Which OS do you think wins?

[garrlker]

(10-04-2012, 11:37 AM)Axxer Wrote: I'll probably just go with Xubuntu since it has good support and ill be using XBMC most of the time anyway.

Installed it yesterday... I'm still trying to figure it out/get used to it.

[Axxer]

(10-04-2012, 02:21 PM)garrlker Wrote:

(10-04-2012, 11:37 AM)Axxer Wrote: I'll probably just go with Xubuntu since it has good support and ill be using XBMC most of the time anyway.

Installed it yesterday... I'm still trying to figure it out/get used to it.

Xubuntu or XBMC?

If you can't figure out XBMC in a couple of seconds... I'm ashamed. I use the Aeon Nox skin (however you spell it).

Xubuntu is a bit different, but is a cool mixture between OS X and Windows with the task bar kinda thing at the top and an OS X-like dock at the bottom. Once you get used to it I think you'll like it.

[fagoatse]

(10-04-2012, 10:31 AM)Axxer Wrote: Somewhat on-topic:

I am planning on installing some distro of Linux on my desktop (which is hooks up to my TV and used as an HTPC). I will be running Dolphin on it (although that hardly relates to the matter at hand). What distro do you think I should use? I'll for sure be using Dolphin and XBMC and these other programs:

VLC Media Player
WINE
- MPC-HC
- Project 64 (with OpenGL backends only)
1964 (although I would prefer to get pj64 working)
VBA-M

I realize that basically any distro i would use will run all of these programs, but I listed them just so you wouldn't recommend something completely obscure.

What distro of Linux do you guys like best and why? It may have a good influence on what I use. XFCE is my desktop of choice also (so I only want distros that work with that).

MPC-HC won't work in wine. Go with smplayer2 https://launchpad.net/~smplayer2/+archive/daily

make sure to run it with --vo=gl3:dither-depth=6 for the best quality.

if you want a stable, user-friendly xfce distro then linux mint 13 xfce is the way to go. It comes with some software you might not desire but just run synaptic, get rid of it and you're good to go.
I wouldnt recommend any media center suites unless you've got tons of ripped movies and want a fancy interface. XMBC itself is quite inefficient and offers sub-par quality although there's a way to use madvr with it.

media plyers rant cont.
I've built myself a small E-350 (1.6 ghz dual core, hd6310) HTPC for fansubbed anime and the only way to such content in 1080p dxva/720p hi10p was to use a special fork of mpc-hc, lav filters and xy-vsfilter. Any other combination would die as soon as subs show up.
I'm aware that majority of people do not care care about quality and performance(unless they struggle to play sth) but madVR in fact improves quality - http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=146228 check pics.
Of course, it is hardly visible when it comes to HD content but it makes a huge difference in SD releases such as DVD movies.
MPC-HC isnt exactly user friendly since it requires registering additional filters and tweaking to get the most out of it
but following this guide will give you a general idea http://imouto.my/watching-h264-videos-using-compute-unified-device-architecture-cuda/
just dont donwload any software from it since its outdated, instead grab it from doom9/google.

Furthermore, I advise you not to install those so-called 'coded packs' since they are nothing but bloatware.
If you seek a fancier interface and perhaps something more of a 1-click solution you might want to try this fork of mpc-hc http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=165890 or http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=161047 for the best perfomance.

Linux/Mac OSX users have got mplayer2 (and it's gui component called 'smplayer2', you dont want to be using CLI for media playback, do you?) which gets the job done, It's also available for windows http://smplayer2.srsfckn.biz/.

[Axxer]

CLI is fine as long as its not the primary interface (as less tech-savvy people may later use this). I'll be writing scripts to launch Dolphin games, so CLI is perfectly fine (and required if the program doesn't allow opening a file from the file instead of from the app).

I'm using XBMC because the interface is clean and I have a TON of media to go through. I have about 200 DVDs to rip (along with a bunch of old VHSes) and my Dolphin games and GBA games. I don't want to have to deal with going through folders and such just to run my games.

MPC-HC won't work then. If I ditch Linux altogether though and stick with Windows, everything will work fine right?

[neobrain]

(10-04-2012, 10:27 PM)Axxer Wrote: If I ditch Linux altogether though and stick with Windows, everything will work fine right?

Yeah, but you're stuck with Windows, then.

[Axxer]

(10-04-2012, 11:51 PM)neobrain Wrote:

(10-04-2012, 10:27 PM)Axxer Wrote: If I ditch Linux altogether though and stick with Windows, everything will work fine right?

Yeah, but you're stuck with Windows, then.

That's basically the issue. $100 for Windows doesn't seem entirely worth it.

[DefenderX]

OS X costs only $20

THAT is a fair price.

[Shonumi]

Unless you plan to run OS X on your own machine via Hackintosh or VM, Apple hardware is expensive. The OS itself is cheap, but getting it might mean spending quite a bit, if you're not into messing around with things.

[Axxer]

(10-05-2012, 02:56 AM)Shonumi Wrote: Unless you plan to run OS X on your own machine via Hackintosh or VM, Apple hardware is expensive. The OS itself is cheap, but getting it might mean spending quite a bit, if you're not into messing around with things.

Exactly. Hackintosh is illegal (as I have said before) so I'm not going to do that. Plus it would be pointless since Linux is free and does all of the stuff I would want for my HTPC (though I need OS X for my laptop).

[Shonumi]

Only illegal in the US though, as far as I know. Hackintosh computers violate the EULA (which aren't even enforceable in all states) but does violate the DMCA (which is a badly written law anyway). Other countries have more sensible laws in this regard, but moving to Canada or Mexico is really too much trouble just to get OS X :p