Raspberry Pi 2 - Part 3 : media center

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Raspberry Pi

Today we’ll talk about media center solutions for the Pis. Let’s go!

Media Center Distribution

One of the most common use of the Raspberry #Pi 2 is to build a media center out of it. In order to so, one have access to several different “tools”. Let’s do a quick presentation.

#Raspbian

This is a Linux, Debian based OS (aka distribution). Compared to more specific distro this one is a “full” OS, which means you have access to a web browser, office suite, media player, etc. If you know your way around Linux, you might want to install Raspbian and even add the #Kodi software to it order to have a hybrid media center + regular portable PC.

#OSMC

This distribution based on Debian and Kodi is a pure media center, like #OpenElec. To be honest, I have never played with it yet. It looks good on paper, and I’ll probably test it soon and report on this site.

OpenElec

This is the well known Kodi distribution for the Pis. It is a great, stable and easy to use media center. If you only want a media center, then this the way to go (until I have tested OSMC and share with you my feelings).

#Pidora

Pidora, is similar to Raspbian since it is a full OS, but it is based on Fedora (a different flavor of Debian Linux). Like Raspbian, you’ll have access to everything you need for a daily use : web browsing, photo / video / music watching, etc. And you can also manually add Kodi.

That’s it! Stay tuned for the next article explaining you how to install OpenElec on your Pi.