XBMC is running fine on Raspberry Pi

$35 for the B version with Ethernet and added ram but still dirt cheap!!!!
I don't think it will run on the $25 version because of the 128mb ram and having to use wireless networking.
 
This is great news. Mount network share over the network port = successful htpc.
 
This was exactly what i was planning to do with it when they come out. :D
 
Awesome. Looks like the RPi will have some nice functionality available on release.
 
holy balls, If these end up being able to run a few hd codecs well at 1080p, im in for 3
 
So when can we order one? Faqs don't help much.

http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs

When will the device be available to purchase?
We were hoping to have the Raspberry Pi available to order by the end of 2011. We still expect to be auctioning some of our first batch of beta boards before the end of the year (keep an eye on the site after Christmas); we’ll be moving to main production in January.

How much will it cost?
The Model A will cost $25 and the Model B $35.
 
Based on ebens statements in the /. video interview we are looking early febuary if nothing goes wrong.

The initial batch will be model B only.
 
TheBuzzer said:
ok cool, i have no sound at work
Click to expand...

Ya. 9 FPS would be visually slower when watching, it looks smooth enough to be 25 ~ 30fps which is all I could possibly ask for out of something like that.
 
the 9fps is the fps of the display window overlay, the video is playing at its full framerate
 
CEC without an external box is expected to work WWWWWOOOOHHHOOOO
pulse-eight(makers of a usb cec devise) has said they will work on it and donate the code to the foundation.
That means the monitor profiles they have will work on it.
 
Thats good news! to bad i dont have a TV that uses CEC, :rolleyes: maybe this could be an excuse to get a new tv :p
 
cj3waker said:
holy balls, If these end up being able to run a few hd codecs well at 1080p, im in for 3
Click to expand...

Apparently the chip has hardware h264, but anything else would be software, and much slower. 1080p h264 was a design goal I gather.
 
kevinpet said:
Apparently the chip has hardware h264, but anything else would be software, and much slower. 1080p h264 was a design goal I gather.
Click to expand...
The soc has hardware mpeg2/4 as well as several others.
The problem is licensing.
h264 is cheap, AAC is expensive for example so it will have hardware H264 and software AAC which works fine.
They have not said for sure which ones will be licensed for hardware acceleration.
To add them all would cost $10
 
If they can get hardware mpeg2 then it should be possible to get several of the usb tv tuners to work which should be interesting.
 
stormy1 said:
If they can get hardware mpeg2 then it should be possible to get several of the usb tv tuners to work which should be interesting.
Click to expand...

this would be awesome but probably wont happen, but you could setup mythtv on a server and use the XBMC PVR branch and stream TV to it
 
Does anyone have an idea when they will be available for sale? It looks like the site is down right now.
 
Dr.Nut said:
Does anyone have an idea when they will be available for sale? It looks like the site is down right now.
Click to expand...
It goes down when it gets posted to /.
The sales date is said to be soon, before the end of Feb. for the first 10k.
They are going through QC right now.
Assuming they pass then they will be offered soon.
The 1st 10k has a purchase limit of 1 per address.
 
This is exactly the device I've been waiting for to plug into my 15 inch elo touchscreen. I'm planning on building it into a jukebox. I was playing around with an old VIA Samuel C3 board, but it was just too big and slow by todays standards. This is actually cheap enough and small enough to make something great.
 
Dr.Nut said:
Does anyone have an idea when they will be available for sale?
Click to expand...
The most recent information i've seen is eben's video interview for slashdot. IIRC he said a couple of weeks to get the boards back from china and then a few days of testing before putting them on sale. That interview was posted on january 17th.

So if nothing has been delayed since then i'd expect them to go on sale pretty soon.

It looks like the site is down right now.
Click to expand...
Seems to be up at the moment but they are certainly struggling with traffic levels. IIRC they are planning a move to a new server before actually releasing the boards.
 
I wonder... is it possible to turn the Raspberry Pi into a portable media player?

I like to listen to music encoded in FLAC and was thinking of doing a little project of making my own PMP with MKV video support.
 
octoberasian said:
I wonder... is it possible to turn the Raspberry Pi into a portable media player?

I like to listen to music encoded in FLAC and was thinking of doing a little project of making my own PMP with MKV video support.
Click to expand...

Possible? yes.
Cost effective? I don't think so.
for starters, you'll need a touchscreen with HDMI. Depending on size it can be expensive.
 
octoberasian said:
I wonder... is it possible to turn the Raspberry Pi into a portable media player?
Click to expand...
Not practical. It runs off a 5v power supply and is not optimized for battery power. Interfacing a composite display may be easier than a HDMI display, but the results will be somewhat low quality and low resolution. If you did manage to cobble together 4 NiMH batteries, the RPi and a display, would you want to haul around such a device if it has a somewhat short battery life?

