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+--- Thread: Hacking the Boxee Box to run XBMC? (/showthread.php?tid=64578)
- yerbabie27 - 2010-12-14
Guys, there's some serious heat in this thread, I love xbmc, and I'd love to see it on a boxee box. I've been using xbmc for ever on my xbox, it's great.
I'd "like" to see is it ported, if it does not happen, then so be it, but it would be nice to see some constructive solutions to the restrictions at hand, rather than "no, go away idiot, it's not going to happen" style comments, all that is going to acheive is having the thread locked.
And for the record I am not "trolling", the comment was my opinion, the amount of xbmc users that have tried the boxee box is evedent by all the comments in this and other threads accross numerous sites. As a hard core xbmc user I have one, and I'd really prefer to be running xbmc on it. However it's my opinion that if Boxee continue to address problems that existing xbmc users have it may become a "suitable" allternative.
Please, lets keep it on track, and constructive.
Is there any chance Boxee with provide details on what's under the hood in their code?
- outleradam - 2010-12-14
I don't understand the issue. We have Telnet. Do we have permissions elevation yet? We should be able to just simply upload a linux kernel, or install Aptitude and poof some worthwhile software in there right?
If no permissions elevation, then pull HD out, hook to adapter or laptop, mount hard disk, and poof Aptitude and new linux kernel.
If HD is encrypted, hook up to adapter or laptop, frag drive, and poof new linux kernel and aptitude on there.
If Bios is locked down... well, darn.
Disclaimer: I have not done my research.
- yerbabie27 - 2010-12-14
I don't totally understand the restrictions, But it sounds like the bios / flash is locked out and it won't install anything that is not signed. That's my understanding anyhow.
The unit does not have a HD, the specs are:
"The hardware is based on Intel CE4110 system-on-a-chip platform (that has a 1.2Ghz Intel Atom CPU with a PowerVR SGX535 Integrated graphics processor), 1GB of RAM memory, and 1GB of NAND Flash Memory" (from the wiki)
It does however support media via USB and a SD Card slot, and the current boxee.iso can be downlaoded from the boxee site and placed on a usb stick for manually upgrading. I'd be assuming that people in the know would allready be looking at the .iso and what it contains
Further details on the hardware here: http://boxeeboxwiki.org/wiki/Hardware
-B
- BORIStheBLADE - 2010-12-14
You know I am like others that see a box with nice hardware and a built in IR receiver that I would love to see XBMC ported to.
I think what it really boils down to is instead of hacking a box to run this software we should try and get a company to make a box for the community.
- yerbabie27 - 2010-12-14
BORIStheBLADE Wrote:You know I am like others that see a box with nice hardware and a built in IR receiver that I would love to see XBMC ported to.
I think what it really boils down to is instead of hacking a box to run this software we should try and get a company to make a box for the community.
Yep, thats a great idea, and I initially had the same thoughts, then I looked at how long the boxee box has been in development for..... realistically I think there is a better chance of getting xbmc on a boxee box than xbmc on new hardware, unless there is a box out there that xbmc allready works on 100% out of the box with xbmc live, then maybe it can be re-packaged into a xbmc box.
I can only imagine the nightmare within the xbmc community trying to settle on standards around new hardware, how long is a peice of string?. As much as some people hate the hardware of the boxee and it's looks, it's here, it's a "standard" and people can decide to go with it or not.
I think one of xbmc's strengths is it has just adopted what existing hardware there is, which is why I think it worked so well on the xbox.
Even my most recent endevors to get xbmc running on a ASrock 330ht had me about to throw it out the window, when I could not get the remote to work.
-B
- topfs2 - 2010-12-14
Robotica Wrote:thnx poofyhairguy for your valuable info and clear vision.
@topfs: Boxee missuses flaws in GPL v2 to restrict the User Freedoms. This is not the spirit of GPL.
Its only a flaw if you see it as a flaw. They abide to the GPLv2 which they are restricted at, everything else is moot. We still get the code from them, as per GPLv2.
