Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on May 18, 2012 by CyberNet.

So after weeks of XBMC-focused posts we are wrapping it all up with a summary of all the guides we wrote, along with some helpful posts from the official wiki and forums pages. The community that surrounds XBMC is incredible, and that’s something you’ll realize once you start digging deeper into the software. If you’re just starting out with XBMC, the page we’ve assembled here should be a great place to kick-off your learning.

Helpful XBMC Wiki Posts:

• UserData Folder
  An explanation of what all the various files and folders are used for in your UserData folder.
• AdvancedSettings.xml
  A list of all the advanced configuration values that are available.
• File Sharing Protocols by OS
  This page covers the various file sharing protocols that are available for each of the different operating systems.
• Special Paths
  You can use the “special://” protocol to reference XBMC-specific resources, which is useful with path substitution.
• Naming TV and Movie files
  In order for XBMC to correctly detect the TV show or movie that corresponds to a video file you’ll need to make sure you understand how the files will need to be named.
• Keyboard Shortcuts
  A long list of all the various keyboard shortcuts available in XBMC.
• Remote Control Reviews
  Wondering whether your remote will work with XBMC? This wiki page covers many of the different kinds of remotes that are compatible.
• Debug Log
  The debug log can be infinitely useful when trying to troubleshoot an issue, and so it’s important to understand exactly how it works.
• Keyboard.xml
  This configuration file will let you customize/override the default behavior for keyboard shortcuts.
• Dirty Regions
  Dirty regions are a new way that XBMC tries to reduce the load on your CPU and GPU by optimizing how things are rendered on the screen, but it isn’t turned on by default yet. If you want to give it a try, this page will help you along.

Helpful XBMC Forum Pages/Posts:

• Photos of Extensive XBMC Setups
  It will take some time to flip through the 75+ pages of posts here, but there are quite a few great images showing off some of the home theater setups people have in their homes.
• XBMC Skins
  This is a nice directory of skins that are available in the official XBMC repository as well as third-party repositories.
• Video Add-ons
  This is the forum dedicated solely to video add-ons, and there is an ever-growing list of them. It’s a good place to start if you’re wondering whether your favorite online streaming service has a plugin available.
• Tips for Building Your Own HTPC
  This is a general guide on the various hardware components that make up an HTPC.
• Hardware Recommendations
  This is a long list of hardware recommendations along with pricing for anyone building an HTPC from scratch.

CyberNet’s XBMC Guides:

• XBMC: Introduction to Our Upcoming Guides
  Our introduction provides some of the deciding factors for switching from Windows Media Center to XBMC.
• XBMC: Build Your Own HTPC
  Our extensive guide on the hardware we chose for our home theater PCs (HTPCs), the cost, and some tips on choosing the hardware for your own HTPC.
• XBMC: Prepare and Optimize Windows 7
  A helpful list of tips to optimize the performance of Windows 7 so that the system is able to offer as many resources to XBMC as it can.
• XBMC: IR Receiver and Remote (Harmony, Xbox 360, and More)
  If you want your HTPC to operate like a set-top box you’ll definitely want to get a remote control configured, and for me this was a critical step so that I wouldn’t have to be concerned about less tech-savvy users trying to use my TV.
• XBMC: Share and Sync Media/Settings Between Multiple XBMC Installs
  Configuring XBMC to share settings between multiple instances means you’ll be able to stop a show in one room, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in another room.
• XBMC: Fit the Picture to Your TV with Overscan
  If XBMC doesn’t fit your TV screen perfectly there are a couple of steps you can take to get it just right.
• XBMC: Installing Skins
  How to tweak the appearance of XBMC so that it looks the way you want it to.
• XBMC: Custom Home Screen Menu Backgrounds
  Make the backgrounds of your chosen skin/theme a little more interesting by having it flip through artwork from your favorite TV shows and movies.
• XBMC: Dynamic Weather Backgrounds
  If you’re using the Aeon MQ 3 theme you can have it use dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day and current weather conditions.
• XBMC: SMB on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  I use a Mac to serve up files to my XBMC instances running on Windows, and so my preferred protocol for sharing files is SMB. This guide explains how you can get a XBMC-compatible version of SMB running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• XBMC: Adding Media Sources
  Learn how to add your media to XBMC and turn on the appropriate content scrapers.
• XBMC: Troubleshoot Buffering Issues
  Trying to troubleshoot buffer issues in XBMC can be quite a pain, and so I lay out some of the most common culprits.
• XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos
  Want to see how well your HTPC performs? Throw some of these high bitrate 1080p sample videos at it.
• XBMC: More Advanced Settings
  Configure some of the settings that you won’t find anywhere in the GUI.
• XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More
  Thanks to add-ons you can stream videos from some of your favorite sources including Hulu, Food Network, HGTV, TWiT, and more.
• XBMC: AirPlay on Windows
  Send videos from your iOS device to any XBMC instance with very little configuration.
• XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension
  As long as you are on the same network as your XBMC box you can control it from any browser using the built-in web interface, or you can install a Chrome extension to make it even easier.
• XBMC: iPhone and iPad Remote
  If you own an iPhone or iPad you can enjoy one of the best XBMC remote control experiences I’ve seen, and it will only cost you a few bucks.
• XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts
  A recap of all the guides we’ve written as well as useful wiki and forum post from the official XBMC.org site.
• XBMC: Free and Official iOS Remote for XBMC Released
  This is the free and official XBMC remote control iOS app (optimized for both the iPhone and iPad). It will let you easily control all of the XBMC instances in your house as long as they are all on the same network.
• XBMC: Running XBMC on Startup in Windows 8
  Learn how you can make XBMC start automatically when Windows 8 boots.
• XBMC: Send YouTube Videos From Chrome to XBMC
  Send YouTube videos from your PC to any XBMC instance in a single click.
• XBMC: Aeon MQ 4 Skin
  If you’re looking for one of the best and most popular XBMC skins the Aeon MQ 4 is a great choice.
• XBMC: Android Widget Remote Control
  Control multiple instances of XBMC without ever having to open an app on your Android device!

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