[hcowan]

Hello,

I am new to the whole HTPC / Media Server / XBMC scene and so I have a bunch of general questions.

1. What is the main difference with say running an XBMC box versus buying for example, the "Western Digital Media Player"?

The main reason that I ask is, if I can buy the Western Digital Media player for $100, but if I need to upgrade my spare computer that costs more than $100, it would be nice to know why I am spending the extra $$$.

2. Can the XBMC serve content to a DLNA certified device?

The spare computer that I have for potentially running the XBMC server does not have an HDMI out port. I do have a Samsung Blu-ray player though that is DLNA certified and connects to the network.

In order to save costs, I was wondering if I could essentially play content from the XBMC through the DLNA Blu-ray player? Hence saving the need to purchase a specific HMDI out video card.

3. Can you remotely control the XBMC with say a netbook?

The spare computer is rather large and noisy, and I would prefer not to have it in the living room beside the TV. The best place would be in the basement where no one can hear it. I have a network connection down there so that is not a problem, but obviously it would be a pain to have to go *down* to the basement in order to select something to play.

I have a netbook which I use all the time for surfing the web, and was wondering if I could use it as essentially a "remote-control" and control the XBMC with it?

I hope my questions are clear and not to wordy!

Thanks for any help, suggestions or comments.

Hugh

[rocketpants]

1. What is the main difference with say running an XBMC box versus buying for example, the "Western Digital Media Player"?

Have a look at some screen shots of XBMC and WDMP. WDMP basically just gives you a list of files and you can play them on your TV. XBMC allows you to display DVD cover art, fan art, movie / tv info, marks if you have watched the video, create playlists and so on. There is no comparison.

[mhardy]

1. What is the main difference with say running an XBMC box versus buying for example, the "Western Digital Media Player"?

Media players such as the western digital are great for some people who just want to watch the videos, but XBMC provides much more power. It supports more formats, including all HD content. It can also provide details and thumbnails/posters for all of your media. As you already know, it's just a very slick setup, and IMO cannot be matched by any of the cheap media players.

In order to get the most of XBMC, ensure you are scraping all your media to the library.

2. Can the XBMC serve content to a DLNA certified device?

The spare computer that I have for potentially running the XBMC server does not have an HDMI out port. I do have a Samsung Blu-ray player though that is DLNA certified and connects to the network.

In order to save costs, I was wondering if I could essentially play content from the XBMC through the DLNA Blu-ray player? Hence saving the need to purchase a specific HMDI out video card.

As far as I know, XBMC does not support serving to DLNA devices, but I'm not sure why you would as that would defeat the purpose of XBMC. If you serve media via DLNA, you use the interface provided by that device, rather than the XBMC interface, which is the whole point of XBMC. If you just want to serve to the DLNA device, there are plenty of other options. You can purchase a video card with HDMI for under 50 bucks, sometimes under 20.

3. Can you remotely control the XBMC with say a netbook?

The spare computer is rather large and noisy, and I would prefer not to have it in the living room beside the TV. The best place would be in the basement where no one can hear it. I have a network connection down there so that is not a problem, but obviously it would be a pain to have to go *down* to the basement in order to select something to play.

I have a netbook which I use all the time for surfing the web, and was wondering if I could use it as essentially a "remote-control" and control the XBMC with it?

There are some basic controls provided via the default web interface, but I don't know if that would help in your situation. Without the computer connected to the TV, you would need to run a video cable of some sort to the location of the computer, which probably won't be easy.

[hcowan]

Hi,

Thanks so much for your reply and answers.

As far as I know, XBMC does not support serving to DLNA devices, but I'm not sure why you would as that would defeat the purpose of XBMC. If you serve media via DLNA, you use the interface provided by that device, rather than the XBMC interface, which is the whole point of XBMC. If you just want to serve to the DLNA device, there are plenty of other options. You can purchase a video card with HDMI for under 50 bucks, sometimes under 20.

The only reason that I was thinking of that was it was a fairly cheap way to connect to my TV through HDMI as I didn't have an HDMI out from my computer, but I do have an existing DLNA device.

In a typical XBMC setup (if there is such a thing), do you always just connect the computer to the TV via an HDMI out from the video card?

Is it possible (cheaper?) to just get a card with an HDMI out, or does it need to be an actual video card with an HDMI out connector?

There are some basic controls provided via the default web interface, but I don't know if that would help in your situation. Without the computer connected to the TV, you would need to run a video cable of some sort to the location of the computer, which probably won't be easy.

It's only 10 feet from the computer to the TV through the basement ceiling so physically connecting it is not a problem. Again, in a typical setup, how would you control XBMC. Do you do it on the actual computer running XBMC, or can you use a remote control. If it's a remote control, do you need to get a specific XBMC one?

Thanks again for your help.

