Raspberry Pi gets its own media center kit

**Goldberg** · 19th June 2013

Not cheap at �46 but I am tempted to grab one if the reviews are good:

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/19/r...paign=Engadget

Behold, a ready-made answer for those who own a Linux-powered fruit machinebut who are still looking for new ways to use it. It's a simple media center starter kit, fresh out today, which makes it easy to hook your Raspberry Pi up to an HDMI display and use it to play video or music from the internet or your home network through the wonders of XBMC. Known simply as "XBMC Solution," it consists of theRaspbmc software on a bootable SD card (this is an all-in-one install that combines XBMC with a lightweight Linux distro), a rechargeable RF controller with a small keyboard and touchpad to aid navigation (it's generic, unbranded, and even has a "Win" key, but it works fine), plus Ethernet and HDMI cables in case you don't have any going spare. Read on for more.
Raspberry Pi XBMC Solution

See all photos14 PHOTOS

The kit isn't wildly different from those you can pick up on eBay, or that could be gathered together more cheaply from constituent parts (Raspbmc being entirely free and open source), but it comes with Element 14's promise that it'll work smoothly and it's designed to be up and running within minutes. That's something we can vouch for, at least -- once we'd allowed the application and OS to update themselves automatically over the web, it took just a few moments longer before we were playing FLAC music files off a USB stick, adding libraries from the network and checking on the weather. What's more, XBMC is a tinkerer's paradise in its own right, with plenty of add-ons to choose from, so XBMC Solution's ease-of-use doesn't feel like it conflicts with Pi's underlying DIY philosophy. The kit will be available globally through Element 14, with a UK price of �45.99 -- and yes, that's a lot more than the little computer itself. Stay tuned for US pricing, and check out the gallery above to see exactly what'll come in the box.
Update: Newark Element 14 is selling the bundle for $78 in the US, but its site lists just a handful of units in stock right now.

**tombott** · 19th June 2013

Looks good, but you can pick the keyboards up fairly cheaply on ebay.
I think it would be better if they had included a case, but hey anything pi related is good!

**Clubber Lang** · 19th June 2013

Reckon you could buy all the bits separately for just over �30

**Goldberg** · 19th June 2013

Sure, but they have done the card for you which for lazy feckers is a bonus.

**evilsatan** · 19th June 2013

I'd rather create my own and use an iPhone/iPad to control it (in fact I have 2 I made here but not used them properly yet). It is good that non-techies can now have one though.

**Goldberg** · 19th June 2013

My first task is to take it out of the drawer...

Work are going to give us every second Friday as a 'personal project' day in the office so I will be dragging mine in.

**koola2** · 19th June 2013

Originally Posted by tombott

Looks good, but you can pick the keyboards up fairly cheaply on ebay.

If you TV has CEC then the remote is not required.

**tombott** · 19th June 2013

Originally Posted by koola2

If you TV has http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consume...cs_Control#CEC then the remote is not required.

Yeah that stuff is cool. To be fair I have 2 TV's, both unbranded. The rest of my media setup is done via monitors.

**EvilBoB** · 19th June 2013

http://www.digitalpromo.co.uk/qwerty...FSfLtAodDEoAeA

I like this keyboard. I have a case for my Pi, and HDMI cable and network cable so it's a bit pricey for me. The above keyboard though would be gold with it.