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XBMC's Linux Port Lacks Impressive Features

linux.com — Linux has no shortage of audio and video players, but if you want to devote you whole system to multimedia use, you need the Xbox Media Center (XBMC). Although initially designed for the Xbox gaming console, XBMC has been ported to other platforms. The Linux port of XBMC that I use is quite usable, especially for video playback.

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  • amoore2600, on 08/20/2008, -3/+57The title of the article is a little misleading. The XBMC is by far the best (non-PVR) media center for Linux. XBMC blows Gee box, Elisa, and Entertainer out of the water. The XBMC is very customizable with Skins, Networking, lirc, and over all hacking.

    The Ubuntu PPA repository for the XBMC is stable for the most part. I have about 1 crash every 2 weeks and It daily.

    This is a wonderful application, the XBMC DEV Team should be very proud! keep up the good work.

    • xxl3w, on 08/20/2008, -27/+2and if windows crashes once a week, all you fanboys freak, right? I guess it's ok for linux to crash. "the hardware manu. doesn't support linux....." "the software manu. doesn't support linux....", but if windows crashes " M$ suX ZOMFG WTFROTFLMAOCOPTER" "TAKE WHAT MICROSOFT SHOVES DOWN YOUR MOUTH".
      • khatarnaak, on 08/20/2008, -1/+21This isn't linux crashing, it's XBMC - a media centre compiled and being ported by enthusiasts who take no wage for their efforts. The porting over to linux is still very much a work-in-progress.
      • lowtolerance, on 08/20/2008, -3/+13You moron. He didn't say that linux crashes, he said that XBMC crashes. I think a linux user must have really hurt your feelings in your past, because you seem really bitter. Or maybe you tried linux and couldn't find the start menu?
      • Yookji, on 08/20/2008, -1/+9If an application crashes in Windows, it can bring down the entire system, however if an application crashes in Linux, the rest of the system is safe.
      • xxl3w, on 08/20/2008, -10/+3The majority of windows crashes are from faulty software or hardware drivers (just like linux!). I've been in ubuntu/debian/slackware/redhat many times and the entire system freeze because of a poorly written program or driver. all hands in, FANBOYS UNITE!

        and the reason i don't use linux is because the whole time i'm in linux i'm looking for applications that mimic windows applications. why mimic when you can have the real deal?
      • mrsteveman1, on 08/20/2008, -2/+11This fanboy ***** needs to stop. Lets review now shall we?

        I've personally watched Linux kernel panic a bunch of times, usually because of some driver error. Most recently the zd1211rw driver caused the entire system to freeze about one week ago, on 8.04.1.

        I've watched OS X Leopard panic, freeze and otherwise crash a few times. Last time it was VMwares network kext driver (unloading it fixed things).

        I've seen Windows bluescreen a bunch, usually 3rd party drivers at this point but in the past because of other things as well, even applications themselves a while back (before XP i think).

        Stuff crashes when it doesn't work right, now STFU.
      • javaroast, on 08/20/2008, -2/+2Thanks mrsteveman1. I totally agree with your take on the fanboy bs.
      • Hermmunster, on 08/20/2008, -4/+4Windows is far far far more prone to crash than Linux is. Linux is more difficult in other ways.

        When I first started with Windows back with Win286 (even though I had seen and tried to use the very first version of Windows) it was head to head with Quarterdeck's product. There were no real Windows programs for it and what little it did do it did very slowly. Incredibly slow, insanely slow, and was hugely bug ridden.

        When I first started using Linux many years ago it was not slow by any means but it was incredibly difficult. It was near impossible to get a GUI working even with known popular graphics cards.

        By all standards of use I would have to say that Windows is significantly less stable than Linux and that Linux is much more fault tolerant than Windows is.

        I've seen the complaints that people have regarding the names of the folders used in Windows vs. Linux. I've seen people accuse Linux of being overly complicated because of naming convention. I've seen every complaint in the world about Linux and what's funny is that every single one has been lodged about every OS. It's nothing new.

