Hmm..you can turn your old metal box into a Jukebox using GeeXBoX.
If you find yourself staring pitifully at a pile of metal, manufactured somewhere around (or even later) the dawn of the new millennium, then read on. The yellow computer case and the grandfather monitor that have been envying your relatively newer possessions can be used for more than simple museum decoration – you can make it your very own jukebox, and with no additional expenses at that.
Isn’t Winamp good enough?
Yes and No. Any jukebox software that runs over an external operating system uses its various services. The responsibility of detecting and identifying the hardware lies solely with the OS and not the jukebox software. Thus compatibility of such software across various PC configurations is never an issue. However, the overhead of running the mammoth <insert your favourite OS’s name here> is simply not desirable. The situation worsens when the available hardware is so ancient that finding backward compatible software, let alone using the latest codec, becomes a painstaking exercise.
GeeX World
GeeXboX, the stand-alone multimedia operating system, comes to the rescue. The mini jukebox can boot from a live CD or be installed to your hard disk. The space required for the install and the characteristic speeds of execution are first to take your breath away. At under 7 MB, the lightweight Linux based distributions ideal for small hard drives so that more space is available for music.
Since it uses the popular Linux based ALSA packages and the versatile Mplayer itself, files sporting diverse formats are easily handled. If your CDROM/RW has stood the tests of time, then you can enjoy audio and video CDs too. Again for newer hardware, there is some great news – the DVD playback part of GeeXboX comes equipped with a DVD menu unlike most other peers.
In most cases, TV Tuner cards are auto detected, though some hacking may be required to get Indian channels. What comes as a surprise is the corresponding remote controlled menu. It eliminates the need of a keyboard. For instance, you can use the remote supplied with the TV tuner card to navigate through GeeXboX’s menu unlike any other software available.
It is also possible to play back network streams from SHOUTcast. WebRadios, WebTVs or even RTP/RTSP streaming allowing you to watch any kind of network or broadcast stream from your own GeeXboX hub.
Get Going!
Setting up the system is not a difficult task at all. The following sections discuss the essentials.
Reload The Ammo
Officially, GeeXboX requires at least an x86 Pentium-Class CPU or above (P2-400 MHz should be quite enough) or Macintosh NewWorld G3 (G4 highly recommended). However, we found that it sustains fine even on a 300 MHz Zenith PC. The DivX video format is known to cause some genuine hiccups on the oldies though. 64 MB of RAM is generally recommended.
Fire!
Follow these steps to kick-start a fully functional system in almost no time.
Running off a live CD
Download the GeeXboX ISO image file from
www.geexbox.org (Listed under downloads section). Next, burn the image, preferably to a Re-Writable CD, as you might want to add/remove features later. This can be done using your favorite CD toaster.
Reboot the computer and enter the BIOS setup (Generally, press [Delete], [F8] etc. key after you restart). Change the boot order priority to boot from CDROM/RW drive making it the first.
GeeXboX will automatically detect most hardware and auto-mount your partitions.
If everything works out fine, you should see a progress bar followed by a graphics boot screen. This will bring you to a menu that displays various options. (If it leaves you at a # prompt then something has failed; more on that later).
Don’t get alarmed when the CD drive’s tray pops out after booting. This drive is now free and can be used for playing your own media.
The keyboard can be used for navigation. The right arrow key is for moving forward and the left for back. Hitting [Esc] first and then pressing the down arrow key brings one back to the main menu. It is highly recommended that you exercise the Help option or keep a printout of the control key diagram as exhibited on the website under the Keys & Controls section.
If you choose ‘Open file’ from the main menu, the media devices and partitions are listed. Navigate to the directory where your goodies are stored and hit the right arrow key to start playing.
Hack it!
The vanilla ISO image you just ran may not showcase the best features of the system. It may not even run natively without a few hacks on some systems. The following guidelines will demonstrate how you can customize GeeXboX to suit your needs or to recover from a futile attempt at running it.
Get the GeeXboX ISO GENERATOR (not the earlier ISO) from the Web site. Uncompress the generator, which is in .tar.gz format. Linux users will soon discover the shell script they need to run while Windows people can cherish the blah.exe. The generator is designed for Macs too.
From the Remote Control Menu, choose your remote control manufacturer’s trade name. Many are supported, like the ones from ATI, Pinnacle, Creative, RealMagic, StreamZap, MS Media Center USB remote, to name a few. Once again, the best thing to do is to refer to the website for help figuring out the control keys.
After making the changes, click the Compile button. You may exit the generator after the status shows ‘Done’.
Notice that a new ISO image file is generated in the directory of the generator. This can now be written directly to the CDROM/RW like before.
Reboot the system and follow the usual steps. Now you can control the system with nothing more than your simple TV tuner remote control, sitting yards away from the jukebox!
Post Makeover
Your old box has been transformed into a fully functional jukebox. It outshines most of the other music playing software. What can you do to enhance the experience? You can start off by making your own themes. The GeeXboX forum branches into a step-by-step tutorial for the same. The list of features is virtually endless. But one thing is for sure, GeeXboX can surely bring that old smile back to your PC.
Source : Digit, October 2006.
