zip file, make sure you put the extracted image into a easily accessible place, like the root of your hard drive.įor the remaining instructions continue to the next page for Windows or the following page for Mac OS X. If you’re using an older model Raspberry Pi, download the stable Diskimage for the ARM11, if you’re using the new Raspberry Pi 2, use the ARMv7 stable Diskimage download. Instead, we can use the official site to download the latest version of OpenElec that’s been configured for Pi already. Very advanced users get some unique levels of control by building their own image, but the process is complicated and requires the user to be at least familiar with a Unix terminal environment. We’re going to have to secure a copy of the OpenElec image. The process varies a little based on your Operating System, but downloading and unpacking the image is the same. Make sure to back up any data you have stored on the SD card, as the process of installing OpenElec will wipe the card clean. You don’t need it, but a wired USB keyboard will help the process go smoothly, especially if you have issues with network connectivity. It’s easier to use HDMI because it automatically carries audio with it, but you can also use an analog cable and a 3.5mm output. You’ll also need to connect your Pi to the network, which you can do by attaching a compatible USB Wi-Fi adapter, but we prefer Ethernet for its ease of setup and more stable connection speed. In addition to a Rasperry Pi and power cable, you’ll need a Micro SD card, and while extra space is great, it only needs to be 1GB.
While Kodi is a popular option for DIY media streamers, support has fallen off for Raspberry Pi versions of the software as better hardware allows the Linux-based OpenElec to run better.īefore you get started with installation you’ll want to make sure you have everything else ready to go. There are lots of ways to set up media streaming, but one of the easiest and cheapest is the Raspberry Pi, although it requires more work to set up. In the end you’ll have a highly configurable system for streaming your network content or accessing your favorite streaming services. Greg Mombert/Digital TrendsIf you’ve got a lot of movies saved on your computer, or you like to stream from Netflix or Amazon Prime, you probably know that watching on a full sized TV is better than your laptop screen. Raspbmc does not work with RPi2B and future development has been halted, OSMC is the new focus of the developers.
XBMC has been replaced by KODI and is not an Operating System it is Media Centre Software. I know that there have been some comparisons previously, but with the launch of pi2 and OSMC some of them are outdated.
Which one is recommended for RPI / RPI2 ? and why? What are the main differences between OSMC, RaspBMC, OpenELEC, XBMC and KODI?
Nowadays, after spending some more money, i have successfully set up a media centre with my (brand new) pi2 with OSMC, and i'm happy with it (e.g.: last night i could reproduce 1080p from a SAMBA fileserver without any issue )īut OSMC is not the only operating system out there regarding media centers so the main focus of this post is the following:
As background, i had raspbmc installed with my pi 1 B+ and i wasn't happy about it because of lack of wifi dongle drivers and lack of smoothness / response when browsing.