It's possible to make a PMP using the RPi. The cost, effort and results don't seem to have any advantages over even low- to mid-cost alternatives (iPod Touch 4th gen, generic PMPs), except maybe that you can plug HDMI into the RPi... which you could do with minimal fuss on the $25/$35 versions. IOW, use each for its strengths. :p
 
pxc said:
Not practical. It runs off a 5v power supply and is not optimized for battery power. Interfacing a composite display may be easier than a HDMI display, but the results will be somewhat low quality and low resolution. If you did manage to cobble together 4 NiMH batteries, the RPi and a display, would you want to haul around such a device if it has a somewhat short battery life?

It's possible to make a PMP using the RPi. The cost, effort and results don't seem to have any advantages over even low- to mid-cost alternatives (iPod Touch 4th gen, generic PMPs), except maybe that you can plug HDMI into the RPi... which you could do with minimal fuss on the $25/$35 versions. IOW, use each for its strengths. :p
Click to expand...

I can find touchscreen LCD screens surprisingly enough. They vary from $105 to $150 depending on size and resolution. I'm a "hands on" kind of guy that likes to build things. (Thank my days with Legos and Technic for that.) Most of the issues is wiring and soldering together the two parts since the Raspberry Pi has RCA video and HDMI output.

There is also this: http://elinux.org/RPi_Screens

It makes mention of raw LCD screens that can be used, so it's a good place to start from. You can connect an LCD screen to the Raspberry Pi via the 15 pin DSI connector on the board. Screens such as the one used for the iPhone 3GS or 4G will work, and there are other displays mentioned on that wiki.

There are mentions of the Raspberry Pi running off 6 AA batteries on their FAQ page. So, power shouldn't be much of an issue.

Cost-wise? Well, given my conceptual project and what I'd like to do with it, I would probably put it at least $200 to $250 at the low end. Higher most likely if I think of other parts that may be needed.

Practicality? Not so much like you and another person above mentioned. It would be a nice DIY project though. :D

On the other hand, I can get this for $149.99: http://www.usa.philips.com/c/mp3-media-player/gogear-muse-16gb-sa3mus16s_37/prd/en/

The Philips GoGear Muse that can playback FLAC. I like lossless music, and I find it to be a very good alternative to physical music CDs and prefer it over MP3s. The only thing it can't do is playback MKV files.

The reason I was considering the Raspberry Pi is customizability. I could have an ARM-based OS such as Fedora, install Mplayer for video files and Banshee media player for the music.

Again, it should be a fun DIY project in concept.
 
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Sansa Clip+/Fuze+ both do an excellent job of playing FLAC, with excellent sound quality by any measure. And a way better buy than the GoGear.
 
You can also just get a used/low-end Android device which will play every format under the sun. Some of them even do HDMI out. Raspberry should be great for minimal static installations, but for portable, you can do much better with Android. On Craigslist, you should be able to find an Android device as cheap as $50, which is in the ballpark of what the Raspberry Pi will cost shipped.
 
new manufacturing date: Feb. 20th,,couple days for air freight then a few days for QC then they should be for sale.
They ran into supply problems with the crystals.
 
pxc said:
Not practical. It runs off a 5v power supply and is not optimized for battery power. Interfacing a composite display may be easier than a HDMI display, but the results will be somewhat low quality and low resolution. If you did manage to cobble together 4 NiMH batteries, the RPi and a display, would you want to haul around such a device if it has a somewhat short battery life?

It's possible to make a PMP using the RPi. The cost, effort and results don't seem to have any advantages over even low- to mid-cost alternatives (iPod Touch 4th gen, generic PMPs), except maybe that you can plug HDMI into the RPi... which you could do with minimal fuss on the $25/$35 versions. IOW, use each for its strengths. :p
Click to expand...

The touchscreens I have, both 15inch Elo, only have VGA inputs and use COM for the touch interface. Will I not be able to use the raspberry pi. I was really looking forward to getting one of these but I need more info on pinouts and how I can interface with it. Anyone know where I can find a guide to hacking this thing up.
 
JosiahBradley said:
The touchscreens I have, both 15inch Elo, only have VGA inputs and use COM for the touch interface. Will I not be able to use the raspberry pi. I was really looking forward to getting one of these but I need more info on pinouts and how I can interface with it. Anyone know where I can find a guide to hacking this thing up.
Click to expand...

At the moment, this seems to be the best place for Raspberry Pi info-- inside and out:
http://elinux.org/R-Pi_Hub

That's where I found out you can attach LCD screens to the RPi via a 15-pin DSI interface on the board. They do mention compatible LCD screens including the iPhone's LCD screen.

The wiki isn't feature complete yet as the hardware hasn't been released at the moment. However, it is being built by the community and more information should be out soon. There are stuff like GPIO port and possible expansion boards that can be built for this device as well.
 
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