[boscorillium]

I know in the past this has been beaten to death and it always seemed like the caveat was that XBMC for Linux was no where near release and yet now we're there!

Is there any kind of working group on creating reference hardware for support by XBMC developers? I would really like to get involved in that area since I would like to build a system that would be well supported by XBMC developers.

I guess I could just build a system and then be the primary maintainer for that set of hardware.

Any thoughts?

[pike]

only hardware that would be "well supported by developers" is hardware that said developers own and use themselves

[boscorillium]

That's all well and good, but if we don't have that spec'd out then it really can't be built by anyone else can it?

So if that's the starting point for reference hardware then so be it. But either way a build sheet would be awesome.

[malloc]

If you'd like to put the work in and you can get a couple developers to agree then I don't see why not. A few pointers:
1. Should be cheap. < $500, and even that seems expensive.
2. a few graphics options. a) integrated for budget and or space aware buyers, b) low profile for those that really think they need the extra punch but don't have that much space in the case, c) bigger graphics in case someone really stupid wants to shell out the money. i'd skip the third choice. keep them from the same manufacturer and in the same family of graphics to keep graphics bugs to a minimum.
3. To begin with, I would not include a case recommendation. Cases choice can have a huge effect on the price and everyone has their own aesthetic opinion.
4. You don't need a CPU that can play killa birdz without missing a beat, that's not a realistic sample.
5. Start a wiki, the message board isn't a good place for this kind of thing.
6. This could evolve with each release so it's okay to pick something that just came out and might be more expensive. prices will drop, and by the time we release the next version that will be the cheaper option and you can create an updated spec with the latest and greatest hardware.

that's all i got for now.

[malloc]

7. hdmi would be good.
8. make sure the sound works out of the box on the latest ubuntu.
9. this should be a recommended build for both windows and linux.

[CapnBry]

I actually just ordered a new Linux HTPC from newegg with the intention of trying to integrate VDPAU using an itegrated GeForce 9400 mGPU. $500 including a case/PS but no hard drive. I'll contribute information about what works and what doesn't and performance if you want to start collecting information, boscorillium.

[malloc]

A what works and what doesn't database is different from a reference hardware spec. there's another thread on the forums regarding a hardware database.

[ultrabrutal]

I have this requirement: HDMI1.3a with sound so 1080p24 is supported with HD sound formats

[malloc]

I have this requirement: HDMI1.3a with sound so 1080p24 is supported with HD sound formats

seems reasonable. motherboard suggestions?

[watzen]

I'd suggest any mATX motherboard with 9300m mGPU.

[malloc]

don't be afraid to give specifics. he is talking about a reference spec, not a general idea of what peoples opinions might maybe be.

[watzen]

Asus P5N7A-VM about 110€ in sweden with taxes, 120$ on newegg
has everything you need in a mATX package.

look at those connectivity options!


CPU, RAM, HDD and Cases is up to the user to decide whats important to them. None of those items should cause any driver issues(except maybe a IR-reciever or a LCD)


other boards that use the same chipset with practically the same features:
MSI P7NGM-Digital
GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H

http://www.newegg.com/

[malloc]

wow. way to not understand reference spec at all. cpu and ram will effect what kind of video can be played. can i play a 720p video with a celeron and 512 mb ram on that board? ir receiver should also be part of the spec.

[CapnBry]

Asus P5N7A-VM
MSI P7NGM-Digital
GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H

I looked at all 3 of these when I was making my decision. It is important to note none of these will have working audio over HDMI with Ubuntu 8.10, as it requires hda-intel patch NVHDMI which is not in the Intrepid kernel. It should be in 9.04 though.

Downside of the MSI P7NGM-Digital is that no NVHDMI means no digital sound out as this board does not have S/PDIF. Not even a pin header for it. The ASUS and Gigabyte are ok, but it should be noted that the SPDIF ports on both these boards are driven by the Realtek discrete chip, not the nVidia chipset.

Even more complicated, the nVidia chip supposedly doesn't provide "trusted path" meaning that playing Blu-ray discs with a commercial player won't send audio through that requires end to end encryption. The ASUS has an Realtek ALC1200 chip that doesn't have trusted path either, but the Gigabyte has the ALC889 which does. That's probably not important when it comes to XBMC but might be something to note for people who want blu-ray playback directly from discs.

The only other differences between the two are that the ASUS has a DisplayPort jack and a 9300 mGPU and the Gigabyte does not, a 9400 mGPU, and FireWire. (the 9400 being ever-so-slightly higher clocked)

[malloc]

Is there an older board with HDMI that supports digital sound?