Software update: OpenELEC 4.0

The final release of version 4.0 of the Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center has been released. This Linux distribution is based on XBMC Media Center and can turn a computer into a full-fledged HTPC. OpenELEC is easy to install, maintain and use, as well as being small and lightning fast. In version 4.0, which is based on XBMC version 13, fewer different versions are offered. Images are available for AppleTV, Raspberry Pi, and a generic build for i386 and x86_64 environments. The specific builds for AMD’s Fusion and Nvidia’s ION platform, among others, have disappeared. The most important changes since version 3.2 are summarized for you below.

Build System:
The buildsystem is the core “working tool” for the project and has been overhauled to fix issues and make it easier for the developer team to add new content. Our cross-compiling toolchain has been updated and optimized around newer versions of gcc-4.9.0, eglibc-2.19, binutils-2.23.2 and llvm-3.4.

Bootloaders:
We now support installation and booting on UEFI hardware. Syslinux has been updated (for new installs) and we are using the latest bootloader and firmware for raspberry pi.

Linux:
The Linux kernel was updated to version 3.14 which brings many bug fixes and updates to core OS functions and drivers used for hardware in modern HTPC systems.

Packages:
Nearly all of the component packages used in OpenELEC are updated to current versions to fix issues and boost support for the latest hardware. The init system responsible for startup, shutdown, power management and hardware detection/configuration has been replaced with “systemd” to give greater flexibility and control.

Networking:
Updates have been made to non-kernel wireless device drivers and a few newer chipsets have been added. bluez has been revised for better bluetooth support. curl now supports https connections, and both samba and nfs are refreshed to current versions.

graphics:
Xorg-1.15 and Mesa-10.1 updates are backed by nvidia (331.67) and intel (2.99.911) GPU driver bumps. AMD support has seen radical changes; we switched from the problematic binary FGLRX (XVBA) driver to the new open source driver (7.3.0) based on VDPAU. The OSS driver is lighter (smaller in size and faster to boot) and brings numerous performance, feature, and stability improvements for AMD users. We added initial 4k support also known as UHD TV.

Other:
Our support for remote control devices has been enhanced and extended. We also added initial support for TTS (text to speech) support via espeak.

XBMC:
The heart of the release is of course XBMC-13 (Gotham). We have also updated all PVR addons embedded with XBMC and there are a number of refinements to the OpenELEC settings addon. For changes and improvements found in XBMC Gotham please visit http://xbmc.org/xbmc-13-0-gotham-rises/