In wall PC?

[werb]

Anyone see a senario where this could be used with BTV and BM? I don't know alot about how thin clients work.

http://www.chippc.com/products/thinc...ckpc/index.asp

[optikhog]

Well, it might lend itself to the 'Media Center Extender' discussion which has been going on in that it runs Windows CE. BTV/Link would have to be ported to that OS.

Interesting concept, tho. Thanks for the link!

[werb]

I was going to add it to that thread but it's not really an extender, or is it? anyone with thin client experience out there? I have lots of questions ........

[optikhog]

Well, it's certainly a device which could be made into an extender of some kind, but it looks like it is ultimately just an OEM Windows CE device out-of-the-box. It would be an example of something Snapstream could utilize in offering such an extender. My biggest conern for this type of device would be the weak video system, but I'm no expert in how a device such as this might function or otherwise be optimized.

Based on the specs, this looks to me like it is pretty much just a PocketPC crammed into a pretty wall-based container with the screen removed and replaced by a video-out jack.

[werb]

There is no OS on these devices so your analogy of the Pocket PC isn't exactly right. I just talked to a geekier friend. He said thin clients only work through terminal services, so has anyone been successful in running BTV through TS? Anyone tried it before?

[queonda]

I heard of this concept about a year or 2 ago. Don't remember where. But they were trying to advertise in the work place as a full working pc but only the desk clutter of mouse, keyboard, speakers, and monitor. You wouldn't have a bulky tower on or under your desk and it couldn't get stolen (which may have company sensitive data on it). The server could be in a locked closet and if the computer breaks (on the server), you would just replace a blade and it will rebuild itself.

Don't remember the company but sounds like the same concept but don't know what is needed for the server side. Can I just use a regular PC as a server?

** <http://www.chippc.com/products/software/xcalibur.asp?show=download>

Looks like only need to download software for the server side. It's free and server has to be at least Win2k or above. Doesn't give any other specs.

[mrgrocery]

The video and total memory would be an absolute problem with this one inparticular. It is definately a good idea though as I don't think this was designed for this application and theoretically one could be design for BTV/BM.

[queonda]

It's made especially for the work place, as I tried to discribe. It uses WindowCE terminal with flash memory. Uses Power over Ethernet (don't know exactly how this works but you need to feed power through the ethernet).

Prices cost around 300-500. It does have USB devices, so maybe you can connect your RF remote to it. I was talking to a guy at the company and he is going to check the licencing on how many clients you can have working off of windows xp.

The other problem is that it don't have other out connections (s-video, component, rca). + 300-500 is alot.

And what about sound? Can maybe a the out can be converted into rca with a convertor plug?

[MickP]

BTV or link is not likely to work via a terminal server client. You can verify this by terminal serving to a box running link or btv and trying to run the apps.

I think Optikhog is correct in suggesting that link would need to be ported to run natively on the hardware/CE. So far as I am aware, this is what Microsoft are doing on their existing extenders. That said, a CE version would probably run fine on the existing extenders too.

IMHO the most likely way to be able to support a link client without a huge investment and long lead time from SS is for someone to source some nice affordable I386 hardware and build an XP embedded system that runs just link (and perhaps bm). Any entrepreneurs out there willing to give it a go?

Mick.