The
Personal Media Hub
Project

The situation:
Two dead computers, one summer and too much time to spare. So why not bring one of them back to useful life through rebuilding and Linux..?

The objective:
Build a Personal Media Hub (for playback of digital video, music, DVDs) hooked up to a 28” widescreen TV and a set of speakers (interchangeable between PC and TV). Idea is to be able to switch between Freeview digital TV and Personal Media Hub with a flick of the AV button.

The dead computers' specs:

1: Advent: Died from inadequate 230W PSU- unable to power GeForce FX series card
3.06GHz Pentium 4 w/Hyperthreading
512Mb RAM
60GB Maxtor HD
DVD, CD-R/W, 3.5” drives
56k Modem
Onboard Intel Extreme graphics- gfx cards were removed
Realtek AC97 onboard sound

2: Viglen: Died upon booting Windows 98
233MHz Pentium
32Mb RAM
1GB HD
CD, 3.5” drives
10Mb Ethernet Card
Cirrus Logic 2Mb graphics
No sound

Spare parts:

GeForce 4 MX440SE 128Mb – formerly in the Advent - currently gathering dust
GeForce FX5700LE 128Mb - formerly in the Advent - currently gathering dust

1024x768x24 15” TFT monitor for temporary use whilst setting up – formerly the Advent's main monitor - currently in use on younger brother's '98 HP Pavilion

Stereo Advent speakers – formerly the Advent's main speakers - currently in use as my TV speakers

Packard Bell USB Optical Mouse – formerly the Advent's main mouse – currently my in use as my gaming laptop's mouse
Hewlett Packard PS/2 Keyboard – formerly the HP Pavilion's main keyboard – currently gathering dust

“This is how we do...” ...a computer rebuild:

Step One: Remove 60GB HD from Advent and replace with formatted 1GB HD from Viglen.
Status: Failed. Viglen HD was too large to remove and it wouldn't have fitted in the Advent case. Advent HD seems to be beyond repair.
Solution: Run without HD- OS can use Live-CD boot and writeable DVD can be used as data/music storage.

Step Two: Install the MX440SE in Advent case and remove other unnecessary parts.
Status: Complete. MX440SE installed in AGP slot. Modem and HD removed, 3.5” drive disconnected to reduce strain on PSU and “leccy” bills.

Step Three: Hook up to 15” monitor, connect peripherals and boot up Puppy Linux 1.0.3 Live-CD.
Status: Complete. The once-dead PC is now booting the Linux OS.

Step Four: Connect the now-Linux box via TV-Composite-Out to 28” widescreen TV. Connect stereo Advent speakers.
Status: Complete. The display appears on the TV and the sound works.

Step Five: Transfer music collection to DVD and mount. Test out DVD playback.
Status: Complete. Music disc mounts successfully. DVDs play successfully. (Slight distro issue: Gxine crashes in fullscreen so DVDs must be played in Maximised mode)

Finishing the job: Disconnect and unplug the TFT, unplug Alba DVD player to make permanent room for the keyboard and TV-Out's input then tidy the wires.
Status: Complete. I now have a 28” wide TV hooked up to a Linux 'PMH', two decent speakers and a Freeview digital box.

The Linux 'PMH' gives me my DVDs, music and other digital media and the Freeview box gives me my 'telly'. To switch between the two, all I need to do is hit the 'AV' button and plug the speakers into the necessary appliance.

:D Success!

The Linux Personal Media Hub Specs:

PROCESSOR: P4 3.06GHz HT
RAM: 512 Mb DDR
GRAPHICS: GeForce MX440SE 128Mb with Composite TV-Out
OS: Puppy Linux 1.0.3 Live-CD
SOUND: Stereo Advent speakers on Realtek AC97
CASE: Advent shiny-blue and white case. Hoping to mod it in future.
SCREEN: 800x600x24 on BEKO 28" Widescreen CRT TV through TV-Out.

It has no HD. My entire music collection is now on DVD for easy playback on the PMH. Other media can also be added to the disc as only 1.6Gb is being used, so I'm treating it as a portable HD. Scratching should be mimimal as it will be kept in the drive most of the time.

Total time: 5 hours over 2 days. The hardest part wasn't the engineering or software part, it was the tidying-up-the-bloody-wires-afterwards part. :P

I'd heartily recommend a project like this to anyone who has spare PC parts or dead PCs and the necessary time!