[eagle63]

Hey guys, I'm a brand new XBMC user though I'm an otherwise experienced HTPC guy. (currently using WMC and have used MythTV as well in the past) Since I have a first-gen Apple TV laying around I decided to throw XBMC on it following the steps on the wiki. I installed the linux CrystalBuntu build and also purchased/installed the Crystal HD GPU card. I'm not sure if I have a good use-case for using XBMC, but my geek curiosity got the better of me and I decided to check it out.

I have a ton of general newbie questions, but before I get into those I was just curious if the Apple TV (specifically the first-gen one) is a good choice for running XMBC? The reason why I'm asking is because so far I'm highly impressed. The speed is very snappy, and stability seems to be just fine. Is there a limited feature-set on a device like the AppleTV compared to a full computer running XMBC? Am I missing something by using an ATV? In my case all my media is stored on a NAS device, so I don't really need or care about local storage. But even if I did care about that, I could conceivably install a big hard drive on the ATV and be good to go right?

Maybe what I'm really getting at is: if I end up liking xbmc and want to continue using it beyond this little proof-of-concept phase, is there any reason to dump the ATV and run XBMC on a true HTPC instead?

Thanks for any comments,

[aaronb]

ATV1 is an excellent choice. With the CrystalHD it plays pretty much everything, the UI is quick and responsive, and it is pretty quiet.

[eagle63]

Thanks aaronb, I'm glad to hear that as this is way cheaper/quieter/easier than running a full computer. So what happens when a new version of XBMC is released? Am I able to upgrade just like everyone else, or am I dependent upon someone releasing a new build of CrystalBuntu?

[Ned Scott]

XBMC on an ATV1 + BCHD gives you the full feature set of XBMC. There might be some heavy skins that won't run as well on it as they would a faster CPU/computer, but that's the same with any given low-powered system. I use my ATV1+BCHD as my main HTPC. I'm even in the process of setting up DVR/Live TV features on the ATV1 that allow me to watch and record live TV via my USB tuner card.

EDIT: Sam, the guy who makes Crystalbuntu, is pretty good about keeping things up to date. Crystalbuntu checks for updates and automatically takes care of both system and XBMC updates each time the ATV1 is started up (or rebooted).

[idioteque]

I used it but didn't like it.

I use the AEON skin and running if felt too slow. With a library with 150 artists and 500 albums it was just too slow for me. I opted for a 2009 mac mini cheap.