Re: media centre build

2010-04-23 Thread bryn mitchell
I am intending to buy the following to act as a media centre probably running 
MythTV.
Any comments would be welcomed:



ASRock ION330HT Mini Barebone, Intel Atom 330, Nvidia ION, DVD-RW, HDMI/eSATA, 
Remote

Corsair CM2X2048-6400C5 2GB PC-6400 (800MHz) DDR2 RAM, 240-pin DIMM, Non ECC 
Unbuffered, 5-5-5-18

2.5", Samsung 160GB, SATA 5400rpm, 8MB Cache, HM160HI

One concern I have is whether the 5400 rpm HDD is adequate or if I need a 7200 
rpm HDD to record TV etc.

Adios!
Bryn Mitchell






From: Chris Debenham 
To: bryn mitchell 
Cc: ubuntu-au 
Sent: Mon, 19 April, 2010 2:47:47 PM
Subject: Re: media centre build

I previously used a Microsoft MCE remote (works out of the box) but recently 
moved to using a PS3 bluetooth remote so I don't need line-of-sight.
And yes, MythTV can record and play the same show.  Easiest way to go is just 
watch LiveTV and at any time you can press pause.  In the background mythtv 
will keep recording the video and keep it in a buffer ready for you to catch up 
later.
I find I hardly ever watch livetv anymore though, mostly I set it to record 
anything I want and then watch them 10-15 mins after they start so I can skip 
the ads :-) (mind you I generally don't watch things even on the same day - I'm 
generally a few days behind on my shows ;-) )


On 19 April 2010 13:19, bryn mitchell  wrote:
> This is all good info Chris. Thanks.
> Two things I failed to ask is what type of remote do you use and does MythTV
> have all those tricky things as found on a commercial DVR such as the record
> and view the same show function (after you have used the pause function to
> go and get a beer from the fridge). I don't know the name of the function
> but it allows you to catch up to the current time in the game / show (I
> think by using the time in the add's).
>
> 
> From: Chris Debenham 
> To: bryn mitchell 
> Cc: ubuntu-au 
> Sent: Mon, 19 April, 2010 8:12:38 AM
> Subject: Re: media centre build
>
> On 18 April 2010 21:57, bryn mitchell  wrote:
>> Thanks Chris.
>> What OS and Multi Media applications do you use.
>
> I run MythTV on mythbuntu (http://mythbuntu.org/)
>
>> Do you;
> * access the Internet - yes - via mythnet
> * burn media (such as TV shows) to DVD - yes, via 'mythBurn' which
> integrates into mythtv
> * rip to MP3 - yes, mythtv can do this natively as well
> * view photo's - yes
> * edit home video - no, I do video editing on a different machine
> generally (one connected to a keyboard/mouse instead of just a remote
> control) but there is nothing precluding doing video editing on this
> machine as it is faster than my actual desktop anyway :-)
>
>> Do you use a wireless network connection and if so what brand of card/USB
>> (I assume it's USB).
>
> I actually use wired gigabit ethernet (since I store most of my media
> on a separate machine) but as long as you are not streaming high-def
> content over the network then wireless is fine.
> I actually do stream standard-def over wireless to my laptop on
> occassion and it works fine.
>
>>
>> 
>> From: Chris Debenham 
>> To: bryn mitchell 
>> Cc: ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
>> Sent: Sun, 18 April, 2010 6:20:55 PM
>> Subject: Re: media centre build
>>
>> I use an ASRock ION 330 for media centre duties (replacing a mac mini)
>> Costs about $350 - just add disk and a usb tuner or two and you have a
>> decent machine capable of playing High Def media via HDMI (I can play
>> 1080p without too much issue - generally about 40% cpu usage when
>> playing HD stuff - less for over-the-air HD stuff)
>> It only takes one internal disk, but add an external drive if you need
>> more space.
>>
>> On 18 April 2010 06:24, bryn mitchell  wrote:
>>>
>>> I am going to get / build a media centre. I could buy a MAC Mini which
>>> seems
>>> just about ready to go out of the box or I could go thru the project of a
>>> Linux equivalent.
>>> I want to access the net, rip and play (thru a sound system) music,
>>> record
>>> and replay digital TV, play DVD's / Blue Ray, etc thru a Panasonic Viera
>>> wide screen plasma.
>>> This is something I would be happy to spend a couple of weeks on and off
>>> to
>>> complete but not a couple of months to get right. It also needs to work
>>> right every time or it will fall flat with the missus and kids.
>>> I have done some reading about Myth TV and it's variants and other
>>> applications such as Boxee and XBMC but my real sticking point is
>>> hardware.
>>> I got a 

