I have tried setting up Tight VNC for relatives, and while it is possible, it is also inconvenient while away from my own home. Now I just use Chrome Remote Desktop You do have to be logged into Chrome.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

I would try roc-noc.com. They have most RouterBoards in stock except the 2011. The 2011 is the closest to a home router all in one that MikroTik makes. I also have some RB493G devices. The 493 has 3 mini-PCI slots and you can add radios for whatever bands you want (2.4GHz, 5GHz). The price will be higher. For one with dual radios you will probably be in the $300 range. You do get 9 GB ports which is nice if you have all GB devices.

Thanks,
the_crowbar

These are absolutely awesome pieces of gear. The RB2011UAS is cheap for what it gets you.

• 5 GB LAN ports (one defaults to WAN port)
• 5 100MB LAN ports
• Builtin 2.4GHz WiFi with amazing range
• SFP cage if your are lucky enough to have fiber to your building
• USB port for connecting a 3G modem
• Console port
• SSH/Web/Windows Config utility (config utility runs great in Wine)
• Handles high heat better than most home oriented gear (rated to 65C!)

So many configuration options it makes dd-wrt, open-wrt, or tomato look like children's toys. I know OpenWRT/DD-WRT/etc are running Linux underneath and have many options for changing the system, but the MikroTik gear provides an easy way to access all these options. MikroTik is not open source, but the others are (DD-WRT is partly open source).

As noted by others, the problem is getting one. I have standing orders for them and they have been back ordered for a couple of months.

If you are in a hurry also check out Ubiquiti. I just picked up some of their gear and it seems very solid. I have not yet had a chance to stress it the way I have the Mikrotik stuff, but it seems to be in stock everywhere.

the_crowbar

Blu-ray discs can be MPEG2, VC1, or H.264 encoding. No recent releases I have seen have used MPEG2 for the main movie though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc#Codecs

Cheers,
the_crowbar

I don't think the Hauppauge 1212 (the HD-PVR) is a comparable product. The 1212 takes in a single analog video up to component 1080i and produces a x264 stream from it. This card has multiple inputs (4,8, or 16) that are D1 (720x480) max. Utilizing 16 inputs it does not support 30 frames/sec that NTSC video uses (7.5 fps max @ 16 inputs). This is aimed at the digital security market. The 1212 is aimed at the HTPC market.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

I actually have one of their cards and I must say it works quite well. For full D1(720x480) you only get 7.5 frames/sec from 16 cameras, but for security that is plenty. I think the 4 port cards may be able to do 30 fps per camera. Version 1 of their software is a bit kludgy. It works, but needs help. Version 2, supposed to be a complete rewrite, is due out next month. If you are interested in good quality security hardware take a look at their stuff. bluecherrydvr.com I don't work for them, just am a happy customer.

Cheers,

the_crowbar

Obvious was my first thought as well. How long have cameras had a "preview"? Let's see, the very first camera I can remember was a Polaroid with the instant pictures. That camera had a view finder that showed you what to expect to see in the final picture. Every film camera I have every used had a "preview." Why was this patent granted? Just because it is a digital camera does that negate the decades of prior art in film cameras?

Cheers,
the_crowbar

I just installed the beta from google.com and it installed an entry in /etc/crond.daily. The comments say it only reactivates the repository after dist-upgrades disable it. I.E. intrepid->jaunty From a quick read of the script that is what it does.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

Windows 7 also starts out slow but as you use your computer it gets noticeably faster, much the same way as Vista and is honestly why Vista generated so much negative PR.

I really wish this were the case. Windows 7 has not increased in speed on her machine. I know Windows has some sort of disk access optimization, but with only 1GB of RAM (minus whatever is used by onboard video) it is simply constrained. Maybe the home versions are a little better with memory use. I plan on putting another 2GB in her computer as soon as I get a chance.

I am running 32 bit Windows 7 because I got it for free. If I had to pay for it the machine would continue to run Windows XP. Windows 7 for basic home use is no better than XP.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

No. He maintains a repository at avenard.org with Ubuntu packages. Just visit his site and follow the instructions. He may also have a PPA, but I do not know.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

Despite that, I wager Windows 7 on your 1 GB machine would run as well as XP.

If I was the original poster I would take that wager.

On my wife's computer Windows 7 does not run as well as Windows XP in 1GB of RAM. Her system is a little old. AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (2.4GHz I think) with onboard GeForce 6150 and 1GB of RAM. It had Windows XP Professional on it and it ran ok. Her computer does not run as well as my laptop with 2GB and a Core 2 Duo, but ok. She uses Firefox and can have 20-40 tabs open at once. I installed Windows 7 Business on it and while the basic OS runs ok, things slow down considerably as soon as any apps are open. Windows 7 Business is not as efficient as Windows XP Professional on her machine. Both versions of Windows are 32 bit.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

You could also try using the packages from www.avenard.org Jean-Yves is very active in the MythTV realm and has been packaging up mplayer with vdpau support for quite some time.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

I have had a BB Storm for a few months I like a few features and loathe a few others.

Likes:
- Easy web page viewing most anywhere
- BB Messenger is good and beats SMS/MMS anyday (plus its cost is included in my plan unlike SMS)

Hates:
- Speed of the device (it feels slower now than when I first got the device and can take a few seconds now to come from locked screen to usable mode)
- Battery life ( I don't know how any of the Androids stack up here)

I have briefly used a G1 and I thought it was a nice device. The touchscreen keyboard on the Storm is ok, but when typing quickly it lags several keys behind. I did not experience that on the G1, plus with a physical keyboard you can type without looking at the phone.

Cheers,
the_crowbar

In my state (South Carolina, haven't we been in the news a lot lately) a legally licensed driver can pay a fee ($550/year) to drive as an uninsured motorist. Driving without insurance is not illegal here. Of course most people who drive without insurance have not paid the fee and are illegal.

http://www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/default.aspx?n=titleandreg#RegisteringasanUninsuredMotorist

Cheers,
the_crowbar

Low power FM transmitters are very common in the US. Many people use them to connect their MP3 player to their car's radio system. I'm guessing that is what this one is for. With 32GB (or 48GB) of storage you could use this instead of an iPod or other MP3 player.

Cheers,
the_crowbar