View Full Version : Port XBMC to Linux-OS (XBMC on a Linux computer or other Linux device?)?
hi all,
wouldn't it be cool if xbmc could be installed on linux?
i have setup a htpc with mythtv which is pretty cool. but xmbc simply is so much better and better looking in various areas. i really prefer the user interface. i just think it would be great if i could use it on my linux environment.
i don't know how xbmx is created exactly but it seems it uses a lot of open-source software anyway. it runs on python and uses mplayer if i'm correct. would it be difficult to make it run on linux? or to create a port for linux? as the xbox ages it seems to me that it will be needing a new platform anyway.
or are there ways xbmc could work together with mythtv. that xbmc skins would work on mythtv and vise versa? to be the leader of some standards in this area could make these projects become big players on the market.
oh and, if anyone is reading this and would also like to see xbmc on linux. just post a small reply so we get a small idea how many people would be interested in this.
ah i see now that it is programmed with assembly, c and c++... i thought python as well?...
is the code portable? or is it tightly written for the xbox?... i have no experience in porting c code or anything... i'm just a php developer who's very interested in xbmc... :)...
talking to yourself? please don't bump like this, understand it's holidays across the globe and reply times may be longer than usual.
xbmc is dependant on microsoft xbox sdk, you figure the rest out...
for me to find out if xbmc is portable to linux would mean i would have to research the complete code library of xbmc. that's a pretty humongous undertaking to answer just a few questions. i'm sure there are people out here that know how the code is structured and can say something about the portability.
so you say that it is based on the xbox sdk. so how much of xbmc is programmed with the sdk? or is xbmc something that sits on top of some kind of xbox abstraction layer programmed with the sdk?
i think it will be easier to port mediaportal
taking mediaportal as the base sounds good as well i guess. at least that has the tv recording features already.
i think it would be pretty cool if there would be some sort of abstraction layer for windows, the xbox and linux. and that development of the (xbox)mediacentre could somehow be independant of the os it runs on. i guess that depends on how much xbmc or mediaportal are integrated with microsofts environment. does xbmc make use of the msxml libraries for example?
is there documentation somewhere about the code structure of xbmc and/or mediaportal?
i just read that mediaportal is programmed in c#. so unless this code runs with mono i guess the c++ code is more portable for linux?
jmarshall
2005-01-03, 01:17
both xbmc and mediaportal depend heavily on directx.
hmmm... and what if we could use a directx opengl wrapper (http://sourceforge.net/projects/dxglwrap/) to solve that problem? wine (http://www.winehq.com/) also has interfaces for directx...
or an abstraction layer that works with opengl and directx like simple directmedia layer (http://www.libsdl.org/)...
jmarshall
2005-01-03, 12:06
if you do it, then fine - go ahead.
xbmc devs are not going to do it.
well, maybe i will start such a project... :)...
i didn't ask you to do it... i just asked if it would be possible... and if it's difficult or not... i'm trying to "discuss" the subject since there's absolutely no information about this anywhere and i'm sure there are a lot of people that would be interested...
and what makes you think you can speak for all the xbmc devs?... 2005 will be the year of the mediacenter and the xbox simply doesn't have enough power to do the job... isn't it time to start start looking at new platforms??...
mythtv is very good. i've been using it for a couple of months now on my home network - so far it's not messed up, it hasn't crashed & really is excellent, even without considering that it's free!
it's completely open source, so you can fiddle with it as much as you like.
mythtv is very feature rich and great in simply getting the job done. i use it at home too. but compared to xbmc it's a bit rough around the edges. xbmc is much more polished and seems to have gotten a lot more attention for the little details (in looks and functionality).
i think it would be cool if we could have all the good from both worlds... but i'm getting the impression that you guys aren't very excited about it?...
xbmc is about making the best media "solution" for xbox, not for linux and not for pc's. that's just the way it is.
dude... the xbox is a pc... which microsoft tried to disguise by putting it in a black box with an x on it so that they could make money selling games for it...
