The official website (raspbmc.com) isn't live yet, but we now know what the initial feature list will be. Very impressive I have to say.

This is one that I am happy to announce. Very soon, you’ll be able to head over to www.raspbmc.com for the RaspberryPi Media Center distribution, which will feature a simple, fast booting and auto updating system with XBMC media center. I’ll be incorporating the following features:

  • Custom Linux distribution with minimalised kernel.
  • Auto-updating
  • UI installers for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X to allow installation onto a removable device
  • PVR / AirTunes / AirPlay / Spotify integration
  • Same stability and support as the Crystalbuntu Linux distribution
  • Expansive capabilities allowing the installation of a desktop and web browser
  • AFP, NFS and SMB file sharing
  • Configuration utility allowing installation of custom nightlies, audio configuration, update management,
  • Server mode – allows MySQL database hosting and Thumbnail sharing for XBMC multi-seat systems.
  • 1080p decoding
  • Free!
  • Much more…


I am very excited to announce this. Stay tuned, you’ll see bits and bobs popping up on SVN soon as I implement the update system and build the core architecture of the distribution. I’m more than familiar with working with resource constraints, I experienced this with the AppleTV, so I will be able to optimise the performance of this machine greatly. This will greatly reduce the cost of multi-seat XBMC installations to a mere $35 a piece. Not bad at all.
Source: www.stmlabs.com/2012/01/30/raspbmc-the-xbmc-distribution-for-raspberrypi/