Raspberry Pi Model B (512MB RAM) £27.62 at Amazon

degsie

Spotted on HUKD.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raspberry-Pi-Model-512MB-RAM/dp/B008PT4GGC

Very versatile thingmy and makes a half decent HTPC with the right software.

Etnies

Not really a bargain though it's usually around that price isn't it

I overclocked mine and broke it

moodrater

Etnies wrote: »

Not really a bargain though it's usually around that price isn't it

I overclocked mine and broke it

It's about 2-3 quid cheaper than usual. This is about the minimum price they go on Amazon. Broadcom just released the source to the graphics part and there's a 10k bounty on someone running quake III at at least 20fps to get things moving. So it will be much more capable in time.

No problem overclocking with an adequate heatsink as long as you follow the copious amounts of advice online.

unkel

moodrater wrote: »

It's about 2-3 quid cheaper than usual.

Nah, it's been £27 including shipping for many months now. Got mine last November for this price.

moodrater

unkel wrote: »

Nah, it's been £27 including shipping for many months now. Got mine last November for this price.

Heres the bit about the graphics core for anyone thats interested:

http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/6299

As someone thats been using open source since 1993 this is pretty amazing news.

aaronm13

Thinking of going down the pi route for XBMC but not up to speed with the hardware so is this a good option for XBMC and if not could someone point me in the direction for the best one.

aidanathome

Functionally, the XBMC (RaspBMC) works fine on the Pi, but I did find it very slow to do basic things, move through the menu, etc, and ended up wiping mine to just play with Raspbian instead.
So it's a good cheap option if you're a patient person.

degsie

Just dipped below £27 for the first time, now £26.89.

aaronm13

aidanathome wrote: »

Functionally, the XBMC (RaspBMC) works fine on the Pi, but I did find it very slow to do basic things, move through the menu, etc, and ended up wiping mine to just play with Raspbian instead.
So it's a good cheap option if you're a patient person.

Patience wouldn't be my strong point so trying to get the best xbmc experience I can. I have a G box MX2 and I think XBMC runs pretty poor on it and was under the impression that raspberry pi was the best solution. I'm trying a linux build on the MX2 at the minute which seems slightly better but still lags a lot on HD stuff.

I didn't think XBMC ran too bad on the one I bought. I'm using it as a NAS but when I tried XBMC it wasn't too bad as long as you stick to the Confluence Lite skin. There's also OpenElec instead of RaspBMC. Massive community support around the Pi as well. Oh and I thought it was nifty that the Pi supported HDMC-CEC.

keith_d99

Xbmc doesn't run too well on an Apple TV and defo doesn't handle 720p streams (through xbmc).
Anybody know a device that will?

TheIrishGrover

The Pi runs XBMC just fine. Full 1080 playback. The problem, as others have said, is the menus. Especially if you have lots of files. The best thing is to use Yatse remote on any android or apple device. Yatse's a pretty damn class remote. all the heavy lifting's sone on the adrroid/i-whatever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88KU5nK6mXE

Agueroooo

Raspberry Pi running Openelec (XBMC) but configured to run off 3.0 USB and only use the SD to boot out performs my ATV2 hands down.

medium over clocking and you won't see any menu lag what so ever.

1080p works seamlessly both streaming from NAS or Internet. ..something I can't say for my ATV2.

RPi's are fantastic devices and useful for so many different application not just XBMC etc.
Google is your friend.

But can someone explain the significance of what Broadcom just did with realising the code?

Can take it to PM if required to keep this on topix

Etnies

moodrater wrote: »

It's about 2-3 quid cheaper than usual. This is about the minimum price they go on Amazon. Broadcom just released the source to the graphics part and there's a 10k bounty on someone running quake III at at least 20fps to get things moving. So it will be much more capable in time.

No problem overclocking with an adequate heatsink as long as you follow the copious amounts of advice online.

