We’ve looked at how you can use
almost any gadget to make your TV into a smart TV, but today we’re looking at how
you can use the very cheapest one to get top notch online video playing right
back on the big screen in your living room: the humble £25 Raspberry Pi. And it couldn’t be easier – read on to find out
how it’s done.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been
running a series of gadget tutorials, showing you how to pull off useful tech
tricks like adding voice control to your car, or hooking up your game controller to your smartphone. Now, we’re bringing you
smart TV skills on the smallest budget possible. Here’s how it’s done.
Get a Raspberry Pi
First thing’s first, you’ll need one
of these clever little computers made in the UK. You can order them from here – it’s the £25.92 Model B version
you want, as the cheaper Model A lacks an internet connection. If you’re
feeling flush, you can even order a case for it – some of the £5.99 numbers
over at ModMyPi
are excellent. When you’re done, it’s time to get to work.
Prep the Pi and the software
To make the Raspberry Pi into a
media centre, we’re going to use XBMC, the free, superb suite for almost every
device under the sun – including the Pi. Head over to the Raspbmc website, and
you can download a special version built specifically for it. When it’s done,
plug in an 8GB or higher SD card to your Mac or PC, and run the installer –
it’ll do the rest.
Now, it’s time to set up your Pi.
Before turning it on, plug it into your router with an Ethernet cable, and when
it’s ready put the SD card in. Then give the Pi power by plugging in a micro
USB charger (like you use for your phone). It’ll start installing Raspbmc, so
just leave it to do its thing.
Finetune everything
Now you’re ready to start tweaking
XBMC to your heart’s content – which is what XBMC is all about, really. When
it’s booted up, just plug in a USB keyboard and mouse (One of these remotes, such as the Xbox DVD remote, will also
work nicely) and dive in. If you don’t like the skin, you can change it.
Regardless, you should hit up Settings>>System>>Video Output and
switch to 720p resolution so everything plays nice (though your TV is probably
full HD, the Raspberry Pi can only muster 720p visuals, which is still pretty
sharp).
Open up your media
Now it’s time to start playing. If
you like, you can plonk videos, pictures and music files onto a USB stick and
start playing them on your TV, or you can stream them from your computer. Just
go to Videos, Picture or Music, then File>>Add File and pick a connected
computer with a shared folder to get them from. XBMC does its best to pull down
cover art and meta-data for everything, so it’ll look like one well-stocked,
easy to use library.
Take it further
The beauty of XBMC is in its
add-ons. Hit the list and you can find plug-ins to connect up all sorts of
internet video repositories, like YouTube and Vimeo. They’re not in the main
list, but dig a little deeper, and you can even add all the major UK catch-up
services to your Raspberry Pi – just follow the steps here and you’ll soon be in on-demand
heaven.
Unfortunately, the one thing you
won’t be able to add so easily is Netflix due to DRM restrictions on Linux (The
software the Raspberry Pi runs – the cheapest and best Netflix option remains
the £49.99 Roku LT). But hey, you’ve just saved anything from £25 to
several hundred, and added internet video to your TV. Not bad, eh?
Got any other
tips for making a super cheap media centre? Share them in the comments below! [Source]
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