The sales pitch unfolds.

What do I want?

A media center.

Not a PVR.

Plugs into bedroom stereo and TV, HDMI please.

Can play any media I throw at it, IF, there is a Linux player / codec available.

Can surf the web.

Can get a real Linux desktop.

Can remote desktop or ssh everywhere else.

Has good smb and nfs mount connectivity.

Can go get the video for me, with the right incantation, start playing, keep it local.

Has a remote keyboard and trackball so I can kick back in bed and work on my 40" TV.

Commercial support.

Gadget / device quick boot interface.

Active developer community, but with a hardware manufacturer having a vested interest in their success.

Upgradable.

Slots.

But blends in with my stack of AV gear.

Quiet.

USB storage for both stick and TB disk.

Lots and lots of output connections.

Ok, I want a lot.

And I'm cheap.

And unwilling to spend time and effort configuring something myself, only to find the hardware mismatches the software, and I'm screwed.

So, how much should I have to / be willing to pay for such a device?

My dream MythTV box is about $1,200. I don't want a MythTV, I'm just using that as an example.

Of course, I want all the conversion and editing utilities there as well.

A Debian derivative with world repository access would do just fine.

And you know, I really like the XBMC visualizer. How about I get that too?

I've been looking around for about a month. No one comes close to my price range or feature set.

And then I see this:

http://hardware.slas...=09/02/27/1457241


First Impressions of the Neuros Link
Posted by kdawson on Friday February 27, @10:50AMfrom the full-screen dept.
Hardware Hacking Television
DeviceGuru writes "Having recently constructed the BoxeeBox, DeviceGuru blogger Rick Lehrbaum naturally was eager to check out Neuros Technology's somewhat similar IP-TV set-top box. Lehrbaum's first-impressions review of the Neuros Link describes the device's hardware and Ubuntu-based software, shows screenshots of its functionality, identifies a handful of weak spots, offers some specific suggestions for improvement, and shares a few hacks (including adding an HDD and Boxee). All in all, he concludes, the Link's hardware is more than worth its minimal $300 pricetag."



It is sitting at UPS waiting for me.

HAHA!

Joyous giggle.

teeheee.

Can you tell I've installed it and the lovely interface is downloading updates.

Note: I did and "apt-get update" after getting a failed vim-gtk install, which it notice and prompted me to install them.

I didn't get the keyboard to work, but I don't care. I have my light Dell on the left and my Kensington expertmouse on the right.

I'll keep you informed.

Oh, the UPS guy seemed to want it. It was found on the driver's seat in the truck, but the truck was in for repairs.

I would assume you could add that, but not my goal. It DOES have a MythTV link on the desktop, so I assume they are accounting for it soon enough.

The welcome letter was like a cult initiation. And I'm a believer. I LOVE this thing. I'm typing, lounging on my bed, perfect distance from a huge screen.

Web videos are good, Hulu works, and Pandora sounds great.

I've got full konsole, X and rdesktop access to everything I need, and stumbleupon is calling me.

SMB mount, perfect. Use gnome interface, click to my music, missing codec.

Install? Sure.

30 seconds later, I'm blasting David Gilmour through my AV system.

I'm never leaving this room again.

And the boy got the keyboard to work, I'm letting him use it for now.

HDMI->Onkyo

Onkyo pulls the audio, sends the video to the TV.

So yes, if I am actively in choice/setup mode, I need the TV on.

But not after that.

I am considering an HDMI A/B switch and put a a little LCD screen in front of the device for low use device control during music play.