Never heard anyone putting heatsinks on their PI certainly not around the raspbmc forums anyway, think I had a medium over lock to stop the menu lag in raspbmc but it eventually killed it after about a year.

Sgt Pepper 64

Another vote for the Raspberry running XMBC.
Breathed new life into my old 500GB Buffalo Linkstation

Not overclocked, pretty much on default settings hooked up to a basic model smart Samsung.

Mrs Pepper loves it so must be alright!

You can even centralise the database and have multiple Pi's running from different rooms.

Plus Internet connectivity, no fan so dead quiet, can handle any media thrown at it and its the best thing since sliced Pi!

I even power it off the TV!

DERICKOO

I gave in and bought one about time i set up a NAS. You have to spend the £27.62 otherwise it will refuse to ship to Ireland at £26 thanks op.

moodrater

Etnies wrote: »

Never heard anyone putting heatsinks on their PI certainly not around the raspbmc forums anyway, think I had a medium over lock to stop the menu lag in raspbmc but it eventually killed it after about a year.

If you were using the stock clock settings then it must just have been a bad part. Whatever they say about not needing a heatsink I have found you can get a higher stable over clock without overvolting with one I have tons of them from scrap boards so costs me nothing.

phobia2011

keith_d99 wrote: »

Xbmc doesn't run too well on an Apple TV and defo doesn't handle 720p streams (through xbmc).
Anybody know a device that will?

The ouya

baingal nancer

keith_d99 wrote: »

Xbmc doesn't run too well on an Apple TV and defo doesn't handle 720p streams (through xbmc).
Anybody know a device that will?

Minix x5

maximoose

Been thinking about getting one of these for XBMC for ages.

How tricky is it to install and set it up once you get it? Anything else you need to buy on top of this?

Alanstrainor

maximoose wrote: »

Been thinking about getting one of these for XBMC for ages.

How tricky is it to install and set it up once you get it? Anything else you need to buy on top of this?

Its all handy enough to be honest. You will need a charger for it though, an old phone charger will work so long as its micro USB. And you'll need a network cable to get it online (or a WiFi adapter), and you'll need an SD card, I have mine running with an 8GB card for over a year without issue.

GAAman

I got the B awhile ago. At first it ran xbmc like a dream no problem streaming from net or from my NAS drive. Then after a few months it began to judder in playback, would freeze then speed up for a few seconds.

Overclocked it to as much as she would take but still a problem so will be looking at getting a quad core android box shipped from china in a few days.

For those asking though it is very easy to set up, will need at least a 4gig sd card, and a usb mouse plus the already mentioned micro usb power supply

maximoose

Ok, gonna take the plunge. Got the pi, case, 8gb card, and wireless dongle for £45. Not too shabby

Sgt Pepper 64

maximoose wrote: »

Been thinking about getting one of these for XBMC for ages.

How tricky is it to install and set it up once you get it? Anything else you need to buy on top of this?

dead easy - several how to's on the net

http://mymediaexperience.com/raspberry-pi-xbmc-with-raspbmc/

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/desktops/how-to-turn-your-raspberry-pi-into-an-xbmc-media-centre-50008599/

http://lifehacker.com/5929913/build-a-xbmc-media-center-with-a-35-raspberry-pi

maximoose

Excellent.

Had a brief affair with XBMCUbuntu on an old laptop, it was great but cumbersome. Excited to get this up and running!

Francie Barrett

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

Another vote for the Raspberry running XMBC.
Breathed new life into my old 500GB Buffalo Linkstation

Not overclocked, pretty much on default settings hooked up to a basic model smart Samsung.

Mrs Pepper loves it so must be alright!

You can even centralise the database and have multiple Pi's running from different rooms.

Plus Internet connectivity, no fan so dead quiet, can handle any media thrown at it and its the best thing since sliced Pi!

I even power it off the TV!

I have the same setup. It's quality.