... the xbox is one piece of hardware with a sdk to it.
it's a world of difference writing stuff for one platform, pc isnt a platform in the same way (lots of different chipsets, with lots of different audio and graphics chipsets), it's a bloody mess is what it is...
it's probably true it's easier when you know exactly what kind of hardware you're working on. but this also has its downsides. the more the code depends on specific hardware the less portable it will be. the code will be stuck on xbox hardware.
luckely it has been proven that xbmc isn't that tightly written with xbox hardware. for starters. it uses directx which is a hardware abstraction layer. secondly, it has already been successfully ported to windows. this means it runs fine on pc hardware.
the only problem remains is the environment. my guess is xbmc doesn't have it's own hardware (directx) abstraction layer that can be converted to opengl. this means that all the code directly talks with directx. to make it cross-platform would mean that everything would need to be reprogrammed so that it could talk with sdl, opengl or something else. this is probably a pretty big undertaking.
just one more thing. maybe now is not the time to port it to linux. but maybe it is a good idea to slowly start working towards something that can be ported to something else in the future.
Hullebulle
2005-02-06, 16:37
but maybe it is a good idea to slowly start working towards something that can be ported to something else in the future.
like what? :hmm:
ratpoison
2005-02-08, 06:54
xbmc is about making the best media "solution" for xbox, not for linux and not for pc's. that's just the way it is.
excuse me... the 'best'?
xbmc on top of linux (a very proprietary distrobution i may add) would far exceed anything xbmc is now.
for example, support for any keyboard or mouse you attach to your xbox, rather than the limited support the xbox has natively.
i was turned off xbmc only because the support for additinonal hardware wasn't there, and i was flamed for asking. it can't be the best unless the underlaying system is changed.
personally, i hate mythtv compaired to xbmc, but when push comes to shove - i gotta go with linux. you're headed nowhere - fine tuning these bells and whistles... at the end of the road, you'll still have a media player limited by the underlaying system.
port to xlinux (not linux) - and the possibilities are endless.
poor linux/xlinux/whatever that you don't have a decent mediaplayer/center (xbmc).
but guess what, we're not here to satisfy everyone's demands and hopes...
if you don't have an xbox which you want to experience xbmc on, i personally would appreciate if you could keep your "trolling" outside this forum.
ratpoison
2005-02-08, 16:25
poor linux/xlinux/whatever that you don't have a decent mediaplayer/center (xbmc).
but guess what, we're not here to satisfy everyone's demands and hopes...
if you don't have an xbox which you want to experience xbmc on, i personally would appreciate if you could keep your "trolling" outside this forum.
bah, i've got an xbox for xbmc and one for xlinux, and a few others for other projects.
its a shame - i dunno why people get so offended. you said best - that would be best.
we have a nice thing going here, xbmc, custom made as a native xbox application. we make use of the xdk, because when we started there was nothing else (and there still isnt anything else usable).
sources are free and open and anyone who wants can commence porting to *nix any flavour you want.
coming here and *bitching* because we won't port to linux, doesn't help anyone, only makes people upset. why don't you *nix lovers take this to the appropiate place,
the linux world
you have plenty of developers there who probably are unaware of xbmc. nevertheless, it's they who can make it happen, not us..
ratpoison
2005-02-08, 23:02
coming here and *bitching* because we won't port to linux, doesn't help anyone, only makes people upset. why don't you *nix lovers take this to the appropiate place,
the linux world
you have plenty of developers there who probably are unaware of xbmc. nevertheless, it's they who can make it happen, not us..
bitching, im not bitching, i think you're mistaking my posts for something they're not.
i love xbmc, i just want it to work with any hardware u connect to it. either add support for hardware, or port it, neither seem to be an option.
complete new person here so bear with me. from what i've read, xbmc is compiled with a unique ms product that has to be licensed by ms. ms strives to own every revenue stream on the planet, an exageration, sure, but not hard to believe. the tools provided by ms are pretty comprehensive and enabling allowing a new level of game production on relatively low grade hardware in relatively short order.
porting to linux implies that these games would run under linux. that implies that the tools provided by ms would be available to linux developers. sounds like a lot of dollars escaping from redmond.
anyway, as mr. pike points out, this is a tool to expand the xbox, that what it is.
