Windows only 
File sync services like Google Drive and Dropbox will only sync the files and folders that are placed within their app-specific directories. Using what’s called symbolic links you can get around this, and we’ve seen all kinds of apps that are able to provide an easy-to-use interface for managing these links. With the way Dropboxifier is designed it definitely takes the cake.

This free and portable Windows app has you point it to the root of your Dropbox account, and then you can begin creating your links. What’s really awesome is that it saves a XML configuration file within your Dropbox folder that has a list of all the links you’ve created. Why is this so special? Because if your computer dies all of your links don’t die along with it. After you get your computer back up and running you can fire up the app, point it to your Dropbox folder, and it will show exclamation points next to all the links that are supposed to be on that specific machine. You can then click the Resolve button on each of the links you want to restore, which will then ask you which method you want to use to restore the links:

This is a killer feature especially if you end up creating dozens of links. Otherwise you may find yourself in a situation where you have to sit there trying to remember all the links you previously had and get them all set up again.

Dropboxifier is a must-have for anyone that uses Dropbox, Google Drive, or any other file sync service that backs up data from your local machine to the cloud. Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.

Dropboxifier Homepage (Windows only; Freeware)

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
Easily Sync Any Local Folder with Dropbox or Google Drive

Windows only 
In Windows 7 Microsoft made it so that multiple windows from the same application are grouped into the same icon, and when it comes to Internet Explorer it treats each tab as a window. That means if you have two tabs open in Internet explorer the Taskbar icon will show two previews when you click on it (like the screenshot above). Having it show all of the tab previews whenever you click on the Internet Explorer icon may get annoying since it takes an extra click to pass focus back to Internet Explorer, but you can always disable the feature.

To disable the IE tab previews in Windows 7 these are the steps you need to take:

1. In Internet Explorer click the gear icon in the upper-right corner, and choose Internet Options:
   
2. You should already be on the General tab. Click the Settings button in the Tabs section:
   
3. Uncheck the Show previews for individual tabs in the taskbar option:
   
4. Restart Internet Explorer

Now with that in place the next time that you click on the Internet Explorer icon it will switch to the app rather than displaying a list of tabs that have been open in the browser.

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
Disable IE Tab Previews in Windows 7

  Mac only 
Yesterday we walked through how you can backup and restore individual apps on your iOS device, but we can actually take things a step further for those who didn’t take the time to make the individual app backups. As long as you have an iTunes backup of your iPhone/iPad/iPod and it is unencrypted you can actually extract the app files as well as photos directly from that. If you, for example, accidentally deleted an app this can be a useful way to get the data back without having to restore your entire device. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Download the iPhone Backup Explorer
2. Open the app and click Read Backups. Select the backup you wish to restore your apps/photos from.
3. Find the app you want to restore. The names may look a little obscure, but you should be able to find what you are looking for. If you want to restore photos scroll all the way to the bottom and select iOS Files:
   
4. Click the Extract button
5. Follow our previous instructions for getting the application backups restored to your device without jailbreaking. (using iExplorer, copy the Documents and Library folders back over)
6. For photos navigate to the iOS Files directory that was restored, and then go to Media -> DCIM. In there you may see a series of folders that are named 100APPLE. Each one of those folders should contain up to 9,999 images. You can start navigating through them to find your lost images.

iPhone Backup Explorer Homepage (Mac only; Freeware)

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
Extract iOS Photos and Apps from iTunes Backups

Windows; Mac;
Like a lot of people I’m not a huge fan of iTunes, and occasionally I like to backup some of my most important apps to my local PC so that it would be a breeze to set it up again should I ever need to. With iTunes and iCloud you can’t choose to perform an on-demand backup of a certain app, and that’s why I turn to the free iExplorer.

This program lets you navigate many of the files on your iOS device, and it includes the ability to copy your settings/data out of any of the apps you have installed. Those backups can be used to restore the state of an application without having to restore your entire device, which can also be good for anyone wanting to do a fresh iOS install without, you know, losing your Angry Birds progress. It also means you can transfer app settings between multiple devices without having to configure each one manually.

