XBian 1.0 Alpha 3 Released!

XBian development moves fast!!! Now they are launching the Alpha 3 version of XBian 1.0

If you are already running XBian 1.0 Alpha 2 you can simply update to Alpha 3 by running the following commands via terminal. If you need to access your Raspberry Pi XBian remotely, please refer to the XBian via SSH Guide.

sudo su
wget http://jb.xenserver.sk/xbian/update.sh
perl -p -i -e “s/\r\n/\n/g” update.sh
chmod +x update.sh
./update.sh

Users who are behind on their XBian updates, you’ll need to do a fresh install. XBian 1.0 Alpha 3 can be had here:

• Mirror 1
• Mirror 2
• Mirror 3
• Mirror 4 

If you need a quick refresher on how to install XBian, please refer to the XBian Install Guide.

Here is a quick summary of the changes:

Bugfixes

• Issue #63: [xbian-config] No reboot after network change
• Issue #70: XBMC couldn’t access the USB attached drive
• Issue #72: Black terminal when exiting XBMC
• Issue #93: [xbian-config] Static network configuration doesn’t work
• Issue #101: [xbian-config] Incorrect flag names in videoflags module
• Issue #106: Library update hangs the raspberry pi halfway over SMB share (fixed by issue #74)

Improvements

• Issue #38: Start xbian-config when exiting XBMC
• Issue #74 and #75: Upgraded to XBMC v12 – Frodo Beta 1
• Issue #88: Advancedsettings.xml is now XBMC v12 – Frodo proof
• Issue #92: MythTV PVR add-on
• Issue #66: XBian apt repository
• Issue #76: LIRC srm7500libusb support
• Issue #91: ASS subtitle support
• Issue #93 and #58: [xbian-config] Network settings fully functional
• Issue #84: Improved memory split
• Issue #98: Libcec 2.0.4: Changelog here
• Issue #96: Kernel 3.6.7

XBian Config Additions

• Issue #57 and #34: Removed dependency of LUA
• Issue #93 and #58: Fixed network settings
• Issue #73: New section for managing installed services
• Issue #61: Fixed button labels for Root enabled SSH ()
• Issue #66 and #62: Add/remove packages + updates through apt repository

Many thanks to the XBian dev team, they just keep drinking AWESOMESAUCE!

Like the title says! we are raffling away the Phanteks PH-TC90LS used in our recent Phanteks PH-TC90LS review!!!! Winner has to pay for their own shipping!! We definitely are not rich over here @ HTPCBuild.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We just finished writing up a review of the Phantek PH-TC90LS. HTPCBuild.com has a slightly different review approach. We know that most people are accustomed to benchmarks, temperature data, etc. We feel that this information is readily available, and realistically any cooler can provide sufficient cooling for a HTPC build, whether it be a Standalone or All In One. Instead we focused on the claim’s put forth by Phantek USA about its products, and the practicality of the Phantek PH-TC90LS heatsink in a HTPC application.

You can find the review here, at the end of the review you can find links to reviews with more temperature data.

XBian 0.8.3 Released

XBian developers have released an update for XBian 0.8, 0.8.3. Here are the updates directly from their changelog:

• You can now view the CPU temp of your pi (System -> System information -> Hardware) (Thanks to CurlyMo!)
• Fixed an issue with time/clock people were having on XBian 0.8.2
• Added a new version of XBMC (Note: XBMC is still in alpha!)
• Upgraded to libcec version 2.0.2
• Upgraded to a new firmware, this should fix turbo mode corrupting your SD card
• Initial support for the 512MB raspberry pi (autosplit for 512MB pi is 256/256)

For those of you running XBian 0.8.2 to 0.8.3, you can simply update XBian to the latest version via SSH. You’ll need to use Putty to get into the SSH, please refer to HTPCBuild.com’s Connecting via SSH Guide. Once you’ve reached the XBian Terminal execute the following commands:

wget http://jb.xenserver.sk/XBian/XBian0.8.2to0.8.3.sh
chmod +x XBian0.8.2to0.8.3.sh
./XBian0.8.2to0.8.3.sh

NOTE: For users that are not 0.8.0 or higher, you will need to reimage your SD card with XBian 0.8.0 and above.

