*** Official Kodi (née XBMC) Thread ***

Hi all, I've experimented in the past with XBMC but couldn't find the right hardware that I was comfortable with (tried a Lenovo media centre PC but had driver issues and boot up time issues with it running through W7)

Anyway, I'm thinking of trying a Raspberry Pi with, if I'm correct, the Linux version of XBMC installed so it simply boots straight into XBMC - is this doable?

Can anyone tell me how quick I can expect this to be?

Basically I'm after something to solely run XBMC at a decent speed with the minimum of fuss!

I do find it amazing that such a cheapo piece of kit can comfortably run 1080p content without so much as a graphics card!?!?

Sorry if this should be in the Rasp Pi thread but I wasn't sure!

Thanks for any advices...
 
I wouldn't say the Pi can "comfortably" play back 1080p content.

The Pi does have limitations - I'd consider it a reasonable device for a secondary playback device, but if you're using it all the time, it might frustrate you.

I don't think you can beat a PC - I think Windows will give you least fuss - the only thing to watch out for is the audio settings.
 
Confused said:
I wouldn't say the Pi can "comfortably" play back 1080p content.

The Pi does have limitations - I'd consider it a reasonable device for a secondary playback device, but if you're using it all the time, it might frustrate you.

I don't think you can beat a PC - I think Windows will give you least fuss - the only thing to watch out for is the audio settings.
Click to expand...

The issue I had with my Lenovo was that the boot up time into Windows 7, even with an SSD crammed in instead of the standard HDD, was quite long and then I had issues with the graphics as I struggled to get the modified drivers specific to my machine!

All I want is a simple, reliable playback device to stream content from my NAS (via ethernet so not wireless) - predominantly HD films (some 1080p but the majority 720p)

Ideally I'd like a lightning fast boot up and then control via either a wireless mouse of possibly some sort of smartphone/tablet app (Android)

I've tried the WDTV Live which worked for the most part but I really like the XBMC user interface!

Does this sound like the Pi or should I be looking at something else??
 
Hi Guys,

I have a strange issue. I have my Arctic MC001 downstairs working fine with Openelec/XMBC. I have my TV Shows set to Always flatten (AEON NOX Skin) but on my machine upstairs with Openelec/XMBC on a fusion build I have set it to the same but its not working. It shows the folders.
 
StevieP said:
The issue I had with my Lenovo was that the boot up time into Windows 7, even with an SSD crammed in instead of the standard HDD, was quite long and then I had issues with the graphics as I struggled to get the modified drivers specific to my machine!

All I want is a simple, reliable playback device to stream content from my NAS (via ethernet so not wireless) - predominantly HD films (some 1080p but the majority 720p)

Ideally I'd like a lightning fast boot up and then control via either a wireless mouse of possibly some sort of smartphone/tablet app (Android)

I've tried the WDTV Live which worked for the most part but I really like the XBMC user interface!

Does this sound like the Pi or should I be looking at something else??
Click to expand...


Sounds like its the PI you want to me.

I've got one in the conservatory running off a powerline adapter and it plays everything i've thrown at it without any jumping. I've got it running XBian with a slight overclock using a usb drive. Also I use my S4 or Nexus using Yatse to control it.
 
Gman said:
Sounds like its the PI you want to me.

I've got one in the conservatory running off a powerline adapter and it plays everything i've thrown at it without any jumping. I've got it running XBian with a slight overclock using a usb drive. Also I use my S4 or Nexus using Yatse to control it.
Click to expand...

I think I might give it a go!

Did I read somewhere that you have to buy a particular codec for the Pi??

(I'm still amazed it can handle 1080p without a dedicated graphics card!)
 
andy_mk3 said:
Your resolution seems a bit odd?

I've just bought a Pulse Eight USB-CEC adapter, I hope it works as expected :)
Click to expand...

CCC had problems scaling so had to create a custom resolution!

Confused said:
MG42Maniac,

Does your receiver actually support TrueHD, DTS-HD, AC3 etc ? If there's any of those that it doesn't support, and it tries to send the data down via HDMI, it will lag.

Try disabling all of those options, and re-enable them until the problem returns - you then know which format isn't supported.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's an Onkyo HT-S5305 so I'm sure it supports the codecs. I'll try un checking a few and see what happens. Cheers!
 
Begbie said:
Guys,

Got my movies set up so it shows it with text rather than posters. But it's not updating them for some reason.

Anyway to force an update, or what am I missing?
Click to expand...

Can you show me some picutres of what you mean when you say text rather than posters
 
I got hold of a Raspberry Pi today and have installed Raspbmc - it all looks to be spot on and while even 1080p content seems to play flawlessly, the UI is a slow and un-responsive - I assume this is down to the processor speed/RAM on the Pi??

Would an overclock improve things??
 
I've overclocked mine to about 900mhz and have got a usb install on a fast usb stick which helps with pictures loading up for moives etc. Also I'm using a mysql database for all the media info which seems to help speed it up a bit more too.
 
I did see the option to do the install to a USB stick, does it effectively replace the SD card then or do I then need both?
Also, how do I go about overclocking the Pi? Will I need some sort of additional cooler??

Thanks....
 
SD card is still needed for boot. Overclocking is usually done just be editing a config file. You can add heatsinks but not really needed for a mild overclock.

I use the Openelec build and the forums/wiki there show how to do this (For Raspian & Xbian versions there is equivalent).
 
Thanks!

I did try the Openelec version but I must have done something wrong in preparing the SD card because it wouldn't even produce a signal from my Pi!

The Raspbmc was dead easy so ended up using that one!

I might give it a go via a USB stick to see if it improves the UI responsiveness and if that doesn't do the trick I might give the overclocking a whirl! (God help me!!! ;))
 
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Have any of you much experience with Pseudotv plugin (PTV), I'm running it on an ouya just now and it runs great apart from the fact when I change the channel the next program plays from the start instead of half way through as designed.
I'm guessing it's down to the fact I'm running an alpha build of xbmc to be honest, but any suggestions?
 
My PI Model B has arrived today, with a SD Card with NOOBS installer on it, on it's way some point next week...

I believe this SD Card will allow me to install xbmc(openelec), are there any USB Wi-Fi adapters out there that work without the need for drivers?

Cheers
 
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