Backup iOS Apps

1. Download the free iExplorer.
2. Connect your iOS device, and then open up iExplorer.
3. Expand the Apps section and find the app you want to backup.
4. Expand the folder for the app, select all of the files inside it, and then export them using the appropriate option in the right-click menu. I should point out that you probably don’t need to copy the *.app folder since that is the actual application, which will get created when you re-install the app from the iTunes store:
   
5. The files for that particular app will now be safely tucked away on your computer.

Restore iOS Apps from Backup

1. First you’ll need to install the app on your iOS device (if you haven’t already) so that it creates the necessary folder structure.
2. Now you just need to reverse the process used above to backup the files. Just drag the files you had backed up into the app’s folder on the device.

iExplorer Homepage (Windows/Mac; Freeware)

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
Backup and Restore iOS Apps Without iTunes

So after weeks of XBMC-focused posts we are wrapping it all up with a summary of all the guides we wrote, along with some helpful posts from the official wiki and forums pages. The community that surrounds XBMC is incredible, and that’s something you’ll realize once you start digging deeper into the software. If you’re just starting out with XBMC, the page we’ve assembled here should be a great place to kick-off your learning.

Helpful XBMC Wiki Posts:

• UserData Folder
  An explanation of what all the various files and folders are used for in your UserData folder.
• AdvancedSettings.xml
  A list of all the advanced configuration values that are available.
• File Sharing Protocols by OS
  This page covers the various file sharing protocols that are available for each of the different operating systems.
• Special Paths
  You can use the “special://” protocol to reference XBMC-specific resources, which is useful with path substitution.
• Naming TV and Movie files
  In order for XBMC to correctly detect the TV show or movie that corresponds to a video file you’ll need to make sure you understand how the files will need to be named.
• Keyboard Shortcuts
  A long list of all the various keyboard shortcuts available in XBMC.
• Remote Control Reviews
  Wondering whether your remote will work with XBMC? This wiki page covers many of the different kinds of remotes that are compatible.
• Debug Log
  The debug log can be infinitely useful when trying to troubleshoot an issue, and so it’s important to understand exactly how it works.
• Keyboard.xml
  This configuration file will let you customize/override the default behavior for keyboard shortcuts.
• Dirty Regions
  Dirty regions are a new way that XBMC tries to reduce the load on your CPU and GPU by optimizing how things are rendered on the screen, but it isn’t turned on by default yet. If you want to give it a try, this page will help you along.

Helpful XBMC Forum Pages/Posts:

• Photos of Extensive XBMC Setups
  It will take some time to flip through the 75+ pages of posts here, but there are quite a few great images showing off some of the home theater setups people have in their homes.
• XBMC Skins
  This is a nice directory of skins that are available in the official XBMC repository as well as third-party repositories.
• Video Add-ons
  This is the forum dedicated solely to video add-ons, and there is an ever-growing list of them. It’s a good place to start if you’re wondering whether your favorite online streaming service has a plugin available.
• Tips for Building Your Own HTPC
  This is a general guide on the various hardware components that make up an HTPC.
• Hardware Recommendations
  This is a long list of hardware recommendations along with pricing for anyone building an HTPC from scratch.

CyberNet’s XBMC Guides:

