Linux

Smallest HTPC – Raspberry Pi

Being a hi-fi enthusiast, I always had fascination for media player or HTPCs. Some two years back, I had bought WD TV Live, but the itch doesn’t stop there. So I looked for other coolest options, like HTPCs with media player applications like XBMC, Windows Media Center (WMC), Myth TV, BOXEE and many more. But this post is for a HTPC not for media player applications, which can be taken up later.

Buy Raspberry Pi – Smallest HTPC

raspberry pi model b
Raspberry Pi

There are many options available; either you could buy branded HTPCs or build one, it could be based out on Linux, Windows or Mac. I recently came across a sweet little thing Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer developed by Raspberry Pi Foundation, UK with the intention to teach computer science in schools. The board is based on a Broadcom BCM2835 system on a chip, which includes an ARM1176JZF-S 700 MHz processor, VideoCore IV GPU, and 256 megabytes of RAM.

The board does not include a built-in hard disk or solid-state drive; instead rely on an SD card for booting and long-term storage. You could install Fedora, Debian or Arch Linux, and it cost only 35$.

There are two models available, Model A has one USB port and no Ethernet controller, and Model B with two USB ports and a 10/100 Ethernet controller. You can use generic USB keyboards and mice.

But my point of interest is OpenELEC, a free open source small Linux distribution could be installed on Raspberry Pi, which would convert it to XBMC media center. So visualize of a HTPC “about the size of credit card”, which could fit (or hidden) anywhere near your LCD/LED TV and play your favourite movies at a stunning 1080p. 🙂

About the author

Wilfrid Lee

Wilfrid Lee is the founder of Tech Motus. Working as an SEO Expert, started blogging recently on soul idea of sharing. Being fond of computers, mobiles and gadgets from childhood, would love to share my ideas and knowledge about ever evolving technology.

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