Re: media centre build

2010-04-19 Thread Christopher Lees
On Sun, 2010-04-18 at 20:40 +0100, Hugh Do Nascimento wrote:

> From: Hugo Do Nascimento 
> Subject: Re: media centre build
> To: bryn mitchell 
> Cc: ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
> Message-ID:
>   
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> I also was thinking about building a media center with linux or buying a mac
> mini. At the end, a friend showed me a WDTV.
> It costs about U$100, runs linux inside and does not demand much energy. I
> bought one and I am using it with an external USB HD.

There are many similar devices. I have an Astone device; it has a couple
of USB ports, plus an Ethernet port for streaming media from your
computer (through Samba) and even the ability to accept an Astone wifi
dongle in case you don't have a free Ethernet port. Oh; and you can use
it as a NAS as well.

Good device, and you can often find one for $130 Australian. Oh, and if
you like hacking your devices, you won't be disappointed as there are
many homegrown mods and new firmware for it.


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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread bryn mitchell
This is all good info Chris. Thanks.
Two things I failed to ask is what type of remote do you use and does MythTV 
have all those tricky things as found on a commercial DVR such as the record 
and view the same show function (after you have used the pause function to go 
and get a beer from the fridge). I don't know the name of the function but it 
allows you to catch up to the current time in the game / show (I think by using 
the time in the add's).





From: Chris Debenham 
To: bryn mitchell 
Cc: ubuntu-au 
Sent: Mon, 19 April, 2010 8:12:38 AM
Subject: Re: media centre build

On 18 April 2010 21:57, bryn mitchell  wrote:
> Thanks Chris.
> What OS and Multi Media applications do you use.

I run MythTV on mythbuntu (http://mythbuntu.org/)

> Do you;
* access the Internet - yes - via mythnet
* burn media (such as TV shows) to DVD - yes, via 'mythBurn' which
integrates into mythtv
* rip to MP3 - yes, mythtv can do this natively as well
* view photo's - yes
* edit home video - no, I do video editing on a different machine
generally (one connected to a keyboard/mouse instead of just a remote
control) but there is nothing precluding doing video editing on this
machine as it is faster than my actual desktop anyway :-)

> Do you use a wireless network connection and if so what brand of card/USB (I 
> assume it's USB).

I actually use wired gigabit ethernet (since I store most of my media
on a separate machine) but as long as you are not streaming high-def
content over the network then wireless is fine.
I actually do stream standard-def over wireless to my laptop on
occassion and it works fine.

