The installation of xbmc is more of less straight forward. I entered the following into my terminal:

sudo apt-get install python-software-properties pkg-config
sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xbmc 

The installation of the xmbc package supplied me with 2 more programs:

1. xbmc
2. xbmc-standalone

For the time being, I will use "xbmc" to be launched automatically by xubuntu. I set that in the control panel, to go to "Session and Startup". There I chose the tab "Application Autostart" and I clicked "Add" and filled up the Name and Command out with "xbmc".
I will later find out and blog about how to start directly into xbmc, bypassing the xubuntu desktop environment (xfce).
The next two packages that I will add are:

1. ssh: ssh, or better known as openssh, is well know as remote terminal administration of Linux and BSD system and is from my opinion a must for every Linux system that is being remotely administered. Especially when you are watching a movie and then you remember that you have check or change some configuration of the system.
2. samba: the samba package will give you the possibility to share files for various clients, especially Microsoft Windows Clients. They will appear as shared folders over the networks. I will configure in my set up one user and one shared folder in which that authenticated has the write access. Other unauthenticated user (guest users) will only have read access and will not need any authentication for that.

The ssh package needs only to be installed. As for the samba server, I will assume that you will know how to use vi and the various Linux commands that I will be mentioning / using the terminal.

1. In /etc/samba/smb.conf I searched for the following lines below and uncomment them, if I didn't find them, I added those lines listed below:
   
   • security = user
   • usershare allow guests = yes
   • [homes]
     create mask = 0700
     directory mask = 0700
     valid users = %S
2. In the installation of xubuntu I have created the default user "mediatomb". That was something which was in my previous blog so obvious in the installation process that I didn't mention. The following command will assume refer to that user:  

smbpasswd -a mediatomb

The above command will prompt you for the password for the password backend.

A reboot of the system made my changes take effect.
During the installation and configuration process, I ran into some unexpected but minor, what I call some dents or bugs.

I will list them up in my next blog and if I run into any solutions, I will mention their solutions of course.

Installation and installation of xbmc along with xubuntu

I started this blog because I wanted to share the experience that I gathered, of my project that I initiated some while ago and started implementing it recently. It is about the experience that I went through with installing and configuring xbmc on the basis of xubuntu onto basic pc hardware.

The hardware that I used has been purchased a while back and therefore the prices that I'll be listing up does not correspond with today's prices. But it should give you a rough idea how high your budget needs to be when you thinking about building your own home theatre pc (htpc).

My first intention back then was to watch, stream, share media, record my favourite tv shows from a dvb-s card, and eventually play Blu-Rays.
Here is my choice of my hardware:

1. Intel BOXDH61AG Mainboard Socket 1155 (mini-ITX, Intel H61) costed about: 99,76 Euros 
2. Intel Celeron G555 Dual-Core Prozessor (2,7GHz, Sockel 1155, 2MB Cache, 65 Watt) costs about: 39,40 Euros
3. Kingston KVR1066D3S8S7/2G 2GB costs about: 25 Euros
4. Streacom ST-F7CB EVO HTPC Aluminium costs about: 90 Euros

I left out the harddisk because I had a 2.5" HD laying around, depending on how large you want  the harddisk will be, so will the price will change accordingly. In order not complicate things more, installed everything on one partition.
Another thing that I didn't list up yet was the slim blu-ray drive. That is because I wasn't so sure that this or that drive would work since the prices back then were about 150 Euros, which is a lot of money that I'll be investing into something that "might" work or not. More about the drives that I'll be thinking about to use will be elaborated later in my blog.
The installation of xubuntu itself went as a breeze and therefore I will not elaborate that process any further in my blog. But the process of the installation of xbmc will be elaborated further in my blog. In order to make sure that everything works on my 42" HD Samsung I used it as a monitor so that I can see how it is when you install xubuntu on such a large system.
From the perspective of the system, I used the DVI output and connected it onto a HDMI slot of the Samsung TV.
The only thing that I noticed when booting the live cd and after the installation of xubuntu is that you will miss the outer regions of your desktop at 1080p.
So I scaled down the resolution to 1680x1050 and everything started fitting into my TV nicely. I had the same symptoms when connecting the HDMI output of my system but that was again solved with setting the screen resolution as mentioned above.
Apparently there is some differences when it comes with the detention of resolution on the linux side and consumer electronics. Why and how come? I don't know. So if there is someone who reads this blog and knows the answer, please post it. I'll be happy about the answer.

In my next entry I will be going through the basic installation of xbmc and reviewing number of remote control devices that I'll be using in order to control my HTPC from my couch.
If someone wants to have more elaboration on my choices of the hardware please let me know. This is one of the most frequently discussed topics in the xbmc forums in relation with power consumption. I will post the values of my power consumptions on my next entry anyway.