        For instance, let's look at naming convention for folders. At the top most level Windows "Program Files" folder seems simple and solid. Even when you look at the Temp folder under Windows it looks pretty solid. "Documents and Settings" seems pretty self explanatory, even if that is no longer used under Vista (for whatever reasoning). But when you look under that you will see a few user names, you'll see under those even more directories and the names become more and more obscure as you do. Look under the Windows directory itself and you'll also see a bunch of odd names that most people have no clue whatsoever as to what they mean, for instance, prefetch or config or system32, etc.

        Now the average Joe here does know what system32 is for, at least in part, but most proabbly don't know the full meaning of it nor that the meaning changed from one version of windows to the next. Few will know what the prefetch folder does and almost none know what the config folder does, unless you spent time studying it and learning the meanings and uses of them. Even so there are many more that are even more obscure such as 3 different locations for temp files, etc.

        Under Linux it is difficult to understand from the naming which folders mean what and few really understand why they are there or how they got their names. But they are obscure and they do take study to learn so you know what they mean, etc.

        Both have the same fault.

        But let's look further. Under the registry (launch regedit.exe) you'll note that the names of the keys, the values of the keys, the location and duplication of the keys is extremely confusing and complicated whereas 99% of the people that have been involved with Windows over the past 10 years have not a clue as to what they mean. They do know that telling others to modify the registry can have adverse effects and cripple a machine.

        This is the same for any OS. Easily someone can get confused and mess up their machines. Years ago how easy was it to delete your Windows folder contents? Quite easy.

        The answer to why this is acceptable is simple. The answer to why there is no valid complaint about Linux naming convention is simple. The answer to why the registry issues are non-starters is simple. The answer to the development and advancement of an OS is simple.

        The simple answer is that the average person doesn't ever get involved in that area of the computer and those of us that do when we complain we are complaining not about how confusing it is but about how lack of ability or willingness to take the time to understand it all.

        Very rarely will Linux kernel fault and generate a panic message. In fact, extremely rare is it that anyone using Linux on modern hardware have any difficulty with this at all. As far as Windows goes there's a great deal of difficulty day in and day out in resolving BSODs and other issues. Primarily though these are due to faults with hardware. Hardware fails. It does no good to blame and diagnose software issues when the hardware is the cause. So, when you complain about the various drivers, etc., under Windows, that generate BSOD it is generally the hardware or driver that causes the problem. Under Windows this can mean tons of BSODs.

        My experience under Linux is that very few this will bring the system down the way Windows can be brought down. Linux is far more fault tolerant.

        Has Windows gotten better over the years? I'm sure it has. From Windows 98 to XP we have seen great strides in resolution of these issues and fault tolerance, but unhappily there are many still there.

        So, in reality comments regarding Windows vs Linux where Linux takes the positive note is really due to Linux being more open, more easily configurable, less costly, more efficient financially for an average person and certainly has a much brighter future when you consider how badly Vista is infested with DRM and spyware used by Microsoft (a company that considers all people to be thieves until they prove otherwise). Linux wins just because it is free and open though it looses also because it means that we must open our minds once again and learn something new. One must ask themselves why it is so complex to use? Is it done to ensure that it would take a long time to learn something new thus ensuring people use your product? The more complex something is, it is well known, that the less likely people will be to try something new. Hence the old adage: it is difficult to teach old dogs new tricks)--unless you taught them to be more open to begin with.

        So, please stop calling people fanboys and stop using profanity when telling them to shut up.
      • flxfxp, on 08/20/2008, -1/+3tl;dr
      • xxl3w, on 08/20/2008, -2/+1Hermmunster: what version of windows are you using? win98se or winME? i haven't seen a BSOD since win98 when oob nuking was popular. I take that back, my harddrive failed a few months ago and I had a BSOD.

        To keep things straight: I am a fanboy, but I enjoy both windows/linux. I don't use linux because it doesn't fit my needs. Now my 5 year old uses linux because many developers release free Tux games, educational games, and it's able to go to nickjr.com. I just dread when she wants to print something, because last time i tried to install a printer on linux it was a nightmare (although USB wasn't around those days).
      • Hermmunster, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4I own and operate a computer repair store. My job is to diagnose and repair computer issues. I see very few Win98 machines in my shop, yet I do have one from a customer at this time. I also sell and build custom machines that primarily get WinXP installed.