Hugh

[jhsrennie]

I think most of us have our TVs connected to the video card via an HDMI cable. HDMI is electrically the same as the DVI connector that's been on video cards for ages, so it's easy for manufacturers to add an HDMI connector to a video card. In fact you can get a DVI to HDMI cable and use that to connect your TV to the DVI connector on your video card, though DVI doesn't include sound so you won't get any audio through a DVI to HDM cable.

I have several HTPCs, and I generally use fanless NVIDIA G210 or similar cards. These are perfectly adequate for XBMC (though underpowered for 3D gaming!), they do include audio through the HDMI connector, and of course being fanless they're silent. They're also pretty cheap.

For controlling XBMC I use a Microsoft remote. The HTPC sits under the TV so obviously I don't want to have to walk over to it every time I want to play anything. XBMC is designed to be operated by a remote, though admittedly text input can be a bit tedious. For the few occasions when I need to use the HTPC as a PC, e.g. to use the BBC iPlayer, I have a bluetooth keyboard/mouse. However I very rarely need to use this.

JR

[hcowan]

I have several HTPCs, and I generally use fanless NVIDIA G210 or similar cards. These are perfectly adequate for XBMC (though underpowered for 3D gaming!), they do include audio through the HDMI connector, and of course being fanless they're silent. They're also pretty cheap.

Thanks for the reply and information. I have an older PC which only has PCI slots, and when I searched for NVIDIA G210 cards they are all PCI Express.

Are there any other Video Cards that you could recommend that come in the PCI variety? (I also realize that my machine might be too *old* and that I might have to upgrade it first).

For controlling XBMC I use a Microsoft remote. The HTPC sits under the TV so obviously I don't want to have to walk over to it every time I want to play anything. XBMC is designed to be operated by a remote, though admittedly text input can be a bit tedious. For the few occasions when I need to use the HTPC as a PC, e.g. to use the BBC iPlayer, I have a bluetooth keyboard/mouse. However I very rarely need to use this.

JR

Does the Microsoft remote only work if you are running the Windows versions of XBMC? Also, do you need to have a special case that contains an IR remote receiver, or do you get a receiver with the remote that just plugs into the USB port or something?

Thanks,

Hugh

[rocketpants]

Thanks for the reply and information. I have an older PC which only has PCI slots, and when I searched for NVIDIA G210 cards they are all PCI Express.

Do you have an AGP slot? You may have better luck finding a suitable video card for AGP (http://www.shopping.com/graphics-cards/s...p/products)

Does the Microsoft remote only work if you are running the Windows versions of XBMC? Also, do you need to have a special case that contains an IR remote receiver, or do you get a receiver with the remote that just plugs into the USB port or something?

You dont need to be running windows to use an MCE remote. Usually if you buy one you get an IR receiver with it that plugs into USB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product)

[waldo22]

Are there any other Video Cards that you could recommend that come in the PCI variety? (I also realize that my machine might be too *old* and that I might have to upgrade it first).

Nvidia GeForce 8400GS with at least 512MB RAM.

like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814187042

Fanless, $45 including shipping.

-Wes

[waldo22]

Forget AGP.

As far as I know, there aren't any Nvidia AGP cards that support HW acceleration, which you really should have with an older PC.

They are still making the PCI cards with Geforce 8400GS and 9400/9500 chipsets though. The 9xxx series are too expensive, I think - you may as well upgrade your motherboard.

But the PCI 8400GS is quite affordable.

-Wes

[jhsrennie]

Does the Microsoft remote only work if you are running the Windows versions of XBMC? Also, do you need to have a special case that contains an IR remote receiver, or do you get a receiver with the remote that just plugs into the USB port or something?

XBMC Live includes support for Microsoft remotes and MS compatibles, also known as eHome or RC6 remotes. Not every MCE remote will work with XBMC Live because MCE remotes are less standardised than you might think. See http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Usi..._with_XBMC for details.

JR

[hcowan]

XBMC Live includes support for Microsoft remotes and MS compatibles, also known as eHome or RC6 remotes. Not every MCE remote will work with XBMC Live because MCE remotes are less standardised than you might think. See http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Usi..._with_XBMC for details.

JR

Thanks for the information and link. I will check it out.

Hugh

[hcowan]

Forget AGP.

As far as I know, there aren't any Nvidia AGP cards that support HW acceleration, which you really should have with an older PC.

They are still making the PCI cards with Geforce 8400GS and 9400/9500 chipsets though. The 9xxx series are too expensive, I think - you may as well upgrade your motherboard.

But the PCI 8400GS is quite affordable.

-Wes

Hi Wes,

Thanks for the information. I am a bit confused (nothing new) as when I did my intial reading / research and was checking the manual, it mentions that the most important thing concerning hardware is the CPU as the decoding is software based and therefore CPU intensive. I would have assumed then that it would not use Hardware Acceleration?

The spare machine that I have and was planning to use for XBMC is a Pentium III 866Mhz with 512 MB RAM. If I upgraded to the PCI 8400GS video card, would my machine be fast enough, or would it still be to slow?

