Is LinuxMCE an appliance or software solution?
Until now there have been two options for a smarthome+media system: • Low cost software based PC solutions, including home automation software like HomeSeer, Premise and Mr. House, also media software like Microsoft Windows XP Media Center. • Appliance solutions, like Crestron, AMX, Kaleidescape and Escient. High-end systems are always appliance based, preferred for their simplicity, reliability and lack of hassle; no worry about missing the football game because your PC-based PVR got a virus. But appliance systems cost a lot — for one that includes automation, media, telephony, etc., like LinuxMCE. Even though those “appliances” are normally PC’s inside special cases, often running Linux plus some proprietary software, you can never get the software separately to build your own — until now. LinuxMCE is an appliance solution. The Core becomes a self-configuring, self-maintaining black box appliance. Since the Core automatically offers a network boot image to any PC’s you want to use as