>
> 
> From: Chris Debenham 
> To: bryn mitchell 
> Cc: ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
> Sent: Sun, 18 April, 2010 6:20:55 PM
> Subject: Re: media centre build
>
> I use an ASRock ION 330 for media centre duties (replacing a mac mini)
> Costs about $350 - just add disk and a usb tuner or two and you have a
> decent machine capable of playing High Def media via HDMI (I can play
> 1080p without too much issue - generally about 40% cpu usage when
> playing HD stuff - less for over-the-air HD stuff)
> It only takes one internal disk, but add an external drive if you need
> more space.
>
> On 18 April 2010 06:24, bryn mitchell  wrote:
>>
>> I am going to get / build a media centre. I could buy a MAC Mini which
>> seems
>> just about ready to go out of the box or I could go thru the project of a
>> Linux equivalent.
>> I want to access the net, rip and play (thru a sound system) music, record
>> and replay digital TV, play DVD's / Blue Ray, etc thru a Panasonic Viera
>> wide screen plasma.
>> This is something I would be happy to spend a couple of weeks on and off
>> to
>> complete but not a couple of months to get right. It also needs to work
>> right every time or it will fall flat with the missus and kids.
>> I have done some reading about Myth TV and it's variants and other
>> applications such as Boxee and XBMC but my real sticking point is
>> hardware.
>> I got a quote from a local shop to build a box that would suit Win 7 and I
>> assume that would also be adequate for a Linux equivalent but the cost was
>> about $2500, about $1000 more expensive than a MAC Mini solution. For me,
>> the real seller of a Linux system would be to do it on the cheap but as I
>> said before I don't want to spend all my time (I am time poor) buying
>> hardware and then buying more hardware because it doesn't work or
>> endlessly
>> trouble shooting a dodgy set up.
>> Ideally I think my best scenario would be to buy a used PC and just add
>> appropriate hardware such as a tuner card, graphics card etc but I don't
>> know what to buy (or for that matter where to buy). Also fan noise etc is
>> any issue I believe.
>> Interested in any opinions,
>>
>> Regards.
>> B. Mitchell
>>
>> --
>> ubuntu-au mailing list
>> ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-au
>>
>>
>
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>
>



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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread Chris Debenham

I previously used a Microsoft MCE remote (works out of the box) but recently 
moved to using a PS3 bluetooth remote so I don't need line-of-sight.
And yes, MythTV can record and play the same show.  Easiest way to go is just 
watch LiveTV and at any time you can press pause.  In the background mythtv 
will keep recording the video and keep it in a buffer ready for you to catch up 
later.
I find I hardly ever watch livetv anymore though, mostly I set it to record 
anything I want and then watch them 10-15 mins after they start so I can skip 
the ads :-) (mind you I generally don't watch things even on the same day - I'm 
generally a few days behind on my shows ;-) )


On 19 April 2010 13:19, bryn mitchell  wrote:

This is all good info Chris. Thanks.
Two things I failed to ask is what type of remote do you use and does MythTV
have all those tricky things as found on a commercial DVR such as the record
and view the same show function (after you have used the pause function to
go and get a beer from the fridge). I don't know the name of the function
but it allows you to catch up to the current time in the game / show (I
think by using the time in the add's).


From: Chris Debenham 
To: bryn mitchell 
Cc: ubuntu-au 
Sent: Mon, 19 April, 2010 8:12:38 AM
Subject: Re: media centre build

On 18 April 2010 21:57, bryn mitchell  wrote:

Thanks Chris.
What OS and Multi Media applications do you use.


I run MythTV on mythbuntu (http://mythbuntu.org/)


Do you;

* access the Internet - yes - via mythnet
* burn media (such as TV shows) to DVD - yes, via 'mythBurn' which
integrates into mythtv
* rip to MP3 - yes, mythtv can do this natively as well
* view photo's - yes
* edit home video - no, I do video editing on a different machine
generally (one connected to a keyboard/mouse instead of just a remote
control) but there is nothing precluding doing video editing on this
machine as it is faster than my actual desktop anyway :-)


Do you use a wireless network connection and if so what brand of card/USB
(I assume it's USB).


I actually use wired gigabit ethernet (since I store most of my media
on a separate machine) but as long as you are not streaming high-def
content over the network then wireless is fine.
I actually do stream standard-def over wireless to my laptop on
occassion and it works fine.




From: Chris Debenham 
To: bryn mitchell 
Cc: ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
Sent: Sun, 18 April, 2010 6:20:55 PM
Subject: Re: media centre build

I use an ASRock ION 330 for media centre duties (replacing a mac mini)
Costs about $350 - just add disk and a usb tuner or two and you have a
decent machine capable of playing High Def media via HDMI (I can play
1080p without too much issue - generally about 40% cpu usage when
playing HD stuff - less for over-the-air HD stuff)
It only takes one internal disk, but add an external drive if you need
more space.

