LinuxMCE (Linux Media Center Edition) is a free and open source software platform designed to allow a computer to act as a home theater PC (HTPC), personal video recorder, and home automation system. It allows control of everything in the home, from lighting and climate to surveillance cameras and home security. It even includes a full-featured VOIP-compatible phone system with video conferencing.
Levels of implementation
LinuxMCE can be used as a standalone home theater PC (without any other home network connectivity) if desired.
It can also be used as a complete home LAN system in a Server/Thin client configuration, in which a central Core server (a standard PC running Kubuntu) does most of the storage and processing functions, while peripheral PCs (and other devices) provide input and output services. Thin client PCs can netboot over the LAN to serve as "Media Directors", which stream media content from the Core to audiovisual devices which are connected to these thin clients.
This home automation/multimedia LAN can be expanded to include home automation systems, surveillance cameras, high-tech remote controllers (called "Orbiters"), and telephone PBX systems. The Core server co-ordinates the functions of all the devices on the home LAN. The advanced networking capabilities of the Linux OS uniquely allows this high level of network co-ordination.
History
LinuxMCE was begun by Paul Webber as a fork of the PlutoHome home automation software project. It was adapted to run on top of a standard Linux distribution, Kubuntu, as its base OS, rather than to exist as a custom Linux distribution.
Most of the core components, including the Orbiter (remote control) user interface, have undergone significant improvements, and are licensed under the GPL.
Software components
The LinuxMCE package is installed on the Kubuntu OS, and utilizes open source applications such as Asterisk, Xine, MythTV, VDR, Firefox, VideoLAN and SlimServer. There are 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
These programs have been given wrappers which allow them to communicate with each other, and with Ruby scripts that control the home automation components. This communication is co-ordinated using a DCE (Data, Commands, Events) protocol (through a program called the DCE Router). This added communications layer allows trigger-command features such as pausing media playback when an important phone call arrives, dimming the lights when playing a movie, and allowing media playback to follow from computer to computer whenever a Bluetooth enabled remote is carried between rooms.
The DCE communications protocol allows a single program to present a standardized user interface, the Orbiter UI, to the various devices and applications used within the LinuxMCE system.
An example of a commercially available device that has been used as an Orbiter remote control is a gyroscopic remote control that provides an intuitive 10-foot user interface.
Currently LinuxMCE does not use the sqlCVS database revision control system for automatic updates, as was employed by its predecessor, PlutoHome. SVN is used instead, or manual updates from the repositories are required. Some end users have found it hard to add newer IR, USB, and serial port-controlled devices to older versions of LinuxMCE without updating. An active development community for LinuxMCE has provided continuous developments in 2008, which has allowed the addition of a wide range of devices to the current LinuxMCE versions.
User interface
LinuxMCE user interface
LinuxMCE allows the User Interface to be displayed in several different resolutions, to accommodate the graphics capabilities of the different devices (PCs, mobile phones, webpads, PDAs) that can be used to display it.
Context-sensitive menus allow a single remote control to control not only LinuxMCE menus, but also audiovisual device functions.
The appearance of the user interface is similar in many respects to the Nintendo Wii system.
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