Monthly Archive for March, 2012

Crystalbuntu: now with XBMC Eden

Published on March 25, 2012 in General and Tech. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I’m pleased to announce that Crystalbuntu now has the final release (11.0) of XBMC, Eden. I have been offering nightlies for Eden since June/July of last year, and am now very happy to announce the final version. This version will bring all the benefits of the new version to your Apple TV with rock solid stability and performance. This version doesn’t include PVR support, but a separate, stable, and thoroughly tested, PVR build will be introduced in a couple of weeks. Crystalbuntu will support nightly builds, but from now on, the build included will be a stable Eden build as users want stability over functionality!

It is also with this announcement that I must announce the end of monthly updates. Crystalbuntu will still be updated regularly, however, there is no need to push monthly updates, as the XBMC codebase is now stable. Thus, updates will be less frequent, but more feature packed, and more OS orientated in their nature, rather than updates mainly revolving around a newer release of XBMC.  Don’t worry though, Crystalbuntu is still getting the support it deserves, and you will see Frodo nightlies available for testing shortly!

I am updating the ALSA drivers in your Crystalbuntu installation to 1.0.25. Some users were experiencing issues which were showing in the logs as ‘discontinuity errors’. What this meant is that some users had audio dropouts while watching TV. The drivers should hopefully resolve issues for those that were having this problem. This update will be ready in a couple of days, based on user feedback.

I hope that everyone enjoys Crystalbuntu (I will, once I get a new hard drive), now with XBMC Eden. To get the new build, just reboot your Apple TV.

Thanks!

Sam

Optoma HD23 review

Published on March 24, 2012 in General and Tech. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I’d been eyeing projectors since November, and was planning to treat myself to one for Christmas. The Optoma HD 200x initially caught my eyes. It had good reviews and Amazon was doing it for £599. I also looked at the Optoma HD33/300x but wasn’t set on the idea of 3D, as I find that the content currently available in that format is rather limited.

The HD23 was quietly available for online purchase from Richer Sounds before a February announcement by Optoma. Guessing this new model was a successor to the 200X/HD20 I dropped the £749 and bought it blind. Excellent choice it would seem. The HD23 which I purchased is an improvement on the 20 series, it features the DarkChip3 in the HD33, 2500 lumens and an ANSI contrast ratio of 500:1. What that means on paper is irrelevant. It was when I rigged it up and set up the colour settings I was impressed.

Fast forward to now. I’ve only been using it for a little over a month, but I’ve managed to rack up 134 hours on the lamp. I did not notice rainbow effect unless I deliberately moved my head fast to provoke its presence. It seems the rainbow effect is most likely to present itself with strong contrasts, say a black background with white text during a credit sequence that is moving rapidly. The projector is ceiling mounted, and I sit directly under it. I can not hear it at all, running in bright mode (which provokes the fan to its loudest) and even when I’m not listening to anything. From around 4.5m away I have a 115″ screen — this is not at its maximum throw at this distance, but it fits the wall nicely and misses the radiator below it. Using a grey wall without a screen provides a shockingly lifelike picture with vivid and luminescent details.

Night time viewing gets away with low brightness settings, which bring a rich colour and quality. However, I was able to watch in daylight with higher colour, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a film experience, more of a daytime TV viewing one. This is because daytime requires a higher brightness to compensate, which washes out some of the colour details.

For optimum colour settings, after 100 hours on the bulb I would recommend these settings:

Daytime or large level of ambient light

  • Contrast – 45
  • Brightness – 37
  • Color – 64
  • Tint – 50
  • Sharpness – 7

Nightime or low level of ambient light

  • Contrast – 45
  • Brightness – 37
  • Color – 56
  • Tint – 50
  • Sharpness 7

I am thoroughly impressed and would recommend this to anyone!

New Crystalbuntu Update: March 2012

Published on March 13, 2012 in General and Tech. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Hey everyone. Sorry that this isn’t the most feature filled update but I am extremely busy with exams, work on the Raspbmc distribution and life in general! I didn’t find the time to implement everything I wanted this month, but be assured I will be adjusting the Configuration Utility soon to add more features and fix some long lasting bugs. For now though, here are the main features of the update:

  • XBMC Eden RC2
  • Spotify support
  • Updated CEC Adapter support for more devices
  • Fix Python issues that may have emerged when users used Python scripts such as SABNZBD or tried to install a desktop
  • Fixed IceFilms and 1Channel

Just restart your Apple TV to get this update immediately. Let me know how it goes, and consider making a donation to help fund future enhancements such as the aforementioned.