XBMC, the XBox Media Center, started out its life as a piece of media center software for hacked XBoxes. After much success, its open source status has spawned some new projects — including those for the Mac. Get to know the two leading projects.
OS X XBMC. The most loyal port for the Mac, the OS X XBMC has already gotten a lot of attention because of its flexibility and usefulness, even now at a pre-1.0 release. All of its features seem to be working perfectly, with the exceptions of less than ideal remote and streaming support. And there are big plans for this one, as they’re envisioning an all-in-one iTunes solution to be included. It’s just a shame that so far it only works on Intel Macs with Leopard — making any old Mac’s comeback as a media center impossible. UPDATE - This project is now officially named “Plex”.
Boxee. Here’s where it gets interesting — Boxee is based on the XBMC project, but is gearing for more “social” functionality. Yes, this version will feature integration with social web sites such as Twitter, as well as the ability to keep track of your friends’ activity. Right now, Boxee is in alpha, but you can check out Lifehacker’s coverage right here.
With so much media center choices now on the Mac, how long before a living room computer becomes normal?
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