But... they're just computers!

--edit-- so this comment isn't orally worthless, I ought to say that over the years I've come to the conclusion that, when it comes down to it, they're all just computers. Some may have a graphical output, some may not, some may have the RAM, the processor speed, the SATA interfaces, whatever.

When it comes down to it you can stuff debian on any of them and make it do whatever the hell you want. This is a worthwhile and awesome pursuit, but when it comes down to it it doesn't matter - Pi, NAS, micro server, 1U pizza-box, mainframe... they all do the same

--edit 2-- Orally worthless? WTF? I'm getting rapidly sick of my new Mac's autocorrect features!

That's why I can't understand this. Using the Raspberry Pi to control some external device, sure. Hooking it up to your own LEDs or systems or whatever, amazing. But, using it as a NAS/HTPC/whatever? It's pretty much the least imaginative thing you can do with a computer, and the Pi isn't even that well suited to it.

But, eh, if you had fun doing it, power to you. I'm not going to tell you what you should and shouldn't do. It's just that I'd like to see some more imaginative hacks.

I have a HP N40L little 4 disk SMB server which runs ubuntu perfectly with all the tools you list along with RAID and a bit more power.

Instead of having XBMC I use plex a free (though the plexpass is so worth it) fork, which keeps a central library which clients then query, they have a client for everything (rpi, android, ios, windows, mac, linux), by far the best feature is that it remembers what point you were in movies and has a great web interface where you can watch anything - no installation of anything required. Also syncs content of your choosing to ipad or tablets/phones so when you hit the road you have all your shows you want at the correct quality and encoding - I freaking love it. If you have a good enough speed uplink you can also even watch remotely in your browser.

If you like XBMC - try Plex, it's worth a little look at...

edit: Also runs on Roku's too :)

Interesting comment!

I like my NAS setup because it's silent (++), easy to manage and it has a really nice Web interface, but you're right your home made server is much more powerfull and flexible and will always be.

Also I tried Plex on the Pi, but it's too slow (there is even a port for the Pi http://rasplex.com/) and it needs the server part of Plex to run on the NAS... at the end it's too much of a burden compared to XBMC for the little Pi.

I totally agree, you should try an Android TV stick with Plex app on (see my comment above)

The N40L is pretty dam silent, it just sits behind my couch. Uses a touch more power but it doesn't struggle like those NAS's sometimes do with certain apps.

I definitively want to try those Android Stick!

For others you might want to look into PLEX and RASPLEX. I have RASPLEX on a Pi and it streams wonderfully from my Linux box sitting in a corner. The UI is a bit slow if using a keyboard. But it is smooth and fast when I use the iOS Plex app to control the Pi.

Edit: I find the UI on Plex to be way better than XMBC.

Other option is a Android "TV Stick" off Ali Express or Ebay, they run 4.1.1 and you can just install the plex app on it and use a remote... also stick a 32GB SD card in it and when you go away to a hotel just take the stick with you can find the HDMI socket. You can also install the Wifi-direct and Airplay apps on it which enable it to receive airplay and miracast signals. Not back for $40....

Interesting! I tried RasPlex the other day but found out it was too slow and needed the server part being somewhere else (on the NAS). Also the XBMC theme I recommend is quiet efficient and pretty in my opinion...

The IU is sped up in RASPLEX if if you use a a fast USB drive for PLEX. That is easy to do. And like I said. Use the iOS or Android app to control the Pi. It should just see it.

The server part is what I love about Plex. I can get halfway through a movie on the bus home and pick up exactly where I left off when I get home to finish on the Pi. And it does things like suggest what you should watch next.

Glorious!!! http://i.imgur.com/eCDNhlR.jpg

How much was the Pi/accessories?

I paid $100 for a Roku box and 100% use it for PLEX, nothing else. Should have just bought a Pi...

Pi was 35. Then I needed a case (7) power adapter (5) SD card (10). So around 60.

And I can use the Pi for other stuff if I want. Keep in mind It runs the full PHT. Not the watered down version on the ATV2 which is what I previously used.

Just adding that the RasPi power supply is a standard micro-USB so if you happen to have one already (old phone or tablet charger?) and a spare SD card (old camera?) then you don't even need to pick those up.

Heck even the case isn't strictly necessary. I've got a similar setup at home and for quite a while mine was hanging off the back of my TV on a short HDMI cable.

While the later model B's are reasonably good with most chargers, you still want to make sure the charger is capable of at least 700mA.

If anyone hesitate you HAVE TO buy the B model! Much more power for so little money.

