Xbox Media Center

NYSpeed Automotive NYSpeed Off Topic
1

So, we have all been discussing PC based media center solutions lately. I have had a lot of chats with another member here, who also runs MAC based media center apps.

I have always said that OS X + FrontRow was the best app for Media Centers. However, its ability to play LARGE 1080p video files its downfall. There is a plug-in called Perian that will allow you to play them, but, it is hit or miss on actually playing them smoothly.

Players like VLC and MPlayer work well to play the files, so it is very frustrating.

Well, after testing out several other solutions, I have found the very answer I have been looking for.

Xbox Media Center, aka XBMC, is just about the best app out there for media center applications.

It runs on all the major Operating Systems(Windows, Mac, and Linux)

Features:
[LEFT]User-friendliness that is Next To Godliness
Superb Format and Codec support
Endless playback capabilities for All Types of Media
Album and Cover Art
Extendable and Flexible Add-ons
FOSS (Free Open Source Software)

The official website is here: http://xbmc.org/about/
Wiki is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBMC
download is here: http://xbmc.org/download/
[/LEFT]

I can’t attest for anything other than the Mac OS X application, but I can say that I will be running this, and NOT looking back.

2

X2 on this - I installed it on my entry level mac mini (1.86ghz c2d, intel graphics, 1gb ram) and it runs full 1080p blu-ray rips FLAWLESSLY with instant seeking and no buffer time.

I don’t know how it does it, but it works amazing even on crap hardware. Works perfectly with apple remote, configuration takes about 60 seconds. :tup: :tup: :tup:

3

It’s a great set-up. My only complaint is that my source PC is on a wireless network and has enough distance/material between itself and the access point that it’s not suitable to stream 1080p (DVD rips are typically fine). That’s not the fault of XBMC.

4

i think you’d have a hard time streaming 1080p over wireless even if you were right next to the router/access point

5

yeah wireless networks typically suffer from a bit of packet loss, which is gonna be bad. Wire that bitch.

6

802.11n should be fine for it. (My card is n, my router is still g, so…)

Yep. Can’t do it now, since I’m a renter, I’m moving in 3 months, and I’m lazy. I get fine picture with DVD rip quality, and don’t have much that’s higher quality.

If there’s a hi-def rip of season 3 of Heroes, or season 4 of BSG or House, I’ll probably have to upgrade the router before we move. I’ll be wired at the next place we live.

7

my brother is building some kind of media center, he has all these crazy things on it. A screen that displays weather and whatever else he wants right on his horizontal tower