        It is very common to see BSODs still to this day on WinXP and to some extent the Vista equivalent.

        I would gather I have enormously more experience than you and I would venture that I see more computer related problems than you. I would also venture to say that I have a better attention span than you.

        BSODs are most often caused by hardware failures and driver issues..

        Now that you have that firmly in your mind, my comments regarding BSODs were in regards to fault tolerance. I guess I get to submit it again to all the readers given that you have created a Streisand effect. That is: Linux is much more fault tolerant than Windows XP, and even Vista.

        Here's sort of a parable that is really a true story. When Lee Iacocca joined Chrysler he fired most, if not all, of the executive level people. His reasoning was that once you set your mind to a specific way of doing things you likely will never be able to be retrained out of those habits. If was easier for him to start over with new minds than it was to try to retrain the existing personnel.

        As far as specific issues are concerned my post above also covered that. All OSes evolve and it takes time. There was a time when very few if any printers worked under Windows. There was a time when every program had to have drivers developed for each printer model. Printing has been and continues to be an issue though it is not as big an issue as it used to be. This goes for both the Windows machines and Linux, and the Mac, and any other OS.

        It would be silly to say that Linux doesn't fit any of your needs, but alas, you didn't say that. But anyone reading it would see it implied that way. What I see as your issue isn't with the needs not being filled, it is with your lack of willingness to learn new things. It may not fit every need you have as no operating system can or will, but it does fit your needs (so to speak) even if you won't admit it. Also, you don't take criticism well. You attack rather than reason. So, all I can conclude from your commentary is that you are angry that someone had something reasonable to say about a product you are biased against.

        I have set Linux up for many elderly people. The proviso is that they will have to take time to learn it. To date, not one of them have said that they are going back to Windows. It isn't that they don't go back to Windows, it is that they find that they are happy with what Linux does for them. Linux does 99% of what 90% of us want. It satisfies the needs of everyone in some way.
    • xxl3w, on 08/22/2008, -1/+1Christ, you type too much. That was much information you pulled from what I said. I didn't know you work with home PC repair. I bet that sucks. I'll explain to you why you see so many BSODS: improper driver installation, improper software installation, spyware, adware, the customer's dog pulled out video card cable while it's screwed into the video adapter port, and the 100,000 other ways end users ruin their computer. Sorry, I'm blessed, I work in a network environment where I manage what a user can do. I only see a BSOD when a disk or motherboard fails. Although at home, I have seen BSOD on winXP when a new brand of hardware comes out and the drivers are garbage.

      Good luck with that book you're writing.
    • xxl3w, on 08/22/2008, -2/+1Man, I'm sorry, I didn't answer one comment. The reason I don't use linux is because the entire time I'm using linux I'm trying to find ways to mimic windows applications.
  • PhailQuail, on 08/20/2008, -3/+11I wish that XBMC implements a MythTV frontend, if it had that (and I mean a proper implementation, no crappy scripts) than I would still be using it.

    One feature I particularly enjoyed when using XBMC on the Xbox was the ability to fast-forward and re-wind at different speeds when using the pressure sensitive shoulder buttons.
    • jerkychew, on 08/20/2008, -0/+6You can add a mythbox to your video sources by using the mythtv:// prefix, providing the option has been compiled in. Search the XBMC forums or the Mythtv-users mailing list archives for the full syntax.

