XBMC App

[OldiesButGoodies]

While I had played with the XBMC app on a jailbroken Apple TV (original) a ways back,  it did not seem that practical to me back then.  Beajew recently pointed out what the current app can do and it is impressive.  Kind of makes it worth while to hook up an HTPC as a source.  To put it concisely - almost everything you can dream of is available for streaming at a very reasonable price (free).  The app is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS.  You have to go through some initial config things that can seem complex at first but are well documented in the web.  After that it is easy to use.  Any other users here?  Suggested sources to add?  (I am using icefilms)

[schwarcw]

I'd like to hear more about this.  This works through the X Box I assume.  I am streaming using a Squeezebox Touch I don't think this App is useful to me.  But, I am a digital idiot compared to OBG and most others here.

[MacGeek]

Carl,

I have you and probably everyone beat.  I have yet to download any tunes and have never streamed anything.  Someday......

[OldiesButGoodies]

Carl...

It runs on a modded xbox (others can confirm) - this may not be the app for you unless you get a macmini as a home theater PC (or similar Windows PC) and have one of us geeks set it up - after the one time set up searching for and watching movies it is very easy.

OBG

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

almost everything you can dream of is available for streaming at a very reasonable price (free). 

By this do you mean movies, or does this include TV shows and sporting events as well?

[Reverend]

By this do you mean movies, or does this include TV shows and sporting events as well?

Music, movies, live/recorded TV shows, all sports.  It came in very handy at CF, we watched a lot of movies to celebrate talk like a pirate day.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

Wow.   I'll have to look into this.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

I went to their site and found this...

Disclaimer: XBMC does not provide any media files itself. You either must own all audio and video files through a legal way or you can use the add-ons that can be found in the XBMC.org official repository. We will not assist or be held responsible for any way you obtain your media files.

Could someone elaborate for me where the content comes from?   Their "about" page left me with more questions than answers.

I do know this; I've had my fill of Verizon and all of the other price fixers.   What costs about $20 a month in Europe is over a C here.   If I can find a convenient way to get rid of them I am so much more than happy to.

[treos33]

I use plex which is a fork of xmbc that is no longer open source. Plex seems to offer and cleaner and easier to use interface in my opinion but I never used XMBC extensively. I have a computer with all of my media running plex server 24/7 and I have chromecasts connected to both TVs. Using the plex app from my phone I can stream media to either TV pretty seamlessly. This set up is also possible with subsonic to stream music, I just need to set aside sometime to get it set up.

Highly recommend.

[MasterBlaster]

There are ports of xbmc for many platforms other than Xbox. I'm running  a distribution on raspberry pi (a pc the size of a playing card deck) known as OpenELEC. It's currently running as a upnp renderer to stream music to the patio.

[bearjew]

ok, i'll try to break this all down.
XBMC is no longer for Xbox.  It was originally designed for the original xbox to make it more of a media player than just a gaming system.  it did not work for the Xbox 360, and does not work for the Xbox One either.  Now, it can be installed on most platforms.  Since it expanded so far, there is no need to see it be put on a video game console anymore.  Basically, you connect to "repositories" that host a plethora of videos and other fun things.  There are capabilities of streaming live TV (including sports), but I am still trying to figure out how to do that while maintaining quality.  unforunately, verizon fios has been eating shit for me recently, so my 75mbps is more like .75 thanks to those douche nozzles.  ANYWAY...

the GUI for it is fairly user friends.  I got a Raspberry Pi and installed XBMC on it for my parents, so they can watch any movie any time they want ever for the rest of their lives.  The repositories I set up for them are updated daily, so any TV show that airs tonight will be there tomorrow.  There are multiple sources for each movie/show, so even if one is a bust, or is of lower quality, there will always be another one.  Even the low quality videos are still usually pretty good.  I do not believe I have found anything over 720P, but that's fine by me considering the price.  I believe it has surround sound capabilities, but I don't have surround sound so I can't test the validity of that claim.  Setting it up is a little bit of a bitch, but XBMC is absolutely incredible.  I have no reason to even use Netflix anymore.  I have yet to find something that Netflix can provide that XBMC cannot.  Same goes with Hulu, or any other streaming system.

Rest Lame Brats is using OpenELEC to run XBMC, which is one of two primary distributions for XBMC on the Raspberry Pi.  My parents are running RaspBMC I believe (I think OpenELEC was having an issue when I was setting it up, so I rolled with RaspBMC).  Once running, they are absolutely identical as far as I remember.

The fact of the matter is that I put together a computer for 100 dollars that included the computer (35 bucks), the mouse/keyboard wireless combo (25), the wifi USB dongle (10), the case (5), the required microSD card (10), and the power supply (10), and shipping.  Put it all together, install the software, and plug it in to your TV.  BOOM, you got yourself a smart-as-hell TV.  OpenELEC and RaspBMC are the only two stock distributions of XBMC that also host an integrated web browser as well.

If anyone has any questions, or needs help setting this up, let me know; I have definitely learned a lot about it while setting it up.  My parents have it and don't call me every 10 minutes with questions, so it can't be that hard.  The only somewhat challenging part is setting it up.

Edit: also, if someone wants to publicly talk about piracy and such right now, do it in another thread.  we all know right from wrong here, and we don't need any lecturing or preaching.

[Reverend]

I'm running OpenELEC on a raspberry pi as well which my wife uses in our family room.  I have a cheapo keyboard/mouse to control it that's the size of a regular remote.  It's a little slow loading the directories but it works great.  I have XBMC loaded on my macmini and on a laptop running windows 7.  Pepe found that it will not run on Windows XP so there are some stipulations.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

So, if I am understanding correctly, it is like Bit Torrent except that the data is out in the cloud rather than downloaded locally.   Sounds very promising, but I suspect it's only a matter of time before the Blue Meanies disrupt it.

[treos33]

It has nothing to do with bit torrent. Torrents are a source of media. XMBC is an application used to server local media to a variety of streaming clients (phone, apple tv, roku, chromecast, raspberry pi). There are some pluggins that will let you stream media from the internet directly but for the most part you would be providing the media.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

I wasn't asking if it had anything to do with Bit Torrent, I meant that the material is hosted by independent parties, like in Bit Torrent.   Is that correct?