• XBMC: Introduction to Our Upcoming Guides
  Our introduction provides some of the deciding factors for switching from Windows Media Center to XBMC.
• XBMC: Build Your Own HTPC
  Our extensive guide on the hardware we chose for our home theater PCs (HTPCs), the cost, and some tips on choosing the hardware for your own HTPC.
• XBMC: Prepare and Optimize Windows 7
  A helpful list of tips to optimize the performance of Windows 7 so that the system is able to offer as many resources to XBMC as it can.
• XBMC: IR Receiver and Remote (Harmony, Xbox 360, and More)
  If you want your HTPC to operate like a set-top box you’ll definitely want to get a remote control configured, and for me this was a critical step so that I wouldn’t have to be concerned about less tech-savvy users trying to use my TV.
• XBMC: Share and Sync Media/Settings Between Multiple XBMC Installs
  Configuring XBMC to share settings between multiple instances means you’ll be able to stop a show in one room, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in another room.
• XBMC: Fit the Picture to Your TV with Overscan
  If XBMC doesn’t fit your TV screen perfectly there are a couple of steps you can take to get it just right.
• XBMC: Installing Skins
  How to tweak the appearance of XBMC so that it looks the way you want it to.
• XBMC: Custom Home Screen Menu Backgrounds
  Make the backgrounds of your chosen skin/theme a little more interesting by having it flip through artwork from your favorite TV shows and movies.
• XBMC: Dynamic Weather Backgrounds
  If you’re using the Aeon MQ 3 theme you can have it use dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day and current weather conditions.
• XBMC: SMB on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  I use a Mac to serve up files to my XBMC instances running on Windows, and so my preferred protocol for sharing files is SMB. This guide explains how you can get a XBMC-compatible version of SMB running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• XBMC: Adding Media Sources
  Learn how to add your media to XBMC and turn on the appropriate content scrapers.
• XBMC: Troubleshoot Buffering Issues
  Trying to troubleshoot buffer issues in XBMC can be quite a pain, and so I lay out some of the most common culprits.
• XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos
  Want to see how well your HTPC performs? Throw some of these high bitrate 1080p sample videos at it.
• XBMC: More Advanced Settings
  Configure some of the settings that you won’t find anywhere in the GUI.
• XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More
  Thanks to add-ons you can stream videos from some of your favorite sources including Hulu, Food Network, HGTV, TWiT, and more.
• XBMC: AirPlay on Windows
  Send videos from your iOS device to any XBMC instance with very little configuration.
• XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension
  As long as you are on the same network as your XBMC box you can control it from any browser using the built-in web interface, or you can install a Chrome extension to make it even easier.
• XBMC: iPhone and iPad Remote
  If you own an iPhone or iPad you can enjoy one of the best XBMC remote control experiences I’ve seen, and it will only cost you a few bucks.
• XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts
  A recap of all the guides we’ve written as well as useful wiki and forum post from the official XBMC.org site.

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts

XBMC has a built-in web interface that you can use to control media playback on any of your XBMC instances. The nice thing about the web interface is that it lets you quickly navigate your media library to see what you have available. It also comes bundled with an on-screen remote control that you can use to navigate the entire interface, and even though the graphic they use for the remote could be a little better it still serves its functional purpose quite well.

To get rolling the first thing you’ll definitely need to do is switch the HTTP interface on. This is done by going to the Settings -> Network -> Services, and turn on the Allow Control of XBMC Via HTTP. You’ll also need to specify a port number, username, and password:

After you’ve done that you should be able to connect to XBMC from your browser to make sure it is working. The most sure-fire way to get to it is to use the IP address of the machine running XBMC followed by the port number. Example: http://192.168.1.10:8080

If you see the web interface that means you can start experimenting with other things. A good example of something that takes advantage of the web interface is this Chrome extension that provides a virtual remote to control the media playback. This is pretty convenient for me because a lot of times I’ll be on my computer while watching TV, and having this extension means I can quickly pause a video without having to hunt around for the remote control.

CyberNet’s XBMC Guides:

• XBMC: Introduction to Our Upcoming Guides
  Our introduction provides some of the deciding factors for switching from Windows Media Center to XBMC.
• XBMC: Build Your Own HTPC
  Our extensive guide on the hardware we chose for our home theater PCs (HTPCs), the cost, and some tips on choosing the hardware for your own HTPC.
• XBMC: Prepare and Optimize Windows 7
  A helpful list of tips to optimize the performance of Windows 7 so that the system is able to offer as many resources to XBMC as it can.
• XBMC: IR Receiver and Remote (Harmony, Xbox 360, and More)
  If you want your HTPC to operate like a set-top box you’ll definitely want to get a remote control configured, and for me this was a critical step so that I wouldn’t have to be concerned about less tech-savvy users trying to use my TV.
• XBMC: Share and Sync Media/Settings Between Multiple XBMC Installs
  Configuring XBMC to share settings between multiple instances means you’ll be able to stop a show in one room, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in another room.
• XBMC: Fit the Picture to Your TV with Overscan
  If XBMC doesn’t fit your TV screen perfectly there are a couple of steps you can take to get it just right.
• XBMC: Installing Skins
  How to tweak the appearance of XBMC so that it looks the way you want it to.
• XBMC: Custom Home Screen Menu Backgrounds
  Make the backgrounds of your chosen skin/theme a little more interesting by having it flip through artwork from your favorite TV shows and movies.
• XBMC: Dynamic Weather Backgrounds
  If you’re using the Aeon MQ 3 theme you can have it use dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day and current weather conditions.
• XBMC: SMB on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  I use a Mac to serve up files to my XBMC instances running on Windows, and so my preferred protocol for sharing files is SMB. This guide explains how you can get a XBMC-compatible version of SMB running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• XBMC: Adding Media Sources
  Learn how to add your media to XBMC and turn on the appropriate content scrapers.
• XBMC: Troubleshoot Buffering Issues
  Trying to troubleshoot buffer issues in XBMC can be quite a pain, and so I lay out some of the most common culprits.
• XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos
  Want to see how well your HTPC performs? Throw some of these high bitrate 1080p sample videos at it.
• XBMC: More Advanced Settings
  Configure some of the settings that you won’t find anywhere in the GUI.
• XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More
  Thanks to add-ons you can stream videos from some of your favorite sources including Hulu, Food Network, HGTV, TWiT, and more.
• XBMC: AirPlay on Windows
  Send videos from your iOS device to any XBMC instance with very little configuration.
• XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension
  As long as you are on the same network as your XBMC box you can control it from any browser using the built-in web interface, or you can install a Chrome extension to make it even easier.
• XBMC: iPhone and iPad Remote
  If you own an iPhone or iPad you can enjoy one of the best XBMC remote control experiences I’ve seen, and it will only cost you a few bucks.
• XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts
  A recap of all the guides we’ve written as well as useful wiki and forum post from the official XBMC.org site.