(I am assuming of course that the Pentium III with a standard integrated video card would be too slow on it's own)

It's funny, when I checked the link that you gave for Newegg.com it shows the video card, but when I check Newegg.ca (I'm in Canada) it doesn't list the card. :confused2:

Hugh

[branlr]

Hi Wes,

Thanks for the information. I am a bit confused (nothing new) as when I did my intial reading / research and was checking the manual, it mentions that the most important thing concerning hardware is the CPU as the decoding is software based and therefore CPU intensive. I would have assumed then that it would not use Hardware Acceleration?

The spare machine that I have and was planning to use for XBMC is a Pentium III 866Mhz with 512 MB RAM. If I upgraded to the PCI 8400GS video card, would my machine be fast enough, or would it still be to slow?

(I am assuming of course that the Pentium III with a standard integrated video card would be too slow on it's own)

It's funny, when I checked the link that you gave for Newegg.com it shows the video card, but when I check Newegg.ca (I'm in Canada) it doesn't list the card. :confused2:

Hugh

Hi,

XBMC definitely does support hardware decoding, so you need a video card with a gpu.

Your pentium III is quite old, and quite slow. If you have a video card that supports hardware acceleration, I would not worry about video. However, that processor itself might have a difficult time handling XBMC's interface, especially with so little memory.

My advice, personally--get a cheap atom/ion box. Few hundred dollars, and will probably handle xbmc much better than your current machine. Especially if you change the boot drive to a solid state hard drive.

The issue with xbmc on your current machine will be that the user interface needs to constantly access a ton of cached images, which can be slow on a mechanical hard drive, and will be exacerbated by low amount of memory (computer will have to keep re-accessing them from the slow mechanical hard drive, using it's slow p3 processor )

[hcowan]

Hi,

XBMC definitely does support hardware decoding, so you need a video card with a gpu.

Your pentium III is quite old, and quite slow. If you have a video card that supports hardware acceleration, I would not worry about video. However, that processor itself might have a difficult time handling XBMC's interface, especially with so little memory.

Would it still be fast enough to play HD content? Not specifically Blu-rays, but I have a HD camcorder that records 1080p / 720p in the H.264 format.

My advice, personally--get a cheap atom/ion box. Few hundred dollars, and will probably handle xbmc much better than your current machine. Especially if you change the boot drive to a solid state hard drive.

A cheap atom / ion box would refer to an Atom processor with the ION chipset? I have seen such references in a number of places. How much RAM would you suggest? Usually the standard is 1GB, is that enough or is 2GB better (I realize you can never have enough RAM). In terms of the processor, is a single core Atom fine, or do you need the dual core version?

Finally, the machine that I currently use is a P4 2.4GHz with 2GB RAM and an integrated video card (Intel Extreme Graphics integrated with Intel 845G chipset). Would that be fast enough?

I am just thinking that rather than spending a few hundred dollars getting a new box just for XBMC, I might be better off getting a new main computer and using my current one for XBMC instead.

Thanks for your help.

Hugh,

[branlr]

With a video card that supports hardware accelleration, the playback of HD content should work regardless of your computers speed in general (within reason).

So the issue becomes more about how the processor/ram/mechanical hard drive is going to handle all of xbmc's eye candy on the menus and such...

The Pentium III machine with only 512 of ram would be very laggy probably. The Pentium IV would be better, but not fantastic--probably comparable to the atom/ion. I don't know if the integrated graphics on your P4 machine will do hardware accelleration, but I would guess, based on age, that it doesn't--which means no HD without a video card purchase--which is fine, but AGP video cards are surprisingly expensive compared to their PCI-e counterparts, and I don't think oldschool PCI video card is a good idea for reasons of a bandwidth bottleneck on that type of socket, but I'm not sure.

The reason the atom/ion combo is so popular:

1. Its cheap.
2. The processor is just powerful enough to run xbmc totally smoothly, but consumes very little electricity and generates very little heat and therefore less noise because you don't need loud fans to cool it. Usually this type of thing is best if you have network storage somewhere--- which, come to think of it, might be a good use for one of your current machines.
3. The integrated graphics card does hardware acceleration beautifully for 1080p content.
4. It's litterally perfect to run xbmc, especially with a solid state hard drive (silent, no heat, less fan needed, quicker xbmc UI from quicker cache access time)--but probably want to store your media on another computer.

If I were you, I'd turn the P3 or P4 into a network-attached-storage system, buy a cheap atom/ion box for the htpc itself, and if you have budget just get a newer computer, cause that stuff is getting pretty old... I am typing this on P4 computer, and they are still okay for basic stuff, but really... pretty cheap computers out perform them these days.

Also, to answer your question, you don't need dual core atom to play HD because it is not the atom processor that is doing the video decoding, it is the ion gpu... but the dual core might provide a boost to xbmc UI performance in heavier skins... and 2gb would also help that... and so would the solid state hard drive (ssd)