EvilGnome
2006-01-13, 00:00
is there any chance that one day some of you crazy coders would work on a port of xbmc for portable media players?
digital cube's istation v43 runs an open source linux on it, and qtopia and some emulators and stuff are already running on it.
is this at all possible -- for us to be able to run xbmc or something similar on a pmp? if so, how long do you think it would take a project like that to really get started?
i would especially love to have some nice looking karaoke support : ).
thank you.
hi well my title says it all, when (if ever) are you guys going to go legit and port xbmc to the pc?
i like the xbox well enough - but really ultimately one day (not too far off) it's appeal will wain. besides which, the extent of what can actually be achieved with the xbox is limited - whereas with a pc it is virtually unlimited. (if you can imagine it, you could probably do it).
with the profusion of ultra small motherboards out there (take a look at min-itx.com to see just how far this field has progressed - now all the major manufacturers are in on the act) and tiny media pc's, xbmc would make the ideal platform to take the best possible advantage of these.
yes i know you are going to say, 'well why not just use freevo', or mythtv? well the answer to that is equally obvious in my view - because as a media center, xbmc leaves these other wannabe's trailing far behind in it's dust.
obviously (being biased in such things) my main attraction would be to see xbmc running on top of a nice tight linux kernel for fast booting times - or perhaps even as a live cd.
but it seems to me that if xbmc is to have a long term future that looking at the possibility of porting it to a pc platform might not be such a bad thing at all. maybe in 10 years we could all still be here, long after the old xbox is dead and forgotten. ;)
alternatively i'm curious about what the plans for the future are? what happens when people loose interest in the xbox? will the project just be allowed to wither away and die?
gj
well, the xbox is already retired in microsofts eyes and xbmc has gone farther than anyone xpected. version 2.0 is on the way and no end in sight, as far as pc, check out media portal, it is the sister of xbmc, it branched off from xbmc a long time ago and is pretty cool too...
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/
this is a good place to start...
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/news....ld.html (http://www.team-mediaportal.com/news/global/mediaportal_2_years_old.html)
i prefer xbmc for simplicity and it is cheaper, i dont record livetv much anymore, i mostly torrent my tv shows even though i have 2 replaytv's and pay for sat service....
even if development stopped on xbmc now, it is what it is and i could live with it as it is now for a long time... i originally got into media portal cuz i didnt see a long life for xbmc and now i use xbmc only. i prefer it but medial portal does more with tv cards etc, the cost of xbmc with xbox is much cheaper than a pc. i love xbmc, it is very polished at this point and does most of what i want as i am more geared towards iptv stuff. as iptv stuff takes off, we will have more sources of entertainment for our xbox. divx looks great upscaled to 720p, i am totally happy with my xbox/xbmc and cannot wait to mod another one!
yes but despite your (our) obvious enthusiasm, it really can't go on for ever.
besides which surely i can't be alone in finding it slightly jarring to have xbmc voted the best fucking oss project on the planet (which is a title it richly deserves) ever, period - while also overlooking the fact that requires microsoft proprietary source code in order to compile it?
i had a look at 'mediaportal' and like you i am similarly unconvinced by it. it lacks the polish and sheer slickness of xbmc - and again it relies on proprietary code in order for it to work. (so ok the software itself is open source, but the os it runs on isn't).