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension

The XBMC developers added AirPlay support in version 11, and this is one of the features that really drew me to the software. One of the very reasons I contemplated getting the Apple TV was because of the streamlined AirPlay support, but with the addition of AirPlay support to XBMC 11 I thought that it would also fit my needs.

I’ll be upfront and say that the AirPlay support in XBMC is not as extravagant as what’s in the Apple TV, but it supports basic operations like sending YouTube videos or videos recorded on your device to the TV. It does not support iOS mirroring, but I’m not as concerned with doing that as I am being able to quickly watch a video on the TV that a friend just sent me. That’s not to say XBMC won’t eventually support AirPlay mirroring since some third-parties have already figured it out, but as of right now you’ll need to be satisfied with watching videos and flipping through photos when using AirPlay on XBMC. I should also note that the Windows version of XBMC doesn’t support AirPlay audio/music playback, but the Mac and Linux variants do.

So how do you get this set up? On a Mac it’s as easy as turning it on in the settings, but on Windows it takes an extra step:

1. Windows users need to download and install the Bonjour Print Services for Windows 2.0.2
2. In XBMC go to Settings -> Network -> Services and turn the Allow XBMC to Receive AirPlay Content setting on. When you flip this on the Announce These Services to Other Systems via Zeroconf should also get turned on automatically.
3. While on that same screen (Settings -> Network -> Services) scroll up to the top and enter in the Device Name you want to appear in the AirPlay menu on your iOS device.
4. Test out the connection on your iOS device by opening, for example, a YouTube video and selecting the XBMC install in the AirPlay Menu.

Now you should be able to stream content from your iOS device to XBMC in just a few taps.

CyberNet’s XBMC Guides:

