Everyone at Team XBMC is proud and excited to announce the long awaited XBMC 12 “Frodo.” Features for XBMC 12 include:

• HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC AudioEngine (OSX/iOS not yet available)
• Live TV and PVR support
• h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime
• 64bit support in OSX to match the 64bit support in Linux
• Improved image support, allowing the database to accomodate numerous additional image types and more interesting and complex skins
• Support for the Raspberry PI
• Initial support for the Android platform
• Improved AirPlay support across all platforms, including AirPlay audio in XBMC for Windows to match the other platforms
• Improved controller support in Windows and Linux
• Advanced Filtering in the library
• Video library tags to complement movie sets
• Advanced UPnP sharing
• Default video languages now match the language being used by XBMC
• Translations now powered by Transifex

A Shout Out to Our Friends and Sponsors

With this release, we’d like to single out a few friends and sponsors who went a very long ways to make Frodo a reality.

To start, we’ve added two entirely new users bases with Frodo. The first was the Raspberry Pi platform. It’s rare when a registered charity can do something as incredible as create a piece of hardware that’s got thousands of people salivating. It’s absolutely unheard of when that piece of hardware pops out as the single least expensive means of running XBMC ever. Thanks to the Raspberry Pi Foundation for their efforts and their support!

Pivos: The XBMC for Android port catalyst

The second new platform is XBMC for Android. The simple fact of the matter is, XBMC for Android might not exist as a working port right now if it weren’t for the decision of Pivos Technology to employ two XBMC Team members fulltime to make it happen. Of course, countless other Team Members and non-Team coders have contributed to the code base both before and after that initial decision, but it was Pivos who gave our developers the necessary man hours to make XBMC for Android a reality.

In addition, in an unheralded move, Pivos has gone above and beyond the standard sponsor requirements and donated enough XIOS DS’s to the Foundation so that every current XBMC Team member, regardless of skill set (from developers to wiki maintainers to testers), has or will have an Android device to tinker with and test things out on.

Finally, there are the friends and sponsors who provide all the data that makes XBMC what it is, including TheTVDB, TheMovieDb, Fanart.tv, and TheAudioDb, among so many others. In particular, we’d like to acknowledge Weather Underground who stepped in to rescue XBMC when we lost our last weather host and also WebHostingBuzz and Bytemark Hosting, the webservers who make XBMC.org possible.

Thanks to you all!

Conclusion and Download

To get XBMC 12 Frodo, please visit our download page.

Check out our changelog for a more complete list of updates for XBMC 12.

Let us know what you think of XBMC 12 in the comments below, or, if you like, via the donation button at the top of the page.

If you have any problems read the Frodo FAQ, the Raspberry Pi FAQ, or the Android FAQ, depending on your version, and don’t hesitate to report them in our forums and report verified bugs in Trac.

We would like to take this time to announce the third release candidate for XBMC 12. Features for XBMC 12 include:

• HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC AudioEngine
• Live TV and PVR support
• h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime
• 64bit support in OSX to match the 64bit support in Linux
• Improved image support, allowing the database to accomodate numerous additional image types
• Support for the Raspberry PI
• Initial support for the Android platform
• Improved Airplay support across all platforms, including Airplay audio in XBMC for Windows to match the other platforms
• Improved controller support in Windows and Linux
• Advanced Filtering in the library
• Advanced UPnP sharing
• Translations now powered by Transifex

At this point, XBMC 12 is entirely feature complete. All changes from this point forward will exclusively include fixes for replicable bugs necessary to reach final release.

Fixes between RC2 and RC3 are entirely stability fixes. For the full list, visit our Github milestones for RC3. As always, please do not report bugs or other issues in Github. If you need to report a verified bug, feel free to use Trac.

A quick note for Linux users, PVR addons have now been made a separate install from XBMC and can be found in the same PPA as XBMC. Each addon will be labeled “xbmc-pvr-[plugin-name].”

To get this release candidate, please visit our download page.

Let us know what you think of this release candidate in the comments below, or, if you like, via the donation button at the top of the page.

If you have any problems read the Frodo FAQ and don’t hesitate to post about them in our forums and report verified bugs in Trac.

We would quickly like to take this time to announce the second release candidate for XBMC 12. Features for XBMC 12 include:

• HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC AudioEngine
• Live TV and PVR support
• h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime
• 64bit support in OSX to match the 64bit support in Linux
• Improved image support, allowing the database to accomodate numerous additional image types
• Support for the Raspberry PI
• Initial support for the Android platform
• Improved Airplay support across all platforms, including Airplay audio in XBMC for Windows to match the other platforms
• Improved controller support in Windows and Linux
• Advanced Filtering in the library
• Advanced UPnP sharing
• Translations now powered by Transifex

At this point, XBMC 12 is entirely feature complete. All changes from this point forward will exclusively include fixes for replicable bugs necessary to reach final release.

Fixes between RC1 and RC2 include resolution of incorrectly disabling audio devices due to faulty detection, which should resolve all or most “audio suddenly stops altogether” complaints, along with numerous other stability enhancements and minor fixes. For the full list, visit our Github milestones for RC2. As always, please do not report bugs or other issues in Github. If you need to report a verified bug, feel free to use Trac.

