Manuals, FAQ and N00b-friendlyness

[walterw]

Hi everybody,

I'm currently looking for an integrated media center+pvr solution and stumbled onto VIX - well, a friend mentioned it to me. I would now like to find out what VIX can exactly do in order do decide which way to take. A user manuals would be perfect for that purpose...

Apparently, this proves to be a little difficult. I was browsing and searching this forum and the web, but couldn't find any manual or "product presentation" FAQ for VIX. There are lots of HOWTOs on how to install software packages i never heard of (without mentioning their use, btw.), but nothing where a complete beginner or someone who wants to find out anything about VIX prior to buying a compatible device could start.

Either that, or i am blind/dense/plain stupid. Or simply using the wrong search keywords.

IS there any document that could enlighten me?

[Larry-G]

There is no FAQ for ViX it self as such Due to the nature of the image as it's constantly in a state of evolution and growth and also due to the shear amount of time such a project would require. we can however answer any questions you have in relation to ViX and the specific hardware you are looking at purchasing.

[walterw]

OK. Thank you!

Up to now I am using some old Sat Receiver and an old eeeBox (too slow!) running XBMC for watching recorded stuff. I would like to replace both with one single device that is capable of receiving and recording HD Satellite and TV, with all those cool features that are around - time shifting, IMDB queries, I don't really know what's out there. It should play streamed content from the internet (YouTube, Netflixx and all that there will be) and replay my HD video files that are stored on a NAS. The user interface should also look great :) and possibly include my XBMC fanart and metadata information...

What of this applies to ViX?

I could, of course, buy an HTPC and install XBCM and MythTV. If an ET6000 could do most of what I need I'd prefer to spend less and buy a clever receiver instead... and hopefully save some time figuring out how to configure everyting right too.


PS: So far every community project i know of is constantly evoluting... except dead ones. ;) And nonetheless most manage to write any (!) introductory documentation. I understand your point about time, tough. :)

[Larry-G]

The current Enigma 2 based satellite receivers can do pretty much most of what you want, However you must also remember that these are primarily satellite receivers and while they are capable of some media functions such as watching avi's etc those features are to be considered as a bonus and not a guarantee.

for example with a pc you can load new codecs to support many media formats where as with a satellite system it's all handled by the hardware and as such files that play fine on the pc may not play well or at all on the satellite system. you also stated that you want to be able to stream from the internet to the receiver, well you can for the likes of youtube but not netflix or the iplayer etc at present. some of the non linux boxes can access the BBC iplayer but no Enigma 2 based system can yet to my knowledge. that may well change in the near future.

The user interface part comes down to the image you use which is where ViX comes in to the picture along with what ever skin you choose to use. Think of it like this Enigma 2 is the linux distro and ViX is the GUI which you can change for any other image such as Pli or blackhole as and when you want.

dont worry i'm not trying to talk you out of buying a receiver but i am trying to let you have a realistic grasp of whats possible and what is not with a Enigma 2 based receiver.

[walterw]

> Think of it like this Enigma 2 is the linux distro and ViX is the GUI which you can change for any other image such as Pli or blackhole as and when you want.
I see. So if I want tech specs, like, for example, a list of compatible video codecs, I'll have to search for information on Enigma 2?

[Larry-G]

It's not really dependent on Enigma 2 as far as i know and i may be totally wrong on that, if so i apologize. The codecs used are hardware based, It's also not as simple as saying all avi's or all MKV files will play as it also depends on what there encoded with and the exact specifications used when encoding those files.

[walterw]

Hi pheonix,
ok I begin to understand now why there is no manual of any sorts. :)

Thank you for your help!
(And I still can't decide... will have to dice. ;) )