XBMC Beginners Guide 0.35

XBMC “Dharma” – Version 10.0

The UN-Official Beginners Guide

For Windows®

…

“Dharma”The UN

Table of ContentsPrologue................................................................

Downloading and Installing................................

Downloading XBMC. ................................

Installing XBMC ................................................................

Adding Videos to XBMC ................................

Preparing your movies ................................

Preparing your TV Shows ................................

Adding movies to XBMC................................

Adding TV Shows to XBMC................................

The Library ................................................................

The Movies Library................................

Library Views................................................................

The TV Shows Library ................................

Library Views................................................................

Adding Music to XBMC................................

The Music Library................................

Library Views................................................................

Adding Pictures to XBMC ................................

The Weather Screen ................................

The System Menu ................................................................

“Dharma”UN-Official Beginners Guide for Windows.

The Official Beginners Guide for Windows

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“Dharma”The UN

3 | The Official Beginners Guide for Windows


ide for Windows

“Dharma”The UN

Prologue


The Official Beginners Guide for WindowsThe Official Beginners Guide for Windows | Prologue 4

“Dharma”The UN

5 Prologue | The Official Beginners Gu



“Dharma”The UN


Downloading and InstallingIn this section we will guide you on how to get XBMC up and running. Where to download it and how to set it up

using Windows. We assume you have a working and up to date version of Windows to install XBMC. If you do not

have or do not want windows you can choose to install XBMC Live. This is a version that can run from a memory

stick, or a hard drive. There is no need for windows. More on XBMC Live is available in the Advanced Manual.

Downloading XBMC.First, download a fresh copy of XBMC. You can fi

http://xbmc.org/download

Here you can click on “Windows” and a download window will pop

Select Save as to save the file to a location of your choice. For now, just click on DESKTOP so that we can find it easily

after we finished downloading it. When the download has finished, double click on it to start the installation and

follow the instructions or read the next chapter.


The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | Downloading and Installing

In this section we will guide you on how to get XBMC up and running. Where to download it and how to set it up


ou can choose to install XBMC Live. This is a version that can run from a memory


First, download a fresh copy of XBMC. You can find it here or go to your web browser and type in the following url:

a download window will pop-up:


When the download has finished, double click on it to start the installation and

the next chapter.

Downloading and Installing 6

In this section we will guide you on how to get XBMC up and running. Where to download it and how to set it up


ou can choose to install XBMC Live. This is a version that can run from a memory


or go to your web browser and type in the following url:


When the download has finished, double click on it to start the installation and

“Dharma”The UN

7 Downloading and Installing |

Installing XBMCAfter you have finished downloading the XBMC Setup you will need to install it. Simply double click on the file that

you downloaded. If you have followed our previous instructions it’s locate

After opening it you will see the XBMC Installation Welcome screen pop

To start the installation, simply click “Next”

The next screen is the licence Agreement. XBMC is free

Licence. For more information about this licence read the information on the screen.

Click “I Agree” to proceed.


| The Official Beginners Guide for Windows

After you have finished downloading the XBMC Setup you will need to install it. Simply double click on the file that

you downloaded. If you have followed our previous instructions it’s located on your desktop.

After opening it you will see the XBMC Installation Welcome screen pop-up:

o start the installation, simply click “Next”

Agreement. XBMC is free for everyone and published under the GNU General Public

For more information about this licence read the information on the screen.

After you have finished downloading the XBMC Setup you will need to install it. Simply double click on the file that

d on your desktop.

nder the GNU General Public

“Dharma”The UN


Here you can choose which components to install. Just leave everything as it is.

Click “Next” to proceed.

This next screen allows you to change the standard installation folder. We strongly recommend leaving this to the

default settings. There are some 3rd party applications that will have problems when XBMC is not found in this

standard folder.

Again, click “Next” to proceed.



Here you can choose which components to install. Just leave everything as it is.


party applications that will have problems when XBMC is not found in this



party applications that will have problems when XBMC is not found in this

“Dharma”The UN

9 Downloading and Installing |

The next screen allows you to change the name of the

Just leave it to XBMC so you know where to look if you want to start it ;

Click on “Install” to start the installation.

If all goes well the next screen shows you the installation progress. On an average machine an installation should

only take a few minutes. Keep in mind that some components will be downloaded from the internet. If you are

having trouble or if you get an error message after this screen, you can try installing them manually.

The 2 components needed by the installer are the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package and Microsoft

DirectX Installer. You can download them from

http://

http://

If you don’t get any error messages you should be presented with the final screen:


| The Official Beginners Guide for Windows

The next screen allows you to change the name of the default folder under your “start” and “All Programs” buttons.

Just leave it to XBMC so you know where to look if you want to start it ;-)

art the installation.



rouble or if you get an error message after this screen, you can try installing them manually.


DirectX Installer. You can download them from here and here or type the following 2 links in your

If you don’t get any error messages you should be presented with the final screen:

default folder under your “start” and “All Programs” buttons.



rouble or if you get an error message after this screen, you can try installing them manually.


or type the following 2 links in your web browser:

“Dharma”The UN


Congratulations! XBMC is now installed and ready to be configured! You can mark the ch

when you click on “Finish”...



Congratulations! XBMC is now installed and ready to be configured! You can mark the ch


Congratulations! XBMC is now installed and ready to be configured! You can mark the checkbox so that it will start

“Dharma”The UN

11 Adding Videos to XBMC | The Official Beginners Gu

Adding Videos to XBMCAs you know, XBMC is a media center. You have just finished the installation and XBMC is running. You can get a feel

for the screens at this stage. Click around a bit and wa

though. We will guide you with the options in a later stage. First we need to add our movies to XBMC. After all, that’s

why we installed it in the first place didn’t we?