i'm not an oss zealot (i'm writing this on a windows machine now) but what i love about xbmc is the totally dedicated nature of what it does. it really is a media center - not just an app that runs on top of an os. and long term future or not (i mean will for example xbmc 3.0 be purely xbox based? will there still be enough working xboxes around then to make it viable?) i just don't think that it is possible to get that same 'dedicated' media center feel that xbmc has, by using a huge cumbersome os like ms windows. there will also though, come a time when the xbox will outlive it appeal for us all, or they will become so scarce and the parts so hard to find that it will no longer be worthwhile to continue.
clearly it's true too that pretty much any old joe can slap media center software on top of windows (apps like this are pretty much 10 a penny) but having a completely 100% dedicated media center that does nothing else other than work as a media center, is a whole other prospect entirely.
you see it is easy to mistake what xbmc is. personally if i wish to use a media center, i really do want it to be a media center, not just a computer with an os, with a whole load of junk stuffed on top of it and with the media center software sitting on top of that. that's not a media center, that's a pc. and if i wanted a pc - i have a choice of several that i could already choose from.
gj
it seems there's already a lot of documentation (http://cell.scei.co.jp/e_download.html) available on cell. and now sony has confirmed once more that ps3 will come with a linux build preinstalled, open to homebrew software.
could it be time to switch platform? :)
is this a serious question?
some people... sure let me get this started and we'll switch to a platform that is not available yet.
"ok, everyone. attention please...
start porting all your code for xbmc... at this point unless you have a ps3 dev kit you will just need to guess as to how the code works. and we know you will not be able to compile or test anything... and we know that all the calls to the proprietary xbox api and such will not port over and it is impossible to know what the ps3 equal will be...
but no worries since ashlar is confident this can be done.
thank you for your cooperation."
commentary:
i'm amazed after reading some of the completely assinine posts/questions/requests from people that they even know how to download and install xbmc on an xbox... or maybe they have a buddy do it for them.
affini, i asked a question in a polite way. the xbox platform is not capable of playing back hd content and at least one xbmc developer has expressed, in the past, the concept that ps3 looked as a more likely platform for taking their media center to the next level.
the tone of your reply doesn't need any other retort on my behalf. ???
it's way to soon to discuss this.
first the ps3 has to be launched, then devkits and all that sort of stuff got to be availeble.
i too read that some of the xbmc team expressed that ps3 was a more likly candidate for a future xbmc.
but still, the xbmc lives good on xbox1.
drakethegreat
2006-05-21, 00:14
i think porting it to linux in general would be the only really decent option, but even that would be a massive undertaking because of what affini already mentioned, the xbox api is nothing like whats available on linux. it would essentially be a complete rewrite of the gui but at least mplayer wouldn't be much of an issue.
i would say that its more likely (but not even likely) that it would get ported to linux as a whole before it would be ported to a propietary console. the ps3 costs way too much and you could buy a specialized media center cheaper, while the xbox 360 is using signed code which makes it a pain to port to. i don't know much about the wii however, although i'm assuming its similar to the 360 situation.
please forgive the basic question - i am new.
can xbmx be used on a basic linux pc?
i am building a compact, low-spec, media pc. it's purely for listening to my mp3 collection and watching the occasional dvd.
i've heard all the excellent reviews on xbmc and know that i want it to be my interface to my music. to be the only programme that loads on my media pc at startup.
will this be overly difficult to implement?
any guidance to basic tutorials on a pc installation would be gratefully received.
can xbmx be used on a basic linux pc?
simple answer no.
you`d be better off buying a cheap xbox.
cheers b4tm4n.
i would say that its more likely (but not even likely) that it would get ported to linux as a whole before it would be ported to a propietary console. the ps3 costs way too much and you could buy a specialized media center cheaper, while the xbox 360 is using signed code which makes it a pain to port to. i don't know much about the wii however, although i'm assuming its similar to the 360 situation.
building an htpc with ps3 specs and a blue ray drive in it would probably be far more expensive than buying the console.
at the end of the day, i would just like to know what path the developers are imagining for future development of xbmc. in a couple of years time, hd playback won't be a "nice to have" anymore, for a respectable media center.