• XBMC: Introduction to Our Upcoming Guides
  Our introduction provides some of the deciding factors for switching from Windows Media Center to XBMC.
• XBMC: Build Your Own HTPC
  Our extensive guide on the hardware we chose for our home theater PCs (HTPCs), the cost, and some tips on choosing the hardware for your own HTPC.
• XBMC: Prepare and Optimize Windows 7
  A helpful list of tips to optimize the performance of Windows 7 so that the system is able to offer as many resources to XBMC as it can.
• XBMC: IR Receiver and Remote (Harmony, Xbox 360, and More)
  If you want your HTPC to operate like a set-top box you’ll definitely want to get a remote control configured, and for me this was a critical step so that I wouldn’t have to be concerned about less tech-savvy users trying to use my TV.
• XBMC: Share and Sync Media/Settings Between Multiple XBMC Installs
  Configuring XBMC to share settings between multiple instances means you’ll be able to stop a show in one room, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in another room.
• XBMC: Fit the Picture to Your TV with Overscan
  If XBMC doesn’t fit your TV screen perfectly there are a couple of steps you can take to get it just right.
• XBMC: Installing Skins
  How to tweak the appearance of XBMC so that it looks the way you want it to.
• XBMC: Custom Home Screen Menu Backgrounds
  Make the backgrounds of your chosen skin/theme a little more interesting by having it flip through artwork from your favorite TV shows and movies.
• XBMC: Dynamic Weather Backgrounds
  If you’re using the Aeon MQ 3 theme you can have it use dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day and current weather conditions.
• XBMC: SMB on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  I use a Mac to serve up files to my XBMC instances running on Windows, and so my preferred protocol for sharing files is SMB. This guide explains how you can get a XBMC-compatible version of SMB running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• XBMC: Adding Media Sources
  Learn how to add your media to XBMC and turn on the appropriate content scrapers.
• XBMC: Troubleshoot Buffering Issues
  Trying to troubleshoot buffer issues in XBMC can be quite a pain, and so I lay out some of the most common culprits.
• XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos
  Want to see how well your HTPC performs? Throw some of these high bitrate 1080p sample videos at it.
• XBMC: More Advanced Settings
  Configure some of the settings that you won’t find anywhere in the GUI.
• XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More
  Thanks to add-ons you can stream videos from some of your favorite sources including Hulu, Food Network, HGTV, TWiT, and more.
• XBMC: AirPlay on Windows
  Send videos from your iOS device to any XBMC instance with very little configuration.
• XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension
  As long as you are on the same network as your XBMC box you can control it from any browser using the built-in web interface, or you can install a Chrome extension to make it even easier.
• XBMC: iPhone and iPad Remote
  If you own an iPhone or iPad you can enjoy one of the best XBMC remote control experiences I’ve seen, and it will only cost you a few bucks.
• XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts
  A recap of all the guides we’ve written as well as useful wiki and forum post from the official XBMC.org site.

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
XBMC: AirPlay on Windows

A lot of people assume that using an application like XBMC means that you are pirating all of the material you are going to watch, but there are plenty of legal video streaming solutions available as well. There are a bunch of developers that have put together plugins so that a lot of online video streaming sites can be accessed directly through add-ons in XBMC.

What you’ll want to do after you get XBMC installed is head on over to the video plugins section, which can be found in Settings -> Add-ons -> Get Add-ons -> All Add-ons -> Video Add-ons. Here you’ll find plugins available to stream shows from HGTV, Food Network, and dozens of other video sites including podcast networks like TWiT.

You aren’t limited to just what’s available in the default add-ons repository either. If you venture over into the XBMC forums you’ll find that there are a lot more add-ons available for services like Hulu. So just because you don’t see one of your favorite video services listed in the add-ons repository doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find an add-on that works with it. Since Hulu is so popular I thought I’d give a quick rundown on how to get it set up in XBMC:

1. Download the “repository.bluecop.xbmc-plugins.zip” file
2. In XBMC navigate to Settings -> Add-ons
3. Select the option to Install From ZIP File
4. Browse for the repository file you downloaded and add it
5. You may need to wait a few minutes before continuing on otherwise the add-on may not show up yet, or you can just restart XBMC.
6. On the Add-ons screen go to Get Add-ons -> Bluecop Add-on Repository -> Video Add-ons -> Hulu. You should now see the Install button to install the Hulu add-on.
7. You can configure some of the settings (such as how many ads you want to see and when you want to see them), or you can just flip over to the Videos section of XBMC and starting watching shows from Hulu.

Keep in mind that the list of shows can be pretty overwhelming (currently over 1600), but you can save your favorites by highlighting the show, pulling up the context menu (“C” on the keyboard), and choosing the Add to Favorites option. That will serve as a makeshift bookmark, and will be accessible directly from the Videos -> Favorites menu in XBMC.

