GPS navigation support in XBMC
#1
first off, xbmc is amazingly awesome :kickass: !, but one thing that could make it better(hard to believe it an get any better) is if gps navigation could be integrated or supported somehow into the system. (is it even possible?) many of us use our xbox's w/ xmbc as a mobile in-car entertainment system. and im sure there would be many in favor of this addition. anyone else agree?

thank you for your time, and the great xmbc!!,
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#2
well, if you manage to find a usb gps device, which also features opensource drivers, maybe, just maybe you could convince someone else who wants it, and who also knows how to code, to do it.

don't hold your breath for us to implement it
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#3
gps driver may not be that difficult

they are standard nema text stream device
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#4
getting the nmea string from a usb gps puck isn't the problem (that's *very* easy actually and something i've done a lot of irl)

but where is the actual navigation software coming from? to code this ourselves is way more effort than any of us has time for Image and also where are the maps, updates etc. going to be sourced from?

sorry, nice idea, but i think this is too big a job Smile
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#5
thanks!,

hmmm...

i found this little gps unit on ebay, with a street atlas program.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....98&rd=1

but i assume that the xbox will not be able to read the cd, since it is for a computer?

edit: and this one...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....34&rd=1
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#6
as you can run gentoox on the xbox it may be possible to find a unix gps nav program already implemented. but i have't looked into it at all! i only use xbmc and see no reason to move away but as forza said it is unlikely that you will find this solution on xmbc as nobody as the time to devlope that size of project!
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#7
hi,
maybe some people believe that i am crazy, but is it possible to use xbmc as navi in a car with a usb gps mouse?
i mean how hard is it to develop such a solution?
if this would be possible, i think some more people use the xbox in a car, because nowaday it is a multimedia station but if the xbox could also be used for navigation than it would be great.

thx pc-geil
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#8
i wont say its impossible but very very very very difficult to add navigation to xbmc. but you could probably do it quite readily running linux on your xbox.
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#9
yes by running linux on the box it should be possible.
but, to boot linux you need much time. the best thing i think is, that the xbox is very fast ready to use, but by this solution you would have to wait a long time.
is it possible to convert a linux programm to xbe if its written in c or c++?
sure you have to adapt some parts, but http://gpsdrive.kraftvoll.at/ this would be a beginning.
than you would have a map, but no navigation.

pc-geil
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#10
Sad 
i said this before many times before; xbmc is not an operating-system. fine if someone would like to code it for the xbox, but it should then be as a separate application and not part of xbmc! (if it was a separate xbe/application then you could just launch it from xbmc when you wanted to use it). alternativly you could launch linux as an application (via a bios-loaded loading a linux-bios).

please understand that we have to draw the line somewhere, xbmc is after all not an operating system with all acomponing software you can install, ...i've seen requests for e-mail server/clients, build-in mini-games, file-server, dhcp-server, java-runtime-enviroment, even other game-console emulators (plus now gps navigator) and many other odd things that do not belong in a media-player application (which is after all what xbmc is),  ...i know that many people get excited when they see everything that xbmc can do and the want it to do 'just a little more' to "make xbmc perfect for them", i can even partially understand this but you have to be realistic, (and only arguing that "my weather" doesn't belong in a media-center so why should not their 'special feature' not be added too is not a reason enough to add all and anything all and everything to xbmc).

again to once again cleaify this; xbmc is not an operating system. xbmc is one excutable running in one process, the xbox bios (which is as close to an operating system you get on the original xbox as it is it that controlles the low-level access to the xbox hardware resourses such as memory, processor and harddrive, and presents that as a high-level api (application program interface) to the application or game running on the xbox) do not support more than one excutable/process running at any one time.      ...a simplified definition of a operating system (os) is an under-laying system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware, and additionally can have several excutables (application software) running under it at the time (and each of those excutables can be running one or more processes), see wikipedia.org for a more detailed description. this xbmc can never be.

if you want to run a true operating system on the xbox then a xbox-linux distribution is your only choise (in order to run linux on the xbox they had to replace the xbox-bios with a real x86 bios, as the original xbox-bios can not run linux, ...and the linux bios for xbox can not xbox games made with the xdk).

ps! see xbox-linux faq for more answers to questions like: the xbox is a standard pc, isn't it?, and why not develop on top of the xbox kernel?
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Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.
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#11
Hello all,

I use an XBox loaded with XBMC as a car stereo. Seriously, what more could you ask? $80 used XBox, $20 wireless controller, and a few LCDs from eBay. (Well, okay, I use a Sony XT40V sony mobile video control, 210EQ DSP/Crossover and an older minidisc deck with a dead minidisc drive). It works like a champ!

The one thing that would make it complete would be a navigation application. There are open source ones such as GPS drive, but I'm not sure how complete they are in terms of door to door directions.

I understand there is an issue with USB to RS232 adaptors on the game ports. One possible workaround would be the use of these adaptors from Lantronix. They are called MSS1T or some such, and the older versions can be had cheap sometimes via eBay. They do ethernet to serial, and simpyl netcatting port 2001 gets you the data from the connected device.

If this is no good, I'm sure another solution could be had. From gumstix w/ GPS to something...

Any thoughts?

As more people see my XBMC car setup, I think it's catching on a bit.
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#12
offtopic: i'd like to see some pictures of xbmc running in a car Smile
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