You can simply just add different folders to your installation and let XBMC get all the movie information from the

internet. This will work just fine in the beginning. But over time, you will experience that you delete the movie

information stored in XBMC and want to start from scratc

being displayed, or you have re-installed windows or are setting it up on a different computer. If you have a large

collection of Movies and TV Shows this can be a very time consuming operation. Therefo

so that in the future, when you add your movies to XBMC again, it will take only a few minutes to add hundreds,

even thousands of movies.

To properly setup XBMC and have the best and fastest experience it’s best to know a little

We don’t want to bore you to death with how everything works “under the hood” because we still believe that

XBMC should work out of the box without hours and hours of configuration. At the moment, it is working out of the

box, but often, after our end-users have used it for a while, they discover there is a whole new world online with

tons of add-ons and plugins to install adding new functions and tools to XBMC.

To prepare you for this it is best to stick to a few standards: A pro



As you know, XBMC is a media center. You have just finished the installation and XBMC is running. You can get a feel

for the screens at this stage. Click around a bit and watch the different screens. Don’t change any options yet


why we installed it in the first place didn’t we?

rent folders to your installation and let XBMC get all the movie information from the


information stored in XBMC and want to start from scratch again because you aren’t happy with the information

installed windows or are setting it up on a different computer. If you have a large

collection of Movies and TV Shows this can be a very time consuming operation. Therefo


To properly setup XBMC and have the best and fastest experience it’s best to know a little



users have used it for a while, they discover there is a whole new world online with

ons and plugins to install adding new functions and tools to XBMC.

To prepare you for this it is best to stick to a few standards: A proper folder structure and file naming convention.

As you know, XBMC is a media center. You have just finished the installation and XBMC is running. You can get a feel

tch the different screens. Don’t change any options yet


rent folders to your installation and let XBMC get all the movie information from the


h again because you aren’t happy with the information

installed windows or are setting it up on a different computer. If you have a large

collection of Movies and TV Shows this can be a very time consuming operation. Therefore we want to prepare you


To properly setup XBMC and have the best and fastest experience it’s best to know a little about the inner workings.



users have used it for a while, they discover there is a whole new world online with

per folder structure and file naming convention.

“Dharma”The UN

The Official Beginners

Preparing your moviesIf you’re reading this, you have already installed XBMC and it is running with the standard settings. Feel free to

browse the screens a bit, but don’t change any settings yet. Also d

now and then. XBMC is looking for movies but is still empty!

Before we tell XBMC where are movies are stored let us give you some advice on how to setup your folder structure

in windows. There are many advanced features in XBMC and in the different skins that rely on a standard folder

structure. It can be a lot of work to adapt your entire collection to this new structure, but it is well worth the effort.

There are also programs that can help you organise y

these programs to download new fan-art and posters

Some widely used programs are Ember Media Manager or Media Companion.

Okay. Here’s the deal: XBMC is looking inside the movie folders and gathers information about it. The information is

stored into a file called <moviename>.nfo. It also looks if there

extra information is stored in files that have a standard filename

For example folder.jpg. If you have all your movies in a

single folder, there can only be one file named

folder.jpg. The folder.jpg file usually is an image or

poster of the movie in the folder. But if there are 500

movies in a single folder, then XBMC doesn’t know for

what movie that image is. If you have a separate folder

for every movie, there can be a folder.jpg in every folder

containing a movie. Doing this let’s XBMC scan your

folders for movies MUCH faster and you can start using

external program to maintain your movie

are programs that help you manage your collection of

movie covers and fanart and will even browse the

internet to find movie trailers! Some examples of

programs that do this for you are Ember Media Manager a

their websites.

For more details on the files that XBMC stores in each movie


The Official Beginners

If you’re reading this, you have already installed XBMC and it is running with the standard settings. Feel free to

browse the screens a bit, but don’t change any settings yet. Also don’t be alarmed if you get an error message every

now and then. XBMC is looking for movies but is still empty!


anced features in XBMC and in the different skins that rely on a standard folder


programs that can help you organise your movies into a proper folder structure. Lots of users use

art and posters, actor information and trailers. Feel free to give them a try.

Ember Media Manager or Media Companion. But XBMC ca

The folder structure that XBMC works best with is as

follows. We have used Toy Story 3 as an example:

X:\Home Theater\Movies\Toy Story 3 (2010)

(2010).avi

Movies is the main folder. It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

that you store each movie in an individual folder!

looking inside the movie folders and gathers information about it. The information is

stored into a file called <moviename>.nfo. It also looks if there are posters, DVD Covers

n is stored in files that have a standard filename.

For example folder.jpg. If you have all your movies in a

one file named

The folder.jpg file usually is an image or

poster of the movie in the folder. But if there are 500

movies in a single folder, then XBMC doesn’t know for

what movie that image is. If you have a separate folder

for every movie, there can be a folder.jpg in every folder

let’s XBMC scan your

folders for movies MUCH faster and you can start using

external program to maintain your movie details. There

are programs that help you manage your collection of

movie covers and fanart and will even browse the

trailers! Some examples of



If you’re reading this, you have already installed XBMC and it is running with the standard settings. Feel free to

on’t be alarmed if you get an error message every


anced features in XBMC and in the different skins that rely on a standard folder


our movies into a proper folder structure. Lots of users use

, actor information and trailers. Feel free to give them a try.

But XBMC can do this as well...

The folder structure that XBMC works best with is as

follows. We have used Toy Story 3 as an example:

Toy Story 3 (2010)\Toy Story 3

is the main folder. It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

tore each movie in an individual folder!

looking inside the movie folders and gathers information about it. The information is

s, DVD Covers or Fanart available. All this



Content of the folder X:\Home TheaterHome Theater\Movies\Toy Story 3

Guide for Windows

nd Media Companion. For more information please visit

folder please check the advanced manual.

