UPDATE (2016/03/21): A lot of the links and instructions in this post are no longer valid/working. I recommend using a newer version of Linux (CentOS or Ubuntu), and the latest drivers from the TBS website (http://www.tbsdtv.com/download/) This is my first post in a number of posts I will be making detailing how I’ve got the (Almost!) perfect TV Server… Read more →
Category: Technology
Installing ATI Radeon HD 6450 Drivers on Ubuntu 10.04 64-bit
UPDATE: If you try upgrading after this tutorial, it will cause the drivers to fail. This seems to be an issue with 64bit operating systems, and the ATI drivers. If you want a quick setup, use Ubuntu 12.04 32bit. If you really want 64bit, Install 10.04 64bit, then install using the CD’s until you reach the latest. If you hit… Read more →
HP ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServer
Since my Iomega Home Media Network Drive gave up the ghost last week, I’ve been in search for a new solution to store the mass of photos, music and digital film collection. I came across HP’s ‘ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServer’ on offer for £239.99 inc. VAT with £100 cashback from HP and a further chunk of cashback from eBuyer… Read more →

R.I.P Network Storage Drive
Over the bank holiday weekend, my Iomega Home Media Network Drive decided to die in a spectacular fashion. A few weeks ago, I applied a security patch to the device which was meant to fix a few existing issues and increase performance of the device. It seems this might have ‘pushed’ it over the edge. I originally bought the device back in… Read more →

Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180 Nettop
So I couple of weeks ago I told you all that I’d ordered something new for the living room. My new toy is in fact a Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180 Nettop. The main reason for this purchase will be apparent to regular readers of my blog. For those who have just popped in to see what the fuss is about, have… Read more →
[TEASER] Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180 Nettop
For a while now I’ve been looking for a decent client that I can plug into the back of TV’s around the house to stream media and LiveTV without forking out a tonne of cash. I’ve looked at the Raspberry Pi, Apple TV 2 and 3, Boxee Box, Acer Revo and many many more small computing clients that claim to have this functionality.… Read more →

Raspberry Pi – Ordered!
So, I was up nice and early on Wednesday to order my Pi, like thousands of others. It didn’t start off too smoothly though, with a 6am start. Surprisingly so many people were up early to order their Pi, that they had managed to take out both the RS Components website, and all of the Farnell Group websites with the sheer amount of… Read more →
Installing Windows Update 1 of 25…
This post might turn out to me more of a rant than anything else, but for some reason this always seems to happen to me. Now the Windows ‘Family’ of operating systems, (Win7, Win Server 2008, Win Vista…) account for 80% for all of the installed operating systems today. It’s apparently the most easy to use, has the nicest interfaces,… Read more →

Top Five Apps On My iPhone
So a friend asked me the other day for suggestions on what apps to download from the Apple App Store. I had to take a serious think, because I’ve got so many apps on my phone, I couldn’t possibly think of which ones were best. This post is going to most likely be a list of the most used Apps on my… Read more →

Ripping DVDs to play in XBMC
DISCLAIMER: The following tutorial is for educational purposes only, and should only be used to rip DVD’s that you own the rights to reproduce. Some countries allow media to be ripped for ‘backup purposes’. You should check all local laws to avoid infringing the rights of copyright owners. I take no responsibility for any legal action against anyone caught infringing any laws.… Read more →