Difference between revisions of "QuickStart Guide"

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{{merge|Getting Started}}
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[[Category: Documentation]]
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{| align="right"
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  | __TOC__
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'''This Quick Start Guide assumes you have already completed the installation.  '''
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==Basics==
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If you haven't already installed LinuxMCE, start with the [[Installation_Guide|Detailed step-by-step instructions for installing LinuxMCE]].  Also, it's strongly recommended you read the short [[Architecture_Intro|Architecture Intro]] to understand in general terms how the pieces of LinuxMCE work together, and also the [[Usage_Intro|Usage Intro]] which is just a quick overview on how to use LinuxMCE.  For a more detailed look at LinuxMCE you can also visit the [[User Manual]], which is loaded with links to various How-To's.
  
If you haven't already installed LinuxMCE, start with the [[Installation_Guide|Detailed step-by-step instructions for installing LinuxMCE]].  Also, it's strongly recommended you read the short [[Architecture_Intro|Architecture Intro]] to understand in general terms how the pieces of LinuxMCE work together, and also the [[Usage_Intro|Usage Intro]] which is just a quick overview on how to use LinuxMCE.  This Quick Start guide explains how to use the AV Wizard to set your screen resolution and audio settings, and the Setup Wizard to tell LinuxMCE about your family members, the rooms in your home, and some of the basic devices you want to control.  Both the AV Wizard and Setup Wizard together take only about 15 minutes to complete.
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This Quick Start guide explains how to use the AV Wizard to set your screen resolution and audio settings, and how to use the Setup Wizard to tell LinuxMCE about your family members, the rooms in your home, and the basic devices you want to control.  Both the AV Wizard and Setup Wizard together take only about 15 minutes to complete.
  
'''IMPORTANT:''' If you intend to watch commercial DVD's in Linux MCE, pay attention to [[Restricted_Software_Installation_Guide]] mentioned in those installation instructions.
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If, during the installation of LinuxMCE you did not specify that LinuxMCE should start by default, you can start it from the Kubuntu system menu--> Application--> Sound & Video--> Start LinuxMCE Center, or from the desktop icon that was placed on your Kubuntu desktop.
  
This Quick Start Guide assumes you already completed the installation. If, during the installation of LinuxMCE you did not specify that LinuxMCE should be started by default, you can start it now from the Ubuntu system menu > Application > Sound & Video > Start 'Linux MCE Center'
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==First Time Running LinuxMCE==
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===Verifying Installation===
 +
The first time you do a start-up it will take somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes so your installation can be verified. After that, startup takes about 30-60 seconds, during which time some software/services such as mysql server are started; no other interaction is needed.
  
The first time you do a start-up it will take somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes so it can verify everything in your installation; after that it takes about 30-60 seconds. In this time some software/services will be started (like: mysql server, etc.), you just have to wait, no other interaction is needed.  The first time you start LinuxMCE it will run the AVWizard automatically. This is where you pick the video and audio settings LinuxMCE will use. Note this has no effect on Kubuntu's desktop.
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===A/V Wizard===
 +
The first time LinuxMCE is run, the [[AVWizard]] starts automatically. The video and audio settings that LinuxMCE can now be chosen. (Note: these settings have no effect on the Kubuntu desktop -- they are for LinuxMCE only.)
  
Detailed Instructions for the A/V Wizard are [[AVWizard running steps| HERE]]
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By default LinuxMCE initially uses VGA at a low resolution for the A/V Wizard. If you are connecting to a display that uses anything other than VGA, see the directions below. If for any reason the A/V Wizard fails to start, or if you only see a black screen, see the troubleshooting directions below, as well.
  