SleeperService

If you connect via HDMI then some tvs will allow you to use the original tv remote to control the xbmc pi, but I found it annoying. Id use some separate way navigate xbmc if I was using it a lot.

degsie

SleeperService wrote: »

If you connect via HDMI then some tvs will allow you to use the original tv remote to control the xbmc pi, but I found it annoying. Id use some separate way navigate xbmc if I was using it a lot.

I actually find CEC one of the better features, to each their own I guess.

Sgt Pepper 64

degsie wrote: »

I actually find CEC one of the better features, to each their own I guess.

me too! Works great on my samsung. I just use the net to update and clean the DB but I could probably program a key if I wanted to.

I think the trick is to try and not download every Tv and Film ever made as that makes for a big DB and a slower connection.
XBMC really is class though the way it tells you which ones you have watched, the resume feature etc etc

beauf

maximoose wrote: »

Ok, gonna take the plunge. Got the pi, case, 8gb card, and wireless dongle for £45. Not too shabby

Where did you get them?

maximoose

All on Amazon.

Wifi adapter
Case
SD Card

All just been dispatched as well

Agueroooo

maximoose wrote: »

Been thinking about getting one of these for XBMC for ages.

How tricky is it to install and set it up once you get it? Anything else you need to buy on top of this?

Use a USB3.0 not just the SD card and you wont look back.

here is a very simply step-by-step including all files required.

Ohh and wired ethernet connection is a must imo

loki7777

Agueroooo wrote: »

Use a USB3.0 not just the SD card and you wont look back.

here is a very simply step-by-step including all files required.

Ohh and wired ethernet connection is a must imo

What is the point using USB 3.0 is Pi has only 2.0?

Agueroooo

loki7777 wrote: »

What is the point using USB 3.0 is Pi has only 2.0?

Good point and has been discussed to death over on the forum I linked, results show you get a little bit more bang for your buck with 3.0 on the Pi.

beauf

loki7777 wrote: »

What is the point using USB 3.0 is Pi has only 2.0?

there isn't. From a quick glance at that forum they seem to assume usb 3.0 flash drives are always faster. Which isn't always true. You need to look at the spec of the flash drive. Some are a lot slower than others. Advertising as usb 2 or 3 often hides a slow drive. Look at the read and write speeds

a slow drive must have a big effect on the pi.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/usb-3.0-thumb-drive-review,3477.html

Sgt Pepper 64

Agueroooo wrote: »

Use a USB3.0 not just the SD card and you wont look back.

here is a very simply step-by-step including all files required.

Ohh and wired ethernet connection is a must imo

I've had no problems using a SD Card.
I really think the key is to not fill up a 2TB drive but actually delete stuff from time to time. It handles my 500GB just fine and I still have nearly 200 films, many full HD and plenty of TV series
Having a smaller, less expensive drive encourages you to do house keeping!
My Buffalo is like 6 years old now

Agueroooo

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

I've had no problems using a SD Card.
I really think the key is to not fill up a 2TB drive but actually delete stuff from time to time. It handles my 500GB just fine and I still have nearly 200 films, many full HD and plenty of TV series
Having a smaller, less expensive drive encourages you to do house keeping!
My Buffalo is like 6 years old now

You're missing the point.

The USB is not for storage of movies etc like say your NAS or HDD.

It basically holds all the 'heavy' operating files, libraries and caches away from the SD card, and makes the Pi run a lot smoother (eg) menu refresh, library scanning etc.

with the above setup the Pi can handle any skin.

beauf

On a related issue, using a drive for media and navigating using a file menu is one thing. Using it with meta tagged library is another. The latter hits uses the drive much harder. So if its a slow drive or interface you'll see it, where you won't if you just use the file system.

aphex™

This is a pain in the arse.

I went to buy the Raspberry PI and it wouldn't ship to Ireland.
I went to buy a plug for it and it wouldn't ship to Ireland.
I went to buy an Edimax 801.11N wifi adapter and it wouldn't ship to Ireland.


If I wanted to get them all shipped to ParcelMotel Belfast it would cost a fortune as they are all sold buy different suppliers.