all imho and without any whining, before somebody else decides about lecturing me.
i posted in general discussion and believe this is a generic enough discussion. :)
now you've confused me!
isn't a chipped xbox just a linux environment?
isn't there any way it would be possible to perform an xbmc install on a linux machine??
i realise that mplayer is the usual linux option, but xbmc looks so much better than mplayer - most of all the great skins and the milkdrop visualizations!
please advise :)
sure, u can run linux on the xbox.
xbmc however never ran on linux.
just because u can run windows apps on a pc, does that mean that windows app would work on linux on, say, a powerpc architecture, since linux also run on a pc?
your "logic" fails miserably.
i am flattered that you even call it 'logic', mate. i really have no idea in comparison to you gurus :bowdown:
now, i understand the xbmc is somewhat based on mplayer?
i have been looking at mplayer as an option for my linux media player, but it appears poor in comparison to xbmc. i love the look of the xbmc skins and of course the milkdrop visualizations.
can you tell me if these two crucial xbmc features can be used in a linux mplayer install? are the two programs that similar that features can be installed in either?
diagdave@msn.com
2006-05-22, 22:27
mplayer is just the file media-player, myth tv is the only media center i know of for linux, why not run windows and have media portal if you really dont want to use the xbox
if you're not wanting pvr features..or anything like hd (you just mentioned odd dvd and playing mp3's) then in all honestly mate xbmc is all you need, its small, quiet, its just perfect for your needs. if you have a hdtv/monitor it will look brilliant on it..you can get them second hand here now for £40..spend another £60 on a 250gb hdd and you're all set..if you want to get a pc then why not just use windows media center?
please dont go on with all anti m/s stuff..look at my sig, im using a mac, ive always used macs and os x/linux - but in all honesty, windows media center is not bad at all, its something they have got right (m/s) - however if you all you are doing is watching odd dvd and mp3s that could be an overkill...xbmc all the way mate, get an xbox. *thumbs up*
we are using the win32 version of mplayer (pretty much) compiled as a dll as one of our player cores.
thank you for the advice fellas
and your thumbs up on windows media centre has really made me think
now if only windows looked as nice as xbmc!!!
i've just done some thinking...
windows media player doesn't support cue files (very important for me!), it also does not support the milkdrop visualization, which i love.
yes, i always could use winamp on windows mc.
but then the whole thing would look exactly like my laptop. this is not what i want for my media centre. i want it to look like a flash bespoke front end.
xbmc it is then! i can see that it is the only way for me!
good choice, you wont look back, let us know how you get on and if you run into anything at all dont hesitate to pm me.
After reading about a new project some guys are working on to convert a MSNTV2 device into a Carputer running Linux, I got to wondering if XBMC could ever be made to run on these devices as well, which can be had on eBay for as low as $10 shipped.
Cheap Car PC (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=80804&highlight=xbox)
Hi, I've just googled around for some time and have tried to find some open source alternative to my KiSS DP-558 (DVD player, HD recorder, internet access, network streaming, webradio etc.) See www.kiss-technology.com for more info on the device. I've learned that it runs Linux 2.4 on a Sigma EM8560/EM856x Chip-set, i.e. quite different from the Xbox I believe. And it is extrememly silent ;)
I've seen a project at sourceforge that have some opensource code at a pre alpha stage running (http://sourceforge.net/projects/okfw/), but it is not really usable.
Also, over at http://mpcclub.com/ Mr. Hi-Jack and MartinB have some "stage2" revers engeneered firmware that have got some improvements. But it is quite far from what the XBMC is...
KiSS themselves have released (some of) the GPL part of their code here:
http://www.kiss-technology.com/gpl
(it is far from complete, and they probably violating the GPL licence, but thats another story, see http://kisstux.sourceforge.net/)
I've seen the poll at http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19144 and can see that there at least is some interest for this. And - I would be pretty sure that if some of the developers here at XBMC would look into this, all the users and dev guys over at mpcclub would be more than happy to help out and do testing.