CyberNet’s XBMC Guides:

• XBMC: Introduction to Our Upcoming Guides
  Our introduction provides some of the deciding factors for switching from Windows Media Center to XBMC.
• XBMC: Build Your Own HTPC
  Our extensive guide on the hardware we chose for our home theater PCs (HTPCs), the cost, and some tips on choosing the hardware for your own HTPC.
• XBMC: Prepare and Optimize Windows 7
  A helpful list of tips to optimize the performance of Windows 7 so that the system is able to offer as many resources to XBMC as it can.
• XBMC: IR Receiver and Remote (Harmony, Xbox 360, and More)
  If you want your HTPC to operate like a set-top box you’ll definitely want to get a remote control configured, and for me this was a critical step so that I wouldn’t have to be concerned about less tech-savvy users trying to use my TV.
• XBMC: Share and Sync Media/Settings Between Multiple XBMC Installs
  Configuring XBMC to share settings between multiple instances means you’ll be able to stop a show in one room, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in another room.
• XBMC: Fit the Picture to Your TV with Overscan
  If XBMC doesn’t fit your TV screen perfectly there are a couple of steps you can take to get it just right.
• XBMC: Installing Skins
  How to tweak the appearance of XBMC so that it looks the way you want it to.
• XBMC: Custom Home Screen Menu Backgrounds
  Make the backgrounds of your chosen skin/theme a little more interesting by having it flip through artwork from your favorite TV shows and movies.
• XBMC: Dynamic Weather Backgrounds
  If you’re using the Aeon MQ 3 theme you can have it use dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day and current weather conditions.
• XBMC: SMB on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  I use a Mac to serve up files to my XBMC instances running on Windows, and so my preferred protocol for sharing files is SMB. This guide explains how you can get a XBMC-compatible version of SMB running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• XBMC: Adding Media Sources
  Learn how to add your media to XBMC and turn on the appropriate content scrapers.
• XBMC: Troubleshoot Buffering Issues
  Trying to troubleshoot buffer issues in XBMC can be quite a pain, and so I lay out some of the most common culprits.
• XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos
  Want to see how well your HTPC performs? Throw some of these high bitrate 1080p sample videos at it.
• XBMC: More Advanced Settings
  Configure some of the settings that you won’t find anywhere in the GUI.
• XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More
  Thanks to add-ons you can stream videos from some of your favorite sources including Hulu, Food Network, HGTV, TWiT, and more.
• XBMC: AirPlay on Windows
  Send videos from your iOS device to any XBMC instance with very little configuration.
• XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension
  As long as you are on the same network as your XBMC box you can control it from any browser using the built-in web interface, or you can install a Chrome extension to make it even easier.
• XBMC: iPhone and iPad Remote
  If you own an iPhone or iPad you can enjoy one of the best XBMC remote control experiences I’ve seen, and it will only cost you a few bucks.
• XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts
  A recap of all the guides we’ve written as well as useful wiki and forum post from the official XBMC.org site.

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More

While XBMC is a versatile piece of software there are always a lot of things that advanced users wish they could configure, but the developers can’t possible cram it all into the XBMC interface. That’s where the advancedsettings.xml file comes into play. This file will let you adjust a dizzying number of settings that are not configurable any other way, and gives you even more control over your XBMC experience.

You’ll find the advancedsettings.xml file in your profile folder:

• Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/XBMC/userdata/
• Windows: %appdata%\XBMC\userdata\

Once in your profile directory find and open up the advancedsettings.xml file, or create the file if it doesn’t already exist. After you’ve got the file open you can start changing some of the hundreds of settings that are available.

What settings have I changed? I’ve covered a few in past guides including setting up a media library that is shared amongst multiple machines, and I’ve even provided configuration tips to help resolve buffering issues. I have a few other tweaks that I haven’t mentioned yet…

Video Library:

There are several settings that I change related to the video libraries:

<videolibrary>
<flattentvshows>2</flattentvshows>
<hideemptyseries>true</hideemptyseries>
<recentlyaddeditems>50</recentlyaddeditems>
</videolibrary>

Here is what each of them mean:

• flattentvshows (2): Shows all episodes for a TV show at the same level rather than sorting them by season.
• hideemptyseries (true): Hides TV shows that don’t have any episodes in them. This is especially useful if you delete shows after you watch them.
• recentlyaddeditems (50): Increases the number of items that are displayed in the recently added list.

