[orbazan]

It's basically all in the title but let me elaborate.

There is an avalanche of settop boxes, media players and what not. All the big players and all the little ones struggle to get your attention and buy their products. And that is fine, this is what economy is. However, as usual, i have the feeling that Blackberry users are a bit left out. Again. Sure, Blackberry users focus on productivity and security, but even they need a little fun, and with the current offer of Blackberry hardware it is a bit of a shame not to put them to good use.

As millions of other people i also own a smart TV. But as millions, i don't like it. I don't like the interface, the navigation, the "options" i have. I used this functionality of the TV maybe four or five times in two years, more out of curiosity. I am an exclusively Linux user, so i am used to doing things on my own and enjoying the freedom this approach provides. So when it came to putting together a cheap, yet highly customizable home media center, I knew exactly what to do. I wasn't sure it would work, but heck, i had to try.

For this setup this is what you need:
- One Blackberry phone running OS 10 - you probably own one
- One Raspberry Pi (older models will work just as well, but if you want to buy one, get version 2) - 35 USD (or 35 EUR)
- One standard USB charger providing 1000 mA or more (5 USD/EUR)
- One 1 GB microSD card or bigger (a 16 GB microSD is less than 10 USD/EUR)
- Optionally: a case to protect that beautiful Raspberry Pi board (anywhere between 5-10 USD/EUR)
- Optionally: a wireless adapter (5 USD/EUR), or you just can use a standard CAT5/6 network cable to connect the Raspberry Pi to your home router

Total cost for hardware is around 50 USD/EUR. Now, by any standards, that is very affordable.
If you have an older Raspberry Pi board hanging around, use it. If you want to buy one, get version 2, it's a lot faster, for the same price.

As for the software side i used (sorry, I can't post links since i don't have the minimum 10 posts required):
- OpenELEC . Comes with latest version of Kodi, and fits perfectly on a 1 GB microSD card (after installation it occupies only around 400 MB)
- Yatse, a free app (search for it on Google Play, the exact name is: Yatse, the XBMC / Kodi Remote) installed on my Blackberry 10 device, used as remote controller

After installing OpenELEC (search Google for Installing OpenELEC) to the microSD card I connected the Raspberry Pi to the TV set. I recommend keeping a keyboard plugged during this first period, to be able to make the necessary intial configurations. After OpenELEC installation is done, you need to enable the Remote Control functionality of Kodi and optionally the UPnP option, so that Kodi becomes a streaming server as well. So:
1. Go to System -> Settings -> Services -> Webserver and activate "Allow control of Kodi via HTTP". Change the default port if you wish, and set your desired username and password.
2. Go to System -> Settings -> Services -> Remote Control and activate both options ("Allow programs on this system to control Kodi" and "Allow programs on other systems to control Kodi")
3. Go to System -> Settings -> Services -> UPnP and activate "Share video and music libraries through UPnP)

Now that all is configured install Yatse on your Blackberry. On Android Yatse auto-discovers Kodi's IP and port and asks only for the username and password. On Blackberry with OS 10.2.1 however the auto-discover failed, but this is just a small nuisance one can live with, since you can set these parameters (IP and port) manually, and of course, you only have to do this once (for best results assign your Kodi box a fixed IP). On OS 10.3.1 auto-discover worked perfectly, just as it did on native Android.

And voila, i have a powerful remote control of Kodi right from my Blackberry!

Now the icing on the cake:
1. If I attach an external hard disk to my Kodi box i can watch all my movies and listen to all my music! Also i can stream them through my network, so i can watch them on any device, anywhere in the house, in any position
2. I can access all my video (and audio) plugins as well. If you simply want to watch movies online, install the appropiate video plugin and start watching. Since Yatse offers full control of the Kodi box, the sky is the limit.
3. Last, but not least, you can stream the photos and videos you took with your Blackberry on that big screen TV of yours, even if your TV doesn't have Miracast built in or you don't have an adapter (or you own a Blackberry device, like the Z10, that doesn't have Miracast at all). Simply choose the picture from your phone (or start a slideshow), hit share on the phone and choose "Play on media center". You can do this even with Youtube videos! I have a feeling my Chromecast will start feeling very lonely.