XBian 0.8.3 Downloads:

• Mirror 1; Slovakia
• Mirror 2; Finland

XBian 0.8.2 Downloads:

• Mirror 1; Slovakia
• Mirror 2; Finland
• Mirror 3; Paris, France
• Mirror 4; United States
• Mirror 5; United Kingdom

XBian 0.8.0 Downloads:

• Mirror 1; Slovakia
• Mirror 2; Finland
• Mirror 3; Paris, France
• Mirror 4; United States
• Mirror 5; United Kingdom

XBian 0.8.2 Released (includes TURBO MODE!)

XBian has pushed out a new version of their 0.8 release. Here is a list of changes straight from their changelog:

• Added a new XBMC build which will fix a lot of bugs and improves performance
• Added PVR (also included the PVR addons)
• Full airplay support (Thanks to the XBMC team!)
• Changed force_turbo=1 to force_turbo=0 in /boot/config.txt as this could void warranty when overclocking via raspi-config
• Reverted to the official raspberry pi kernel (it’s safe to rpi-update 128 now)
• Upgraded libcec to version 2.0.0 (Nice work Pusle-Eight!)
• Enabled webserver by default

For those of you running XBian 0.8.0 or 0.8.1, you can simply update XBian to the latest version via SSH. You’ll need to use Putty to get into the SSH, please refer to HTPCBuild.com’s Connecting via SSH Guide. Once you’ve reached the XBian Terminal execute the following commands:

wget http://jb.xenserver.sk/XBian/XBian0.8to0.8.2.sh
chmod +x XBian0.8to0.8.2.sh
./XBian0.8to0.8.2.sh

NOTE: For users that are not 0.8.0 or higher, you will need to reimage your SD card with XBian 0.8.0 and above.

XBian 0.8.0 Downloads:

• Mirror 1; Slovakia
• Mirror 2; Finland
• Mirror 3; Paris, France
• Mirror 4; United States
• Mirror 5; United Kingdom

XBian 0.8.2 Downloads:

• Mirror 1; Slovakia
• Mirror 2; Finland
• Mirror 3; Paris, France
• Mirror 4; United States
• Mirror 5; United Kingdom

NOTE: There appears to be a clock issue with XBian 0.8.2.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation just announced that all new RPi Model Bs will receive an upgrade to 512MB of onboard RAM. According to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, all outstanding orders will receive the upgraded 512MB Model B. For those of you who have been patiently waiting, AWESOME!! Most importantly, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is saying it will be able to maintain the $35 price point for the Model B!

HTPCBuild.com can’t wait to get its hands on a new 512MB Model B! However, from a HTPC stand point, there may not be much advantage. As most of the XBMC distros: XBian, Raspbmc, and OpenElec, usually run light and leave 50-100MBs of free RAM.

For a full read: Raspberry Pi Foundation

Newegg.com has the Samsung 830 256GB SSD for $169.99 and Free Shipping!!! This is a three hour sale from 9-12 PST. You need to use promo code: EMCYTZT2258 to get the $30 dollars off.

That is right! HTPCBuild.com would like to raffle away ANOTHER Raspberry Pi Model B! The board being given away is a newer board that has the updated usb polyfuses.

NOTE: This raffle is for board only! The winner will need to pay for shipping. Why? HTPCBuild.com would like to keep this open to everyone. Although HTPCBuild.com cannot afford to pay for expensive shipping, if the winner is international, we would like to provide them with a chance to pay for shipping.

Use the Rafflecopter app below to follow HTPCBuild.com on twitter! AND you can earn an additional entry by tweeting about the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Newegg.com has the LIAN LI Aluminum PC-Q09FNA Mini ITX HTPC Case $109.99 & Free Shipping!! You need to use promo code: LianLi924A.

Raspberry Pi Foundation at Stanford University

Monday October 1st, Stanford University will be hosting the Raspberry Pi Foundation in the Huang Engineering Center’s basement!! This event is open to both Stanford students and the public! More importantly admission is FREE!!

Itinerary is as follows:

Talk - RaspberryPi Past, Present & Future, an introduction to the RaspberryPi, including an overview of its history and development, details on the technical specification and an outline of future developments with many cool tech demos along the way. Followed by a Q&A session.

Tech Demos - A chance to demonstrate various OS’s, new revisions of the Pi and the latest add-on expansion hardware.

Workshop – A Taste of RaspberryPi and a chance to play with the RaspberryPi hands-on.

Show & Tell / Prizes - An opportunity to display RaspberryPi projects from the community with prizes for notable projects.

You need to signup for the event here. Registration is FREE!! Maybe we’ll see you there!

For those interested, the tour will also be making additional stop throughout the US. For a full schedule, please check out the Raspberry Pi Foundation post.