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A truly general question on xbmc

jbs

By jbs
in General Control4 Discussion

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jbs Collaborator

jbs

Posted
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OK, I'm going to carefully tread back into the turbulent waters of xbmc here, but really only to address my own ignorance. I've heard the term hundreds of times, but I'm ashamed to admit, geek that I am, I'd never apparently learned what it is. I always thought it was something that just ran on an xbox, but now that I've gone and, you know, RTFM, I learned (I think) that this is a cross-platform media server, and that according to readers of one of my favorite blogs (lifehacker.com) it's tops in the media serving space.

So my question is, in the C4 integration of XBMC, if I'm running xbmc on a Windows PC, would the video need to be coming out of the PC (and C4 is controlling xbmc) or is C4 actually acting as the destination for video streaming over IP from the xbmc PC. That is to say, would the video be coming out of the component (or other) outputs on my HC300?

I realize this question is steeped in ignorance, so apologies in advance for that. And thanks to Alan for opening my eyes to what sounds like a very cool product in xbmc. This may be what gets me to finally retire my five-year old media server and upgrade to a box with video outputs (if the answer to the above question is that the PC is the video source).

--Jason

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inELEC Newbie

inELEC

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First off: XBMC is not a media server, it's a media player ;)

That alone clears up a lot I think.

The video signal comes out of the PC/XBOX/Apple TV...

The video files need to be stored somewhere for XBMC to be able to play them. This can be on the local PC or XBOX HDD.*

C4, using Alan Chow's driver, can use XBMC as the mediaplayer for playing media that the navigator can access too (for showing cover art).

The selected media file info** (not the file itself!) is sent to the XBMC machine and the TV input is switched to the XBMC video, while XBMC starts playing the file it just received info** on.

If you use NAS, both C4 navigator and XBMC access the media:

-C4 navigator for cover art, movie details (actors, director etc...) and location

-XBMC for playing the file

If you use XBMC on a PC, you can use local storage of the PC if you add that storage to composer as a NAS device (share in Windows or Samba share in Linux).

*(not sure about the XBOX HDD)

**(location on the network)

Hope this clears things up a bit (it might make it more complicated, I know ;))

I've got it running on my test rig and it works great, certainly worth a try!

Joachim

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tratliff Apprentice

tratliff

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I think I already know this but I too am confused about XBMC.

So with XBMC you would need to have a PC (or Xbox) powered on and connected to the Control4 system since the signal comes from the PC? Or could you just have the video files on a NAS connected to the system without having a PC on?

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thecodeman Proficient

thecodeman

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I think I already know this but I too am confused about XBMC.

So with XBMC you would need to have a PC (or Xbox) powered on and connected to the Control4 system since the signal comes from the PC? Or could you just have the video files on a NAS connected to the system without having a PC on?

The files are stored somewhere (PC or NAS). XBMC acts as the player for those files, and outputs the video to your tv.

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thecodeman Proficient

thecodeman

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Alans hard work looks great and I can wait to try it out' date=' loaded XBMC into a apple tv last night. big question is were does one get the driver?[/quote']

It's a dealer-only item at the time. I'm hoping to persuade mine :)

I guess what im looking for then is there a direction I need to point him in to get the driver or is it available under composer pro?

All I know is that it's available in the dealer forums here.

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tratliff Apprentice

tratliff

Posted
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I think I already know this but I too am confused about XBMC.

So with XBMC you would need to have a PC (or Xbox) powered on and connected to the Control4 system since the signal comes from the PC? Or could you just have the video files on a NAS connected to the system without having a PC on?

The files are stored somewhere (PC or NAS). XBMC acts as the player for those files' date=' and outputs the video to your tv.[/quote']

So if the files are stored on a NAS, would you need to have a PC connected to the Control4 system?

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PeterM1 Apprentice

PeterM1

Posted
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I think I already know this but I too am confused about XBMC.

So with XBMC you would need to have a PC (or Xbox) powered on and connected to the Control4 system since the signal comes from the PC? Or could you just have the video files on a NAS connected to the system without having a PC on?

The files are stored somewhere (PC or NAS). XBMC acts as the player for those files' date=' and outputs the video to your tv.[/quote']

So if the files are stored on a NAS, would you need to have a PC connected to the Control4 system?

Yes, you need a PC, a Mac, an Apple TV (hacked) or an XBOX (hacked) to act as the media player.

Think of it this way: Control4 provides the control and media inventory.

