[kenam]

Hey - So I have just got my new HTCPC (based around the core 2/ion Zotac ND22 and WIN7) and looking at getting XBMC set up - but after looking about I am more confused over plugins/ skins/ remotes etc...

What is thought to be the best/ most useful collection of sins plugins.

I see MQ2 mentioned a lot - is this the most popular skin, what others are about (Is showcase another skin or is this the same as MQ2)?

Also what else will I need? What else is good? I will have sabnzbd running for new stuff and probably sickbeard, which I gather runs in the background pulling new shows?

I would also like to get started with playing some classic games - are there pluggins (?) for this that run from within XBMC (I think I seen this on youtube showcase demo).

Sorry for all the qs - I have been searching about here and on the wiki - but there is massive amounts of info and many options (benefits of the XBMC architecture) but it can be difficult as a noob to work out how to get the best from XBMC.

I guess it will be a case of try and see when I get set up - but some links and info would be much appreciated!

[bramblepants]

Firstly, congratulations on your HTPC and choosing XBMC. You will not be disappointed!

I will only be able to answer a few of your questions, based on my own experience, but I'm sure others will be able to help you with the rest.

When you first start using XBMC it's probably best to stick to the standard Confluence skin, as this is what the wiki and other instructions generally talk you through using.

It's a great skin and gives you most of the functionality you can get from the other skins - I was using it for ages, but now prefer Aeon MQ 2, as it gives a load more options to cusomise layouts etc, as well as direct access to Apple Trailers and Favourites from the home menu.

As for Tools I use outside of XBMC:

* Sabnzbd+ - to download from usenet
* SickBeard - to automate downloading of your favourite shows, including downloading nfos, fanart and posters which XBMC reads
* CouchPotato - to automate downloading of movies, including nfos, fanart, posters and trailers which XBMC reads

On top of this, you may also want a Media Manager to create nfos for XBMC, or you could just let XBMC scrape it's own meta data. The choice is yours, but I currently use Ember (Revisited), to fill in the gaps that CouchPotato sometimes leaves. Ember can take some fiddling to get working properly, but is still the best manager.

For Plugins which you access from within XBMC, I use:

* XBMC Subtitles - which allows you to download subtitles for movies you're currently watching, from within XBMC. Useful if you watch a lot of foreign films
* YouTube - I'm pretty sure you know what this is
* Sabnzbd+ - to manage your download queue and add new items from indexing sites from within XBMC
* BBC iPlayer - live streaming of BBC channels if you're in the UK
* Apple Movie Trailers - to watch trailers for movies directly from XBMC

I don't play games from my HTPC, but there are ROM plugins you could check out. Look at this area of the forum for info.

When it comes to remotes, from what I can gather an RC6 Microsoft Media Center remote is the best you can get, and is what I use. You could get an official one, or not. As long as it's RC6 you should be fine, and there's loads on eBay!

To configure your remote, you cannot beat this:

http://xbmccustomregis.sourceforge.net/

It's by far the quickest and easiest way to get your remote up and running, and to configure the buttons just as you'd like them.

Enjoy your project!

[outatouch0]

thanks for these tips!!