The AVWizard will guide you though audio/video settings for your hardware.  You will be presented with 3 choices for the user interface.  UI1, UI2 with masking, and UI2 with alpha blending.  UI2 with alpha blending is generally considered the best, but it requires your video card support X's composite extensions.  At this time, only nVidia 6xxx or greater can do this.  This is the recommended platform for LinuxMCE.  UI2 with masking has the same 3D OpenGL effects, but is less demanding on the hardware, and will run on most video cards that have decent OpenGL and XDamage support.  UI1 is the simplest because it has no 3d effects, and never puts any graphics on top of the video.  UI1 should run on nearly all Linux-compatible video cards.  See [[Screenshots]] to see the difference between the 3 UI options.
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Detailed instructions for the A/V Wizard and Troubleshooting A/V Wizard are [[AVWizard| here]].
  
'''IMPORTANT:''' Regarding Step 4 in the AV Wizard, if your TV doesn't overscan, meaning crop off the edges, you will see all 4 yellow arrows completely on step 4If your TV does overscan, be sure to hit the - key to reduce the image until all 4 arrows are fully visibleUse the arrow keys to shift the imageThe goal is that all 4 arrows are centered and as close to the edges of your screen as possible, but without being cropped offThis is where LinuxMCE will display the user interfaceYour movies and media themselves are always full-screen and are not effected by this.
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====Explaining User Interface Options====
 +
The [[AVWizard]] will guide you through the audio/video settings for your hardware.  You will be presented with 3 choices for the user interface: UI1, UI2 with masking, and UI2 with alpha blendingUI2 with alpha blending is generally considered the best, but it requires that your video card support X's composite extensions.  At this time, only nVidia 6xxx or greater can do thisThis is the recommended platform for LinuxMCEUI2 with masking has the same 3D OpenGL effects, but is less demanding on the hardware and will run on most video cards that have decent OpenGL and XDamage supportUI1 is the simplest because it has no 3d effects and never puts any graphics on top of the videoUI1 should run on nearly all Linux-compatible video cards.  See [[Screenshots]] to see the differences between the 3 UI options.
  
These are the steps in AV Wizard:
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====Explaining TV Overscan====
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In Step 4 of the [[AVWizard]], provided your TV doesn't overscan (meaning it doesn't crop off the edges), you should see all 4 yellow arrows completely.  If your TV does overscan, be sure to hit the - key to reduce the image until all 4 arrows are fully visible.  Use the arrow keys to shift the image.  The goal should be to center all 4 arrows as close to the edges of your screen as possible, without being cropped off.  This is the area where LinuxMCE will display the user interface. (Your movies and media themselves are always full-screen and are not effected by this.)
 +
 
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====AVWizard Steps====
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These are the steps in AVWizard:
 
<table>
 
<table>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
Line 36: Line 50:
 
</table>
 
</table>
  
The final step asks for a confirmation of these steps, if you press 'I Agree' the installation continues and you'll get the Media Center started.
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The final step asks for a confirmation of these steps. If you press 'I agree' the installation will continue and the Media Center will be started.
  
'''IMPORTANT:'''  At this time you don't have any rooms or users (ie family members) added to LinuxMCE.  Because LinuxMCE is a whole house solution and manages all your family member's content, before you can use LinuxMCE you must, at a minimum, provide a list of the Rooms and Users in your home, and specify which Room this system is in. If you want to dive right in, you can skip the other setup steps for now, but you cannot use LinuxMCE at all until you specify the Rooms and Users.
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===House Setup Wizard===
 +
There is an interactive setup wizard built-into the GUI.  It doesn't allow a lot of customization, but it's a very fast and easy way to get up and running in about 5 minutes, using all the default features of LinuxMCE. 
 +
====Adding Rooms and Users====
 +
'''IMPORTANT:'''  At this time you don't have any rooms or users (i.e. family members) added to LinuxMCE.  Because LinuxMCE is a whole house solution and manages all your family members' content, you must, at a minimum, provide a list of the Rooms and Users in your home, specifying which Room this system is in. This must be done before you can use LinuxMCE.  
  
