XBMC OSX Progressing nicely.

[arkay]

Just an update for those interested in the XBMC OSX port.

Had a check yesterday and downloaded the latest install from here.

'Tis a beautiful thing. Blindingly fast and quite feature complete already.

I can't get over just how much snappier the nvidia drivers are under OSX. Makes Windows and Linux look slow. Apparently you can run XBMC on a secondary monitor without issue now as well. Haven't tried it but from my Dual monitor Mac setup at work (running off a toshiba Tecra M5 laptop!) I can attest to just how well multi-monitor support works on OSX.

Check it out if you have a Mac or a Hackintosh.

Testing has shown a Mac mini capable of 1080p HD playback with the latest multicore ffmpeg code. It's getting closer and closer to being the ultimate in HTPC (to me anyway).

Just need a frontend connection to a live TV/recorded TV interface and it'll be the ants pants and the footprint of a Mac mini is perfect for the lounge room!

Can't wait to see how this progresses.

Cheers,

Arkay.

[simbot82]

el screenshot??

Can osx run off standard intel (not core 2 duo etc)?

[arkay]

OSX can run on standard intel. I have it running on a P4 3.2 here but it's far nicer/easier to get running on a C2d on a latter motherboard. The Gigabyte P35-DS3 series being the best of the bunch at the moment.

Note though that making it run on standard intel is a hack and is technically illegal, even if you buy a retail copy of OSX.

If you want to check it out though it's not a bad way of doing it before shelling out for a Mac mini or suitable real mac.

XBMC info and screenshots etc can be found here.

It's fully skinnable. One of the best going around at the moment is this one.

XBMC looks feels and acts the same on the Xbox 1, Linux and OSX so the screenshots are valid for any platform.

Cheers,

Arkay.

[Topfs]

Originally Posted by arkay

Just need a frontend connection to a live TV/recorded TV interface and it'll be the ants pants and the footprint of a Mac mini is perfect for the lounge room!

Hi, XBMC for linux can act as MythTV frontend. You can show recorded video and live TV, still you can't see EPG or scheduele anything but it's a Google of summer code project too give XBMC a unified and skinnable GUI for the EPG and TV. By then schedule TV might be in aswell

XBMC for linux is almost an "sudo apt-get install xbmc"away after adding it too sources.list
Read on that http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=30230

I suspect that OSX version also compiles the MythTV code but I haven't asked elan.

/ topfs2

[arkay]

Topfs,

Thanks for the info Have been keeping an eye on the XBMC forums and the Myth integration thread. All looking very promising. Will be very interesting to see what comes out of GSOC this year.

Cheers,

Arkay.

[Innie808]

WOW, I just loaded Alpha AEON on my xbox1. If this is alpha. Beta and full SVN will be virtually unbeatable in terms of Visual eye candy!

It just amazes how much potential there is in 10 foot interface's, and kind of depresses me that VMC is really quite plain in that area. I'll be watching Linux and waiting for support of PCIE tuners. I noticed there is a XMBC to Windows thread on the XBMC forums. Of course, this takes a back seat to Linux and OSX. Wasn't mediaportal derived from the early developers of XBMC?

[vlad]

Originally Posted by Innie808

I'll be watching Linux and waiting for support of PCIE tuners.

I was watching Linux to support anything The only thing they have is a superiority complex, and words, 10-years old words - Linux will take over the world, like Pinky and the Brain

PS. I agree that the best Linux is OSX

[arkay]

Originally Posted by vlad

I was watching Linux to support anything The only thing they have is a superiority complex, and words, 10-years old words - Linux will take over the world, like Pinky and the Brain

PS. I agree that the best Linux is OSX

Hardly.... Best desktop Linux maybe (at the moment), but OSX will never support any range of tv tuners and will consequently never be the backend recording/file server that Linux can be. For a frontend it's perfect though, mac mini will be just nice and faultless as will the backend be on Linux for recording, fileserving and storage management.

PCIE has been slow coming in Linux but it already supports plenty of PCI DVB tuners. Very little chance of coming home and finding your Linux box in an endless blue screen/reboot cycle like my VMC box last Friday... Reason.... Unknown. If it weren't for acronis (a linux product), windows wouldn't be usable....

Cheers,

Arkay.

[vlad]

Originally Posted by arkay

Very little chance of coming home and finding your Linux box in an endless blue screen/reboot cycle like my VMC box last Friday... Reason.... Unknown. If it weren't for acronis (a linux product), windows wouldn't be usable....

Cheers,

Arkay.

Here we go - superiority complex.
Arkay, why does anybody need a product if it does not support all hardware one has?
Windows on limited set of hardware can be very stable too.
I will wait for another 10 years - maybe they will take over the world

I am not saying that Linux does not have it's uses. But it's stability based on limited hardware support, and if you take this away, nothing would be left to write home about

[arkay]

Originally Posted by vlad

Here we go - superiority complex.

Not at all. Maybe if you re-read it you'd get it.

Arkay, why does anybody need a product if it does not support all hardware one has?
Windows on limited set of hardware can be very stable too.

That was exactly my point... OSX is the MOST limited in terms of hardware, hence why it can't be the backend tv server. There is no support for tuner cards except for one brand.

Windows is busy trying to be all things to all people. It isn't stable because of this. With limited hardware it can be optimised and stable but that is not and never has been the Microsoft business model. It is unstable by comparison. Clearly the thread here is that more hardware compatibility means less software stability. It has nothing to do with superiority complex. Study the fundamentals of OS design and Linux is more stable and efficient at what it does and it does support a wide(r) variety of hardware than OSX whilst maintaining a solid and stable environment. A backend tv recording/file server in Linux is rock solid if you have supported hardware. I wouldn't trust my data/recording functions to a windows product because I have seen first hand catastrophic results and unexplained failures.

No one OS is better at everything. A combination of all 3 can give you a stable and workable environment and that is where I am heading... I currently use Windows for gaming only. Windows is good for short term burst usage (like gaming), and it also happens to be the only OS where the games are available.

I will wait for another 10 years - maybe they will take over the world

Wait as long as you like. I've been waiting 20+ years for Windows to become efficient and stable. I'm sick of waiting.

I am not saying that Linux does not have it's uses. But it's stability based on limited hardware support, and if you take this away, nothing would be left to write home about

It isn't just limited hardware support that affords that stability. The opensource community actually care about optimisation and stability because being first to market for monetary reasons is not a primary factor of their existence.

Cheers,

Arkay.

P.S. I wasn't trying to start another religious war in this thread... If you are happy with Windows and what it does for you that is fine and I hope you have an enjoyable experience. The fact that others are looking at alternatives to your way of thinking does not prove them to have a superiority complex.