Guide for Windows | Adding Videos to XBMC



(2010)\

ding Videos to XBMC 12



“Dharma”The UN


Preparing your TV ShowsJust as XBMC stores information in the individual folders of your movies, it also stores information about your TV

Shows. The format is basically the same, but there are more files involved.

The folder structure works best as fo

Inside your main folder, we called this “Home Theater” in our example we had

different subfolders for our movies, TV Shows, etc. Inside the TV Shows folder

we have the different shows where each show has its own name.

have all the episode

different seasons as well. This way, you can have different fanarts for every

season, adding more eyecandy and wow factor to your setup.

Let’s have a closer look at the show “Heroes”.

Inside the “Heroes” folder you can see several subfolders and a lot of files. This might seem overwhelming but in

fact they all make perfect sense. When XBMC scans your

movies, it just looks at the title of the movie and starts looking

for a cover, a fanart and the movie information such as the plot

and actors.

With the TV Shows it works the same, except the shows have

multiple episodes which are treated the same way as movies.

As you have experienced, importing about 400 movies for the

first time can take several hours. What if you have 100 TV

Shows? Most TV Shows have several seasons and there are

shows with over 200 episodes! This way you can easily have

8000 or even over 10.000 episodes on your hard drives. The

first time it will take quite some time to scrape a

information from the internet. But XBMC helps out again and

stores all the information it has gathered inside the folders of

the show. So the next time you want to import all your shows,

it’s mere minutes instead of hours

The folder.jpg, fanart.jpg and tvshow.nfo represent the same

as they do with the movies. A cover and a background plus

show information. You can see there are also

“SEASON01.TBN”, “SEASON-ALL.TBN” and “

only has the show a cover, when you browse your show XBMC shows you a new cover for each season. You can also

choose to list all episodes in one list. The button that allows that has the picture “SEASON

extra’s like behind the scenes, deleted sce

Look at the next image to get an idea of what we’re talking about.



Just as XBMC stores information in the individual folders of your movies, it also stores information about your TV

Shows. The format is basically the same, but there are more files involved.

The folder structure works best as follows:



we have the different shows where each show has its own name.

have all the episodes inside that folder, but XBMC prefers them to be split into



Let’s have a closer look at the show “Heroes”.

he “Heroes” folder you can see several subfolders and a lot of files. This might seem overwhelming but in

fact they all make perfect sense. When XBMC scans your

movies, it just looks at the title of the movie and starts looking

e movie information such as the plot

With the TV Shows it works the same, except the shows have

multiple episodes which are treated the same way as movies.

As you have experienced, importing about 400 movies for the

hours. What if you have 100 TV

Shows? Most TV Shows have several seasons and there are

shows with over 200 episodes! This way you can easily have

8000 or even over 10.000 episodes on your hard drives. The

first time it will take quite some time to scrape all that

information from the internet. But XBMC helps out again and

stores all the information it has gathered inside the folders of

the show. So the next time you want to import all your shows,

and tvshow.nfo represent the same

as they do with the movies. A cover and a background plus

show information. You can see there are also

ALL.TBN” and “SEASON-SPECIALS.TBN” These are individual covers per season. So not

show a cover, when you browse your show XBMC shows you a new cover for each season. You can also

choose to list all episodes in one list. The button that allows that has the picture “SEASON

extra’s like behind the scenes, deleted scene’s etc go in the extra’s folder which has the “SEASON

Look at the next image to get an idea of what we’re talking about.

Just as XBMC stores information in the individual folders of your movies, it also stores information about your TV



we have the different shows where each show has its own name. Some users

s inside that folder, but XBMC prefers them to be split into



he “Heroes” folder you can see several subfolders and a lot of files. This might seem overwhelming but in

SPECIALS.TBN” These are individual covers per season. So not

show a cover, when you browse your show XBMC shows you a new cover for each season. You can also

choose to list all episodes in one list. The button that allows that has the picture “SEASON-ALL.TBN” and the show

ne’s etc go in the extra’s folder which has the “SEASON-SPECIALS” folder.

“Dharma”The UN


Folder.jpg This file contains a banner or a poster with the logo and a picture

Fanart.jpg This file contains a full screen fanart image of the show.

Tvshow.nfo This file contains information about the show itself, the duration, airdates, the plot, durations and

lots more.

fanart.jpg

season-all.tbn

season01.tbn

season02.tbn

season03.tbn

season04.tbn

season-specials.tbn


The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | Adding Videos to XBMC

(Media Info 2 View)

This file contains a banner or a poster with the logo and a picture of the show.

This file contains a full screen fanart image of the show.

This file contains information about the show itself, the duration, airdates, the plot, durations and

(Thumbnail View)

Adding Videos to XBMC 14

of the show.

This file contains information about the show itself, the duration, airdates, the plot, durations and

(Thumbnail View)

“Dharma”The UN


Adding movies to XBMCWhen you start XBMC for the first time, you are presented with the Main Menu. Th

The Main Menu allows you to choose wha

at some pictures and other options as well. First select the “VIDEOS” option to open the VIDEOS submenu.

There it is. As you can see it is still

empty. It has a drive letter I:

which is the DVD Player in the

computer we’ve used, and an

option called Video Add-ons.

More about these options later.

Click on “Add Source” to open the

next screen:



When you start XBMC for the first time, you are presented with the Main Menu. The screen looks like this:

you to choose what you want to do in XBMC. Listen to music, watch movies or tv shows, look


screen looks like this:

t you want to do in XBMC. Listen to music, watch movies or tv shows, look


“Dharma”The UN


This has opened the “Add Video

Source” menu. As you can see it is

empty as well. It says <None>

because we are adding a new source

that hasn’t been defined yet.

Let’s click on “Browse” to add a

source and tell XBMC where our

movies are stored.