- topfs2 - 2010-12-14
Robotica Wrote:I think this is the route to hack the boxee box and have the cheapest XBMC solution:
1> Jailbreak Boxee
2> PowerVR closed source drivers should be wrapped into a OpenMax IL decoder component. That’s an Open API which XBMC can use to access video hardware to decode.
3> Upgrade VAAPI-support to the level of Boxee, Mplayer and/or VLC Player.
I even think 2 + 3 can be backported from Boxee. All by all I don't think this is rocket science. Knowledge already is available (even in this community!).
Ok, seriously, you don't know what your talking about. 2) they are drivers, they are not in their code, they are in there img and yes you can yank it but you can't redistribute it without breaking licenses, which is far worse than what you are accusing boxee of.
3) its not using vaapi...
last, if its not rocket science, get to it and produce patches..
outleradam Wrote:If Bios is locked down... well, darn.This is what it seems to be. You can obviously pull a part the box and take out the HD (which is flash and on the PCB) and install whatever but this is not really practical...
- outleradam - 2010-12-14
On this page I see a serial port which looks like it would be useful to flash new software on the NAND http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Boxee-Box-Teardown/4109/2
- ashlar - 2010-12-14
It's with some pleasure that I see boxee developers offering help for xbmc development in different sections of the forums. This is much appreciated and definitely goes some way, the way I see it, toward compensating the community.
Spoken by a mere end-user, clearly.
- voip-ninja - 2010-12-15
ashlar Wrote:It's with some pleasure that I see boxee developers offering help for xbmc development in different sections of the forums. This is much appreciated and definitely goes some way, the way I see it, toward compensating the community.
Spoken by a mere end-user, clearly.
If you go to the "credits" section of the boxee box it is immediately thanking all of the hard work of many XBMC contributors.
Boxee has spent a lot of peoples investment dollars building a product that MUST make a return for them at some point or else those investors are going to be very angry. This means they must appease content providers by putting restrictions in. People don't have to like it, but that's business.
The people to go and beg to are D-Link. Go and convince them to release a re-badged version of the Boxee in a different case that can be used to play around with as a hobby box. I'm sure if you can get 10,000 or so interested people you might be able to convince them it's worth the time and money to release such a thing.
It still isn't going to make the mountain of work that Boxee have done with their video driver and playback solution any easier to replicate for the CE4110 Intel platform.
- CrashX - 2010-12-15
voip-ninja Wrote:The people to go and beg to are D-Link. Go and convince them to release a re-badged version of the Boxee in a different case that can be used to play around with as a hobby box. I'm sure if you can get 10,000 or so interested people you might be able to convince them it's worth the time and money to release such a thing.
+1 ... Now only if we get XBMC to organize it .. I am sure we can get 10,000 people pretty quick if the price is right ...
- HwyXingFrog - 2010-12-16
voip-ninja Wrote:The people to go and beg to are D-Link. Go and convince them to release a re-badged version of the Boxee in a different case that can be used to play around with as a hobby box. I'm sure if you can get 10,000 or so interested people you might be able to convince them it's worth the time and money to release such a thing.
Yeah, we've seen this on some other products, especially routers. A lot of manufacturers have been releasing Linux/DD-WRT friendly routers knowing that they are going to get loaded with custom firmwares.
Maybe a nice open boxee-box would be an option.
The Acer and Asus CE-4100 boxes that are in progress may be options here too, if we can get the hardware accelerated video on the CE-4100 working in XBMC-Live (Linux).
- CrashX - 2010-12-16
HwyXingFrog Wrote:The Acer and Asus CE-4100 boxes that are in progress may be options here too, if we can get the hardware accelerated video on the CE-4100 working in XBMC-Live (Linux).
Any links plz ?
- HwyXingFrog - 2010-12-16
CrashX Wrote:Any links plz ?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/acer-revo-2-sports-intel-ce4100-windows-media-center-embedded/
http://www.engadget.com/photos/acer-revo-2-ce4100-set-top-box-hands-on/
Overall, not much info yet except the CE-4100, they obviously aren't out yet.
- Hannes The Hun - 2010-12-16
yeah these open CE-4100 boxes *could* replace Ion systems sometime 2011 but then again it really is up to intel to do their linux driver work, else you could only recommend these to windows users