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Revision History Revision Revision History Date 1.0 First release of the Intel® NUC Home Theatre Personal Computer on the Linux* Mint Platform using XBMC May 2013 2.0 Second release of the Intel® NUC Home Theatre Personal Computer on the Linux* Mint Platform using XBMC July 2013 INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH INTEL® PRODUCTS. NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT.
Intel® NUC and the Home Theatre Personal Computer on the Linux* Mint Platform Using XBMC Table of Contents Intel® NUC .......................... 4 Intel® NUC DCCP847DYE/ DC3217IYE/ DC3217BY Home Theater Personal Computer Overview ............................. 5 Linux Mint ........................... 7 XBMC ................................ 20 This Solution Guide describes the components necessary to build a Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC) using Intel® NUC line of boards.
Intel® NUC The Intel® NUC family of products delivers stunning visuals and edge-of-your-seat performance in an ultrasmall package. Powered by a visibly smart 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i3 processor in a 4.6” x 4.4” x 1.5” case, the Intel NUC is big on performance yet surprisingly small in size. It’s an ideal engine for home theater systems or a living room PC.
Intel® NUC DCCP847DYE/ DC3217IYE/ DC3217BY Home Theater Personal Computer Overview Supported Storage Drives • • • • Intel® Intel® Intel® Intel® Solid-State Solid-State Solid-State Solid-State Drive Drive Drive Drive 525 525 525 525 Series Series Series Series 30 GB mSATA (SSDMCEAC030B301) 60 GB mSATA (SSDMCEAC060B301) 120 GB mSATA (SSDMCEAC120B301) 240 GB mSATA (SSDMCEAC240B301) http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-033763.htm Supported Memory http://www.intel.
Software Components Item Manufacturer Comment Linux Mint 14 Nadia Open Source http://www.linuxmint.com XBMC Media Player Memory http://xbmc.
Linux Mint Linux Mint is the 4th most widely used operating system behind Microsoft* Windows*, Apple* Mac*, and Canonical* Ubuntu. Linux Mint is a full featured modern operating system that is free of cost and open source. Linux Mint is safe and reliable and requires little maintenance. The following sections of this guide will give detailed instructions on how to install Linux Mint and XBMC. Downloading Linux Mint • • • • Navigate to http://www.linuxmint.com/ Click on the Download link.
The different regions that Linux Mint can be downloaded from will appear. • Choose a region to download from. Scroll to find a convenient download location Linux Mint will begin to download. Save the compressed iso file in a convenient location. Once the file is downloaded, a bootable USB drive containing Linux Mint will have to be created. Preparing a Bootable USB Drive with Linux Mint In order to install Linux Mint, a USB drive containing Linux Mint will have to be created.
Downloading USB Installer • • Navigate to http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ to download the Universal USB Installer - Easy as 1 2 3. Click on Popular Universal USB Installer - Easy as 1 2 3. Click on Installer Title • Scroll down and click the Download UUI button.
Creating the Bootable Linux USB Drive • • Run Universal USB Installer - Easy as 1 2 3. Agree to the License Agreement. • The Universal USB Installer main form.
• Select the Linux Mint distribution from drop down menu. Linux Mint 14 Distribution • Click Browse to select the Linux Mint compressed iso file.
• Select USB drive from the drop down menu. Selected USB Drive • 12 Click Create.
• A warning screen will appear, click yes to write the Linux Mint install on to the USB drive. • Creation of the bootable Linux Mint USB drive is complete. • Once the USB drive is complete, Linux Mint can be installed.
Installing Linux Mint The Linux Mint Operating System will be installed using the USB drive that was created. In order to use the USB bootable drive, the USB must be the primary boot device. This can be done by selecting the USB drive in the boot menu. • • As the computer starts up, press F10 to bring up the boot menu. Select the USB drive. • Linux Mint will start and the desktop should appear similar to the screen below.
• To install Linux Mint, double-click Install Linux Mint. • The installation process will begin.
• • Select Language. Click Continue. Linux Mint will check to see if the system is prepared for installation. It is required that at least 5.7 GB of drive space is available and it is recommended that the system be connected to the internet. (Linux Mint will install even without an internet connection) • 16 Click Continue.
• • Select Erase disk and install Linux Mint. Click Continue. • • Select appropriate drive. Click Install Now.
