[ahmada]

What is the difference if you are going to build a system specifically as an HTPC nothing else?? There are tons of different versions of linux out there which one should I use specifically for an HTPC running Nvidia ION330 and will it support flash 10.1 beta?

[FishOil]

What is the difference if you are going to build a system specifically as an HTPC nothing else?? There are tons of different versions of linux out there which one should I use specifically for an HTPC running Nvidia ION330 and will it support flash 10.1 beta?

Boxxe IMO is in terrible shape right now.


You dont need to pick a linux version for an HTPC. Just install the live version of which ever one you pick (Boxee or XBMC).

Both can do what the other does but the each have their own focus.
Boxee is geared more for internet TV. XBMC is geared more for Movies and TV shows from a local source (such as a NAS or hard drive).

IMO XBMC is the clear choice. Stable, Well supported, Good forums, Excellent hardware support.

[nu1mlock]

I actually tried Boxee for the first time today. I liked the GUI (the "skin" it's using) and the social network-focus.

However, there's lots of downsides with Boxee. For example, it can't handle rar-archives the same way that XBMC does. I'm not sure if it can play movies/shows inside rar's, but they archived movies/shows DOES NOT appear in the library. Do you really want to use the file manager each time you want to watch a movie? I don't.

There's lots of other downsides too, but that was a dead-breaker for me. Sure, it's nice, and I like the social networks that are integrated into Boxee, but if there's no library feature, then there's no point in using it. And no, I'm not going to extract 2000 shows and several hundred movies just to make them appear in the library.

So, XBMC is the clear choice.

[ahmada]

I actually tried Boxee for the first time today. I liked the GUI (the "skin" it's using) and the social network-focus.

However, there's lots of downsides with Boxee. For example, it can't handle rar-archives the same way that XBMC does. I'm not sure if it can play movies/shows inside rar's, but they archived movies/shows DOES NOT appear in the library. Do you really want to use the file manager each time you want to watch a movie? I don't.

There's lots of other downsides too, but that was a dead-breaker for me. Sure, it's nice, and I like the social networks that are integrated into Boxee, but if there's no library feature, then there's no point in using it. And no, I'm not going to extract 2000 shows and several hundred movies just to make them appear in the library.

So, XBMC is the clear choice.

I heard that you can run SABnzbd on XBMC.. Is that true? is there anyway to run BOXEE from within XBMC? What version of Linux are you using?

[daprofessor]

I currently have both installed on my Ubuntu HTPC. As of now I prefer XBMC, Boxee seems to be a little bit buggy. I will say I use Boxee for Hulu though.

[FishOil]

I will say I use Boxee for Hulu though.

Thats the ONLY reason I use it. However, Huludesktop does just as good for me.

[ahmada]

Is ubuntu 10.04 a good choice for an HTPC?

[Bram77]

Is ubuntu 10.04 a good choice for an HTPC?

I'd wait a little bit. I'm using it every day on my desktop, but it's still in Beta stage, so some stuff is unstable and incompatible. A few eeks after the official release would be a better moment.

Other then that 10.4 (LTS!) is absolutely the best choice since a lot of new hardware is supported out of the box, ext4 is a lot more reliable nowadays en boot times are reduced. This is the first time I'm using x64 and ext4 longer then a week without frustrations. And the speed improvements are clearly noticeable compared to 9.10.

[ahmada]

Instead of having to choose between boxee and XBMC can I run boxee from within XBMC or VICE VERSA?