      I agree that it would be nice to have a Myth FE on XBMC but as a workaround I've added an XBMC link to my MythTV menu (It's just an xml file) and I can launch XBMC while inside MythTV.
    • Protoss, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3Thats one project in the Summer of Code, so hopefully by Xmas we'll have a nice frontend integrated!
    • D_Rock, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3There is a xbmc myth tv plugin. I've been using it for over a year now.
      http://sourceforge.net/projects/xbmcmythtv
  • arcticblue, on 08/20/2008, -2/+31so wait, does it lack impressive features or not?
    • djchester, on 08/20/2008, -3/+10Depends what impresses you. Tip of the day for you: Read the article.
      • arcticblue, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4If the title says it "lacks impressive features" then you would think that is what the article is about. This is not the case though. It goes on to talk about how great it is and how much better it is than everything else. Then, finally at the bottom, they have a single tiny section about what it lacks.
    • lowtolerance, on 08/20/2008, -1/+10I would say that no, it doesn't lack impressive features, but script support could use some work. As for the ftp and http server, I think linux already has more than enough support for that.
  • sn0wmis3r, on 08/20/2008, -0/+53From XBMC's website: "Note! This is an initial Linux port. It does not yet include all the features of XBMC. Don't expect too much."

    Why is the author ripping on an unfinished app. Wait for the final linux release, THEN review it.
    • ethana2, on 08/20/2008, -1/+1Yes.
    • khatarnaak, on 08/20/2008, -1/+1Precisely my point. The author of the article should try to conytribute some man-power behind the project instead of taking cheap shots at unfinished article.

      I've no doubt that when XBMC has been fully ported, it will be the best media centre available on linux.
    • Hermmunster, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1One of the issues is that it has been in development for an extremely long time and if it isn't ready by now it may never be. I believe we are nearing the 2 year mark since the initial plan to port it to Linux.

      I know they had problems getting developer support but they do go to some extremes on making the XBMC for the XBox distributable. You have to log into IRC, then send a request, yadda yadda yadda.

      Once installed it is pretty nice and you can get updates from within the center itself, albeit you can't apply the changes you still have to do a bunch of work to get it up and running correctly (updating it is like installing it new).
      • BLKMGK, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1Oddly if I do a search for XBMC and Torrent I find plenty of sites that do not call for an IRC hunt to get into it. Installing on XBOX is like installing new - except you CAN move over the data files and not have to rescan media. On Linux it's all pretty much done for you - I update nightly and sometimes more often than that without any issues....

        Do not know how long it's been in development for Linux, do not care. The software is pretty damned awesome and has now been ported to several other platforms as a result...
      • kazamx, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3There are like 2 guys working on the Linux port (maybe more now) Both guys had full time jobs and families and could only work on the port in their spare time. there have been numerous stories on Digg where they have asked for more help. They have the skills to do it all, but not the time.

        It seems that even with very little help these guys have almost ported everything. its an amazing achievement.
      • drakia, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1http://217.118.215.116/
        XBMC for the XBox, without the runaround.
    • shanos, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1They are not even using the Atlantis Alpha 1 release.
  • depro9, on 08/20/2008, -1/+4BOXEE is a fork of XBMC
    • popololo11, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1I like BOXEE. It's not quite there yet, but it's already got the right 'feel' and a lot of potential.
    • cquilliam, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1I want to try boxee, I have an invite, but am running 64bit which there are no native packages available, and the source won't compile due to some missing libraries :(
    • HillerMylife, on 08/20/2008, -0/+2I'm glad you mentioned this. I'm building a HTPC and Boxee (from the limited info I've found about it) seems like *exactly* the software I'm looking for! I hope it matures into something amazing.
  • CharlesSaint, on 08/20/2008, -2/+37This title = Misleading Fail...
  • JCH897, on 08/20/2008, -1/+10Stupid title. XBMC is the ***** anyway, so I don't really care to get upset over it. How else would I stream pronz to my tv?
  • plhearn, on 08/20/2008, -9/+4Rachael Maddow is a lesbian
  • maninalift, on 08/20/2008, -4/+3LinuxMCE is wher it's at, roll on KDE plasma integration.
    • jerkychew, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4LinuxMCE requires very specific hardware and it's built on MythTV anyways. Just roll Mythbuntu and you can run it on a much bigger range of hardware.
      • maninalift, on 08/21/2008, -0/+1No... absolutely the opposite. Linux MCE is designed to provide a bridge so that a single consistent interface can access a range of media players and it has awesome hardware support (better than windows MCE as far as I can see). MythTV is one option for TV database.
  • seandfeeney, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3I use the latest Ushare on ubuntu 8.04.1 and it works great!
  • deaftly, on 08/20/2008, -8/+2WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA
  • TheGreatBelow, on 08/20/2008, -2/+12XBMC > *
  • Teradoc, on 08/20/2008, -9/+4Ah geez, am I the only one who clicked it....think it was a new XKCD comic?
  • davdev, on 08/20/2008, -7/+2Call me when there is a Linux Media Center that can play Blu-Ray with full res audio. Until then, I am stuck with a windows Media Center
    • BLKMGK, on 08/20/2008, -1/+2Not sure why this is dugg down. Is true that XBMC and everything else cannot do this. Crypto issues and issues with sound over HDMI are problems. Meanwhile I'm perfectly fine ripping my BD and HD-DVD to MKV containers with some light H.264 processing and sticking to 5.1 Surround sound. Looks and sounds GREAT!
    • kwilliam, on 08/20/2008, -0/+5Who uses Blu-Ray?
      • davdev, on 08/20/2008, -2/+1Uhm, anyone who actually cares about Picture and Sound quality. DVD may be good enough for you, but I want more, and Blu-Ray delivers it. Unfortunately getting it to work properly, even on a Windows machine, is a pain in the ass.

