multimedia | Linux Journal

RV Offsite Backup Update

Having an offsite backup in your RV is great, and after a year of use, I've discovered some ways to make it even better.

Put the fun back in computing. With this weekend's reading, we encourage you to build yourself an internet radio station, create your own Audible or even live-stream your pets on YouTube. Sky's the limit with Linux. Enjoy! Building Your Own Audible by Shawn Powers

DIY RV Offsite Backup and Media Server

What better way to add a geeky touch to #vanlife than with a Linux server in your RV?

Linux Gets Loud

Exploring the current state of musical Linux with interviews of developers of popular packages. Linux is ready for prime time when it comes to music production. New offerings from Linux audio developers are pushing creative and technical boundaries. And, with the maturity of the Linux desktop and growth of standards-based hardware setups, making music with Linux has never been easier.

Using gphoto2 to Automate Taking Pictures

Introducing an app that allows DSLR cameras to function as an image or video capture device in Linux.

Building Your Own Audible

A quick look at some options for streaming audio books.

Creating an Internet Radio Station with Icecast and Liquidsoap

Ever wanted to stream prerecorded music or a live event, such as a lecture or concert for an internet audience? With Icecast and Liquidsoap, you can set up a full-featured, flexible internet radio station using free software and open standards.

Live Stream Your Pets with Linux and YouTube!

Anyone who reads Linux Journal knows about my fascination with birdwatching. I've created my own weatherproof video cameras with a Raspberry Pi. I've posted instructions on how to create your own automatically updating camera image page with JavaScript. Heck, I even learned CSS so I could make a mobile-friendly version of BirdCam that filled the screen in landscape mode.

YouTube on the Big Screen

For years I've been jealous of folks with iOS devices who could just send their phone screens to their Apple TV devices. It seems like the Android screen-mirroring protocols never work right for me. My Sony Xperia has multiple types of screen mirroring, and none of them seem to work on my smart TVs or Roku devices.

Nativ Vita

The motto "open to anything" underpins Nativ's development philosophy on all of its audio solutions, including its new Nativ Vita, "the world's first High-Resolution Music Player" and touchscreen control center that is designed to function as the central access point for one's entire music collection.

The Post-TV Age?

The most basic cable package from Charter (Spectrum?) costs me more than $70 per month, and that's without any equipment other than a single cable card. It's very clear why people have been cutting the cord with cable TV companies. But, what options exist? Do the alternatives actually cost less? Are the alternatives as good?

Android Candy: the Verbification of Video Chat

People who study the history of languages probably will look back at our current time and scratch their heads. We keep inventing verbs! First, Google became the verb we use for searching. Then, "Facebooking" someone became a viable way to contact them. Heck, I forgot about "texting" someone. It seems we just keep taking perfectly good nouns and making them verbs.

Nativ Disc

Although most music lovers stream or download music today, the stubborn pre-millennials among us have legacy CD collections at home. This demographic is the perfect target group for Nativ Disc, a bit-perfect CD Ripper that allows users to import up to 12,000 CDs—in lossless FLAC, uncompressed WAV or lossy MP3 format—into their Nativ Vita high-resolution music player.

Stream and Share Your Media with PlexWeb

Plex is one of those applications I tend to write about a lot. It's not because I get any sort of kickback or even a discount, but rather it's just an incredible system that keeps getting better.

At Home With AV Linux

My studio computer collection includes two custom-built desktop machines and a Hewlett-Packard G60 laptop.

XBMC, Now with Less XB!

Xbox Media Center (XBMC) is one of those projects whose name makes less and less sense as time goes on. Sure, people still are using XBMC on an actual Microsoft Xbox, but for the most part, XBMC now is run on computers. In fact, recent versions of XBMC installed on an ION-based nettop makes just about the perfect media center.

Linux Audio Conference 2011: A Report From Maynooth

On May 7 and 8 I attended the Linux Audio Conference for 2011 held in Maynooth, Ireland. Due to a temporary mental malfeasance - for some reason I assumed the Earth rotated in the opposite direction - I booked my flight for the wrong departure date and was unable to change its itinerary without paying out a hefty sum to the airline.

Processing, With Sound

Processing The graphics capabilities of modern computers are truly amazing. Whether you're viewing an animated Mandelbrot fractal, watching a DVD, designing a highly-detailed 3D image in a CAD program, or just playing a contemporary game, impressive graphics are the rule.

Multimedia Previewer

I love niche programs, especially in the area of multimedia. If you're like me, you probably have a folder full of MP3s and Oggs collected from the last ten years that's reached the point where you've forgotten half the files in there. This month, I stumbled upon the charming little command-line program, audiopreview. To quote the project's Freshmeat entry:

Interview with Cory Fields of XBMC

I recently had the honor of spending time with Cory Fields, the Public / Business Relations Manger for XBMC. XBMC is the premier free and open source, cross-platform home entertainment system. XBMC was originally created for the first-generation Xbox, but has evolved to now be primarily available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows.