As I noted in the Rio Receiver replacement thread, Hauppauge are selling the MediaMVP. This little box sits on your network and will serve up audio and video from a server to your stereo. What makes it interesting is that it runs linux. This means that it should be possible to get it to run code of our liking to interface to an empeg.

Further web searches have resulted in the discovery of a Linux Mod. forum over at www.shspvr.com .
Quick reading over there reveals that the box boots using bootpc/tftp to get it's image from the server, and this image has already been replaced by others. Furthermore, a serial port has been hacked onto it (fairly standard SMD soldering required).

This is looking like a real contender to be hacked into service as a remote control/display for the empeg. A 7" LCD with a serial touchscreen anyone?
It also looks interesting for integrating an empeg into other video based car entertainment systems for the same reason.

Thoughts anyone?

I bought one of these to have a play with and attempt to use on my MythTV box. Hardware is definitely built to a budget (i.e. cheap - simple plastic moulding, single PCB etc). There were also numerous problems with overheating on (I think) D revision units. www.shspvr.com is definitely the place to start reading.

This page here is probably a better place to start for starting a new interface from scratch.

It will decode MP3s (and MPEG2 video) in hardware but ogg, flac etc will need to be in software and I'm not sure the processor would be completely up to it although it is something like a 300MHz PowerPC derivative. Unfortunately it can't do MPEG4 video which put it out for use with my MythTV system. I'm going for an XBox based frontend instead now.

Hmm nice idea I like it. Lots of possibilities there- I wonder if this the MediaMVP can be hacked to add a serial port. From my readings about hacking wireless access points it looks like almost any device meant to run linux has a serial port- it's just a matter of adding it. Anyone have any pictures of the PCB itself? Is there anything missing from the PCB that we could "add back"?

Answered my own question. Serial port instructions for the MVP are here

The part about almost any device meant to run Linux having a serial port isn't guaranteed. The reason why most of them have one is that it's just convienent during development. There is nothing stopping you from not having serial at all in a device and some things don't. Some devices only have a JTAG port for reprogramming the firmware EEPROM and nothing else.

The MediaMVP PCB has space for a RS232 level converter which when soldered in will give you that serial port. It also has space for a CF slot but I don't believe anybody has managed to make that work yet. There are pictures of the PCB on the shspvr.com forums.