To get this release candidate, please visit our download page.

Let us know what you think of this release candidate in the comments below, or, if you like, via the donation button at the top of the page.

If you have any problems read the Frodo FAQ and don’t hesitate to post about them in our forums and report verified bugs in Trac.

We would quickly like to take this time to announce the first release candidate for XBMC 12. Features for XBMC 12 include:

• HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC AudioEngine
• Live TV and PVR support
• h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime
• 64bit support in OSX to match the 64bit support in Linux
• Improved image support, allowing the database to accomodate numerous additional image types
• Support for the Raspberry PI
• Initial support for the Android platform
• Improved Airplay support across all platforms
• Improved controller support in Windows and Linux
• Advanced Filtering in the library
• Advanced UPnP sharing
• Translations now powered by Transifex

At this point, XBMC 12 is entirely feature complete. All changes from this point forward will exclusively include fixes for replicable bugs necessary to reach final release.

To get this release candidate, please visit our download page.

Let us know what you think of this release candidate in the comments below, or, if you like, via the donation button at the top of the page.

And if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to post about them in our forums and report verified bugs in Trac.

Hot on the heels of Beta 2, we are excited to release Beta 3. This release includes a number of fixes as we work to resolve issues that have cropped up since Beta 2 and also attempt to isolate some issues that still exist. For a quick run down of some of the big ones:

• Users of Android 4.2 should now be able to install and run XBMC for Android.
• The upgrade path of Windows users has been a little tricky.  Users may upgrade to beta and discover the audio no longer works. This is due to a bit of trickiness with the AudioEngine upgrade. For Audiophiles to get the most out of AE, we recommend that you check out the AE Wiki entry.
• For those Windows users who find themselves without sound, the simple fix is to go to System->system->Audio Output and switch WASAPI to DirectSound. Users doing a clean install of XBMC for Windows Beta 3 should have no problem.
• PVR Addons have been included with XBMC for Windows, matching up with most other ports.
• We are still only partially complete on translations for numerous languages, including Romanian, Japanese, Estonian, Bosnian, Serbian, Hindi, and more. If you feel comfortable with one of these languages, but don’t know how to help, feel free to visit our forum thread that explains how to help translate XBMC using Transifex. UPDATE: Additionally, Transifex is used for translations for addons and skins, so you are always welcome to go back to a more complete language and help with any unfinished addons.

Finally, we’ve begun compiling a list of some of the more frequently asked questions about the transition from XBMC 11 Eden to XBMC 12 Frodo.  If you haven’t made the switch yet, or just want to read about what other people are running into, please visit the XBMC 12 Frodo FAQ.

Conclusion

But enough of all that. Now is the time to get to downloading.

Let us know what you think of the changes in the comments below, or, if you like, via the donation button at the top of the page.

And if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to post about them in our forums and report verified bugs in Trac.

Update: The permissions error on the Android download link has been fixed.

We are excited to announce Beta 2 of XBMC 12 today, as it brings with it many fixes and one long awaited major update. As you know, XBMC currently supports OSX, Linux, Windows, iOS, and the ARM-based Raspberry Pi. That’s a great list, but anyone paying attention could tell you that a massive, critical platform is still missing. Well, Scott Davilla and Cory Fields (theuni) have been working tirelessly to bring one more platform to the fold. And we’re all excited to say that we are finally ready to release the very first beta of XBMC for Android.

To run this beta, you will need a fairly modern Android phone, tablet, or other device. We have determined that any Android device that doesn’t include the NEON extension is simply going to run too slowly to be useable. If you are uncertain whether your device is supported, feel free to visit the XBMC for Android compatibility list.

Alternatively, you can simply install the XBMC for Android apk. If your device is not supported, XBMC will post a warning when you try to launch the app and exit out. If it is, and it isn’t included on the compatibility list, feel free to add it.

One Android issue worth mentioning: at present XBMC is likely to load fairly slowly on the first run as it unpacks itself. This is expected behavior. After first run, it should load quite a bit faster.

Update 2: Users should be aware that an update to Android 4.2 appears to have temporarily broken XBMC support for all you Nexus and Cyanogenmod users (and anyone else running 4.2). Beta3 should be right around the corner, and we hope to have a fix in place by the time that rolls out.

Controller Support

Without a doubt, one of the most popular controllers for PC at present is the Xbox 360 Controller. It is invariably the most supported controller for all AAA title Windows games (along with numerous games being ported for Steam for Linux), so it was undoubtedly time for the controller to become fully plug and play compatible with XBMC. Thanks to the work of Shiretoko212, rowan.border, and all those who contributed in this thread, the previously outdated 360 keymap has been updated and dramatically improved so that now almost any 360 controller, regardless of version, should be immediately recognized by XBMC assuming a driver is in place. For those interested in using their 360 controller to control XBMC, check out this 360 button map to show what all the buttons do in XBMC.

Audio Fixes

Easily the number one reported issue with Beta1 was a lack of sound in Windows. This issue was relatively simply resolved by switching from WASAPI to DirectSound as the default output. Users who prefer WASAPI can still easily switch back in System->Audio Output.

