
>>> On Thu, Mar 31, 2016 at 10:36 AM, CrankyOldBugger
>>> <crankyoldbugger at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I wanted to toss a question at the group's XBMC/Kodi experts (you know
>>>> who you are!)...
>>>>
>>>> I currently have all of my movies and TV shows on a Synology NAS box.  I
>>>> installed Kodi on an Ubuntu desktop and I watch my stuff while I'm working
>>>> on a different desktop.  Life is good.
>>>>
>>>> I want to bring the Kodi experience upstairs to both the family TV and
>>>> also my wife's TV in the bedroom.  So as I understand it, my best best would
>>>> be to either get one of those new set-top boxes such as a Roku or build a
>>>> RasPi box and drop it behind the TV.
>>>>
>>>> To further complicate things, I have an old Acer H341 Windows Home
>>>> Server that I plan to install Ubuntu or some other distro on then use that
>>>> as my new DNLA media server (it's a headless server so maybe I will document
>>>> the procedure to share with the group).
>>>>
>>>> So my question is...  is there a way to install a sort of Kodi server on
>>>> the new WHS/Ubuntu box so that individual users' preferences and "watched
>>>> lists" are centrally stored, then fed out to the various TVs and desktops?
>>>> In other words, if my daughter and I watch an episode of Dr. Who on the big
>>>> TV, then she goes to her room and fires up her laptop it will mark that
>>>> episode as watched for her?
>>>>
>>>> Another issue is I have lots of "nerd" movies like hacker dramas,
>>>> how-to's, etc., that my wife and daughter really have no interest in, so
>>>> these vids don't need to show up in their listings.  (Conversely, I really
>>>> don't want to see my daughter's chick flicks in my movie listings...)
>>>>
>>>> More importantly, I don't want copies of all my movies propagating to
>>>> the Roku or RasPi boxes in the house.  I want just one centralized storage
>>>> area that I can monitor.
>>>>
>>>> I've given up on ever using an OTA antenna to get live TV as I've come
>>>> to believe that my neighbourhood is actually encased inside a very large,
>>>> invisible Faraday Cage, so I have to depend on stuff I download off of the
>>>> internet.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>
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-- 
Charles McColm, Author: Instant XBMC,
Columnist: Full Circle Magazine,
Project Manager: The Working Centre Computer Recycling Project
Web: http://www.theworkingcentre.org/cr/
Blog: http://www.charlesmccolm.com/
Twitter/Identica/Google+: @chaslinux