        BLKMGK, I agree MKV is a great option, and supposedly you can convert the lossless audio to FLAC and it will work in Linux, but to me that is way to much work.
      • BLKMGK, on 08/21/2008, -0/+1davdev - it's some work but it also means that all of my media is online and not stuck in disk cases all over the place. I have over 600 DVD and a pile of BDHD-DVD and all of those cases quickly became a tempting target for theft. Anyone who came into my home saw them and friends thought I was BlockBuster - serious PITA! Now all are packed away in totes and the media is served up via unRAID servers. With this XBMC front-end it's all cataloged and at my fingertips. It is a PITA when I get a new movie and cannot watch it right away but I have the whole work process for rippingcompressing down pat and it only takes me a little while to prepare it. Compressing can take a good bit of time - Harry Potter #1 took 14 hours - but if I want more speed I can use a quad core to speed it up a good bit. I could also just not compress it but some of the file sizes are nutz - Harry #1 was over 29Gigs for video alone!

        So, I compress to save space and try to be patient. eac3to, SlySoft AnyDVD-HD, meGUI, and a few other utilities all work together to make this possible. The end result is my feet up on the table watching most anything I want with "just" 5.1 sound - and I'm okay with that. Oh and yeah eac3to can do FLAC files. If I ever had a huge "theater" at home maybe I'd care more about it but if it comes to it I do have the original media. To each their own...
      • davdev, on 08/21/2008, -0/+1BLKMGK:
        I should clarify, every movie I have is ripped down to my server as Video_TS and ISO files. I couldn't live without my server. However, I do not like to compress, as even with the best methods, I can clearly see and hear the difference. That is why I don't convert to MKV.
  • MrStat, on 08/20/2008, -13/+3I would simplify that headline to : Linux Lacks Impressive (or other) Features
  • timsline, on 08/20/2008, -1/+8Title is misleading. Let's dig quality over quantity, okay optimus?
  • amenic, on 08/20/2008, -5/+5XBMC was impressive for the Xbox, but is definitely far from ready on the PC. Have an Ati card? Stay far away and also do not bother unless you have more recent hardware.

    For me the point of a media center is to use older hardware (or at least lesser or cheaper hardware). Very very unimpressed with what I have seen so far. Last time I tried to run XBMC on Ubuntu the make script was going into an infinite loop. I just do not think these guys are trying very hard OR they release so many new builds in which they break it, it's hard to to grab the right one.

    And why does it work better with Nvidia cards than Ati? Like we are talking Ati cards yield playback that is entirely green and unviewable. I don't buy that it's that much work to get passed that - I think these guys are having a lot of problems making software work for a PC world which has endless configurations vs an Xbox world where the hardware is pretty much standard. In my opinion, this software is no where near ready for prime time.

