I really need a laptop

[Nimrod's Son]

Netbooks are cheap and not very powerful.

[cocksure]

i got a laptop recently which is great for watching internet stuff in my bed before falling asleep

[Debaser]

a netbook is sounding more and more enticing now

[Debaser]

separate issue

background:
the livingroom tv is set because I have both a ps3 and xbox 360 connected to it. The PS3 provides blu-ray capability and (limited) internet browsing. The xbox 360 provides netflix streaming. Both naturally can stream videos from my computer on the wireless network.

problem:
i now have a television in the bedroom that I also want connected to my wireless network. a media extender. but what to get? a ps3 or xbox? if I get only one, I'll be missing out on features the other one provides. or is there a better solution? something completely different that provides the best of both machines, there's probably an elegant and obvious solution that i'm missing here

[Nimrod's Son]

Do you want to play games in the bedroom?

[Nimrod's Son]

Media Extenders are overpriced. If you don't care about games, just pick up an XBOX (first generation, not a 360) and install the linux OS overrides on it. You won't be able to play a lot of games but it becomes a Media Extender workhorse with multiple format ability, and it would be cheap.

[sickbadthing]

Originally Posted by Pizza Club

VMWare Server is also free where Workstation is not, but I still don't see how that would be a solution for what you want.

I thought he wanted to read them and download them at work for some reason.

I can't read.

[Nimrod's Son]

oh yeah, the linux 1337 h4x you need is called XBMC
XBMC Media Center

[Pizza Club]

Originally Posted by Debaser

problem:
i now have a television in the bedroom that I also want connected to my wireless network. a media extender. but what to get? a ps3 or xbox? if I get only one, I'll be missing out on features the other one provides. or is there a better solution? something completely different that provides the best of both machines, there's probably an elegant and obvious solution that i'm missing here

Is the bedroom TV HD or will you need to stream HD over your network? My original hacked Xbox was awesome at streaming everything nonHD before I replaced my TV.

[Debaser]

ooh i do have an original xbox lying around collecting dust. xbmc looks fantastic, but the setup instructions look intimidating. i'll have to set aside a weekend to do this. and also get wireless adapter for it. you guys have done this on your old xboxes no problem?

yes, the bedroom tv is HD.

[Pizza Club]

Originally Posted by Debaser

ooh i do have an original xbox lying around collecting dust. xbmc looks fantastic, but the setup instructions look intimidating. i'll have to set aside a weekend to do this. and also get wireless adapter for it. you guys have done this on your old xboxes no problem?

yes, the bedroom tv is HD.

Yes, it's really not that hard to do. I had to buy a used game from Gamestop that was like $3 and an Action Replay that was like $25. You probably can get the old wireless adapter for it for less then $50 these days. I've done it and have not had any problems. I still used it occasionally to watch Hulu on my tv.


But again, if you want stream anything HD, the original Xbox is not powerful enough.

[Elvis The Fat Years]

hulu runs like shit on my laptop. pisses me off.

[Fattening Ass]

Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son

Netbooks are cheap and not very powerful.

For what he wants it seems like a good choice. My Wind runs pretty damn well and the build quality is not bad at all. My only regret is not buying a 6 cell battery for it. the 3 cell doesn't run very long.

[Pizza Club]

Originally Posted by Fattening Ass

For what he wants it seems like a good choice. My Wind runs pretty damn well and the build quality is not bad at all. My only regret is not buying a 6 cell battery for it. the 3 cell doesn't run very long.

Yup, we've got a Eee 901 in the office to toy with and I was pleasantly surprised on what it could handle.

[Eulogy]

Netbook showdown: The top 10 mini laptops rated - Crave at CNET UK

found this interesting even though i'm not buying anything any time soon.

[ohnoitsbonnie]

Ya I suggest the acer aspire one

[wHATcOLOR]

Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son

Do you want to play games in the bedroom?

are you propositioning debaser

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally Posted by Debaser

ooh i do have an original xbox lying around collecting dust. xbmc looks fantastic, but the setup instructions look intimidating. i'll have to set aside a weekend to do this. and also get wireless adapter for it. you guys have done this on your old xboxes no problem?

yes, the bedroom tv is HD.

Yeah, I actually got a 1st gen XBOX strictly for this purpose. Keep in mind it won't play a lot of your games anymore though