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Frequently Asked Questions about XBMC running under Linux, Linux computer hardware, and Linux operating-system questions.  
Frequently Asked Questions about XBMC running under Linux, Linux computer hardware, and Linux operating-system questions.  
==General FAQ==
:<big>''See also: '''[[XBMC all platforms FAQ]]''' for FAQs that apply to all versions of XBMC.''</big>


=== Where is the debug log? ===
=== Where is the debug log? ===
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Now all audio output (besides menu sounds) should work including crossfading and switching digital/analog audio sources.
Now all audio output (besides menu sounds) should work including crossfading and switching digital/analog audio sources.


{{XBMC wiki toc}}
[[Category:FAQ|Linux]]
[[Category:FAQ|Linux]]

Revision as of 20:07, 24 May 2012

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Frequently Asked Questions about XBMC running under Linux, Linux computer hardware, and Linux operating-system questions.

General FAQ

See also: XBMC all platforms FAQ for FAQs that apply to all versions of XBMC.

Where is the debug log?

$HOME/.xbmc/temp/xbmc.log
See also HOW-TO Submit a Proper Bug Report.

Where is the UserData folder?

$HOME/.xbmc/userdata

Does XBMC for Linux support Blu-ray or HD DVD playback with or without menus?

Yes, without menus. Dharma (10.0) includes support for playback of unencrypted Blu-ray directories when libbluray is installed. However, XBMC must be compiled from source. Installing from a repository like the Team-XBMC unstable ppa will not recognize whether libbluray is installed.
Currently, only the longest title is played from the Blu-ray directory, even on multi-video Blu-rays (e.g. TV shows). To play a Blu-ray directory, select the /BDMV/index.bdmv in the Blu-ray directory. If stacking is enabled, selecting the Blu-ray directory folder will start playback.

Which are the supported Linux distributions?

What is current recommended hardware requirements for XBMC

For end-users the recommended minimum requirement is an x86-based computer, with a 3D GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that at least supports Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0 (that features 24bpp or 32bpp for 3D hardware-acceleration support, which the XBMC GUI needs to run smoothly at an acceptable frame-rate). Graphic adapters that support DirectX version 9.0c or later usually meet all of those mentioned requirements, (Team-XBMC recommends NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later as NVIDIA are currently the manufacturer that offers good device-drivers for Linux (and NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later supports OpenGL 2.0).

XBMC for Linux minimum requirements

Why is an OpenGL 2.0 compatible graphic-controller the recommended minimum for XBMC?

OpenGL 2.0 is not really the current minimum requirement to run XBMC, as in reality XBMC will today run with only OpenGL 1.3 + GLSL support (everything else has fall-backs to be run in software on the CPU, slower than GPU hardware though), however to be sure to stay future-proof Team-XBMC has decided that the OpenGL 2.0 is the recommended minimum requirement.
Currently OpenGL 2.0 hardware is only needed for...
  • Any de-interlacing that is not linear blending, (FFmpeg does linear blending in software on the CPU)
  • Video video post-processing filtering (bicubic upscaling, etc.)
  • Non-power of two textures for the GUI (using NPOT saves a lot of texture memory)
  • Hardware accelerated YUV 2 RGB conversion (actually GLSL is needed for this, and a few GPU hardware implementations as low as OpenGL 1.3 does provide GLSL as an extension. OpenGL 2.0 guarantees availability of GLSL).
In the future OpenGL 2.0 might also be needed for...

Troubleshooting

Graphic/video issues

Video Device Driver

Most of the problems that you encounter with slow display or OpenGL related errors are because you do not have the proper or outdated display drivers installed.
Begin but install the video drivers the Ubuntu Way
  • For NVIDIA drivers follow the guide here (link)
  • For ATI drivers follow the guide here (link)
  • For Intel it is simpler since the drivers are open source so they are usually already pre-installed. You need to make sure that you use the newer 'intel' driver and not the older 'i810' driver or the 'vesa' driver. This could be verified by checking the 'Driver' value in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
Alternative is to install the latest drivers using Envy
There is a tool called Envy that helps you setup the proper display drivers. It usually contains the very latest versions of the video drivers. Please follow the guide here.

Verify OpenGL support

Once you have your drivers in place, you need to make sure that OpenGL is properly configured. Run the following command:
# glxinfo | grep -i direct
The result should be:
direct rendering: Yes
If the result is "No" it means that the display driver have not been properly configured. Also, you can run the command glxgears and you should see the wheels turning smoothly.

Compiz is not compatible with XBMC

Make sure Compiz visual effects is disabled. You can do this by going to System -> Preferences -> Appearance -> Visual Effects. Make sure "None" is selected. Alternatively, you can tell Compiz not to interfere with XBMC. Install and run CompizConfig, and under General Options tick Unredirect Fullscreen Windows.
For NVIDIA-Graphics use this.

Audio issues

S/PDIF out for both analog and digital audio

You might find yourself able to get one of both working, but switching from one to the other might not work. Ubuntu and other distributions use PulseAudio to manage ALSA devices and unfortunately it doesn't provide management for passthrough digital audio. The following solution bypasses PulseAudio and forces XBMC to directly use ALSA. There is no need to uninstall or tweak PulseAudio on Ubuntu in any way.
  • Open ~/.asoundrc in a text editor (create the file if it doesn't exist) and add the following:

note: make sure to use the correct card/device id and replace 'pcm "hw:0,1"' with it. You can find the id's by typing 'aplay -l' in a terminal. 

pcm.dmixer {
    type dmix
    ipc_key 1024
    slave {
        pcm "hw:0,1"
        period_time 0
        period_size 1024
        buffer_size 8192
        #periods 128
        #rate 44100
        rate 48000
     }
     bindings {
        0 0
        1 1
     }
}
  • Launch XBMC and go to "system->settings->system->audio hardware" and change the following:
AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICE: custom
CUSTOM AUDIO DEVICE: plug:dmixer (note: this is case sensitive, even though XBMC shows only capitals!)
PASSTHROUGH AUDIO DEVICE: iec958

Now all audio output (besides menu sounds) should work including crossfading and switching digital/analog audio sources.

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