XBMC displays a list of possible

sources it has found on your

computer. This includes all the

drives found on our computer. Hard

drives, CD-Rom drives, external USB

drives, everything. Select the drive

that contains your movies. In this

example, our movies are stored on

drive “H:” which we have selected.

Simply click it with your mouse and

then keep browsing until you are

inside the folder containing your

movies.


The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | Adding Videos to XBMCAdding Videos to XBMC 16

“Dharma”The UN


As you can see we have arrived

in the folder that contains our

movies. Every movie is in each

own folder and we have added

the year of release behind the

title. This will help XBMC in

correctly identifying the

movies if there are more

movies with the same title, or

remakes. For example the

movie “3:10 to Yuma” which

was released in 1957 and had a

remake in 2007. Now XBMC

knows we have the remake

and will find the correct

information on the internet.

Click on “Ok” to continue…

There we go… We have added

our first movie source. In the

bottom half of the screen we

can give this source a name.

We have named in HD movies

since the folder we have

selected contains all our Hi-Def

movies.

You can add more than one

folder here. Just click on “Add”

to add a new entry and then

“Browse” again to select the

source you want to add.

Sources can be scattered over

multiple drives, even on

different computers. Just tell

XBMC where to look and it will

find…

Click “OK” once more…



“Dharma”The UN


Ok. We now have given XBMC a

media source. It knows we have

media files in a folder, but what is in

there? This screen lets us tell XBMC

what kind of files are in the folder

we just added. Click on the small

arrows and select “(Movies)”. On the

right side of the screen we can

choose a scraper. By default there is

only 1 scraper installed. More on this

later. Just leave it as it is. If you want

to automatically scan this folder for

movies, then click and check it in the

lower half of the screen. If you have

named your folders like we did in

our example, you can also check

“Use folder names for lookups”.

Normally XBMC will read the

filename inside each folder and use that to try and identify your movie.

folders so we don’t need it, but if you haven’t changed your filenames and kept the original filenames like “

(2009) 1080p avchd dvd9.iso” then you might

find the correct movie most of the time, just in case…

We’re almost there. The last thing we can set are the scraper settings. Click on “Settings” in the lower left corner to

change settings of the default scraper.

Here we can tune the way XBMC

finds information about our

movies. Enable Fanart will display a

full-screen background image of

the movie. You can enable movies

trailers and choose the resolution

of it, choose the standard language

you want the information to be

displayed in and lets you also grab

the IMDB ratings for the movies.

Leave it as it is for now. More

details about these options will be

in the later chapters…

Click “OK” to proceed to the last

screen.



filename inside each folder and use that to try and identify your movie. We have named our files identical to our

folders so we don’t need it, but if you haven’t changed your filenames and kept the original filenames like “

” then you might want to check this option. It is not necessary because

find the correct movie most of the time, just in case…



We have named our files identical to our

folders so we don’t need it, but if you haven’t changed your filenames and kept the original filenames like “Saw VI

check this option. It is not necessary because XBMC can still


“Dharma”The UN


The last thing XBMC wants to know

is if you want it to start scanning the

folders for new movies.

Just click on “Yes” and it will start its

scan for movies. If this is the first

time you ever did anything like this it

might take a LONG time, depending

on the size of your collection. If you

have worked with XBMC in the past

and have all the pictures, artwork

and NFO’s stored in your movie

folders it will take just a few

minutes, even if you have over a

thousand movies.

You can continue to work with

XBMC while it is scanning, so go

ahead and click on “Yes”.

There we go, we have finished setting up are movies and are ready to go! Wait for XBMC to finish scanning all the

movies. Once the movies are scanned XBMC will have a “Library”. In

it has found, where they are located and wh

library is the best thing about XBMC. It no longer displays us with a list of movies, but presents you with a stunning

graphical interface that will “Wow” you and all yo



go, we have finished setting up are movies and are ready to go! Wait for XBMC to finish scanning all the

movies. Once the movies are scanned XBMC will have a “Library”. In there the program stores a list of all the movies

and which images go with it. It finds all this information automatically. The

the best thing about XBMC. It no longer displays us with a list of movies, but presents you with a stunning

graphical interface that will “Wow” you and all your friends once they see it. Let’s have a look shall we?

go, we have finished setting up are movies and are ready to go! Wait for XBMC to finish scanning all the

here the program stores a list of all the movies

images go with it. It finds all this information automatically. The

the best thing about XBMC. It no longer displays us with a list of movies, but presents you with a stunning

iends once they see it. Let’s have a look shall we?

“Dharma”The UN


Adding TV Shows to XBMCAdding your TV Shows is also pretty straightforward… It works almost exactly the same was as you add movies,

except you tell XBMC that your media source contains TV Shows instead

Just as we did with the movies,

select the “VIDEOS” option from the

Main Menu

The VIDEO-FILES screen is where you

can choose to add more sources

which is what we want to do. Add a

new source by clicking on “Add

source”



Adding your TV Shows is also pretty straightforward… It works almost exactly the same was as you add movies,

except you tell XBMC that your media source contains TV Shows instead of movies. Here we go again…


Adding your TV Shows is also pretty straightforward… It works almost exactly the same was as you add movies,

of movies. Here we go again…

“Dharma”The UN


This opens up the “Add Video

Source” menu again. As you can see

it is empty as well. Now let’s tell

XBMC where our TV Shows are

stored.

Click on “Browse” to add the

location of our TV Shows to this

source.

The “Browse for new share” window

opens up again to help you locate

your TV Shows. First click on the

drive letter that contains your TV

Shows and then continue browsing

until you are in the folder that

contains your shows.



“Dharma”The UN


Once you are inside the folder that has

your TV Shows click on “OK” to confirm

that this is the location you want XBMC

to scan for your files.

You can also add a second location if

you have more than one drive or

folder that contains TV Shows. Click

on add and follow the same

procedure until you have all your

locations added.