Splash Screen:

This is a simple setting that disables the splash screen when XBMC is starting up. It’s something a lot of people probably won’t care about changing, but since it is available I thought it wouldn’t hurt to turn it off:

<splash>false</splash>

Debug Log:

I don’t always use this, but if I’m trying to troubleshoot a problem it can be useful. This will let you adjust how much info gets logged:

<loglevel hide="false">1</loglevel>

These are what the various values are used for:

• -1: All logging is OFF
• 0: Normal logging, only logging errors (Default)
• 1: Debug logging
• 2: Debug logging with free memory, frames-per-second and CPU usage shown on screen
• 3: Debug logging with free memory, frames-per-second and CPU usage shown on screen; Plus full SMB logging

CyberNet’s XBMC Guides:

• XBMC: Introduction to Our Upcoming Guides
  Our introduction provides some of the deciding factors for switching from Windows Media Center to XBMC.
• XBMC: Build Your Own HTPC
  Our extensive guide on the hardware we chose for our home theater PCs (HTPCs), the cost, and some tips on choosing the hardware for your own HTPC.
• XBMC: Prepare and Optimize Windows 7
  A helpful list of tips to optimize the performance of Windows 7 so that the system is able to offer as many resources to XBMC as it can.
• XBMC: IR Receiver and Remote (Harmony, Xbox 360, and More)
  If you want your HTPC to operate like a set-top box you’ll definitely want to get a remote control configured, and for me this was a critical step so that I wouldn’t have to be concerned about less tech-savvy users trying to use my TV.
• XBMC: Share and Sync Media/Settings Between Multiple XBMC Installs
  Configuring XBMC to share settings between multiple instances means you’ll be able to stop a show in one room, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in another room.
• XBMC: Fit the Picture to Your TV with Overscan
  If XBMC doesn’t fit your TV screen perfectly there are a couple of steps you can take to get it just right.
• XBMC: Installing Skins
  How to tweak the appearance of XBMC so that it looks the way you want it to.
• XBMC: Custom Home Screen Menu Backgrounds
  Make the backgrounds of your chosen skin/theme a little more interesting by having it flip through artwork from your favorite TV shows and movies.
• XBMC: Dynamic Weather Backgrounds
  If you’re using the Aeon MQ 3 theme you can have it use dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day and current weather conditions.
• XBMC: SMB on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  I use a Mac to serve up files to my XBMC instances running on Windows, and so my preferred protocol for sharing files is SMB. This guide explains how you can get a XBMC-compatible version of SMB running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• XBMC: Adding Media Sources
  Learn how to add your media to XBMC and turn on the appropriate content scrapers.
• XBMC: Troubleshoot Buffering Issues
  Trying to troubleshoot buffer issues in XBMC can be quite a pain, and so I lay out some of the most common culprits.
• XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos
  Want to see how well your HTPC performs? Throw some of these high bitrate 1080p sample videos at it.
• XBMC: More Advanced Settings
  Configure some of the settings that you won’t find anywhere in the GUI.
• XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More
  Thanks to add-ons you can stream videos from some of your favorite sources including Hulu, Food Network, HGTV, TWiT, and more.
• XBMC: AirPlay on Windows
  Send videos from your iOS device to any XBMC instance with very little configuration.
• XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension
  As long as you are on the same network as your XBMC box you can control it from any browser using the built-in web interface, or you can install a Chrome extension to make it even easier.
• XBMC: iPhone and iPad Remote
  If you own an iPhone or iPad you can enjoy one of the best XBMC remote control experiences I’ve seen, and it will only cost you a few bucks.
• XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts
  A recap of all the guides we’ve written as well as useful wiki and forum post from the official XBMC.org site.

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
XBMC: More Advanced Settings

Now that you have XBMC set up and configured it’s probably good to run through a test to see how well your system performs. I’ve been able to run through a 1080p flawlessly when I followed all of the buffering recommendations we covered yesterday. Not all videos are created equally though, and as a result you may find that some 1080p videos work fine for you while others don’t.

So what’s different between videos? Generally the thing that will have the biggest affect on smooth video playback will be the bitrate it’s encoded with. Many times videos will use what is referred to as a variable bitrate which means that scenes with little movement will have a low bitrate while action scenes with lots of movement will have a higher bitrate.

I have a list of videos below that you can use to test your setup, along with the average bitrate of the video. The one with the highest average bitrate is at the top, and the bitrate drops as you go further down the list.

