The best Linux media center
In MuyComputer made a list with 8 good Linux media center. I've only tried XBMC and Elisa, as they are the only ones available in deb package, but some of the others are very good looking, especially Entertainer, My Media System and MythTV.
Now I copied the article.
The solutions available are:
1. XBMC
The Xbox Media Center project has reached a climax in which developers have managed to move the performance of an application originally designed for first-generation Xbox Fortunately that has made the jump to other platforms. One of the essential, in my opinion. For now can not benefit directly from the TV channels through this application.
2. Entertainer
Based on GNOME or XFCE, this system uses the GStreamer library toto to reproduce such content. One of its best features is the ability to download our content metadata. For example, the covers of our movies, the lyrics or the information of our favorite series. Not support the TV.
3. Elisa
This application for Media Center is available for both Linux and Windows (it seems that soon there will also be Mac OS X version), and for example there is a strong integration with web services like YouTube, Flickr and others. In TV, nothing.
4. MythTV
Essential in this segment, one of the oldest Linux applications in the multimedia market has amply demonstrated its benefits, and in fact serves a number of specific distributions for media centers like Mythbuntu, MythDora or KnoppMyth . Among its many benefits is, of course, the card holder and recording television programs. We may even automatically delete recorded programs ads!
5. Freevo
I know less, but Freevo is somehow the big competitor of MythTV. It also supports TV cards and offers several types of plugins to use our PC as a video game through an emulator.
6. GeeXboX
This Linux distribution is specifically designed to be used as a LiveCD, so no actual installation. Interestingly only occupies 9 Mbytes, and offers a number of codecs to play all types of standard content. An interesting idea to reuse our old PCs
7. My Media System (MMS)
The Media Center application makes use of MPlayer, Xine VDR or a reproduction guaranteed to offer a variety of formats, but also offers all the features of other similar applications like XBMC, Elisa or Entertainer. You can even enjoy emulators (MAME, SNES, EPSX ...), and attention, television provides support through VDR, including electronic program guides or EPGs.
8. LinuxMCE
This development is based on MythTV, but also adds a number of additional components such as the little-known Pluto home automation system, Asterisk PBX server, and other smaller systems that make LinuxMCE is much more than a Media Center. Or rather, it intends to be, because although its performance is really impressive, implementing them is complicated and too specific hardware requirements for it to be regarded as a recommended solution.
He who does not recommend it for nothing is Linux MCE
