Raspbmc

Raspbmc

Raspbmc is a free media center software based on XBMC that is optimized to run on the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. It provides an intuitive interface for managing and playing videos, music, podcasts, and photos from local storage or over a home network.
Video & Movies Media Center Software
raspberry-pi xbmc media-player open-source
Raspbmc alternatives ➤

Raspbmc: Free Media Center Software for Raspberry Pi

Raspbmc is a free media center software based on XBMC that is optimized to run on the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. It provides an intuitive interface for managing and playing videos, music, podcasts, and photos from local storage or over a home network.

What is Raspbmc?

Raspbmc is a free and open source media center software application developed specifically for the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. It is based on XBMC, a popular cross-platform media player software, but has been modified and optimized to take full advantage of the Raspberry Pi's hardware capabilities.

Some key features of Raspbmc include:

  • Intuitive graphical user interface for managing and playing back media files
  • Support for a wide range of media formats including video, audio, and photos
  • Ability to play media from USB drives, home network shares, online sources, and more
  • Add-ons and plugins to extend functionality including weather forecasts, streaming media sources, and gaming emulators
  • Customizable skins/themes to change the visual appearance
  • Easy installation process with Pi Store integration
  • Active development community for additions and improvements

In terms of hardware, Raspbmc runs smoothly on all versions of the Raspberry Pi board. It uses OpenGL and OpenMAX for hardware accelerated video decoding, allowing the RPi's limited resources to be dedicated towards playback rather than software decoding. The lightweight software combined with OpenGL support enables smooth HD video playback not possible otherwise on the affordable RPi platform.

Raspbmc Features

Features

  1. Plays videos, music, podcasts, and photos
  2. Intuitive interface for media management
  3. Optimized for Raspberry Pi
  4. Based on open source XBMC media center software
  5. Supports wide range of media formats
  6. Allows media streaming over home network
  7. Supports plugins and skins for customization

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Lightweight and optimized for Raspberry Pi

Active development community

Easy to set up and use

Great media format support

Customizable via plugins and skins

Cons

Limited to what Raspberry Pi can handle

Set up can be tricky for non-technical users

Some stability issues

Lacks some features of full XBMC version

Official Links

Official Website
https://www.raspbmc.com/

The Best Raspbmc Alternatives

Top Video & Movies and Media Center Software and other similar apps like Raspbmc

Here are some alternatives to Raspbmc:

OSMC icon
OSMC
MythTV icon
MythTV
XBian icon
XBian
OpenELEC icon
OpenELEC
Easy-Data Mediacenter icon
Easy-Data Mediacenter
Fedberry icon
Fedberry
Suggest an alternative ❐

OSMC icon

OSMC

OSMC (Open Source Media Center) is a free and open source media center distribution based on Kodi. It provides an easy way to convert a Raspberry Pi, Vero 4K +, Apple TV, or PC into a dedicated media center and Kodi box.Some key features of OSMC include:Based on Debian Linux...
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XBian

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OpenELEC

OpenELEC (Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center) is a lightweight Linux distribution that is purpose-built as a media center operating system. It comes preconfigured with the Kodi media center software and is optimized to provide a smooth and user-friendly media playback experience on home theater PCs (HTPCs).Some key details about OpenELEC:It...
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Easy-Data Mediacenter

Easy-Data Mediacenter is an easy-to-use media server application designed to help you organize, manage, and access your digital media library from any device on your home network. It works by creating a centralized media database on your computer or NAS drive that allows you to easily categorize and add metadata...
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Fedberry

Fedberry is a Linux distribution based on Fedora that is specifically optimized to run on Raspberry Pi single board computers. It provides a lightweight, customizable open-source operating system that takes full advantage of the Raspberry Pi's hardware capabilities.Some key features of Fedberry include:Uses the latest stable release of Fedora, tailored...
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