A little early, but nonetheless of utmost importance. The current XBMC PVR build in Crystalbuntu has caused issues with users that were using MySQL. Synchronisation errors occured because late October builds were producing new tables (MyVideos56, MyMusic56) rather than using the existing tables (MyVideos, MyMusic). All users can receive the updated build which fixes this by restarting their Apple TV immediately. Furthermore, I am pleased to announce I have refined the update system and users will find the Crystalbuntu server faster due to optimisations.
Tag Archive for 'crystalbuntu'
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This update shortly follows the September update. The upcoming version of XBMC 11.0, named Eden, has now hit a soft feature freeze. This means that no new features will be added to this version of XBMC and will be deferred to the next release. However, Crystalbuntu will still be getting new features as a Linux distribution. This update is in fact the sixth consecutive update for Crystalbuntu, marking six months of solid updates so far with so much more to come.
- New PVR build
- Native AirTunes support
- AFP support
- New and speedier JPEG library
- CrystalHD green dot bug fixed (again)
- Fix DBus bug
- Fix hostname bug
- Fix JSON bug
- Rollback option added to plugins
- Improved HDD installer
- Windows and Linux installers can now reinstall original Apple OS
- 24 hour nightly builds of XBMC
Now AFP, NFS and SMB support is offered there is a network protocol for everyone. AFP is particularly useful for OSX Lion users as now NFS does not need to be configured as a server.
For a full list of changes, see the changelog at the bottom of the page here
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.
It surprises me that a lot of users have little idea how Crystalbuntu works or how much effort is put in behind the scenes. A lot of users seem to think they are installing a pre-configured image which has XBMC, but this is far from the case. I thought I’d let you guys know about some development behind the scenes and what’s up and coming in the next couple of months.
- Crystalbuntu is a dynamic system. Some users ask to downgrade to older versions such as “The July image” when the August update broke the addon system slightly. While a build downgrade was possible, reverting to the previous month’s state in its entirety was not. Crystalbuntu’s image is a core (that has significantly changed now I might add) and it fetches the new components in the form of ‘updates’. These updates are scripted changes rather than static images.
- Crystalbuntu is not just an image and go system. When you install Crystalbuntu, the following is happening behind the scenes:
- The system connects to an update server (which I have to maintain).
- The system downloads new versions of XBMC (which I compile) and new versions of the CrystalHD driver (which I put in compilable form).
- The system downloads new dependencies for XBMC (which I have to compile, because XBMC is no longer supported on Ubuntu 8.0.4, the best OS for AppleTV).
- The system installs new features and updates (such as AirPlay, AirTunes, automounting, a new kernel, IO tweaks). These features are all configured for deployment by me.
- As you can see, the system is not a static image with this pre-configured, it has to be maintained and work is constantly being put into it.
Updates I say, so what’s next?
- AFP support
- Native AirTunes integration
- New JPEG library offering faster UI
- Eden beta testing soon.
I am sorry for the lateness of this update. I have unfortunately been suffering from a nasty cold as well as continued heart palpitations which I mentioned in July. Maintaining Crystalbuntu is a priority for me, and this update brings bug fixes as well as increased compatibility with new plugins.
- XBMC has native AirPlay support (AirTunes is still a Crystalbuntu specific implementation)
- New PVR Build: fixed unexpected crashes in XBMC; fixed issue with installing add-ons from online repositories in XBMC
- Python 2.6 used for XBMC Python interpreter
- Improved compatibility with new plugins
- Fix YouTube plugin
- Fixed Windows Live Essentials and SMB Sharing incompatibility issue
- Green dot when using CrystalHD decoder bug fixed
For a full list of changes, see the changelog at the bottom of the page here
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.
Following hot on the trails of the July update, this months update brings less features but some tweaks under the hood. Here are the main features:
- New PVR build
- Airtunes
- Improved SSH performance
- NFS support
- Hulu support
For a full list of changes, see the changelog at the bottom of the page here
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.
