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OpenELEC 3.0 Linux distro gets official, supports 'more hardware than ever'
The OpenELEC Linux distro came out of beta with its official 3.0.0 version this week, and according to its makers nearly every part has been upgraded since the 2.0 release last year. This release of the media center package is based on XBMC 12.1 and as such includes its assortment of updates, as well as specific improvements for the Raspberry Pi, MC001 devices, Apple TV and AMD hardware. If you're on 2.0 you'll need to manually update to the new version. Hit the source link for a full changelog and instructions on how to get it all working.
OpenELEC 3.0 Linux distro launches in beta, rolls in XBMC 12
We hope you weren't getting settled in with OpenELEC 2.0. Hot on the heels of the finished 2.0 release, the developement team has pushed out a first beta of OpenELEC 3.0 that folds XBMC 12.0 Frodo into the Linux distribution for home theater PCs. Accordingly, most of the additions are those that come with XBMC's code base: OpenELEC now supports ARM through the Raspberry Pi, betters its DVR support and slips in a modern audio engine. The distro-specific changes bring an update to the Linux 3.6 kernel, many more hardware drivers and an option to boot to RAM instead of a pokey hard drive. Running one beta based on another carries more than its share of risk, so be careful; if the positives for your living room continue to outweigh the pitfalls, 3.0 awaits at the source link. Update: And just like that, Beta 2 has arrived, packing its own load of fixes, tweaks and improvements, check it out here.
OpenELEC-2.0 Linux distro released, turns your PC into an 'appliance-like' home theater device
If you're itching to park that AMD or Intel PC beside your TV as a dedicated home theater device, OpenELEC would like to offer up the first stable release of its Linux distro, version 2.0, for your consideration. The new build is now available for free (with the option to donate, of course), and the group behind it says that the installation takes less than five minutes and requires "zero Linux experience." Once you've done that, it'll be ready to serve your media needs in less than 10 seconds from a cold start, according to OpenELEC, with only a remote control needed to start surfing. The system updates automatically, including the XBMC V11 media core, and now includes PVR support, improved AMD functionality, CEC adapter compatibility, NFS, AFP, CIFS and SSH shares and Airplay / Airtunes support. If you're already Mac- or Windows-centric, an OpenELEC system will play well with all your existing media, so if you're ready to see how the Linux media crowd rolls, hit the source.
Raspberry Pi lands MPEG-2 and VC-1 decoding through personal licenses, H.264 encoding and CEC tag along
Making the Raspberry Pi affordable involved some tough calls, including the omission of MPEG-2 decoding. Licensing fees alone for the video software would have boosted the board's price by approximately 10 percent. Now, after many have made media centers with the hardware, the foundation behind the project has whipped up a solution to add the missing codec. For $3.16, users can purchase an individual MPEG-2 license for each of their boards on the organization's online store. Partial to Microsoft's VC-1 standard? Rights to using Redmond's codec can be purchased for $1.58. H.264 encoding is also in the cards since OpenMax components needed to develop applications with the functionality are now enabled by default in the device's latest firmware. With CEC support thrown into the Raspbmc, XBian and OpenELEC operating systems, a single IR remote can control a Raspberry Pi, a TV and other connected gadgets. If you're ready to load up your Pi with its newfound abilities, hit the source link below. Update: The Raspberry Pi Foundation let us know that US customers won't have to pay sales tax, which means patrons will only be set back $3.16 for MPEG-2 and $1.58 for VC-1 support, not $3.79 and $1.90 for the respective licenses. We've updated the post accordingly.