Other Fixes

Needless to say, there were numerous other fixes, including fixes to nodes and smartplaylists, the volume range of Airtunes in Windows, a speedup of EPG data importing, solving a minor files issue, and others. To see all the changes, feel free to refer to the Beta2 Git Changelog. Additionally, there are several other issues still being worked on, and more will likely crop up during Beta testing. If you would like to report an issue, please search for the issue in our forums first and report any verified bugs in Trac.

Conclusion

But enough of all that. Now is the time to get to downloading.

Let us know what you think of the changes in the comments below, or, if you like, via the donation button at the top of the page.

And if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to post about them in our forums and report verified bugs in Trac.

Update: There was a packaging issue with the Beta1 Windows build that caused some scrapers to not install correctly. This has since been resolved, any Windows Beta1 users should grab the repack available at the download page.

It’s been a mere eight months since Team XBMC released XBMC 11.  If you’ve been following along with us in that time, you already know about most of the new features, changes, and updates that our entire team has been working tirelessly to put into place. But you also know that all those features have only been available in monthly alpha builds.

Now we are excited to say that we are finally ready to roll out the very first beta of XBMC 12 Frodo.

The Name

In the past, we’ve traditionally named our releases after fantastical places like Camelot, Babylon, and Eden. This time around, on the release set to be titled with the letter ‘F’, we decided to take a slight break from that naming process to honor our roots. Ten years ago, an individual with the username Frodo joined the Xbox Media Player team, bringing along his open source software project called YAMP. With the addition of Frodo’s project the three founders, Frodo, d7o3g4q, and RUNTiME, released the first non-beta version of the Xbox Media Player – XBMP 2.0 – as open source software. Frodo then spearheaded the move from XBMP to the more feature rich XBMC, including acting as the primary author for the initial UI engine.

Today, thanks to the three founders’ decision to release open source, hundreds, if not thousands of people have contributed to XBMC in the form of core code, addons, skins, scripts, hosting, evangelizing, and more. Due in part to its open nature, XBMC has been ported to every major viable operating system and architecture. Skilled skinners have succeeded in making skins that resemble almost every major 10′ UI released in the past ten years, along with dozens of completely unique looks seen nowhere else. XBMC can be had on devices as inexpensive as $25 and can be the primary UI for PCs a dozen times more powerful than the original Xbox was. And for all that, it feels like we’ve only scraped the surface of XBMC’s potential, all because three people decided the project would be better off if it were released as free software.

For that reason – and for so many others – we choose to honor our founders and the past ten years by naming XBMC 12 after one of them. Thanks, Frodo. And thanks d7o3g4q and RUNTiME as well. It’s been a great ten years.

The Features

Thanks to an incredibly successful GSoC experience and numerous dedicated developers who have been working on many projects for years, XBMC 12 figures to be one of the most anticipated feature updates in a long time. Features include…

• HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC AudioEngine
• Live TV and PVR support
• h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime
• 64bit support in OSX to match the 64bit support in Linux
• Improved image support, allowing the database to accomodate numerous additional image types
• Support for the Raspberry PI
• Initial support for the Android platform
• Improved Airplay support across all platforms
• Advanced Filtering in the library
• Advanced UPnP sharing
• Translations now powered by Transifex

Of course, that is merely a small selection of the many changes from the past seven months. For a more in depth look, feel free to review the write-ups of the alphas for each month.

• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April

A Few Issues

Needless to say, this is beta software. You should absolutely expect problems to occasionally crop up. At present, we are anticipating a number of issues as we switch XBMC over from the Eden addon repository to a new Frodo repository, including partly broken skins and various scripting/scrapers errors. Please bear with us if these problems do crop up. Additionally, PVR users will not be able to switch channels via the channel up/down buttons using their remotes or CEC due to a slight change in the way PVR keymaps are being handled. We are aware of this issue and should have it fixed by Beta2.

Needless to say, there are several other issues still being worked on, and more will likely crop up during Beta testing. If you would like to report an issue, please search for the issue in our forums first and report any verified bugs in Trac.

As always, if your goal is stability, we recommend that you avoid updating until we have gone gold. If you do decide to install this beta, it is highly recommended that you back up your userdata folder.

Issue Update

Some of you Windows users may have noticed that the scrapers on XBMC 12 for Windows Beta1 were returning an error. This appears to have been an error introduced during the packaging phase that we managed to miss during testing. It appears only to affect users who are doing a clean install and not upgrading.

We are right now building a fix that should resolve this error within the next few hours. Check back on this page, as we will update here when the issue has been resolved.

The fix is now live. Happy downloading!

Conclusion

But enough of all that. Now is the time to get to downloading. Linux users, you in particular will be happy to discover that we’ve finally got our beta PPA up and running, thanks to a number of devs, including our newest team member, wsnipex, and we’ve got an XBMCbuntu iso thanks to the efforts of team member erhnam.

Let us know what you think of the changes in the comments below, or, if you like, via the donation button at the top of the page.

And if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to post about them in our forums and report verified bugs in Trac.