View source for Automatic Hardware Compatbility Check

== Introduction ==
This page is for discussion about how, when, where and why to implement a solution for automatically checking end-users hardware compatibility with LinuxMCE.
Currently, this page is a bit messy, and more of a brainstorm than a roadmap. Feel free to add comments and ideas, as well as clean up the page if you can format the proposed idea better.

The main point is to make it as automated as possible, but user should also be able to query the db for hw that is not plugged in to the system yet.

Because it is hw compatibility we want to check, it makes sense that it will be at the very beginning of the LMCE install.

== User consent ==
First thing first: It is extremely important to ask the end-user, and get the users consent for this. It should be pointed out very clearly to the user in the prompt, that no personal info is collected, info that is collected will not be directly traceable to the user, connection is done via a secure method, and that it will help improve the users experience with using LinuxMCE, as well as improve LMCE in the future.
If the user does not agree to this, the install will continue without connecting to the hwcdb.

== What info will / should be collected - and why is this info important ==
* Graphics card - check drivers, do the user insist on using open drivers, what are max resolution, does it support VDPAU, can it play 720p, 1080i, 1080p, does it support HDCP, does it support User Interfaces that has Alpha blending.
* NIC - give user a warning if there is only one NIC present on the system for systems the Core / Hybrid are going to be installed on, does the NIC PXE-boot (users can manually submit NIC info for potential MD's), what speed does the NIC support (tell user that Gigabit is needed for HD streaming to MD's)
* HDD / SSD - warn user if drive does not have enough space to install LinuxMCE.
* Optical drive - check if the drive is region-locked, and wether or not an unlocker is available.
* yadayadayada (to be continued...)

== How should the user get conencted to the online hwcdb ==
Connection should be done via a secure / encrypted protocol.

== See also ==
http://www.ubuntuhcl.org/