XBMC - Standalone OS Choice
#1
Hello guys , i stumbled across XBMC while doing research on ways to make a standalone media centre. And must say im very impressed with what ive seen. The thing is im pretty much chucked in at a deep end here , theres so much choice im feeling like a Goldfish in the sea. So why i am here is pretty simple. Just some advice from all the users here at XBMC.

Specifications of my system.

AMD Athlon X64 II 4200+ CPU
ALiveNF7G-HD720p R2.0 Mobo
8gb OCZ Ram
2x 1TB WD Drives 7200RPM
1x 180GB 7200 WD Drive
2x Optical DVD Drives
1x PCI Belkin WLAN N Card.

Now what im after is this. A standalone media centre that when i turn it on , it loads straight to XBCM no having to go through windows etc. As ill be using a remote control and IR Reciever. Im thinking of installing the Background OS to the 180 along with all programs scripts , and XBMC. And having all my media On the drives. Now i have a disgraceful amount of TV / Movies / Music so i think that would be the best way of keeping it organised and keepng speed in the OS. Now what im asking everyone here is.

Which OS Has best Standalone compatability. Im going to guess the Linux distro? Can i use wireless with this?

Also can i keep all my files as m2ts / MKV formats? Is any of what im asking physically possible. As im trying to build a pretty silent And aesthetically pleasing system. JUST for media watching and maybe torrent downloading of my favorite TV shows. Like Big bang etc.
Reply
#2
Any particular reason you chose that CPU/Motherboard?

CPU is way over kill.
Motherboard only has an Nvidia 70* which can't do VDPAU.
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
Reply
#3
http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=XBMC_Live
Reply
#4
darkscout Wrote:Any particular reason you chose that CPU/Motherboard?

CPU is way over kill.
Motherboard only has an Nvidia 70* which can't do VDPAU.

Cause there parts i have lying around after ripping my old Surfing PC apart. And rebuilding into a gaming rig.

Mobo doesnt matter due to having a spare Nvidia GPU to do all the pretty colours Smile

toddwv Wrote:http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=XBMC_Live

Thats pretty much perfect. Although ill be installing to the 180gb HDD instead of using it as a live CD . Looks like precisely what im after Smile
Reply
#5
Hazeno Wrote:Cause there parts i have lying around after ripping my old Surfing PC apart. And rebuilding into a gaming rig.

Mobo doesnt matter due to having a spare Nvidia GPU to do all the pretty colours Smile



Thats pretty much perfect. Although ill be installing to the 180gb HDD instead of using it as a live CD . Looks like precisely what im after Smile

Running it from the live cd is a great way to test if it's going to work "out of the box". Once you install it to your hd, which is pretty easy with the boot menu option, then you can hack around to customize it to your system. If your hacking ends up cracking, then you can just wipe the part and start fresh.
Reply
#6
toddwv Wrote:Running it from the live cd is a great way to test if it's going to work "out of the box". Once you install it to your hd, which is pretty easy with the boot menu option, then you can hack around to customize it to your system. If your hacking ends up cracking, then you can just wipe the part and start fresh.

Indeed , I remember a few years back when i first tried linux it was off a live CD , No hassle really. Was a nice way to get intouch with something that wasnt M$ rubbish. One question i do have though. Installing Nvidia drivers are they still a bane?
Reply
#7
Hazeno Wrote:Indeed , I remember a few years back when i first tried linux it was off a live CD , No hassle really. Was a nice way to get intouch with something that wasnt M$ rubbish. One question i do have though. Installing Nvidia drivers are they still a bane?

That I don't know. My htpc is using an Intel chipset and haven't really had to go that far beyond the Intel team's Linux drivers:

http://intellinuxgraphics.org/index.html
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
XBMC - Standalone OS Choice0