Once you are inside the folder that has

our TV Shows click on “OK” to confirm

that this is the location you want XBMC


“Dharma”The UN


Here you can see the result. We have

added 2 locations for one source. We

have named the source TV Shows (DVD

Rips) since these 2 locations are rips

from the original dvd’s.

If you want you can add even more

locations for this source, or add a new

source with a different name.

Personally I like to separate my DVD

rips and my TV Rips but that’s personal

preference.

After adding the 2 locations click on

“OK” to continue…

Next thing is selecting the content.

We’ve just made a new Media

source and now need to tell XBMC

what we have stored at these

locations.

In the top menu you can alter the

setting for “THIS DIRECTORY

CONTAINS” and set it to (TV shows)

On the right there is the Scraper.

This scraper does all the work for

you. It connects to a website and

gets all the information like episode

name, airing date but also

thumbnails and show information.

As some of you might now, the airing order of a TV show might not always be the same as the order they app

on the DVDs that you buy in the stores. These different orders are available on the internet as well and the scraper

can set these for you. This is also a reason why you might want to put your DVD rips in a different location than your

TV Rips. The TV rips should be sorted by airing date, and the DVD rips by DVD order.

Click on “Settings” if you want to change the order to DVD ordering, or click “OK” to start scanning.



Here you can see the result. We have

added 2 locations for one source. We

have named the source TV Shows (DVD

Rips) since these 2 locations are rips

more

locations for this source, or add a new

source with a different name.

Personally I like to separate my DVD

rips and my TV Rips but that’s personal

After adding the 2 locations click on

As some of you might now, the airing order of a TV show might not always be the same as the order they app


set these for you. This is also a reason why you might want to put your DVD rips in a different location than your

TV rips should be sorted by airing date, and the DVD rips by DVD order.


As some of you might now, the airing order of a TV show might not always be the same as the order they appear in


set these for you. This is also a reason why you might want to put your DVD rips in a different location than your


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This screen allows you to change the

behavior of the scraper. In the

previous screen our default scraper

was “The TVDB”. It was the only

scraper available. You can add more

scrapers from the SYSTEM menu and

we will show you how to do this

later.

We mentioned that our media

source contained DVD Rips only. To

change the ordering of the episodes

we have to enable the “USE DVD

ORDER” option. The other available

options here will be explained at a

later stage.

Click “OK” to return to the previous screen and then select OK again to confirm the new media source.

XBMC acknowledges our new media

sources and wants to know if it can

start scanning this source for new

content. By refreshing the info it will

see the data stored in the locations

we have set for the media source

and download the information from

the internet. If you have a large

collection you might want to do the

laundry or make a huge pot of coffee

because this will take a while.

As soon as you click “Yes” XBMC will

start scanning the source you have

just added and you can monitor its

progress in the top right screen.






“Dharma”The UN

25 The Library | The Official Beginners Gu

The LibraryThe Library is at the heart of XBMC. Once you have told XBMC where to look for your

magic and scrape all the information about the movies

information. There are two main libraries in XBMC

split into a movie library, a TV Shows library and a Music Videos Library. When you add a new source, XBMC asks you

what is inside that source. You select either movies, tv shows or music videos. XBMC does the rest.

Once you have added all your movies, TV Shows, Music and Music videos into XBMC you can export the library. This

is one of the most powerful tools in XBMC. Remember when we told you that XBMC w

each folder? The folder.jpg and the moviename.nfo? When you export the library, XBMC writes all these files

automatically to these folders. The next time you import the movie it doesn’t have to download all the information

from the internet but just reads the files in your folder and adds it to the library. As you can imagine this is MUCH

faster than downloading the information from the internet again and again.

You can also share a library with different computers in your h

livingroom, you don’t have to update it in the bedroom or on any other computer. You can do this by using a

program called MySQL. More information on how to do this is in the Advanced User Manual.

First, let’s have a closer look on what the library looks like…



ibrary is at the heart of XBMC. Once you have told XBMC where to look for your

magic and scrape all the information about the movies, shows and clips from the internet, the library is filled with

There are two main libraries in XBMC; One for your video and one for your audio.


either movies, tv shows or music videos. XBMC does the rest.


is one of the most powerful tools in XBMC. Remember when we told you that XBMC works with standard files inside



rom the internet but just reads the files in your folder and adds it to the library. As you can imagine this is MUCH

faster than downloading the information from the internet again and again.

You can also share a library with different computers in your house. That way if you update your library in the



the library looks like…

ibrary is at the heart of XBMC. Once you have told XBMC where to look for your media files and let it do its

from the internet, the library is filled with

One for your video and one for your audio. The video library is


either movies, tv shows or music videos. XBMC does the rest.


orks with standard files inside



rom the internet but just reads the files in your folder and adds it to the library. As you can imagine this is MUCH

ouse. That way if you update your library in the



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The Movies LibraryIn the Main Menu you have a menu option called “VIDEOS”. This bring

allows you to open and browse them. The content of the sources might not

library! If XBMC was unable to identify one of your movies it will not be liste

check if all your movies were correctly identified.

In the “SETTINGS” menu from the Main Menu

“MOVIES” and “TV SHOWS”. With those two menu items enabled, we can go to the library directly which most users

prefer. More on how to activate those menus later…

First, let’s have a look at our library shall we?

In the Main Menu click on “VIDEOS” to open the videos section in the screen below:

Here is the main video screen again.

Notice how it says: “VIDEO – FILES”

in the top left corner? These are

breadcrumbs and show you exactly

where you are in XBMC, just like

navigating a website. If you click on

the picture of the little white house,

you’ll be transporter directly to the

main menu wherever you are.

From this screen you can browse

through your video files that you

added to XBMC earlier. You can play

a DVD from your DVD Player, watch

online content with the “Video Add-

ons” button or add more video

sources.

