Guruplug ? (new media device)

[Dave72]

Anyone read anything on these yet ?

http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/p...splay.aspx

A new type of pc , could be used as a htpc (that one in the link specifically, but there are other boxes at the main web site).

Not sure if we could use this via gbpvr at all ? Are they only linux ??

[mvallevand]

It' a cool product, I've been following that pxa168 chip for a while, but I haven't seen it make it to the "consumer" plug computing products yet. I've also thought it would be fun If I found that chip in a wifi 12" picture frame to try and get GBPVR running on it.

Martin

[colinnwn]

I've been aware of them for about a year. I initially considered it as a replacement for my NSLU2.

GB-PVR can't run on this, unless it can run on top of Windows CE or Windows Mobile. The Sheeva/Guruplugs use Marvell ARM based CPUs. CE and Mobile are the only 2 versions of Windows with an ARM port. Right now Microsoft has said they have no interest in porting Win 7 to ARM. Nicholas Negroponte is trying to twist their arm into porting XP to ARM, so he can put an ARM processor in his OLPC-2 laptops. Microsoft is still mum on whether they will do this for him.

Theoretically there is nothing preventing other operating systems from running on this device. But right now, I am only aware of Linux.

[mvallevand]

The MVP and NMT clients run on linux.

Martin

[colinnwn]

Yes, but that is the media extender software right? As you say, it'd be a cool project to get the extender software running on a Linux based picture frame. But the Sheeva/Guruplugs have no video card and no video out. You can only VNC into them for administration purposes. Any kind of video that requires decent refresh rates (of better than 2 fps) will not run well on it. So unless you are interested in porting the GB-PVR backend to Linux or Windows Mobile, I don't think the Sheeva/Guruplugs are very interesting devices.

I was seriously considering trying to move my MythTV backend onto a Sheevaplug. But now that I am running my file server, proxy, and F@H on it, I am less self-conscious about the 75 watts it uses. All the computing power I can't use is getting donated to a good cause, so the electrical power isn't wasted. And my time is already invested, so I don't have to spend tens of hours getting a Sheevaplug configured and stable.

[martint123]

But the Sheeva/Guruplugs have no video card and no video out. You can only VNC into them for administration purposes. Any kind of video that requires decent refresh rates (of better than 2 fps) will not run well on it

I didn't read it that way
"Serve up your video, pictures, and audio in High Definition with the integrated A/V HDMI port. "

[stustunz]

i read that some hdmi some dont so im guessing the one with hdmi can play media

[mvallevand]

@colinnnwn you are probably mixing up the basic Sheevaplug server with this device with this newer product. The chip on the block diagram supports HDMI 1.3a which is certainly compatible enough, but that doesn't mean the chip will have all he hardware decoders (especially audio related) needed to support it. For $180 it looks like a fun device to play with.

Martin

[martint123]

Not having read much up about it, my immediate thought, having seen it, was that they missed the obvious trick of including ethernet-over-mains of whichever standard.

[colinnwn]

The chip on the block diagram supports HDMI 1.3a which is certainly compatible enough

I'm not familar with the chip's features, but HDMI isn't shown on the Guruplug Server block diagram here
http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/t...x#features

Since you mentioned a version with HDMI, I searched google and found this on their website:
http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/c...plugs.aspx

Looks like -
Guruplug server - no HDMI
Guruplug display - HDMI, no indication of audio onboard other than it is marketed to
Media Center Display
Video Conferencing
Education
Remote Medical Diagnostics
Some of those are a hard sell without audio. Of course you could use a USB or BT audio adapter.