On 18 April 2010 06:24, bryn mitchell  wrote:


I am going to get / build a media centre. I could buy a MAC Mini which
seems
just about ready to go out of the box or I could go thru the project of a
Linux equivalent.
I want to access the net, rip and play (thru a sound system) music,
record
and replay digital TV, play DVD's / Blue Ray, etc thru a Panasonic Viera
wide screen plasma.
This is something I would be happy to spend a couple of weeks on and off
to
complete but not a couple of months to get right. It also needs to work
right every time or it will fall flat with the missus and kids.
I have done some reading about Myth TV and it's variants and other
applications such as Boxee and XBMC but my real sticking point is
hardware.
I got a quote from a local shop to build a box that would suit Win 7 and
I
assume that would also be adequate for a Linux equivalent but the cost
was
about $2500, about $1000 more expensive than a MAC Mini solution. For me,
the real seller of a Linux system would be to do it on the cheap but as I
said before I don't want to spend all my time (I am time poor) buying
hardware and then buying more hardware because it doesn't work or
endlessly
trouble shooting a dodgy set up.
Ideally I think my best scenario would be to buy a used PC and just add
appropriate hardware such as a tuner card, graphics card etc but I don't
know what to buy (or for that matter where to buy). Also fan noise etc is
any issue I believe.
Interested in any opinions,

Regards.
B. Mitchell

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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread Chris Debenham
On 18 April 2010 21:57, bryn mitchell  wrote:
> Thanks Chris.
> What OS and Multi Media applications do you use.

I run MythTV on mythbuntu (http://mythbuntu.org/)

> Do you;
* access the Internet - yes - via mythnet
* burn media (such as TV shows) to DVD - yes, via 'mythBurn' which
integrates into mythtv
* rip to MP3 - yes, mythtv can do this natively as well
* view photo's - yes
* edit home video - no, I do video editing on a different machine
generally (one connected to a keyboard/mouse instead of just a remote
control) but there is nothing precluding doing video editing on this
machine as it is faster than my actual desktop anyway :-)

> Do you use a wireless network connection and if so what brand of card/USB (I 
> assume it's USB).

I actually use wired gigabit ethernet (since I store most of my media
on a separate machine) but as long as you are not streaming high-def
content over the network then wireless is fine.
I actually do stream standard-def over wireless to my laptop on
occassion and it works fine.

>
> 
> From: Chris Debenham 
> To: bryn mitchell 
> Cc: ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
> Sent: Sun, 18 April, 2010 6:20:55 PM
> Subject: Re: media centre build
>
> I use an ASRock ION 330 for media centre duties (replacing a mac mini)
> Costs about $350 - just add disk and a usb tuner or two and you have a
> decent machine capable of playing High Def media via HDMI (I can play
> 1080p without too much issue - generally about 40% cpu usage when
> playing HD stuff - less for over-the-air HD stuff)
> It only takes one internal disk, but add an external drive if you need
> more space.
>
> On 18 April 2010 06:24, bryn mitchell  wrote:
>>
>> I am going to get / build a media centre. I could buy a MAC Mini which
>> seems
>> just about ready to go out of the box or I could go thru the project of a
>> Linux equivalent.
>> I want to access the net, rip and play (thru a sound system) music, record
>> and replay digital TV, play DVD's / Blue Ray, etc thru a Panasonic Viera
>> wide screen plasma.
>> This is something I would be happy to spend a couple of weeks on and off
>> to
>> complete but not a couple of months to get right. It also needs to work
>> right every time or it will fall flat with the missus and kids.
>> I have done some reading about Myth TV and it's variants and other
>> applications such as Boxee and XBMC but my real sticking point is
>> hardware.
>> I got a quote from a local shop to build a box that would suit Win 7 and I
>> assume that would also be adequate for a Linux equivalent but the cost was
>> about $2500, about $1000 more expensive than a MAC Mini solution. For me,
>> the real seller of a Linux system would be to do it on the cheap but as I
>> said before I don't want to spend all my time (I am time poor) buying
>> hardware and then buying more hardware because it doesn't work or
>> endlessly
>> trouble shooting a dodgy set up.
>> Ideally I think my best scenario would be to buy a used PC and just add
>> appropriate hardware such as a tuner card, graphics card etc but I don't
>> know what to buy (or for that matter where to buy). Also fan noise etc is
>> any issue I believe.
>> Interested in any opinions,
>>
>> Regards.
>> B. Mitchell
>>
>> --
>> ubuntu-au mailing list
>> ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-au
>>
>>
>
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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread Hugo Do Nascimento
I also was thinking about building a media center with linux or buying a mac
mini. At the end, a friend showed me a WDTV.
It costs about U$100, runs linux inside and does not demand much energy. I
bought one and I am using it with an external USB HD.

