2011-08-25, 07:55
Considering the issues people including myself have encountered in getting xbmc setups to work with atv2, I thought it would be useful to have some positive examples of working setups. This maybe handy for those with similar equipment. By a successful/working setup, I mean one which meets or exceeds expectations as per the stickys.
I must say that although I did plenty of reading in order to improve and tune my setup, most of the improvements simply came from the progress of the builds, especially the nightlies. A thanks to those contributing.
Intro:
I regard mine as a neat/minimalistic setup without compromising output, i.e. 720p, (plays 1080p files) and provides Digitial audio.
Previous issues encountered:
1. Stuttering & buffering of supported formats.
2. Slow scraping.
3. Slow fannart loading.
Hardware:
1. Atv2 version 4.1.4 ; xbmc nightly 240811 (running 4.1.3 with the recent nighties also achieved the same)
2. iMac intel duo core 2 ghz (2008) - Lion using Media master (http sharing). (running leopard with smb sharing achieved the same) (snow leopard caused some issues - downgraded back to leopard)
3. WD Elements 2 TB connected to iMac via usb 2.0 - Contains all the content.
4. Airport Extreme 2nd gen.
5. Samsung 720p plasma, late onkyo dts, digital receiver.
Network:
ATV2 <----Ethernet----> Airport Extreme
IMAC <-----Wifi----------->Airport Extreme (distance approx: 3 rooms non-brick walls)
Wifi: Forced to 5ghz using n only.
Airport utility settings: Channel 149; Multicast rate: 100%; Wide channels selected; Transmit power: High
Skin:
Using Rapier beta versions and currently RC1.
Previous skins that have delivered good performance for me have included Transparency, Night, Confluence.
Testing:
I haven't done any problem specific testing, although I was wondering if I should at one stage. Its simply whether I am able to stream a high bitrate file of choice smoothly.
File used:
Lord of the rings 1, size 24gig, format: mkv, 1080p, dts 5.1 audio.
Successful scenarios whilst streaming this file:
1. Normal safari browsing the internet on the iMac.
2. Using Skype on the iMac.
3. Simultaneously streaming the same file to xbmc installed on iPad2. XBMC froze/crashed only if I seeked on either playback.
Future potential improvements:
1. Connecting Imac via ethernet to Airport extreme.
2. Moving content from the external drive on the iMac to a NAS device.
Suggestions welcome!
I must say that although I did plenty of reading in order to improve and tune my setup, most of the improvements simply came from the progress of the builds, especially the nightlies. A thanks to those contributing.
Intro:
I regard mine as a neat/minimalistic setup without compromising output, i.e. 720p, (plays 1080p files) and provides Digitial audio.
Previous issues encountered:
1. Stuttering & buffering of supported formats.
2. Slow scraping.
3. Slow fannart loading.
Hardware:
1. Atv2 version 4.1.4 ; xbmc nightly 240811 (running 4.1.3 with the recent nighties also achieved the same)
2. iMac intel duo core 2 ghz (2008) - Lion using Media master (http sharing). (running leopard with smb sharing achieved the same) (snow leopard caused some issues - downgraded back to leopard)
3. WD Elements 2 TB connected to iMac via usb 2.0 - Contains all the content.
4. Airport Extreme 2nd gen.
5. Samsung 720p plasma, late onkyo dts, digital receiver.
Network:
ATV2 <----Ethernet----> Airport Extreme
IMAC <-----Wifi----------->Airport Extreme (distance approx: 3 rooms non-brick walls)
Wifi: Forced to 5ghz using n only.
Airport utility settings: Channel 149; Multicast rate: 100%; Wide channels selected; Transmit power: High
Skin:
Using Rapier beta versions and currently RC1.
Previous skins that have delivered good performance for me have included Transparency, Night, Confluence.
Testing:
I haven't done any problem specific testing, although I was wondering if I should at one stage. Its simply whether I am able to stream a high bitrate file of choice smoothly.
File used:
Lord of the rings 1, size 24gig, format: mkv, 1080p, dts 5.1 audio.
Successful scenarios whilst streaming this file:
1. Normal safari browsing the internet on the iMac.
2. Using Skype on the iMac.
3. Simultaneously streaming the same file to xbmc installed on iPad2. XBMC froze/crashed only if I seeked on either playback.
Future potential improvements:
1. Connecting Imac via ethernet to Airport extreme.
2. Moving content from the external drive on the iMac to a NAS device.
Suggestions welcome!