So there you have it. For 50 bucks and 30 minutes of work you have a rock solid, extremely flexible and most important, totally Blackberry friendly home media center, that is a thousand times better than anything ready made that you can buy. How sweet is that?

[kiomon]

Awesome post. I actually run a raspberry pi with rasplex and a plex server and its great! A very blackberry friendly setup and handles everything from TV to movies to music all in a gorgeous interface. Love those raspberry pi's

Posted via CB10

[DocDRM]

Following.

Posted via CB10, Mostly from my Passport, occasionally my Z30

[RamR]

I am using the newest version of OpenELEC on my Raspberry pi and 10.3.1.1581 on my z30. I followed all of these instructions and the yatse was unable to detect the Kodi. I also tried to enter the information in manually (I wasn't sure how to assign the Kodi box a fixed IP but used the current one) and it still did not work. I suspect it might be something to do with my lack of "network" understanding so any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated.

[orbazan]

Hello.

Please first try the following:
1. From your computer check if the Raspberry Pi box is responding. If using Windows, open Command Prompt, in the window that opens write:
ping YOUR_RASPBERRY_IP
If you get a reply in the form:
64 bytes from YOUR_RASPBERRY_IP icmp_req=1 ttl=50 time=1 ms
and at the end something like:
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss,
then everything is fine. If you get something like Destination host unreachable or something similar, then there is a connectivity problem.

2. Assuming you got a positive reply from the box, open a browser and enter: YOUR_RASPBERRY_IP (or YOUR_RASPBERRY_IP:PORT if you changed the default port). You should be prompted with a login window, where you put your username and password, and after that you will see a pretty basic web interface of Kodi. If you are not prompted to login and nothing happens (but the box answers your ping requests), then probably you haven't activated System -> Settings -> Services -> Remote Control with both options ("Allow programs on this system to control Kodi" and "Allow programs on other systems to control Kodi"). If you are prompted with the login window, but it keeps asking for username and password, then one of them (or both) are wrong. Check again in System -> Settings -> Services -> Webserver -> "Allow control of Kodi via HTTP"

After you are able to login it should also work in Yatse.

Let us know if it worked out or if you need more help.
Greetings.

[dviles]

Great writeup. Have been planning this with my pi, but never knew about the Android remote. Thank you.

Posted via CB10

[RamR]

So, I pinged the Raspberry Pi and I got the message "Destination host unreachable" 4 times (from an IP address whose last number was 1 less than the one I entered). Then I got "Ping statistics for "the ip address" 4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss. Nothing like this "64 bytes from YOUR_RASPBERRY_IP icmp_req=1 ttl=50 time=1 ms " though. Then when I enter the ip address in the browser I get nothing.

[Sayumi Whisp]

I have openelec running on my raspberry since a long time. It's great. But for remote I usually usa my TV remote or on Blackberry the Native App XRMT



Posted via CB10

[dviles]

I have openelec running on my raspberry since a long time. It's great. But for remote I usually usa my TV remote or on Blackberry the Native App XRMT



Posted via CB10

I'll look for native apps as well. I just didn't know there was such a thing.

Posted via CB10

[orbazan]

It is most likely there is a network connectivity issue. Maybe check your router if it has any settings that don't allow UPnP traffic. Keep trying to access it on your computer; when it works there, it will also work in Yatse. If it doesn't work from your computer, it won't work on any mobile app either, no matter what app - native or Android - you use.

Sayumi: i wasn't aware of XRMT, it looks nice, but Yatse is free and has more features ( the most important one for me is the possibility to access and run the Kodi add-ons installed on the box).

[RamR]

I am narrowing it down a bit. My PS3 pings successfully but it is connected by wire to the router. Everything that is connected through wireless does not ping successfully. I checked the router settings and the only place I could find UPnP settings had it checked on.

[RamR]

Actually, now even my wife and my phones ping successfully as does our tablet which are all connected wirelessly. It's only the raspberry pi and a desktop computer that has a wireless dongle that is not successful.

[Poncherelly]

It's basically all in the title but let me elaborate.

