Something similar to Quickplay.

I own a compaq R4000 Notebook. I am looking to get some software similar to HP Quickplay to access my media without booting windows. can somebody help me here?

 

http://geexbox.org/en/index.html may be what you're looking for.

 

Quickplay still boots XP, but it boot simplified version of XP called Embedded XP. I don't know what's the real mean of Embedded XP, but it use less disk space. Geexbox gives you rich format media file type you can play with.

 

I am not sure if it's an easy thing to dual boot GeexBox and your favorite Linux distro. I am sure others can comment on this.

 

Can I expect better battery life with it? I am getting 3-4 hours currently based on the kind of usage.

 

Probably not any better. Most battery life is taken by the display, then the optical drive, then the CPU.

 

Pehaps. I wouldn't see a point of spending the time on GeeXbox if it didn't give a better battery life.

So what's the point of GeeXBox, then? Why spend the time and trouble on it?

Yes, true. But there is some other component to it that makes not booting up an OS favorable. I know there is, because there is a reason why Dell's MediaDirect and HP's QuickPlay exist - it's not purely a selling ploy (which it might be at some level).

 

It's faster to boot up, and is a "simple" interface. What's the point of having a standalone DVD player when your laptop will output video and play DVD's? It's a small, special-function install. It won't save much battery, but it will make your laptop function more like a portable DVD player for a time. You might notice a 5% increase in battery life, as compared to watching the DVD on your laptop under a full system, but overall? Not much. Every device uses power, and the geexbox install uses power in just the same way as your normal system, with the display brightness and such. Here's what Intel has to say about it: http://www.intel.com/cd/personal/computing/emea/eng/221161.htm

Notice how they say the CPU uses about 10% of your total power? The LCD and graphics card alone take up over 40% of the power, and you will not change those with using geexbox vs. a normal install.

 

OK, David, I get what you are saying. But I still want to prod at your analogy, if I may (in good spirit).

I think the issue with this analogy is that a standalone DVD player is a fraction of the cost (these days, for 19$ new at superstores) and is much simpler to use. Old people can't do notebooks. My grandmother can deal with a DVD player, but she can't handle any computers. It too complex.

So comparing QuickPlay/MediaDirect/Geexbox v. normal OS to notebook v. standalone DVD player is a bit misleading. There has to be some comparative difference between in "quality" for it to work.

But certainly I can see how someone could create a home theater setup that just uses their notebook.

 

Honestly, I don't really know why anyone would want the "quickplay" stuff. HP ships it, but it feels really gimmicky, even under XP. those are the selling points that HP uses on it.

I'd personally rather just have a media center computer hooked up to the TV.

 

I found Dell Media Direct useless. My Arch install booted faster, and was just as light.

 

Yeah, I feel ya, bro. I'd rather just boot in myself, considering all the difficulties of MediaDirect/QuickPlay.

I hear its pretty hard to bind the special keys though, in Linux

Interesting.

 

Is it? All the Fn special keys just work on my machine under Feisty 7.04. Play/Pause/Stop, volume, brightness, everything.

 

Are you using a new Dell or HP ? Or some other notebook? (I believe that only Dell, Hp, and the Sony TX notebooks have these buttons I am talking about)

And if those buttons work, what program do they work for?

I am talking about the "Media" buttons, not Fn+F(1-12) or Fn + Arrows (for brightness)

 

My M90's keys work right in Rythmbox and Exaile. They didn't up until the last update for me (although others reported that they were fine), but they work fine now. Forward, backward, play/pause, stop, and volume all work fine. Volume has actually always worked, but like I said, the other buttons didn't work up until the latest Feisty update. They worked fine in Dapper in Edgy though.

 

They don't work for me in Edgy, but I have xbindkeys to fix that problem. My Media Direct button loads up Amarok now.

 

Really? Not even the volume buttons? Like I said, mine have been pretty much working out-of-the-box since Dapper. My MediaDirect button (which never booted MediaDirect since I didn't have it) just loads up Firefox. It always has worked fine as well.

 

The volume buttons work, but the others didnt by default.

 

See the sig for my rig. I have the Media Direct stuff up at the top of my keyboard. The only one of those that works by default is the email button, but that's no biggie, I really don't use those anyway. I don't have a dedicated volume button, but when I hit Fn+F7/F8 that changes my KDE master volume, Fn+F9/F10/F11/F12 do all the play/pause/back/forward functions in AmaroK, etc. See this picture for my keyboard layout, except mine no longer has the Windows XP sticker, and has an Ubuntu sticker from System76 under the NVIDIA/Intel stickers on the right Left palmrest gets too sweaty and is used more than the right palmrest, as well as getting hotter from the hard drive and cooling of the machine.

 

I still really need to order those stickers.