Check the link:  http://www.wdc.com/en/products/WDTV/

Hugo
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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread bryn mitchell
Thanks Chris.
What OS and Multi Media applications do you use.
Do you; access the Internet, burn media (such as TV shows) to DVD, rip to MP3, 
view photo's, edit home video, etc with this device?
Do you use a wireless network connection and if so what brand of card/USB (I 
assume it's USB).





From: Chris Debenham 
To: bryn mitchell 
Cc: ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
Sent: Sun, 18 April, 2010 6:20:55 PM
Subject: Re: media centre build

I use an ASRock ION 330 for media centre duties (replacing a mac mini)
Costs about $350 - just add disk and a usb tuner or two and you have a
decent machine capable of playing High Def media via HDMI (I can play
1080p without too much issue - generally about 40% cpu usage when
playing HD stuff - less for over-the-air HD stuff)
It only takes one internal disk, but add an external drive if you need
more space.

On 18 April 2010 06:24, bryn mitchell  wrote:
>
> I am going to get / build a media centre. I could buy a MAC Mini which seems
> just about ready to go out of the box or I could go thru the project of a
> Linux equivalent.
> I want to access the net, rip and play (thru a sound system) music, record
> and replay digital TV, play DVD's / Blue Ray, etc thru a Panasonic Viera
> wide screen plasma.
> This is something I would be happy to spend a couple of weeks on and off to
> complete but not a couple of months to get right. It also needs to work
> right every time or it will fall flat with the missus and kids.
> I have done some reading about Myth TV and it's variants and other
> applications such as Boxee and XBMC but my real sticking point is hardware.
> I got a quote from a local shop to build a box that would suit Win 7 and I
> assume that would also be adequate for a Linux equivalent but the cost was
> about $2500, about $1000 more expensive than a MAC Mini solution. For me,
> the real seller of a Linux system would be to do it on the cheap but as I
> said before I don't want to spend all my time (I am time poor) buying
> hardware and then buying more hardware because it doesn't work or endlessly
> trouble shooting a dodgy set up.
> Ideally I think my best scenario would be to buy a used PC and just add
> appropriate hardware such as a tuner card, graphics card etc but I don't
> know what to buy (or for that matter where to buy). Also fan noise etc is
> any issue I believe.
> Interested in any opinions,
>
> Regards.
> B. Mitchell
>
> --
> ubuntu-au mailing list
> ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-au
>
>

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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread Michael
Thanks Chris, I shall look into the PS3 and Nova-T.

Cheers.
Michael.