    • cquilliam, on 08/20/2008, -1/+8That hasn't been my experience at all. I have found that XBMC has worked flawlessly on my Ubuntu 8.04 64bit install, it does just about everything I want it to do, and does it nicely. And the best part of it is, it looks freakin amazing on my computer lcd. For so long I was used to using XBMC on my xbox plugged into a crappy CRT tv, I had no idea it could look this good. Whenever I use it around other people, they are very impressed by it.

      Anyways, I dugg you up anyways. Just because I haven't experienced what you have, doesn't mean your points aren't valid and may very well be experienced by many others.
    • jerkychew, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3Nvidia works better because:

      A) ATI Lists MythTV as "unsupported" on their knowledgebase, causing Linux devs to run away screaming.

      B) Even though Nvidia's proprietary driver is closed source, it works very well with Linux and has a nice happy install script that I've used on Fedora and Ubuntu.

      C) Nvidia works very well with XVMC, which uses your GPU to render HD. I've got a $30 fanless GeForce 5200 card in my MythTV/XBMC box and it runs beautifully.
    • sexybobo, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3@amenic
      it is an alpha of course it is going to have trouble.
    • BLKMGK, on 08/20/2008, -0/+2Why are you not using the included Build.sh script? It is working FINE on my G35 based hardware - brand new stuff at the time it was purchased. So long as Ubuntu supports the chipset I'm good to go. Digital out? Works great on my box. ATI? Well, ask ATI why their drivers suck and we'd all know the answer to that! The devs have been pulling their hair out on this and working hard to fix it. Meanwhile I went and got a $70 NVIDIA card and it works PERFECTLY.

      Sounds to me like you're one of those people who grab something, try it once without researching or reading directions, and then move on to something else while proclaiming that the other thing SUX. Sadly sometimes idiots listen and miss out on a good thing as a result
  • DeuceDiggalow, on 08/20/2008, -11/+3Microsoft Propaganda
    • Arkz, on 08/20/2008, -0/+2What? ...no serious WHAT? XBMC is a homebrew programme.. MS has nothing to do with it
  • Rossimo, on 08/20/2008, -0/+18It is kind of a low blow to criticize developing projects like this. XBMC is an amazing piece of software, I've used both the the XBox and Linux versions. The features the writer wants will come, he's just impatient.
  • Rossimo, on 08/20/2008, -3/+9It is kind of a low blow to criticize developing projects like this. XBMC is an amazing piece of software, I've used both the the XBox and Linux versions. The features the writer wants will come, he's just impatient.
  • SupaDawg, on 08/20/2008, -2/+7I've been doing some pretty extensive testing of Atlantis (Current feature frozen version of XBMC). With the notable inability to test the current osx version, i've dug deep into the Windows, Linux and Xbox versions.

    The native xbox version is still by far the best. While development has moved on to focus heavily on the PC versions, the xbox version retains all that makes it great. It's essentially the same app on the xbox as it was a year ago, just very polished.

    While i was having some luck with the Linux version (under Ubuntu64.. I have heard it works better under 32bit), I have had some solid issues. As of the current nightlies,XBMC for Linux no longer sees my USB hard drives in linux, and also refuses to scale properly to my screen.

    The Windows version in its current state is great. Not even a few months ago it was missing a lot of small features that rendered it unusable. It still has a whole lot of ground to make up before it surpasses other media center apps in Windows, but it is making great strides. My only complaint is that it still functions rather slowly on a large library.

    If you haven't used XBMC in a while, give it another try. It might not be the best out there, but it's getting there. And it is by far one of the best looking media center apps.