There is an avalanche of settop boxes, media players and what not. All the big players and all the little ones struggle to get your attention and buy their products. And that is fine, this is what economy is. However, as usual, i have the feeling that Blackberry users are a bit left out. Again. Sure, Blackberry users focus on productivity and security, but even they need a little fun, and with the current offer of Blackberry hardware it is a bit of a shame not to put them to good use.

As millions of other people i also own a smart TV. But as millions, i don't like it. I don't like the interface, the navigation, the "options" i have. I used this functionality of the TV maybe four or five times in two years, more out of curiosity. I am an exclusively Linux user, so i am used to doing things on my own and enjoying the freedom this approach provides. So when it came to putting together a cheap, yet highly customizable home media center, I knew exactly what to do. I wasn't sure it would work, but heck, i had to try.

For this setup this is what you need:
- One Blackberry phone running OS 10 - you probably own one
- One Raspberry Pi (older models will work just as well, but if you want to buy one, get version 2) - 35 USD (or 35 EUR)
- One standard USB charger providing 1000 mA or more (5 USD/EUR)
- One 1 GB microSD card or bigger (a 16 GB microSD is less than 10 USD/EUR)
- Optionally: a case to protect that beautiful Raspberry Pi board (anywhere between 5-10 USD/EUR)
- Optionally: a wireless adapter (5 USD/EUR), or you just can use a standard CAT5/6 network cable to connect the Raspberry Pi to your home router

Total cost for hardware is around 50 USD/EUR. Now, by any standards, that is very affordable.
If you have an older Raspberry Pi board hanging around, use it. If you want to buy one, get version 2, it's a lot faster, for the same price.

As for the software side i used (sorry, I can't post links since i don't have the minimum 10 posts required):
- OpenELEC . Comes with latest version of Kodi, and fits perfectly on a 1 GB microSD card (after installation it occupies only around 400 MB)
- Yatse, a free app (search for it on Google Play, the exact name is: Yatse, the XBMC / Kodi Remote) installed on my Blackberry 10 device, used as remote controller

After installing OpenELEC (search Google for Installing OpenELEC) to the microSD card I connected the Raspberry Pi to the TV set. I recommend keeping a keyboard plugged during this first period, to be able to make the necessary intial configurations. After OpenELEC installation is done, you need to enable the Remote Control functionality of Kodi and optionally the UPnP option, so that Kodi becomes a streaming server as well. So:
1. Go to System -> Settings -> Services -> Webserver and activate "Allow control of Kodi via HTTP". Change the default port if you wish, and set your desired username and password.
2. Go to System -> Settings -> Services -> Remote Control and activate both options ("Allow programs on this system to control Kodi" and "Allow programs on other systems to control Kodi")
3. Go to System -> Settings -> Services -> UPnP and activate "Share video and music libraries through UPnP)

Now that all is configured install Yatse on your Blackberry. On Android Yatse auto-discovers Kodi's IP and port and asks only for the username and password. On Blackberry with OS 10.2.1 however the auto-discover failed, but this is just a small nuisance one can live with, since you can set these parameters (IP and port) manually, and of course, you only have to do this once (for best results assign your Kodi box a fixed IP). On OS 10.3.1 auto-discover worked perfectly, just as it did on native Android.

And voila, i have a powerful remote control of Kodi right from my Blackberry!

Now the icing on the cake:
1. If I attach an external hard disk to my Kodi box i can watch all my movies and listen to all my music! Also i can stream them through my network, so i can watch them on any device, anywhere in the house, in any position
2. I can access all my video (and audio) plugins as well. If you simply want to watch movies online, install the appropiate video plugin and start watching. Since Yatse offers full control of the Kodi box, the sky is the limit.
3. Last, but not least, you can stream the photos and videos you took with your Blackberry on that big screen TV of yours, even if your TV doesn't have Miracast built in or you don't have an adapter (or you own a Blackberry device, like the Z10, that doesn't have Miracast at all). Simply choose the picture from your phone (or start a slideshow), hit share on the phone and choose "Play on media center". You can do this even with Youtube videos! I have a feeling my Chromecast will start feeling very lonely.

