Building/Buying Hardware to Run XBMC

Hi everyone:

I've been a long-time user of XBMC on my AppleTV 2, but it appears that the ATV2 hardware just isn't powerful enough to play some of my higher-end files.

I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who has purchased hardware (a la the Build Your Own Boxee - http://www.boxee.tv/make) and installed XBMC on it?

I don't want to run it off of my desktop or lap top and would prefer something small that can sit in my entertainment unit and can run either off of Ethernet or a WirlessN 5 Ghz network.

Has anyone tried this and had any luck? And if so, what can you recommend?

Thanks!

Steve

Sorry mods -- I think I posted this in the wrong forum, if you're able to move it.

I have this hardware running XBMC in my media room and it works very nicely. I like that it can with an IR port and a VESA bracket to mount the system nicely behind your flat panel television. A bare bones version is available if you don't need a HDD or O/S. You will need to add RAM, of course, and 2GB works fine for my setup. Playback of music through a custom build that incorporates Spotify, playback of 1080p MKV rips and integration with my Harmony remote all work very well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6856107080

Best of luck!

Do you boot right into XBMC Live? (Sorry, I'm reading up about all of this as we speak, so I am a total n00b with all of this.) I don't want to work *too* hard to get this up and running, and I have *never* worked with Linux before, but hoping to essentially build the XBMC version of Boxee -- boot right in and be done!

i would go with OpenELEC, much more cut down and less linux stuff.

I boot into Windows 7, then have XBMC start automatically by placing shortcut in the Startup folder (no fancy EventGhost or anything here). Since I leave my HTPC running 24/7 thanks to the low-power CPU, XBMC is always there waiting for me and ready to go. I've also disabled a lot of the UAC settings and pop-up notifications that are native to Windows 7.

I've not used OpenElec, Atomic Zombie, but I know it works great for a lot of people, and it boots up fast. It is not an option for me until Akezeke gets Spotify integrated into OpenElec, which will likely not happen until binary addons (judging by the SpotyXBMC thread in the General Discussion forum). It is also my understanding that OpenElec is not using Eden code, but rather the more stable Dharma release. I like the cutting edge, I guess, as I've been running Pre-Eden and nightlies on the ATV2 and Windows boxes since June.

GR8rtek, do you notice any performance issues running Windows 7 in addition to XBMC?

I'm looking at the Acer Revo 3700 as a possibility. (May upgrade it to include an SSD, and potentially additional RAM depending on what version of Win 7 it ships with (32 or 64.)

Until recently I was running XBMC on an ATV2, which just can't handle some of my more robust media files, so looking for the next best solution.

The only performance I notice is awesomeness. This tiny PC plays all of my media (over gigabit Ethernet) flawlessly. Plus running it through my Denon AVR upscales everything to 1080p for a very nice picture, even for streamed content.

Sorry for the delay in responding... I've not been getting email subscription notices for this thread.

Sarlic Wrote:I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who has purchased hardware (a la the Build Your Own Boxee - http://www.boxee.tv/make) and installed XBMC on it?

I haven't tried that one, but I did build one using this guide on AVS Forum. There are lots of options that allow you to choose the CPU/chipset and case size.

See my sig for another mini model (fanless too, absolutely silent with an SSD). I do run Live though, so can't tell how it would do with Win7, but plays all HD content flawlessly.