I dont know how many of you have heard about GeeXboX, but it is basically a free linux operating system and media player in one, and its only 8MB! You can either boot from CD, or install it on to HD, CF or USB memory stick, and it can run on low spec PCs. Just thought you guys should know about this, as I havent been on here for a while and I have loved this piece of software.

My GeeXboX below, just finished to go in my partners bedroom, hence needing to look pretty and be simple to use!

Modified / Customised Dell GX110
PIII 500, 256MB RAM
512MB Compact Flash (IDE to CF Adapter)
ATI Rage Pro with TV-out and memory upgrade to 8MB
Sound Blaster Live
DVD+-RW
ATI Remote Wonder
ME101 Wireless Ethernet Bridge (Connected to onboard 10/100 LAN)
Running GeeXboX 0.98.7 with Customised Theme.

Included is an image of an original GX110, mine I have smoothed over the floppy drive, logo, HD and Power graphics, and a few other bits that needed smoothing to make it look cleaner, smoothed using car filler and wet and dry paper, then applied 3 layers of "VW Canyon Red pearlescent paint" and 3 layers of clear lacquer, sanding between each spray. The buttons and the detail on the stealth drive have been finished with gold leaf.

Thats very smart, although I dont care for the colour myself it looks great regardless

I enjoy seeing projects like this come to fruition as I never have the time or inclination to do something like this myself. What can GeeXboX do off the bat then?

It supports DivX/Xvid/Real Player/QT/DVDs/ISOs as well as playing MP3s and viewing images....either via CD/DVD/Network. It also lets you tune TV channels, and I believe you can record in the latest version.

There is a pre release RC1 just release that I have had a little play with, which now supports streaming internet music and video, which it automatically downloads the lists from shoutcast I believe.

For full information go to http://www.geexbox.org

I still think a modified xbox makes a better HTPC.

Thats a beautiful job tho.

Great smoothing and paint finish, the functionality is also very impressive for 8mb.

Did you ise compact flash for a quick startup? How long does it take?

An XBox is alot more expensive tho, as where one of these can built for next to nothing as it works on old HW and can be running within minutes with no config.

Ye im using a CF, mainly because I wanted it completely silent, its prob a little slower than a HD, but im sure theres not much in it with such a little ammount of data to transfer. Its about 30 sec boot.

It also loads the whole system in to RAM so once its loaded it doesnt need to read from the CF, same goes if you load from cd, it ejects the disc after boot.

Doesnt the machine need to be a fair whack though in order to decode the video data, Im sure divX, etc requires a 700Mhz minimum or something like that. :?

There are people decoding XVid on 400 celerons, and I believe slower machines, using GeeXboX, DVD is where more power is required, and my PIII 500, manages both in the latest release, as I had a DVD issue in the previous release.

EDIT:
Looking on the forum there are a couple of people using PII 333s, I think its because very little power is wasted running the OS or software.

http://www.geexbox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4265