Archive:Raspberry Pi FAQ

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Revision as of 23:25, 25 March 2013 by >Niels
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Frequently Asked Questions XBMC running on the Raspberry Pi.

Template:XBMC FAQ


General FAQ

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

Installing XBMC on the Raspberry Pi

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Is XBMC for Raspberry Pi different from normal XBMC?

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  • The current stable version of XBMC for Raspberry Pi is v12.1 Frodo. This is the same code that all of the other platforms (Linux, iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, etc) are using.

How do I find out what version of XBMC am I running?

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  • XBMC main menu > System > Lower submenu > System info. Note the alpha version and/or build date.

Video and audio formats the Raspberry Pi can playback

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  • H.264 (up to High Profile) encoded videos are supported up to 1080P using hardware video decoding. Note: Hi10P will not work.
  • The Raspberry Pi Foundation offers additional video codecs licenses for purchase. At the moment you can purchase MPEG2 and VC1, both with support up to 1080P. Others may be available in the future.
  • Some SD content can be played back with software decoding.
  • DVD ISOs and DVD menu navigation is early in development and might not always work.
  • XBMC on the Pi will struggle with DTS audio tracks. Use passthrough (with a compatible TV and/or receiver) when possible.

Video and audio output on the Raspberry Pi

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  • Video output via HDMI up to 1080P (the GUI will be rendered at 720P, but video will play up to 1080P).
  • Video output via the analog component video (RCA) jack will be in SD.
  • Analog audio output via the mini phone jack is supported.
  • USB audio is currently not supported.
  • DTS and AC3 audio passthrough audio is supported (and recommended, as it will reduce CPU load on the R-Pi)

Enabling additional video codecs

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In order to enable additional video codecs you should modify /boot/config.txt. Most distributions provide you an setup to do it for you.

  • Manual: Open /boot/config.txt and add the keys as described in the letter you've got from the Raspberry Foundation after ordering the key. (example: decode_MPG2=0x744dxfxx)
  • XBian: You can add/remote your keys using XBian-config. After reboot your keys will be entered and ready to use.
  • Raspbmc: Navigate to Programs -> Raspbmc Settings -> System Configuration ->MPEG2 codec license/VC1 codec key. Enter your keys with the onscreen keyboard then XBMC will prompt you to reboot. After reboot your keys will be entered and ready to use.
  • OpenELEC: follow the tutorial here to create a writable config.txt in the /flash mount. Add the keys as described in the letter you've got from the Raspberry Foundation after ordering the key. (example: decode_MPG2=0x744dxfxx)

Accessing media

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  • You can connect to media that's being shared from a computer, HTPC, or NAS device on your local network.
  • You can access media on the main SD card or from the USB ports (hard drives, USB stick drives, hubs, all supported).

Add-ons and skins

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  • XBMC for Raspberry Pi is a full version of XBMC and will be able to use all non-platform specific add-ons and skins. More feature rich (CPU demanding) skins like AEON Nox might not run smoothly, so keep to "lighter" skins.
  • Recommended lite skins include: Confluence (default skin), Metropolis, Quartz, Quartz Reloaded, Slik, xTV-SAF.

How to properly shutdown/disconnect

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  • It is not possible to use traditional "shutdown" on the Raspberry Pi. The only way to power it off is to disconnect the power.
  • ALWAYS select the shutdown command in XBMC before powering off the Raspberry Pi. Failure to do so can corrupt the XBMC library databases, other databases, or even other OS files.
  • Most users leave the Raspberry Pi on all the time, as it uses very little power (the cost of electricity for a year is about the price of a hamburger).

Remotes for Raspberry Pi

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  • Any Keyboard such as wired, wireless, bluetooth. This includes "keymotes" such as a Rii or Boxee remote.
  • Web interfaces, including add-on interfaces.
  • XBMC smartphone and tablet remote apps.
  • Other IR remotes can be used with USB IR receivers such as the Flirc.
  • CEC - Includes Informations about the next standart Protocol to control the Raspberry and your TV.
  • GPIO IR receiver - A simple bare IR receiver can be connected to the R-Pi's GPIO pins using these instructions.

MySQL library sharing

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  • If you are using MySQL library sharing features, please note that your library will only sync with the Raspberry Pi if all your other XBMC instances are running the same development alpha version (how to check). XBMC on the R-Pi is using a v12 alpha build (pre-Frodo), while most other installs are likely running the last stable build, v11 (Eden). The other installs need to be upgraded to the same alpha version, with the normal risks that an alpha version brings.

Troubleshooting

Getting more help with XBMC for Raspberry Pi

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Userdata folder and logs

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See How-to:Submit a proper bug report for bug reporting details and Debug log for how to post the debug log.
  • Userdata folder:
    • OpenELEC: /storage/.xbmc/userdata/
    • Raspbmc: /home/pi/.xbmc/userdata/
    • XBian: /home/xbian/.xbmc/userdata/
  • Debug log:
    • OpenELEC: /storage/.xbmc/temp/xbmc.log
    • Raspbmc: /home/pi/.xbmc/temp/xbmc.log
    • XBian: /home/xbian/.xbmc/temp/xbmc.log

Wrong language displayed in XBMC

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Raspberry Pi known issues

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Frodo issues

Performance: video buffering, stuttering, choppiness

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  • Switch to a different network protocol (especially if you are using SMB), i.e. NFS, FTP, WebDAV, etc.
  • Try sharing the media on another device to rule out a device-specific (or network) issue. Note: The Raspberry Pi can sometimes have a problem supplying enough power to a USB WiFi dongle. Try a wired ethernet cable to rule out this problem.
  • Turn off thumbnails, XBMC > Settings > Video > File and deselect 'generate thumbnails'.
  • Make sure the video is using the h.264 codec (up to High Profile. Hi10P will not work), or (if purchased from the Raspberry Pi Foundation) Mpeg2 or VC-1.
  • Movies with DTS audio tracks will stutter. Use audio passthrough if your TV/receiver supports, or consider reconverting the audio track (or add a converted secondary track to preserve the original DTS track). Note: Raspberry Pi developers have written code to process DTS streams in hardware however they are waiting on a response from DTS regarding licensing. See this Raspberry Pi forum entry
  • If your TV/receiver supports it, AC3 can also use audio passthrough to reduce the work on the CPU. To determine which audio codecs your HDMI-connected TV supports, you can log in to your chosen distribution, via SSH, and run this command: /opt/vc/bin/tvservice -a (on OpenELEC: tvservice -a).
  • If RSS feed is enabled, disable it in settings. This makes the main menu a bit faster.