More about all these options later.

To browse the movies that we have added to our video

the name that we chose when we added the source, to open the next screen.



In the Main Menu you have a menu option called “VIDEOS”. This brings you to the sources you

you to open and browse them. The content of the sources might not be the same as the content of the

library! If XBMC was unable to identify one of your movies it will not be listed in the library, so it’s always good to

check if all your movies were correctly identified.

from the Main Menu we can modify the Main Menu so that it will add the options


prefer. More on how to activate those menus later…

y shall we?

In the Main Menu click on “VIDEOS” to open the videos section in the screen below:

To browse the movies that we have added to our video-sources just select the name. Click on “HD Movies”

the name that we chose when we added the source, to open the next screen.

The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | The Library 26

you to the sources you added before and

be the same as the content of the

in the library, so it’s always good to

modify the Main Menu so that it will add the options


sources just select the name. Click on “HD Movies”, this is

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Nice. As you can see the movies are

listed and the front cover of the

movie is being displayed as well.

Some eye candy to make browsing

our movie collection a little more

interesting.

This is not all though. This isn’t even

the library yet. This is just the folder

structure as it exists on your hard

disk. In fact, the titles that you see

aren’t even movies! The titles are

the folder names as they exist on

your hard disk. To watch a movie

you have to open the folder and

select the movie file manually. Then

the movie will be played.

Let’s change this behavior and

enable the Video Library. To do this,

click the “LEFT” key on your

keyboard or move your mouse to

the far left of your screen until a

new menu slides in as in the picture

on the right.

In this new menu that slides in you

have to enable the library mode by

selecting it. You can see the small

blue light being lit when it’s active or

grey when it’s not. Notice the

“breadcrumbs” again on top? Now it

says “VIDEOS – LIBRARY” so you’re

still in the videos section but you’re

browsing the library instead of the

folders on your hard disks.

Once you have selected the “LIBRARY MODE” you return to the VIDEOS screen where yo

to browse.



Once you have selected the “LIBRARY MODE” you return to the VIDEOS screen where yoOnce you have selected the “LIBRARY MODE” you return to the VIDEOS screen where you can choose which library

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In the video library screen select

“Movies” to go to your movie

library. Later, there will be more

options to choose from, but so far

we have only created one. Go

ahead, click on “Movies” and watch

it open your movie library.

As you can see this screen looks

almost identical to your “Videos-

Files” screen. The only thing

different now is the background and

a rating behind the movie title. This

background image is called

“FANART” and is widely available on

the internet. XBMC knows some of

these sites and will choose the

standard image to display. We’ll

explain how to change it later in this

manual.

This screen is the “LIST” screen. It

means the movies are being

displayed with the “LIST” layout. The

list screen is the one with the least

amount of graphics. It merely shows

you a list of the movies, a fanart

background and the dvd cover from the movie called a “THUMB”.



background and the dvd cover from the movie called a “THUMB”.


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To see more information about the

movie, we have to open the movie

information screen. You can do this

by right clicking with your mouse on

the movie of your choice and

selecting the “MOVIE

INFORMATION” button, or click the

“I” on your keyboard.

That’s better. Here we have lots of

movie details. We can read the

movie plot and see lots of other

information about the movie. On the

bottom menu we can choose “Play”

to watch the movie, but we can also

click on “Cast” to see who’s starring

in the movie, or click on “Trailer” to

watch a preview. More about all

these options later.



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Library Views

To change the layout of the screen,

click the “LEFT” arrow on your

keyboard again, or move your

mouse to the far left of the screen to

open the options menu.

Click once on “VIEW: LIST” to change

your layout to THUMBNAIL

The Thumbnail View

There it is. The thumbnail view. The

list is gone and you are left with all

the covers of your movies. If you like

this layout just leave it from here. If

you want to explore the others

views then open your options menu

again by moving your mouse to the

far left or press the “LEFT” key on

your keyboard, and click on “VIEW:

THUMBNAIL to change it to “POSTER

WRAP” …


The Official Beginners Guide for WindowsThe Official Beginners Guide for Windows | The Library 30

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The Poster Wrap View…

The Fanart View…

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The Media Info View…

Or the Media Info 2 View.


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As you can see there are different views to choose from. Just pick the one that you like best

small details about each individual view. To do that go to the options screen by clicking “LEFT” on your keyboard or

moving your mouse to the far left and check and uncheck the different options and just see what happens. You can

change the sorting order to “YEAR” for example. That way the latest movies are being displayed first followed by the

older ones.

XBMC comes with standard screens. They are

that XBMC uses to display all of its options. The standard skin in XBMC is called “CONFLUENCE”. It is a good looking

skin, is user-friendly and has lots of options

about all the options in the advanced section.



can see there are different views to choose from. Just pick the one that you like best


eft and check and uncheck the different options and just see what happens. You can


XBMC comes with standard screens. They are part of something called a “SKIN”. The skin is a collection of screens


and has lots of options, so you can fine-tune your personal installation of XBMC. More info

about all the options in the advanced section.

can see there are different views to choose from. Just pick the one that you like best. You can also change


eft and check and uncheck the different options and just see what happens. You can


part of something called a “SKIN”. The skin is a collection of screens


your personal installation of XBMC. More info

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The TV Shows LibraryAfter setting up the movie library it has become time to do the same for the TV Shows.

In the Main Menu go to the VIDEOS button and press “

directly go to the TV Shows Library. Use the “UP” and “DOWN” key to go to “TV SHOWS” and press “ENTER”.

And look what we have. The crew of

Battlestar Galactica staring us in the

face…

Here you find a list banners that XBMC

has downloaded of the TV Shows XBMC

has found in the media source you

specified earlier. Go ahead and browse

to your favorite show and press the “I”

key to see what happens next…

The Information screen gives you

further details about the show you have

selected. Episode information, airdates

and a show description is amongst the

information XBMC has downloaded for

every show it has found in the media

source you specified.