The PC/Mac/AppleTV/Xbox plays back the media

Media is stored either on a NAS or locally on the media player

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inELEC Newbie

inELEC

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Yes, you need a PC, a Mac, an Apple TV (hacked) or an XBOX (hacked) to act as the media player.

Think of it this way: Control4 provides the control and media inventory.

The PC/Mac/AppleTV/Xbox plays back the media

Media is stored either on a NAS or locally on the media player

Couldn't have said it better (I tried but it became a bit lengthy, heh...)

Joachim

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alanchow Grand Master

alanchow

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Hi Guys,

I have designed the XBMC driver to run as either a singular player or a multi player. What this means is that you have to have some sort of storage device such as a NAS drive or a server. it really doesn't matter which you choose as long as it utilises a samba share.

The next part is to use one or more XBMC, EVA8000 or a combo of both units to play the media. What this means is that you can create a video on demand system throughout your home.

Note that this is a driver created by myself for myself. I have tweaked all the transport buttons to suit my needs. Most dealers and users who have been using my driver for the past few weeks have found it to be pretty easy to use though.

Anyway a few days ago i decided to launch a youtube channel for Control4 Australia to explain the Control4 Product Range, the ideas i've got plus the driver's we've developed within Australia.

Here is my first video. Mind the dodgy quality. Our theatre lighting is pretty shocking.

http://youtube.com/?v=ATZ_ZEL4x0U

Also there is one feature which i have to tweak and i think i'm going to do it throughout xmas. It is the ability to add an internet radio stations to navigator through the driver. Unfortunately though your dealer will have to add the stations for you so please choose wisely.

Once again thank you everyone for your continued support. Lets make this forum a fun place where Control4 users, dealers, distributors and staff members can meet:)

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joed Apprentice

joed

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Note that this is a driver created by myself for myself. I have tweaked all the transport buttons to suit my needs. Most dealers and users who have been using my driver for the past few weeks have found it to be pretty easy to use though.

First, off this looks awesome. Is the XBMC driver something Control4 would add as a supported driver someday or do you see this always being your pet project?

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alanchow Grand Master

alanchow

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Control4 only add in Control4 made drivers to their driver database. Since i do not work for Control4 my drivers will never be added to their database. They are released via the official control4 dealer forum.

With that being said it makes no difference what so ever as Control4 dealers can still access the driver easily.

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joed Apprentice

joed

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Guess I need an Australian dealer :)

I have a general supportability question. Will dealers (US and otherwise) feel comfortable installing XBMC systems in their clients homes? Remote support of XBMC devices is probably a little more challenging, plus the dealer would also need to be a linux|mac|osx expert to troubleshoot and support these systems. I would see the Netgear and potential C4 branded media player being a much more managable solution. The C4 product because it would probably have good central troubleshooting capabilites and the Netgear because the support model is more straight forward (if its broken call Netgear).

My thinking is that the people who would most want the XBMC model are also the ones who also want ComposerPro. :)

(I hope people find these types of questions/comments constructive)

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inELEC Newbie

inELEC

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Guess I need an Australian dealer :)

I have a general supportability question. Will dealers (US and otherwise) feel comfortable installing XBMC systems in their clients homes? Remote support of XBMC devices is probably a little more challenging, plus the dealer would also need to be a linux|mac|osx expert to troubleshoot and support these systems. I would see the Netgear and potential C4 branded media player being a much more managable solution. The C4 product because it would probably have good central troubleshooting capabilites and the Netgear because the support model is more straight forward (if its broken call Netgear).

My thinking is that the people who would most want the XBMC model are also the ones who also want ComposerPro. :)

(I hope people find these types of questions/comments constructive)

No need for an Australian dealer, all dealers have access to the driver...

You're right about the support, although XBMC is a very stable and straightforward product (and the driver is well written so it waits for ack from the XBMC box).

We will support our own implementations of XBMC as an alternative to the netgear, but running on our own hardware... We prefer the netgear though.

Joachim

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RyanE Veteran

RyanE

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I personally wouldn't recommend any 'homebrew' solution (MythTV / SageTV / XBMC / Media Center PC) for dealers to install in end-users homes, unless the end user is:

1) tech saavy

2) already has the device in question.

That said, if an end user wanted it bad enough and I were a dealer, I would likely do it after making them sign something to the effect that they understand that homebrew-type devices like this have no official means of support and the dealer is not responsible for a warranty on it.

It's just a liability issue, I would think.

If the dealer wants to 'productize' the offering, that is, use their own hardware and XBMC and/or something else, and then stand behind the device with service as an offering of their company, that would be another alternative, although licensing for some of these products would not allow selling the product itself.

RyanE

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