XBian - Small, Fast, Lightweight XBMC solution

[granra]

I'm having trouble with getting HDMI-CEC working. I have both Panasonic Plasma TV with Viera Link and a Sony Bravia with Bravia Link and neither of them detect my Pi. I have updated to 0.6.2. It's definitely turned on in the TVs and I have enabled "Allow programs on this system to control XBMC". The cable I am using is HDMI 1.3.
Any ideas?

Thanks!

It's hard to say why it's not working. First off you should make sure that CEC is enabled. Go to system -> settings -> system -> input devices -> pheriphals. A rpi libcec adapter should be listed there check the settings. Your HDMI 1.3 cable could also be incompatible, maybe it will work with HDMI 1.4 (hdmi 1.3 supports cec though).

To be honest, when I think about it, it could be the cable. I bought it off of Ebay dirt cheap and it didn't arrive in any packaging, just an envelope, it only says once in the description that it's 1.3 (he could be lying or not know better). The Panasonic TV doesn't even detect my brother's PS3 so I might just buy some real branded 1.4 cable locally and try that.

Thanks though

[knoker]

Hi, love the distro very smooth but im having some troubles...
i've installed transmission-daemon and samba server, now sometimes wen im downloading even with xbmc.bin not running i get kernel panics....
Any clues?
Is it from the overclock that comes with the 0.6?

Thanks in advanced, keep on the good work

Best Regards,
KnoKer

[kidg21]

Hello, I'm able to SSH into the Pi using root/raspberry. But, I can't FTP in with those same credentials using Filezilla. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks.

[JonB]

I have the latest image here 0.6.1 but it will not recognise any mouse or keyboard once the xbmc GUI is loaded.
I've seen it work in the console with a ^C to break the load - it is fine. But cannot control the media player at all.

Now I have a USB keyboard connected. It allows me to scroll the menu but if I go into an item it stops working (freeze up). I think there is something odd going on with this version.

Any ideas?

After upgrade to 0.6.2 it is still happening. I have about five seconds of control on the GUI then it locks up. System is still running - clock is updating - but I have no control whatsoever.

[Koenkk]

I have the latest image here 0.6.1 but it will not recognise any mouse or keyboard once the xbmc GUI is loaded.
I've seen it work in the console with a ^C to break the load - it is fine. But cannot control the media player at all.

Now I have a USB keyboard connected. It allows me to scroll the menu but if I go into an item it stops working (freeze up). I think there is something odd going on with this version.

Any ideas?

After upgrade to 0.6.2 it is still happening. I have about five seconds of control on the GUI then it locks up. System is still running - clock is updating - but I have no control whatsoever.

It's probably a power issue (I also experience this with a logitech g15 with backlit, it just eats too much power). Try connecting it using a powered hub or use a better power adapter (1ma+ recommended).

[Koenkk]

Hello, I'm able to SSH into the Pi using root/raspberry. But, I can't FTP in with those same credentials using Filezilla. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks.

That's because ftp is not installed by default. However you should be able to SFTP with in the pi with these credentials. I recommend winscp.

[Koenkk]

I'm having trouble with getting HDMI-CEC working. I have both Panasonic Plasma TV with Viera Link and a Sony Bravia with Bravia Link and neither of them detect my Pi. I have updated to 0.6.2. It's definitely turned on in the TVs and I have enabled "Allow programs on this system to control XBMC". The cable I am using is HDMI 1.3.
Any ideas?

Thanks!

It's hard to say why it's not working. First off you should make sure that CEC is enabled. Go to system -> settings -> system -> input devices -> pheriphals. A rpi libcec adapter should be listed there check the settings. Your HDMI 1.3 cable could also be incompatible, maybe it will work with HDMI 1.4 (hdmi 1.3 supports cec though).

To be honest, when I think about it, it could be the cable. I bought it off of Ebay dirt cheap and it didn't arrive in any packaging, just an envelope, it only says once in the description that it's 1.3 (he could be lying or not know better). The Panasonic TV doesn't even detect my brother's PS3 so I might just buy some real branded 1.4 cable locally and try that.

Thanks though

Scumbag Chinese peole on ebay who sell fake cables.

[Koenkk]

Hi, love the distro very smooth but im having some troubles...
i've installed transmission-daemon and samba server, now sometimes wen im downloading even with xbmc.bin not running i get kernel panics....
Any clues?
Is it from the overclock that comes with the 0.6?

Thanks in advanced, keep on the good work

Best Regards,
KnoKer

No, the overclock is lowered in 0.6. However transmission + samba might be too much for the pi. Try reducing your overclock settings, try with arm_freq=750, core_freq=375. Hope this solves the problem for you.

[JonB]

I have the latest image here 0.6.1 but it will not recognise any mouse or keyboard once the xbmc GUI is loaded.
I've seen it work in the console with a ^C to break the load - it is fine. But cannot control the media player at all.

Now I have a USB keyboard connected. It allows me to scroll the menu but if I go into an item it stops working (freeze up). I think there is something odd going on with this version.

Any ideas?

After upgrade to 0.6.2 it is still happening. I have about five seconds of control on the GUI then it locks up. System is still running - clock is updating - but I have no control whatsoever.

It's probably a power issue (I also experience this with a logitech g15 with backlit, it just eats too much power). Try connecting it using a powered hub or use a better power adapter (1ma+ recommended).