You can close this information screen by

pressing “X” or you can watch the cast

of the show and browse the seasons

and episodes is has found.

The other options will be explained at a

later stage.



the movie library it has become time to do the same for the TV Shows.

In the Main Menu go to the VIDEOS button and press “RIGHT”. This will open the videos submenu and allows you to

Use the “UP” and “DOWN” key to go to “TV SHOWS” and press “ENTER”.

And look what we have. The crew of

Battlestar Galactica staring us in the

find a list banners that XBMC

has downloaded of the TV Shows XBMC

has found in the media source you

specified earlier. Go ahead and browse

to your favorite show and press the “I”

The Information screen gives you

her details about the show you have

selected. Episode information, airdates

and a show description is amongst the

information XBMC has downloaded for

every show it has found in the media

You can close this information screen by

ing “X” or you can watch the cast

of the show and browse the seasons

The other options will be explained at a


RIGHT”. This will open the videos submenu and allows you to

Use the “UP” and “DOWN” key to go to “TV SHOWS” and press “ENTER”.

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After you have pressed “X” from the

information screen you are being

returned to your TV Show overview.

Use the “UP” and “DOWN” key again to

go to your favorite show and press the

“ENTER” key. This opens the show of

your choice and gives you an overview

of the different seasons it has found.

When you press the “DOWN” key you

will see that for every season XBMC has

downloaded a different image, just as if

you were browsing through your real

DVD Collection. Go ahead and select

Season 1 by pressing “ENTER”.

If you don’t have this “SEASONS” screen don’t panic. If the show you selected only has 1 season,

season selection screen automatically.

Now you’ve reached the Episode List. As

with the different seasons, XBMC has

downloaded an image for every episode

it has found in your media source.

Browse with the “UP” and “DOWN”

keys again to select the episode you

want to watch and press the “I” key to

see a plot description of the episode

you selected, as well as the date it aired

the first time, the rating it got and tons

of other information.

If you do not wish to see the

information but simply want to watch

the episode, then press the “ENTER”

key on the episode of your choice.



After you have pressed “X” from the

information screen you are being

view.

Use the “UP” and “DOWN” key again to

go to your favorite show and press the

“ENTER” key. This opens the show of

your choice and gives you an overview

When you press the “DOWN” key you

eason XBMC has

downloaded a different image, just as if

you were browsing through your real

DVD Collection. Go ahead and select

If you don’t have this “SEASONS” screen don’t panic. If the show you selected only has 1 season,

Now you’ve reached the Episode List. As

with the different seasons, XBMC has

downloaded an image for every episode

it has found in your media source.

Browse with the “UP” and “DOWN”

select the episode you

want to watch and press the “I” key to

see a plot description of the episode

you selected, as well as the date it aired

the first time, the rating it got and tons

If you do not wish to see the

imply want to watch

the episode, then press the “ENTER”

If you don’t have this “SEASONS” screen don’t panic. If the show you selected only has 1 season, XBMC will skip the

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Library Views

One of the great things of XBMC is the freedom it gives you in customizing how you want things being presented to

you. You don’t have to be a programmer to change the complete look and feel of XBMC. The different library views

will do this for you at the click of a button…

Go back to the TV Shows Library by pressing “RIGHT” on the “VIDEO” option in the Main Menu. You see the

overview again with the banners of your TV Shows. Now press “LEFT” to open the submenu on the left hand side.

Here you can change the view, just like we did in the movie library. Go ahead and select “VIEW: WIDE ICONS” and

press “ENTER”

Now you have changed the “WIDE

ICONS” view to the “MEDIA INFO” view.

This view looks completely different.

The banners have been replaced by a

text representing the show. But as an

extra you now get the number of

episodes each show has, and you don’t

have to press the “I” key anymore to

see more details. You can also see a

smaller version of the fanart image that

is being displayed in the background.

Go ahead and change the view again.

This time select the “MEDIA INFO 2”

view mode.

In this view mode your banners are

back. They replaced the smaller version

of the fanart that was being displayed in

the background. The list is less long

giving you a better view of the fanart

image in the background. As an extra

bonus this screen also tells you how

many episodes out of all episodes have

been watched.

Choose the view you like the most and

select it by pressing the “ENTER” key.




programmer to change the complete look and feel of XBMC. The different library views

will do this for you at the click of a button…


h the banners of your TV Shows. Now press “LEFT” to open the submenu on the left hand side.


Now you have changed the “WIDE

” view to the “MEDIA INFO” view.

This view looks completely different.

The banners have been replaced by a

text representing the show. But as an

extra you now get the number of

episodes each show has, and you don’t

have to press the “I” key anymore to

You can also see a

smaller version of the fanart image that

Go ahead and change the view again.

This time select the “MEDIA INFO 2”

In this view mode your banners are

the smaller version

of the fanart that was being displayed in

the background. The list is less long

giving you a better view of the fanart

image in the background. As an extra

bonus this screen also tells you how

many episodes out of all episodes have

Choose the view you like the most and



programmer to change the complete look and feel of XBMC. The different library views


h the banners of your TV Shows. Now press “LEFT” to open the submenu on the left hand side.


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Now here’s the cool thing. You can do

this for the individual screens. So you

can select “WIDE ICONS” to list your

shows but use the “THUMBNAIL VIEW”

to list your seasons. XBMC will

remember these choices and apply

them to all your TV Shows. The view

modes for your movies are not affected

if you change the view mode in your TV

Shows.

And YES. As you might have guessed

this also goes for the episodes screen.

What you see on the right is the

“MEDIA INFO 2” screen. Here you can

see a brief description and a snapshot

of the episode you have selected.

