[Wafflebot]

Hello everybody. First time poster here. I've read a great deal of the wiki and scoured the forums to research XBMC as much as possible. I think I have an idea of what XBMC is all about, being just a front-end. Here's where I get slightly confused though:

XBMC is installed on a device/computer that's attached directly to my TV, right? Hopefully via HDMI? Then it's intended for that device to display streamed media via ethernet from another source, right? So it's ultimately the best idea to get something small, low-profiled but still reasonably powerful to sit next to my TV? Lifehacker had an article that I read a while ago that got my interest. In that article, they mentioned the Acer AspireRevo. That device is no longer available though, so I wonder what people are using instead?

Sorry, I know these are very noobish questions, but I've been reading so much about XBMC lately that I think I'm starting to confuse myself.

[PatK]

XBMC is installed on a device/computer that's attached directly to my TV, right?Hopefully via HDMI?

Correct.

Then it's intended for that device to display streamed media via ethernet from another source, right?

Not so much... it's a media center that plays your disks, cds, dvd, blue-ray and mostly hard drive media, local or networked. think of it as a very configurable player program that manages your library of media in a way that makes it easy to acess. It does stream material through add-ons and plug-ins and is more a side attribute to the main effort (read 3rd party), although in some instances has taken priority over the player/managment side of things. I've personally amassed over 50 video plugins and have access to 1000's of sources now..

So it's ultimately the best idea to get something small, low-profiled but still reasonably powerful to sit next to my TV?

Many different configurations from small Apple TV2 units, to full blown computers with server arrangements over a entire building. Most people with XBMC have personal collections of media that exceed a simple folder of data on a hard drive. One look, in the hardware forum, and it's all about terabyte storage, nas systems and everywhere else about custom-ability and skin choices.

Lifehacker had an article that I read a while ago that got my interest. In that article, they mentioned the Acer AspireRevo. That device is no longer available though, so I wonder what people are using instead?

Check out http://forum.xbmc.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=112 and ask a few questions... it's all user driven and moderated by knowledgeable staff that are close to the development of XBMC . for myself... a nice spiffy computer with graphic accelerator and tons of storage available is a must, but that's me. I do respect lifehacker articles... here's another for you to look at.. http://lifehacker.com/5900626/create-a-k...lete-guide and if that's not enough a search in Youtube will waste another few nights

BTW: Welcome to the Forums.

[stammie]

. In that article, they mentioned the Acer AspireRevo. That device is no longer available though, so I wonder what people are using instead?

Hi Wafflebot, I don't know what location you're in but here in the UK Acer Revo's are still available, just 2 weeks ago I bought myself a revo 3700 and set it up as a windows 7 pc mainly to run xbmc as a little htpc in my bedroom.

I've also set up two Revo rl70's for friends in the past month which although slightly more expensive (£10 more) are very capable little nettops/htpc's, imho even though I really like my 3700 the rl70's are slightly better albeit with a smaller hard drive.

One word of caution though the cheap ones come with a completely useless version of Linux (called Limpus) as an OS, you definately have to factor in putting a different OS on the box, either a better version of Linux, openelec, xbmcbuntu or windows if you have a copy you can install.

XBMC is a great htpc program, the best by far in my opinion but it can be a little confusing to get right when you're a noob, search the forums and anything you can't work out ask for help, there are many helpful and friendly people on this forum.