To do this, you can login to the [[LinuxMCE website admin]] panel from your LinuxMCE system, or any other PC in the house, as explained on the LinuxMCE startup screen.  A walk-through of the [[LinuxMCE website admin]] is available, but if you want to just get going asap, choose Wizard > Basic Info > Rooms and also Wizard > Basic Info > Users to specify the Rooms and Users, and Wizard > Devices > Media Directors to specify which room this system is in.
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====House Setup Wizard Steps====
 
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For a more detailed description [[House Setup Wizard | Click Here]]
If you prefer not to use the web admin site, there is also an interactive setup wizard built-into the GUI.  It doesn't let you do a lot of customizing, but, it's a very fast and easy way to get up and running in about 5 minutes using all the default options for all the features of LinuxMCE.  To start the setup wizard, choose Misc > Advanced Options from the GUI and then 'Setup wizard'.
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Here are some screen shots from the setup wizard:
 
Here are some screen shots from the setup wizard:
Line 61: Line 77:
 
</table>
 
</table>
  
After Video Wizard is ended and the house is entirely setup, press 'start using the system'. This action will also regenerate the interface with the new changes you've made.
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After the Video Wizard is ended and the house is entirely setup, press 'start using the system'. This action will regenerate the interface with the new changes you've made.
 +
 
 +
====Starting House Setup Wizard Later====
 +
 
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To start the setup wizard, choose Misc --> Advanced Options from the GUI and then 'Setup Wizard'.
 +
 
 +
==Other Setup Options==
 +
If you want to dive right in, you can skip the other setup steps for now, but you cannot use LinuxMCE until you specify the Rooms and Users.
 +
===Using LinuxMCE Admin Website===
 +
To do this, login to the [[LinuxMCE Admin Website]] panel from your LinuxMCE system (or any other PC in the house) as explained on the LinuxMCE startup screen.  A walk-through of the [[LinuxMCE Admin Website]] is available, but if you want to just get going ASAP, choose '''Wizard --> Basic Info --> [[Rooms]]''' and '''Wizard --> Basic Info --> [[Users]]''' to specify the Rooms and Users. Choose '''Wizard --> Devices --> [[Media Directors]]''' to specify which room this system is in.
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==Commercial DVDs==
 +
'''IMPORTANT:''' If you intend to watch commercial DVDs in LinuxMCE, read the [[Restricted Software Installation Guide]].

Latest revision as of 18:50, 24 August 2009

This Quick Start Guide assumes you have already completed the installation.

Basics

If you haven't already installed LinuxMCE, start with the Detailed step-by-step instructions for installing LinuxMCE. Also, it's strongly recommended you read the short Architecture Intro to understand in general terms how the pieces of LinuxMCE work together, and also the Usage Intro which is just a quick overview on how to use LinuxMCE. For a more detailed look at LinuxMCE you can also visit the User Manual, which is loaded with links to various How-To's.

This Quick Start guide explains how to use the AV Wizard to set your screen resolution and audio settings, and how to use the Setup Wizard to tell LinuxMCE about your family members, the rooms in your home, and the basic devices you want to control. Both the AV Wizard and Setup Wizard together take only about 15 minutes to complete.

If, during the installation of LinuxMCE you did not specify that LinuxMCE should start by default, you can start it from the Kubuntu system menu--> Application--> Sound & Video--> Start LinuxMCE Center, or from the desktop icon that was placed on your Kubuntu desktop.

First Time Running LinuxMCE

Verifying Installation

The first time you do a start-up it will take somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes so your installation can be verified. After that, startup takes about 30-60 seconds, during which time some software/services such as mysql server are started; no other interaction is needed.

A/V Wizard

The first time LinuxMCE is run, the AVWizard starts automatically. The video and audio settings that LinuxMCE can now be chosen. (Note: these settings have no effect on the Kubuntu desktop -- they are for LinuxMCE only.)