So there you have it. For 50 bucks and 30 minutes of work you have a rock solid, extremely flexible and most important, totally Blackberry friendly home media center, that is a thousand times better than anything ready made that you can buy. How sweet is that?

Have the exact same set up and it works great. Have one upstairs in the living room and one in the gym in the basement. Yat see sees them as different so it's easy to choose the right one.

To add to this, we use Showbox and its all works amazing together. So easy my wife (accountant and not technical? Uses it daily.

Highly recommend.

Posted via CB10

[tickerguy]

One warning -- get a 2A power supply if you're using a Pi2. 1A supplies on the 2 are unstable.

I have this setup as my media server and love it.

Posted via CB10

[RamR]

It's working now... not quite sure what I did though.

[Poncherelly]

One warning -- get a 2A power supply if you're using a Pi2. 1A supplies on the 2 are unstable.

I have this setup as my media server and love it.

Posted via CB10

I have a USB cable plugged in to my TV so when I power down the TV it powers down my Pi and vise versa. If have 2 Pi (version with2 USB ports, not the newest with 4) and it works great.

Posted via CB10

[sneakygloworm]

Just ordered a whole kit based on this thread!! Can't wait to get it going. Always wanted to do a home media centre but never wanted to spend tons of money. Awesome.

Posted via CB10

[orbazan]

Hi Poncherelly, just one question: when you shut down your TV does the Pi also make a regular shutdown? Like as if it received the shutdown command? Or it behaves as if the power source just got cut off? Because if it's the second variant, i am nor sure how healthy it is on the long run for the Pi, or the OS.

I have been using my Pi2 on a 1A charger (it was there in the house unused, so i just spared some money) and have no issues with it at all, even with an external HDD connected to it. However i agree that using a 2A charger is a safe(r) bet, so if anyone is buying a kit now, probably he/she should chose the 2A one.

[weiberry]

If any one can provide some pictures? Sounds extremely interesting!

Posted via CB10

[tufcustomer]

Nice, I'm just waiting for Win10 to go live then I'll probably pick up a Raspberry Pi 2.

Posted via CB10

[Poncherelly]

Hi Poncherelly, just one question: when you shut down your TV does the Pi also make a regular shutdown? Like as if it received the shutdown command? Or it behaves as if the power source just got cut off? Because if it's the second variant, i am nor sure how healthy it is on the long run for the Pi, or the OS.

I have been using my Pi2 on a 1A charger (it was there in the house unused, so i just spared some money) and have no issues with it at all, even with an external HDD connected to it. However i agree that using a 2A charger is a safe(r) bet, so if anyone is buying a kit now, probably he/she should chose the 2A one.

My Sony seems to send a power off command and my Samsung too seems to leave the power to the pi on for a few minutes past the TV powering down.

My sharp however seems to kill the power right away.

I've been running it this way since before x-mas and its been great. When I think know of it, I power down my Pi before my TV , and when i power down the pi connected to my Samsung, it sends a power down command to my TV. Thought that was neat.

One warning if you are using Showbox, do not update past ver. 1.0.31 since they took away the ability to send the feed to your Pi through Yatsee. Dumb change on their part IMO, and because of it I'm refusing tobacco update until they Re add the function.

If anyone needs the older Showbox file (Apk or bar for your playbook) let me know and I'll send it over.

 Posted using my powerful BlackBerry Z30 

[anon(9341585)]

It sounds great, I think I should try it necessarily.

[sneakygloworm]

Managed to set everything up correctly (including using the passport as a remote) but having issues with streaming from pi back to the passport using kalemsoft media player :s

If I try to access the Pi using DLNA/UPnP, I get an instant error. Does anyone know why the phone cannot connect to the Pi in this way?



Posted via CB10

[orbazan]

Managed to set everything up correctly (including using the passport as a remote) but having issues with streaming from pi back to the passport using kalemsoft media player :s

If I try to access the Pi using DLNA/UPnP, I get an instant error. Does anyone know why the phone cannot connect to the Pi in this way?



Posted via CB10

Hello.
Could you tell us what is the error you receive?

[Nick Spagnolo]

I need help getting the CEC function to work on my pi running rasbmc

Z10