Again, a different view mode from the

other two screens. You can change

them as much as you want. XBMC will

remember your last settings and apply

this to all your shows automatically.

Have you noticed the small white

checkmarks after the first five

episodes? XBMC keeps track of the

episodes that you have watched

already! So when you’re watching an episode or two eve

the next time you browse the show again. A small but very powerful tool.



Now here’s the cool thing. You can do

this for the individual screens. So you

can select “WIDE ICONS” to list your

shows but use the “THUMBNAIL VIEW”

XBMC will

remember these choices and apply

them to all your TV Shows. The view

modes for your movies are not affected

if you change the view mode in your TV

And YES. As you might have guessed

this also goes for the episodes screen.

What you see on the right is the

“MEDIA INFO 2” screen. Here you can

see a brief description and a snapshot

of the episode you have selected.

Again, a different view mode from the

other two screens. You can change

them as much as you want. XBMC will

ber your last settings and apply

Have you noticed the small white

checkmarks after the first five

episodes? XBMC keeps track of the

episodes that you have watched

already! So when you’re watching an episode or two every evening, XBMC will show you exactly where you left off,

the next time you browse the show again. A small but very powerful tool.

ry evening, XBMC will show you exactly where you left off,

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Adding Music to XBMCAside from the obvious ability to play movies and tv shows XBMC is also perfectly capable of p

with build-in support for almost every format you’ve ever heard of. “normal” mp3 and wav songs, but also the FLAC

format which is becoming more and more popular is supported out of the box, as are a multitude of other formats.

Let’s tell XBMC where our music is located and see what it does with it shall we?

Just like we did with the videos, we’re

going to add a media source first. Select

the “MUSIC” option from the Main

Menu and select “Add source”.

Here we are in the “Add Music Source

screen” To tell XBMC where our music is

located we have to click on “BROWSE”.

This opens up a browser windows

where you can browse to the folder

that contains your music collection.

Select “Browse” to proceed…


The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | Adding Music to XBMC

Aside from the obvious ability to play movies and tv shows XBMC is also perfectly capable of p

in support for almost every format you’ve ever heard of. “normal” mp3 and wav songs, but also the FLAC


tell XBMC where our music is located and see what it does with it shall we?

we did with the videos, we’re

going to add a media source first. Select

the “MUSIC” option from the Main

he “Add Music Source

screen” To tell XBMC where our music is

located we have to click on “BROWSE”.

This opens up a browser windows

where you can browse to the folder

Adding Music to XBMC 38

Aside from the obvious ability to play movies and tv shows XBMC is also perfectly capable of playing music. It comes

in support for almost every format you’ve ever heard of. “normal” mp3 and wav songs, but also the FLAC


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39 Adding Music to XBMC | The Official Beginners Gu

Here is the browser window with an

overview of our hard disks, CD-Rom or

DVD drives and all other sources

windows has detected. Browse to the

folder that is containing your music

collection and select “OK” to continue.

We have entered the source we want

XBMC to use to scan our music

collection. In the lower half of the

screen we can give a name to this

media source. We’ve chosen to simply

name it MP3. If you have more than one

location, you can repeat the steps and

click on “Add” followed by “Browse”

again to add more locations for this

Media Source. XBMC will combine them

all into one big source and scan all

entries for music.

When you are finished adding locations

select “OK” to proceed…



browser window with an

Rom or

DVD drives and all other sources

windows has detected. Browse to the

folder that is containing your music

We have entered the source we want

XBMC to use to scan our music

collection. In the lower half of the

screen we can give a name to this

media source. We’ve chosen to simply

name it MP3. If you have more than one

location, you can repeat the steps and

click on “Add” followed by “Browse”

in to add more locations for this

Media Source. XBMC will combine them

all into one big source and scan all

When you are finished adding locations

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The locations have been added and it’s

time to tell XBMC to start scanning for

our music. Select the media source we

have just added and open the context

menu to see the options we have at our

disposal.

Select the “Scan Item To Library” to

start this process.

That’s all there is to it. We’ve added our music locations to XBMC and currently it is scanning t

can handle and adds them to the library.


The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | Adding Music to XBMC

s

time to tell XBMC to start scanning for

the media source we

have just added and open the context

menu to see the options we have at our

to

ve added our music locations to XBMC and currently it is scanning t

rary. Go to the next chapter to find out more about T

Adding Music to XBMC 40

ve added our music locations to XBMC and currently it is scanning these folders for files it

The Music Library.

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41 Adding Music to XBMC | The Official Beginners Gu

The Music LibraryJust as with the movies and TV shows XBMC also keeps track of our music in a library.

the albums that you have and displays them for you to easily browse your music collection.

lost, are misfiled, got damaged or lend to a friend and never returned.

access. Let have a closer look at the library.

From the Main Menu go to the “MUSIC”

submenu.



Just as with the movies and TV shows XBMC also keeps track of our music in a library. It downloads the covers from

the albums that you have and displays them for you to easily browse your music collection.

lost, are misfiled, got damaged or lend to a friend and never returned. XBMC keeps things

access. Let have a closer look at the library.

” option and instead of selecting it press the “RIGHT

It downloads the covers from

the albums that you have and displays them for you to easily browse your music collection. No more CD’s that got

XBMC keeps things organized and easy to

RIGHT” key to open the music

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Library Views


The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | Adding Music to XBMCAdding Music to XBMC 42

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43 Adding Pictures to XBMC | The Official Beginners Gu

Adding Pictures to XBMC



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The Weather Screen


The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | The Weather ScreenThe Weather Screen 44

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45 The System Menu | The Official Beginners Gu

The System Menu



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The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | The System MenuThe System Menu 46

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47 The System Menu | The Official Beginners Gu



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The Official Beginners Guide for Windows | The System MenuThe System Menu 48

XBMC Beginners Guide 0.35

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