Birds
HD Quality: 1080p MKV
File Size: 110 MB
Frame Rate: 23.976 FPS
Average Bitrate: 39.1 Mbps
Duration: 23 seconds

HD-DVD Demo Video
HD Quality: 1080p MKV
File Size: 278 MB
Frame Rate: 29.970 FPS
Average Bitrate: 17.5 Mbps
Duration: 2 minutes 1 second

Big Buck Bunny
HD Quality: 1080p AVI
File Size: 886 MB
Frame Rate: 24.000 FPS
Average Bitrate: 12.0 Mbps
Duration: 9 minute 56 seconds

Elephants Dream
HD Quality: 1080p AVI
File Size: 815 MB
Frame Rate: 24.000 FPS
Average Bitrate: 10.0 Mbps
Duration: 10 minutes 53 seconds

If you see any buffering warnings that means you either hit the limit of what your hardware is capable of, or you need to do a little more tweaking. With the HTPC that I built coupled with the buffer tweaks I previously mentioned I was able to play the “Birds” video above without any troubles along with all the other videos. There may be other things that I could still change to scrape every last ounce of performance out of the system, but given that I already have smooth streaming playback at high bitrates I’m not overly concerned with tweaking my machines any further.

CyberNet’s XBMC Guides:

• XBMC: Introduction to Our Upcoming Guides
  Our introduction provides some of the deciding factors for switching from Windows Media Center to XBMC.
• XBMC: Build Your Own HTPC
  Our extensive guide on the hardware we chose for our home theater PCs (HTPCs), the cost, and some tips on choosing the hardware for your own HTPC.
• XBMC: Prepare and Optimize Windows 7
  A helpful list of tips to optimize the performance of Windows 7 so that the system is able to offer as many resources to XBMC as it can.
• XBMC: IR Receiver and Remote (Harmony, Xbox 360, and More)
  If you want your HTPC to operate like a set-top box you’ll definitely want to get a remote control configured, and for me this was a critical step so that I wouldn’t have to be concerned about less tech-savvy users trying to use my TV.
• XBMC: Share and Sync Media/Settings Between Multiple XBMC Installs
  Configuring XBMC to share settings between multiple instances means you’ll be able to stop a show in one room, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in another room.
• XBMC: Fit the Picture to Your TV with Overscan
  If XBMC doesn’t fit your TV screen perfectly there are a couple of steps you can take to get it just right.
• XBMC: Installing Skins
  How to tweak the appearance of XBMC so that it looks the way you want it to.
• XBMC: Custom Home Screen Menu Backgrounds
  Make the backgrounds of your chosen skin/theme a little more interesting by having it flip through artwork from your favorite TV shows and movies.
• XBMC: Dynamic Weather Backgrounds
  If you’re using the Aeon MQ 3 theme you can have it use dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day and current weather conditions.
• XBMC: SMB on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  I use a Mac to serve up files to my XBMC instances running on Windows, and so my preferred protocol for sharing files is SMB. This guide explains how you can get a XBMC-compatible version of SMB running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
• XBMC: Adding Media Sources
  Learn how to add your media to XBMC and turn on the appropriate content scrapers.
• XBMC: Troubleshoot Buffering Issues
  Trying to troubleshoot buffer issues in XBMC can be quite a pain, and so I lay out some of the most common culprits.
• XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos
  Want to see how well your HTPC performs? Throw some of these high bitrate 1080p sample videos at it.
• XBMC: More Advanced Settings
  Configure some of the settings that you won’t find anywhere in the GUI.
• XBMC: Stream Hulu, Food Network, and More
  Thanks to add-ons you can stream videos from some of your favorite sources including Hulu, Food Network, HGTV, TWiT, and more.
• XBMC: AirPlay on Windows
  Send videos from your iOS device to any XBMC instance with very little configuration.
• XBMC: Web Interface and Chrome Extension
  As long as you are on the same network as your XBMC box you can control it from any browser using the built-in web interface, or you can install a Chrome extension to make it even easier.
• XBMC: iPhone and iPad Remote
  If you own an iPhone or iPad you can enjoy one of the best XBMC remote control experiences I’ve seen, and it will only cost you a few bucks.
• XBMC: A List of Our Guides, Plus Helpful Wiki and Forum Posts
  A recap of all the guides we’ve written as well as useful wiki and forum post from the official XBMC.org site.

Copyright © 2012 CyberNetNetNews.com
XBMC: Test Your HTPC with High Bitrate Sample Videos