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First off let me say that I am completely new to this and just found out yesterday that anything like Xbmcbuntu or Openelec even exist so sorry if I ask any stupid questions. I just bought a Foxconn mini pc and I'm looking for a good htpc setup to put on it. My main focus is on xbmc which I already use on my other htpc but I don't fully understand how Xbmcbuntu/Xbmclive works. I understand that it boots directly into xbmc but is it possible to then close out of xbmc and use a webbrowser in order to use netflix/hulu or am I limited to just xbmc? If I am limited to just xbmc, are there any other options that I might be able to use if I want to keep access to these other websites?
Thanks,
Sean
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With XBMCbuntu you can simply logout of the XBMC session and launch a full desktop session complete with web browser, flash, and Hulu support.
However, no matter what software you use, you will not be able to use Netflix on a Linux client. (Netflix does not like the Linux version of Silverlight) You can use a windows based system and run all of those things just fine but you may need better hardware.
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Do you think this system would be capable of running XBMCbuntu or do I need better hardware for that as well?
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netflix and Lovefilm both require Microsoft Silverlight and is it Windows and Mac only. Never on linux.
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That's quite powerful as HTPCs go, and should run any OS you want.
JR
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Yup, you'll be fine with Windows 7. And that should give you full Netflix support.
Just set it to auto login and auto start XBMC if you want it to boot into it.
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Definitely not in a hurry, I bought the computer from Amazon and it won't ship for 2-4 weeks so I'd like to hear how it works out. I'd rather use windows but I didn't know if it would run smooth enough or if the hardware was fast enough to handle it.