    And check out the "MediaStream" skin. One of the most beautiful skins around (included with the latest T3CH Xbox SVN build)
  • anchorman, on 08/20/2008, -0/+5I current run XBMC on my XBOX. I will upgrade to a dedicated Linux machine once XBMC is fully cooked for that platform. I know it will rock... just give 'em enough time.
  • Evi1d33d, on 08/20/2008, -1/+4I hope they port it to PS3 linux next. I know PS3 works just fine as a multimedia player but it lacks some of the flexibility (sub/audio delay, custom zoom and stretching, skins, etc.) and number of supported codecs (.MKV, .RM, etc.).
    • etruscan, on 08/20/2008, -0/+2Would love to see it run on the PS3... which is the best candidate for "media center" in the current console lineup and would be made even better by being able to run XBMC (or... PSMC?)
      • BLKMGK, on 08/20/2008, -0/+2Don't hold your breathe. there's a long thread about this in the Dev area on the forums. For now it ain't happening but it might see an ARM port first - who knows. Video acceleration is an issue on the PS3
  • bdbr, on 08/20/2008, -1/+1Is there a way to control this with a remote? It seems like the advantage of a game console is that some sort of remote would already be available (though a game controller probably isn't the best media center remote).
    • BLKMGK, on 08/20/2008, -0/+2Yes, MCE remote from ZipZoomFly - is what I use for a receiver with a HARMONY remote. Pretty much PnP with Lirc under Ubuntu 32bit.
  • TheZorch, on 08/20/2008, -1/+1It will be interesting to see if this is better than MythTV which has previously been the defacto Media Center for Linux. I don't have XBMC but this sounds pretty interesting and I've heard a lot of good things about it. Too bad it doesn't have PVR, but the PC version could easily have it added by the dev team.
  • vagarach, on 08/20/2008, -1/+5I don't know why these people are complaining, it's a work-in-progress port, so it'll come in time!
  • onesojourner, on 08/20/2008, -1/+7xbmc is far better than myth for my needs, its also much easier to set up. Not to mention it is 100 times better looking than any media center out there.

    http://www.aeonproject.com/dropbin/aeonstark_skyli ...
  • avinsd, on 08/20/2008, -1/+0Please keep the television off my XBMC! It isn't MythTV and it's not supposed to be. Just let them focus their time on the web and scripting interface and don't waste time. The ability to play HD content from XBMC is a thrilling prospect and the main reason for the port as the original Xbox cannot play true HD content.
  • Hermmunster, on 08/20/2008, -2/+1I use the XBMC on my modded original XBOX. NO NO please don't call the DHS on me. I am just a user. I don't use it to launder money. Come on.

    Anyway, the XBMC works well. I don't play games on it at all, I just watch videos, play music, control it with my browser (even on my iphone I can start and stop songs/videos). But it has lots of bugs and has an extremely long way to go before it is of any serious quality. I keep it up to date and I undrestand the need to grow,but it would have been better had they just fixed the XBMC for the XBox and left it at that.
    • BLKMGK, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3Long ways to go on XBOX?! Sounds like you need to update! I seldom run into issues on the XBOX and the reason for the port was HD video - the 700mhz P3 (!!) on the XBOX is too damned slow for HD video.
  • zakharm, on 08/20/2008, -5/+1Plex FTW!
    • BLKMGK, on 08/20/2008, -1/+1Plex is pretty kewl too and it's sad that the fork occurred. Hopefully both sides can still get coding ideas from one another but the sniping from the XBMC devs really doesn't make for a happy atmosphere. They pushed away a talented developer, it's a shame. I may yet get a Mac just to try it out :-)
  • refugeechris, on 08/20/2008, -0/+10Buried as inaccurate.
  • sodade, on 08/20/2008, -1/+1I wonder if many people are running this thing on their XBox. Like many, I have an old Xbox sitting around, but I can't see the point in going through all kinds of hassle and expense to get someone to break in to the box and solder in a spendy chip. Unfortunately, my DIY skills don't extend to soldering on circuit boards.
  • taseedorf, on 08/20/2008, -1/+6Some people complain about XBMC..... well, *****, its open source so learn to write code or ***** off.
  • yuvalt, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4Bad bad article. Misleading. Wrong.
  • bevans, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4The articles author's blog "Lacks Impressive Features"
    http://geekybodhi.net/blog/

    XBMC is the only reason there is still an Xbox in my living room.
  • PainToad, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4XBMC Response:
    http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?p=211761#post ...
  • hidetoshi, on 08/21/2008, -0/+4Full credit to the XBMC team
  •  

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