Would it be possible to port XBMC?
Gamester17
2006-09-11, 10:40
This have been explained before, which you would have known if you bothered to do a search and read all the existing discussions in the other topic threads. Anyway, a short but accurate answer is if Team-XBMC (http://xboxmediacenter.com/wiki/index.php?title=Team_XBMC_and_Others) ever deside to port (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porting) XBMC to a other platform then that other platform will most likely be Win32 (Windows) based (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows). Team-XBMC will probebely never port (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porting) XBMC to any other operating-system than Windows (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows), this is simply because the XBMC GUI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUI) code (which is basicaly what XBMC really is, a very advanced GUI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUI)) relies too heavily on the DirectX API (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX), which is a Microsoft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft) product that is only available on Windows-platforms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows). Porting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porting) XBMC to a non-Windows platform which doesn't feature the DirectX API (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX) would essentialy have to be a complete rewrite of the entire XBMC GUI from scratch! Sure it might not be impossible to 'port (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porting)' XBMC to Linux/UNIX/BSD using SDL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_DirectMedia_Layer) and Wine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_%28software%29) to make it into a cross-platform (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-compiling) product, but again it would still mean a complete rewrite which is A LOT of work and it would take A LOT of time!
Note! As you can see above and bellow I added pleanty of links to articles which can help none-programmers understand what they are asking for (if you read the linked articles!), so if you choose to reply to this then at least try to make an effort and fully read those, that way you will not to sound too naive on the subject.
PS! Not everyone knows this, but there are other Win32/Windows platforms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows) today than Windows XP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_xp), such as Windows XP Embedded (http://msdn.microsoft.com/embedded/), and Windows CE 6.0 (http://msdn.microsoft.com/virtuallabs/windowsce/), (and the Xbox360), which can run on other hardware than x86 architecture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86). So a generic Win32-port (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows) of XBMC could probebely be made to work on more than one Windows Operating-System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows). Hoever please don't discuss that futher in this "Linux request" specific topic-thread, instead you can read more on that discussion in this (http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19144), this (http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9299) and this (http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1042) topic-threads.
D'oh - I came here through a link from a discussion regarding Linux on PS3 and the hopes that something like XBMC could be made available for it quickly, but I guess reading the above post that won't be handled by the XBMC guys at least. It's a shame, since PS3 looks like it could be a really awesome media centre. Just today it was announced by Terra Soft that Yellow Dog Linux will be available for it at launch, so the tools are there. Hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later, even if xbmc isn't at the helm.
Hi, I've just googled around for some time and have tried to find some open source alternative to my KiSS DP-558 (DVD player, HD recorder, internet access, network streaming, webradio etc.) See www.kiss-technology.com for more info on the device. I've learned that it runs Linux 2.4 on a Sigma EM8560/EM856x Chip-set, i.e. quite different from the Xbox I believe. And it is extrememly silent ;)
I've seen a project at sourceforge that have some opensource code at a pre alpha stage running (http://sourceforge.net/projects/okfw/), but it is not really usable. (http://www.searchteens.net). (http://www.searchsport.net). (http://www.doski-games.biz). (http://www.searchgames.biz). (http://www.doski-teens.biz)
Also, over at http://mpcclub.com/ Mr. Hi-Jack and MartinB have some "stage2" revers engeneered firmware that have got some improvements. But it is quite far from what the XBMC is...
KiSS themselves have released (some of) the GPL part of their code here:
http://www.kiss-technology.com/gpl
(it is far from complete, and they probably violating the GPL licence, but thats another story, see http://kisstux.sourceforge.net/)
I've seen the poll at http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19144 and can see that there at least is some interest for this. And - I would be pretty sure that if some of the developers here at XBMC would look into this, all the users and dev guys over at mpcclub would be more than happy to help out and do testing.
Would it be possible to port XBMC?
Ooh very nice i try now !