XBMC

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBMC

XBMC Media Center (formerly Xbox Media Center) is a free and open source cross-platform digital media hub and HTPC (Home theater PC) software with a 10-foot user interface designed to be a media player for the living-room TV. Its graphical user interface (GUI) allows the user to easily manage video, photos, podcasts, and music from a computer, optical disc, local network, and the internet using a remote control. The XBMC project is managed by the non-profit technology consortium XBMC Foundation.

It is a popular alternative to Microsoft's Windows Media Center and Apple's Front Row for HTPC (Home Theater PC) use. Similar to competing software like MediaPortal andMythTV, it has a skinnable as well as user-configurable interface and plugin support. The latest stable release of XBMC also have an integrated digital distribution platform 'app store' / 'app market' called "Addons Manager" that has a growing list of community driven addon plugins for online content like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Grooveshark, Pandora Radio, as well andthemes (skins) and more available from a common official repository, while still enabling third-party developers to also host their own unofficial repositories for addon plugins that any user can choose to add themselves if they like.

XBMC was originally created as a media center application for the first-generation Xbox game console but is now, since 2010, officially available as a native application for Linux, Mac OS X (Snow Leopard, Leopard, Tiger, iOS (iDevices (must be jailbroken)), Apple TV), and Microsoft Windows operating systems, running on most common processor architectures. Also available is a bootable Live CD and Live USB standalone version referred to as "XBMC Live" which is made for easy setup on bare-metal installations and to be used for interactive demonstrations.

In addition, as a leader in niche market of media center software, the source code from XBMC is used as an open platform application framework and technological convergence platform for others projects to base their Smart TV entertainment system, set-top boxes, interactive television for hotels, or home media center software on for over-the-top content use and more, and today at least Boxee, MediaPortal, Plex, 9x9 Player, and Voddler are separate derivative products that are all openly known to initially have forked the GUI engine and media player core parts of their software from XBMC's source code. While still using their own brand and customized interface, a few like Boxee and 9x9 Player, are also affiliate marketing their software/devices as "Designed for XBMC" and "Powered by XBMC" with official XBMC logo by certified approval from the XBMC Foundation and the Team-XBMC developers