It is connected with a powered hub - Lapdock has inbuilt powered hub. Also, this hardware works properly with all the other distros I have tried.

I'm also trying to SSH into it. I succeeded when the boot sequence was interrupted but once the GUI's up it does not work (might be different IP too, can't tell as the boot seq does not tell the IP address!). Point is, all hardware works fine in pre gui space, but once the GUI is up it all dies.

[dom]

i've installed transmission-daemon and samba server, now sometimes wen im downloading even with xbmc.bin not running i get kernel panics....
Any clues?

Disable overclock as first test. Is there's still problems, you should have:
vm.min_free_kbytes = 8192
in /etc/sysctl.conf. Try increasing that number to 16384 (or higher).

[Koenkk]

You can find the ip easily in your router page I guess, 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1

[knoker]

i've installed transmission-daemon and samba server, now sometimes wen im downloading even with xbmc.bin not running i get kernel panics....
Any clues?

Disable overclock as first test. Is there's still problems, you should have:
vm.min_free_kbytes = 8192
in /etc/sysctl.conf. Try increasing that number to 16384 (or higher).

It seems to have worked, i was able to have transmission on while copying files over samba, tho the pi is kinda hot....

btw where is the xbmc.bin so i can restart it wen i need?

Best Regards,
KnoKer

[Koenkk]

i've installed transmission-daemon and samba server, now sometimes wen im downloading even with xbmc.bin not running i get kernel panics....
Any clues?

Disable overclock as first test. Is there's still problems, you should have:
vm.min_free_kbytes = 8192
in /etc/sysctl.conf. Try increasing that number to 16384 (or higher).

It seems to have worked, i was able to have transmission on while copying files over samba, tho the pi is kinda hot....

btw where is the xbmc.bin so i can restart it wen i need?

Best Regards,
KnoKer

/usr/lib/xbmc/xbmc.bin

[JonB]

You can find the ip easily in your router page I guess, 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1

Not with Apple's Airport Extreme and its tricky Airport Utility.

[Koenkk]

i can't get my usb pen drives to work with xbian, i'm going back to openelec just because of this

What's not working about it?

[JonB]

I removed config.txt and all is well.

This means disabling overclocking..

[dom]

I removed config.txt and all is well.

This means disabling overclocking..

Can I just comment that there is no "works for everyone" overclocking settings apart from stock.
If 800MHz really worked in every scenario, we would make 800MHz the default.

By putting overclock settings on a default image, you are ensuring it will fail for some people.

It probably is true that 800MHz will work for 99% of people. But there will be someone, who has a less amenable piece of silicon,
and is running somewhere with a room temperature is over 30 degC who will just get a crash.

Overclock setting are meant to be tuned for each specific board and environmental conditions. There will always be failures when applied in a generic image.

[JonB]

The default settings for 0.6.2 image were 840mhz for the arm and 375mhz for the GPU.

These are going to work for even less people!

[kidg21]

I also had nothing but trouble using XBian with my input devices connected through a USB hub. I connected them directly to the Pi's USBs and the GUI was as smooth as could be. Try that.

It is connected with a powered hub - Lapdock has inbuilt powered hub. Also, this hardware works properly with all the other distros I have tried.

[fraz0815]

Xbians overclocking settings never work for me out of the box.
Imho they should be optional/commented out in the config.txt
-> xbian runs on every pi and users can check the values/simply uncomment and if something goes wrong they now immediately that it is coming from overclocking (too high).
Maybe put a hint somewhere that users should take a look at config.txt after first boot or something similar and remind that they can even change the file from a windows machine if the pi doesn't boot anymore, just my thoughts.

I went back to xbian 0.62 after using self compiled xbmc-rpd on wheezy and have to say I am pretty happy with the development (I think 0.3 was the last version I tried).
Greatest surprise for me was to read about cec, never heard of it nor did I know what it was, did not think my TV was able to do such things Just pressed some buttons on the remote and it worked, big surprise (always thought panasonics "viera link" was only for panasonic devices, and not a general standard with another name, D'oh).

Overall it runs really good, much smoother than my self build version.
I am pretty excited if there are even more improvements coming after switching to the new github branch.

Keep up the good work

[JonB]

If only my MPEG-2 .ts files would play right (I know, no license or some such, but somehow mplayer and vlc manage it for free...).

Got sound working, though...

[Mr.Dave]

updated again to the latest version via SSH, again worked perfectly thanks

This CEC update, is there something I need to activate on my TV for this to work?

My TV Model is Toshiba 40TL868B 40" 3D LED LCD, cant see anything in the menus about CEC though, it would be handy !

[fraz0815]

updated again to the latest version via SSH, again worked perfectly thanks

This CEC update, is there something I need to activate on my TV for this to work?

My TV Model is Toshiba 40TL868B 40" 3D LED LCD, cant see anything in the menus about CEC though, it would be handy !

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#CEC it should be named CE-Link/Regza Link.
On my Panasonic i had to enable it (called viera link here) in some setup menus on the tv.

[dante6913]

I have to back to openelec because i'm not able to halt from xbmc. I only can halt from ssh

[Koenkk]

I have to back to openelec because i'm not able to halt from xbmc. I only can halt from ssh

What do you mean by halt? You can exit from xbmc and enter /usr/lib/xbmc/xbmc.bin --standalone to execute again.