On Apr 18, 6:32 pm, Chris Debenham  wrote:
> I have a PS3 PlayTV dual tuner that works OOTB, also a leadtek tuner
> (no idea of name/type - just bought it for $25 at a computer fair) and
> a dual tuner Nova-T 500 PCI card.
> All work out of the box on ubuntu 9.04 or later and give decent
> reception for aussie TV
>
> On 18 April 2010 18:22, Michael  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hello B.
>
> > I've been thinking about this exact same thing as my desktop is
> > currently my media server. I can do everything I need to except for
> > record tv shows and for this I need a TV card. Now the issue is what
> > TV cards will work in Australia while also working with the Linux
> > Kernel. There are a couple of Hauppage cards that apparently work with
> > the Linux kernel ootb but I'm not sure of their suitability yet for
> > Australian TV. If and when I can get a definitive answer I'll post it,
> > if I can get a general "yeah this may be ok" I'll post that to and you
> > can decide from there what you want to do.
>
> > Cheers.
> > Michael.
>
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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread Chris Debenham
I have a PS3 PlayTV dual tuner that works OOTB, also a leadtek tuner
(no idea of name/type - just bought it for $25 at a computer fair) and
a dual tuner Nova-T 500 PCI card.
All work out of the box on ubuntu 9.04 or later and give decent
reception for aussie TV

On 18 April 2010 18:22, Michael  wrote:
> Hello B.
>
> I've been thinking about this exact same thing as my desktop is
> currently my media server. I can do everything I need to except for
> record tv shows and for this I need a TV card. Now the issue is what
> TV cards will work in Australia while also working with the Linux
> Kernel. There are a couple of Hauppage cards that apparently work with
> the Linux kernel ootb but I'm not sure of their suitability yet for
> Australian TV. If and when I can get a definitive answer I'll post it,
> if I can get a general "yeah this may be ok" I'll post that to and you
> can decide from there what you want to do.
>
> Cheers.
> Michael.
>
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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread Michael
Hello B.

I've been thinking about this exact same thing as my desktop is
currently my media server. I can do everything I need to except for
record tv shows and for this I need a TV card. Now the issue is what
TV cards will work in Australia while also working with the Linux
Kernel. There are a couple of Hauppage cards that apparently work with
the Linux kernel ootb but I'm not sure of their suitability yet for
Australian TV. If and when I can get a definitive answer I'll post it,
if I can get a general "yeah this may be ok" I'll post that to and you
can decide from there what you want to do.

Cheers.
Michael.

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Re: media centre build

2010-04-18 Thread Chris Debenham
I use an ASRock ION 330 for media centre duties (replacing a mac mini)
Costs about $350 - just add disk and a usb tuner or two and you have a
decent machine capable of playing High Def media via HDMI (I can play
1080p without too much issue - generally about 40% cpu usage when
playing HD stuff - less for over-the-air HD stuff)
It only takes one internal disk, but add an external drive if you need
more space.

On 18 April 2010 06:24, bryn mitchell  wrote:
>
> I am going to get / build a media centre. I could buy a MAC Mini which seems
> just about ready to go out of the box or I could go thru the project of a
> Linux equivalent.
> I want to access the net, rip and play (thru a sound system) music, record
> and replay digital TV, play DVD's / Blue Ray, etc thru a Panasonic Viera
> wide screen plasma.
> This is something I would be happy to spend a couple of weeks on and off to
> complete but not a couple of months to get right. It also needs to work
> right every time or it will fall flat with the missus and kids.
> I have done some reading about Myth TV and it's variants and other
> applications such as Boxee and XBMC but my real sticking point is hardware.
> I got a quote from a local shop to build a box that would suit Win 7 and I
> assume that would also be adequate for a Linux equivalent but the cost was
> about $2500, about $1000 more expensive than a MAC Mini solution. For me,
> the real seller of a Linux system would be to do it on the cheap but as I
> said before I don't want to spend all my time (I am time poor) buying
> hardware and then buying more hardware because it doesn't work or endlessly
> trouble shooting a dodgy set up.
> Ideally I think my best scenario would be to buy a used PC and just add
> appropriate hardware such as a tuner card, graphics card etc but I don't
> know what to buy (or for that matter where to buy). Also fan noise etc is
> any issue I believe.
> Interested in any opinions,
>
> Regards.
> B. Mitchell
>
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>

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