How is this a Bargain Alert?

EDIT: the case cost GBP 4 to Ireland. Rip off.

Sgt Pepper 64

Agueroooo wrote: »

You're missing the point.

The USB is not for storage of movies etc like say your NAS or HDD.

It basically holds all the 'heavy' operating files, libraries and caches away from the SD card, and makes the Pi run a lot smoother (eg) menu refresh, library scanning etc.

with the above setup the Pi can handle any skin.

No I'm not! I know what it does, I'm just saying by keeping the DB small the Pi can handle it a lot better without having to resort to USB.
I don't have any slowness

Agueroooo

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

No I'm not! I know what it does, I'm just saying by keeping the DB small the Pi can handle it a lot better without having to resort to USB.
I don't have any slowness

OK

but personally I think to get the most out of XBMC I like to add Movie/Music/TV Show libraries that scrape all metadata, posters, info for all of the above in one central location.

with the USB configuration I even have it streaming from my STB using Enigma add-on/ TV Channels.

I have tried many different configurations of XBMC on the Pi and had a ATV2 to do some comparisons against.

the Pi with a USB configuration beats all hands down.

gone way off topic...sorry OP

maximoose

Picked up the Pi lastnight

Definitely recommend the case I linked if anyone is thinking of buying - fits snug, looks good, easy to take on/off and non slip.

Had Openelec installed in 2 mins, cheers for the links. Didn't get a chance to hook it up to TV yet so will do that tonight. Any Repo recommendations appreciated!

Agueroooo

maximoose wrote: »

Picked up the Pi lastnight

Definitely recommend the case I linked if anyone is thinking of buying - fits snug, looks good, easy to take on/off and non slip.

Had Openelec installed in 2 mins, cheers for the links. Didn't get a chance to hook it up to TV yet so will do that tonight. Any Repo recommendations appreciated!

some XBMC add-ons we cant talk about on boards.ie due to the content they access may be in breach of copywrite laws.


another great freeware you can use if you want to run multiple distros on the Pi is Berryboot .

lolosaur

[Mod snip]

degsie

lolosaur wrote: »

[Mod snip]

Really, you want to get an answer to that here? Be prepared for a ban if you pursue this.

TheIrishGrover

You can attach an external HDD. Probably best to use a powered one as I'd imagine that the Pi might not be able to drive a largish USB powered drive (I may be wrong, I'm sure someone can verify). You can control XBMC (Or RASBMC or openelec or whatever you use to view files) with an iDevice or Android device using any amount of XBMC remotes (My fave is Yatse). As for downloading: illegal downloading is, well, illegal and Boards will not tolerate exchanging info on that.

As far as I know you can set up the Pi as a media streamer if you want to stream video to your phones/tablets but I've never done it.

lolosaur

degsie wrote: »

Really, you want to get an answer to that here? Be prepared for a ban if you pursue this.

I didnt ask a tap about that. you are being pretentious.

If i want to download anything on the PI. It's what it's designed for. i want to download a deathstar. the what isnt important. it's really jumping in to be the first to complain to teacher.

lolosaur

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

You can attach an external HDD. Probably best to use a powered one as I'd imagine that the Pi might not be able to drive a largish USB powered drive (I may be wrong, I'm sure someone can verify). You can control XBMC (Or RASBMC or openelec or whatever you use to view files) with an iDevice or Android device using any amount of XBMC remotes (My fave is Yatse). As for downloading: illegal downloading is, well, illegal and Boards will not tolerate exchanging info on that.

As far as I know you can set up the Pi as a media streamer if you want to stream video to your phones/tablets but I've never done it.

Thanks for the info.

I didnt ask anything about the enboldened bit.

maximoose

You clearly did.

lolosaur

maximoose wrote: »

You clearly did.

Act your age will you.

illdoit2morrow

lolosaur wrote: »

[Mod snip]

Either it's a typo or you clearly did ask!

Lots of stuff here how to get the pi up and running.