Hi Drifty, hi jonm42 and hi Z3rO
Before you start:
1. Upgrade to at least 2 GB of RAM (I use 4 GB)
2. Do NOT use Ubuntu 9.04 64 bit. I tried this but XBMC is not ready for 64 bit yet. Use Ubuntu 9.04 32 bit instead. I used the Ubuntu 9.04 32 bit Desktop Edition as you could also e.g. surf with the Mac Mini. At the moment I use it for XBMC only and I LOVE IT!!!
Now you can begin:
1. To set up Ubuntu use this guide:
http://blog.costan.us/2009/03/ubuntu-810...-mini.html
2. More detailed stuff about the bootmanager: I left Mac OS X on the poor thing just to be able to get firmware updates
http://refit.sourceforge.net/
3. fix the Sound
To get the sound working, add the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base
Code:
options snd-hda-intel model=imac24
4. Install XBMC through the repository. I personally use the SVN Repository but for a more stable release use this link:
https://launchpad.net/~team-xbmc/+archive/jaunty-ppa
Details here:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=33327
5. I then set up my Ubuntu to auto startup XBMC after booting which is fairly easy.
You’ll find the tool on the System \ Preferences\ Sessions menu item: Click the Add button, and type in “xbmc”. That was it.
6. If you have an IR remote control use this:
Code:
sudo apt-get install lirc lirc-modules-source module-assistant
sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc-modules-source
Or use this guide:
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Ubuntu_lirc_install
I use the original Apple remote but at some point I will probably switch to a bluetooth remote with more buttons. At the moment I have to use the Apple bluetooth Keyboard for some of the XBMC functions.
7. As a skin I use MiniMeedia
http://forum.xbmc.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=114
8. XBMC ROCKS!!!! And thanks to “motd2k” HD content plays like a charm through VPAUD.
Problems I sadly still have:
-Sound will not mute all the way in XBMC
-Reboot does NOT work (Ubuntu problem which is not fixed yet, maybe in Ubuntu 9.10)
-Apple Remote does not have enough buttons for a XBMC remote (my opinion)
-the power consumption is 10 W higher than under MacOS X which is sad.
-Wi-Fi does not work out of the box. I do not use it anyway. But i am sure you could get it to work with the right guide.