XBMC Media Center Complete

I have completed my XBMC Media Center, and it works beautifully. The HDMI cable was inexpensive, and when I'm not using my laptop in the media center, I connect the cable to the Xbox. When starting up the Xbox, however, the speakers will make a 'pop' sound which didn't happen with the component cables connected. Perhaps Ben could enlighten me as to the cause of this.

Setting up your media folders in XBMC is self explanatory.

The interesting part came with the XBMC Remote app for Android. Installing it was quite simple, but it took me a bit to find the wiki page on how to set it up. So, go ahead and check out the easy-to-setup tutorial! The app connects via your home network and speaks to XBMC via HTTP.



The only problems I had using XBMC were some slight mouse lag (probably due to the weakness of my laptop), and frame rate drops from improper cooling. However, I went to the dollar store and picked up a $1 laptop stand that elevates the back end of the laptop to improve airflow and thus cooling. Problem solved for $1. Excellent.

The limits of my current set up are the hard drive space available for movie storage, and the fact that I use my laptop for many other things. So, setting up the media center requires moving tables, the power cord, etc. Although my setup is not dedicated, it is cheap and versatile. I love it.

Also check out the gallery to see the power of XBMC on your Android phone.