My pi shipped with a plastic, semi-transparent box, if you don't mind the pink colour, you can turn it into a makeshift case.

I Paid my Pi 52 euros 6 months ago with a case and a USB charger. You can add $10 for a good SD Card and you're all set.

Yes but Roku supports a wide variety of formats, does Pi + XBMC support anything more than mp4/m4v (H.264) format?

What other formats do you use? Most if not all container today use H264...

Nice writeup. I've got a similar setup, however, I grew a bit annoyed with Raspbmc, as it's a bit slow as your library gets bigger. So I'd recommend an Atom box to handle this part (I'm using an Ion330 from Asrock, but there's probably better hardware available for this nowadays).

Well Sam did lot of speed improvements lately, and the Theme I talk about (Amber) is efficient on the Pi. Also keep in mind the Pi is $50 compared to at least $200 for a complete Ion setup, right?

Yeah but it's not the UI that's laggy. It's mostly the library updates. I've got a Raspberry that takes 15 minutes to do a library scan, while my Ion takes about a minute, maybe 2. It depends on your use case of course, but when you use sickbeard, you end up doing library updates almost daily.

You don't need to do a full scan each time. If you enable SickeBeard XBMC notification it will only add the new Show without updating the whole library...

Not loving the heteronormative language, " In both cases your girlfriend will thank you." ..for the same reasons that "How to explain Python to your Grandmother" etc. is not OK. In my case my boyfriend would be clueless and I'd be setting it up.

Oh it works both way for sure! I don't tell about my grandfather because well my grandmother is lot more tech friendly than he is! Anyway I understand what you mean, sorry about that.

You didn't do anything that warrants an apology.

BTW I updated the post.

I know, I was referring to your post before you edited it.

Thanks very much for being cool about it! I understand you didn't do anything wrong, it's just good to be aware of latent stuff in what we write sometimes, I totally do it to :) I love HN - only place around that I probably wouldn't get downvoted and flamed because of this. BTW, your grandmother sounds cool!

I use almost the exact same setup, but with an Ouya instead of the RP.

I could get an Ouya shiped to me next day via Amazon Prime, and installing it from the store was a breeze. The UI is also really smooth.

I've also plugged in a cheap ebay media center remote receiver (which I have programmed on my Logitech Harmony remote), and it works perfectly.

Nice to know the Ouya also does media server..

On of the best part of XBMC is the HDMI CEC support meaning you don't need a new remote control and trust me this is great!

Sounds awesome, wouldn't mind a few more pics of hardware and screenshots of software used to better illustrate what you did.

Good point ! I'll try to add some later...

I have a N54L with Xpenology installed on it. It's kind of a nightmare to make sickbeard etc work but at leats plex works. I prefer it against XBMC, better performance I think and is browser functional. I don't have too much time to experiment but I'm looking forward to alternatives. Please any recommendations?

I couldn't agree more about using a Synology for your NAS device. I bought the Synology DS213j a couple of months ago, and it has completely changed the way I manage my files. The number of applications that Synology has out of the box is outstanding.

he could have transformed his router into a NAS using either the proprietary software or OpenWRT/Tomato etc... This way you dont need any extra NAS and just plug in your external drive via USB. The performance is the only bottleneck I've experienced with routers (cpu speed is about 200-600mhz). Other than that it works really well with my raspberry pi xbmc!

Well Synology NAS is so much more than just a connected harddrive through the network... Also I don't think the router can handle NZbget, sickbeard etc.

I really dont know what software is available from the NAS manufacturers or the community. All i can say is that my Netgear WNDR3700v2 can handle transmission, smb, ssh, afp, an apache server and tvheadend pretty well on OpenWRT and there are many more packages (including nzbget) available.

I think you'll find a really big bottleneck if you're using NZB (with NZget or SabNZB). Even my NAS is too slow to give me the maximum speed of my fiber optic internet connection :( (stuck at 9MB/s)

I have done this as well but I always end up using my crap boxee because it supports Netflix and the RPi doesn't :(

Did you try this XBMC add-ons on it? http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Add-on:XBMC_Flicks_-_Ne...

I got all excited until I read it won't work in the UK, but it's a great thing otherwise.

I have a pi, smb, an usb-drive and open movies directly. I never really understood the streaming thing.

You can keep your media on a server that lives in another room or a cupboard somewhere, and then play on any device you feel like.

I've never used xbmc, but using a DLNA server, a phone with an app like skifta and various dumb music endpoints and smart-TV style video endpoints, you can use your phone to throw media from the server to anywhere in the house. It's rather cool :)