Please note: these additional steps are no longer necessary. Crystalbuntu includes NFS support by default as of August 2011
Since Lion was released many OSX users are finding that without SMB, they are uncertain of how to access their content within XBMC. While AFP is an acceptable method; many users are adopting NFS. Users can mount NFS shares out of XBMC, but this can be daunting for the user. After all, users can mount FTP,HTTP, SMB shares in XBMC without any CLI trickery, so why should NFS be the exception?
It shouldn’t. It isn’t.
Until the PVR branch is merged with master, NFS support will be available in XBMC, but only as a separate nightly. Read: you will lose PVR. However, the August Crystalbuntu update will feature a PVR build with NFS support integrated.
To get an NFS build, exit XBMC so you are at the command line, then run these commands either by SSH or with a keyboard connected:
sudo -s
wget http://download.stmlabs.com/xbmc-nfs.sh
chmod +x xbmc-nfs.sh
./xbmc-nfs.sh
XBMC will then be updated, as will the dependencies on your system, and your device will reboot.
You should then be able to add shares within XBMC under nfs://. At this time, it is important to use IP based shares rather than hostnames, although this will be fixed soon.
Hope this helps users.
Hey there, it’s time for the July update and as promised previously, this one is a biggy, bringing a lot of new features and optimisations to the table. Make sure you’ve read this. Here are the main features:
- AirPlay support.
- PVR support
- Dirty region rendering
- CPU clocking improvements
- Internal hard drive standby
- Reduced IO activity
- Lower power consumption
- Reduction in heat output
- Virtual memory handling improvements
- Faster boot
- Improved update system
- Notifications system
- XBMC optimisations
- Bug fixes
- Purging of unnecessary documentation
For a full list of changes, see the changelog at the bottom of the page here
On a sidenote, Mac users accessing their shares over SMB in XBMC should not upgrade to Lion because Apple have dropped Samba for their own implementation. The XBMC development team may fix this shortly in nightlies but for now it is important to not upgrade or implement afp manually if updating to Lion is necessary.
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.
The new Crystalbuntu update will be deployed within a day or two. Here are a few things you will want to know before you update:
- If you use a MySQL database with Crystalbuntu, it might not be compatible with other machines if you run the PVR nightlies. This is because a newer version of the XBMC database is used by the nightlies — so other devices connecting must use this same database version. However, it is completely possible to revert to Dharma (see the user manual) and your database is not automatically upgraded by the update (that’d be evil right?). That is because the MySQL database settings will be purged until they are manually re-entered (thus you acknowledging you understand the risk)
- Your advancedsettings.xml — normally located in /root/.xbmc/userdata has been renamed to advancedsettings.old.xml — should you wish to reimport settings you should edit the newly formed advancedsettings.xml which enables some high performance features.
- AirPlay functionality will require the webserver to be enabled through XBMC under System > Settings > Network. The default settings of “xbmc”, no password, and running on port 80 must be used.
- Updates can always be completely disabled. You should do it ahead of time if you don’t want the July update at all though by running: sudo ./disable_updates over SSH
Crystalbuntu seems to be a large and well received project. Here’s some interesting stats — valid from 28th March to 2nd July:
- 5000 daily synchronisations with the update server
- 7894 counted installations
- 4331 GB of Crystalbuntu image traffic
- 87% of installs occur through the Windows installer, where as the other 13% of downloads occur through the Linux installer.
Let’s keep it going!
As with previous updates, Crystalbuntu is going to be significantly improved with the July update. This update is going to offer new features as well as supercharged performance. The plan is to provide such a significant update it will be an entire revamp. Naturally: this update is going to be difficult to implement, and rather time consuming. That is why I am asking for support in the form of donations. You are encouraged to donate if you would be interested in any of these features:
AirPlay support
AirTunes support
Pseudo standby support
Significantly improved CrystalHD support via:
GPU clocking adjustments
CPU clocking adjustments
Virtual memory handling
PVR support
As you can see, a lot of features are already planned, and a few more are in the works. With donations to cover server costs and development costs I will be able to dedicate more time to this project, making aTV a fully fledged media centre in a small form factor.
So part of this is to inform you of what’s coming, as I have been inactive for a while, and part of this to ask for your support. Thank you — you are a very supportive community