• • Select the appropriate region. Click Continue. • • Select Keyboard Layout. Click Continue.
• Enter: • • Name Computer Name User Name Password Choose if log in will be automatic or will require a password. Click Continue. Linux Mint will complete its installation and be ready for use. For more information on Linux Mint go to: http://www.linuxmint.
XBMC XBMC is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media. XBMC is a non-profit project run and developed by volunteers located around the world. While XBMC functions very well as a standard media player application for your computer, it has been designed to be the perfect companion for your Home Theater PC.
Begin to Install XBMC • Click the Menu button.
• Enter in the computer’s password. The Software Manager will open. • Enter xbmc into search text box.
A list of XBMC packages will appear. • Double Click on the xbmc media center package.
The xmbc media center package will open. • Click Install.
XBMC will begin to install. The progress of the installation will be shown at the bottom of the window.
After installation is complete the Software Manager Window will appear as below. • 26 Close Software Manager by clicking x in the top right corner of window.
Opening XBMC • Click the Menu Button on the task bar • Mouse over Sound & Video.
• Double Click on XBMC Media Center. • The XBMC home screen will open. For more information on XBMC go to: http://xbmc.
Configuring Content Path for XBMC If you have locally stored content, such as movie, music, and photo files, you can configure XBMC to recognize the path to those content files so you may access them easily via the Movies, Music, or Pictures link from the main XBMC screen. • Move the cursor over Videos and then click on Files. • Click on Add Videos.
• Click on Browse. • Choose the path to your video content folders. The content can be local or via other sources such as Windows Network (SMB) path or from a UPNP (Universal Plug and Play) device. In this example, we will use a local folder. Click on Home Folder.
• The path to the local folder is now shown. You may enter a different name for the media source. Click OK when done. • The next screen is Set Content. You may choose if the media content stored are Movies, TV Shows, or Music. Once you have chosen the media content type, you are given a choice of Scraper tool. The Scraper tool will connect to its online server and download relevant information such as Rating, Length, Cast, and Synopsis for your media files. Click OK when done.
• Once completed, a new category called Movies will now appear on the main XBMC screen. • By using similar steps as above, you may configure the path for your Music and Picture content. Configuring Add-Ons One of the biggest features of XBMC is Add-Ons. Add-ons are packages that add functionalities not included by default on XBMC. There are Video, Music, and Program Add-ons which provides a wealth of new online content accessible from your HTPC.
• You will see an empty Video Add-ons screen, and a link to Get More. Click on Get More. The next screen will contain a list of Video Add-ons provided by the default XBMC Add-ons repository. Browse through the list and choose a suitable Add-on. • Once you have chosen a particular Add-on, click on it and then choose Install.
• 34 The Add-on will be downloaded and installed within XBMC. It will also appear in the Videos Add-ons screen list. You are ready to enjoy additional content via XBMC Add-ons.
Configuring MCE Remote Control to XBMC Mapping Once you have completed configuring your media content paths within XBMC, you may want to start using XBMC with a remote controller instead of a keyboard and mouse, especially if your HTPC will be setup in the living room with a big screen TV and a couch. The following will help you map the buttons of a Microsoft MCE-compatible Remote Controller according to the XBMC menu. We will use a tool called LIRC (Linux Infrared Remote Control).
• The lirc tool will downloaded. The terminal will prompt you before installing it. Press ‘Y’ for the installation to start. • Once completed, lirc configuration process will start. For Remote Control configuration, scroll down the list until you see an entry called ‘Windows Media Center Transceivers/Remotes (all)’. Press Enter. • The next screen is to choose an IR transmitter. If you do not have one, choose None and press Enter.
Configuring XBMC to Auto-Start If you plan to use the Intel NUC purely as a HTPC, you may want the XBMC software to auto-start every time you boot up the system. This way you can use the HTPC only with the remote controller as you would for a DVD or Blu-Ray disc player. The following describes the steps to configure XBMC as the default boot session for Linux Mint. • Exit from XBMC. Click on the Linux Mint Menu button, and choose to Logout. Then click on the Log Out button.
• A dialog box will appear, “Do you wish to make XBMC the default for future sessions?” Click on Make Default if you would like this system to Auto-Boot into XBMC. • The system will now boot directly into XBMC making it a perfect Home Theater PC.