By default LinuxMCE initially uses VGA at a low resolution for the A/V Wizard. If you are connecting to a display that uses anything other than VGA, see the directions below. If for any reason the A/V Wizard fails to start, or if you only see a black screen, see the troubleshooting directions below, as well.

Detailed instructions for the A/V Wizard and Troubleshooting A/V Wizard are here.

Explaining User Interface Options

The AVWizard will guide you through the audio/video settings for your hardware. You will be presented with 3 choices for the user interface: UI1, UI2 with masking, and UI2 with alpha blending. UI2 with alpha blending is generally considered the best, but it requires that your video card support X's composite extensions. At this time, only nVidia 6xxx or greater can do this. This is the recommended platform for LinuxMCE. UI2 with masking has the same 3D OpenGL effects, but is less demanding on the hardware and will run on most video cards that have decent OpenGL and XDamage support. UI1 is the simplest because it has no 3d effects and never puts any graphics on top of the video. UI1 should run on nearly all Linux-compatible video cards. See Screenshots to see the differences between the 3 UI options.

Explaining TV Overscan

In Step 4 of the AVWizard, provided your TV doesn't overscan (meaning it doesn't crop off the edges), you should see all 4 yellow arrows completely. If your TV does overscan, be sure to hit the - key to reduce the image until all 4 arrows are fully visible. Use the arrow keys to shift the image. The goal should be to center all 4 arrows as close to the edges of your screen as possible, without being cropped off. This is the area where LinuxMCE will display the user interface. (Your movies and media themselves are always full-screen and are not effected by this.)

AVWizard Steps

These are the steps in AVWizard:

AVWizardStep1.jpg AVWizardStep11.jpg AVWizardStep2.jpg AVWizardStep21.jpg
AVWizardStep3.jpg AVWizardStep4.jpg AVWizardStep5.jpg AVWizardStep6.jpg
AVWizardStep7.jpg AVWizardStep8.jpg AVWizardStep9.jpg

The final step asks for a confirmation of these steps. If you press 'I agree' the installation will continue and the Media Center will be started.

House Setup Wizard

There is an interactive setup wizard built-into the GUI. It doesn't allow a lot of customization, but it's a very fast and easy way to get up and running in about 5 minutes, using all the default features of LinuxMCE.

Adding Rooms and Users

IMPORTANT: At this time you don't have any rooms or users (i.e. family members) added to LinuxMCE. Because LinuxMCE is a whole house solution and manages all your family members' content, you must, at a minimum, provide a list of the Rooms and Users in your home, specifying which Room this system is in. This must be done before you can use LinuxMCE.

House Setup Wizard Steps

For a more detailed description Click Here

Here are some screen shots from the setup wizard:

VideoWizard.jpg Which Wizard.jpg UsersWizard.jpg RoomsWizard.jpg
CountryWizard.jpg This Room.jpg TV Manufacturer.jpg AV Devices.jpg

After the Video Wizard is ended and the house is entirely setup, press 'start using the system'. This action will regenerate the interface with the new changes you've made.

Starting House Setup Wizard Later

To start the setup wizard, choose Misc --> Advanced Options from the GUI and then 'Setup Wizard'.

Other Setup Options

If you want to dive right in, you can skip the other setup steps for now, but you cannot use LinuxMCE until you specify the Rooms and Users.

Using LinuxMCE Admin Website

To do this, login to the LinuxMCE Admin Website panel from your LinuxMCE system (or any other PC in the house) as explained on the LinuxMCE startup screen. A walk-through of the LinuxMCE Admin Website is available, but if you want to just get going ASAP, choose Wizard --> Basic Info --> Rooms and Wizard --> Basic Info --> Users to specify the Rooms and Users. Choose Wizard --> Devices --> Media Directors to specify which room this system is in.

Commercial DVDs

IMPORTANT: If you intend to watch commercial DVDs in LinuxMCE, read the Restricted Software Installation Guide.