README

About
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XBMC is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media player and
entertainment hub for digital media. XBMC is available for multiple platforms.
Created in 2003 by a group of like minded programmers, XBMC is a non-profit
project run and developed by volunteers located around the world. More than 50
software developers have contributed to XBMC, and 100-plus translators have
worked to expand its reach, making it available in more than 30 languages.

While XBMC functions very well as a standard media player application for your
computer, it has been designed to be the perfect companion for your HTPC.
Supporting an almost endless range of remote controls, and combined with its
beautiful interface and powerful skinning engine, XBMC feels very natural to
use from the couch and is the ideal solution for your home theater.

Currently XBMC can be used to play almost all popular audio and video formats
around. It was designed for network playback, so you can stream your multimedia
from anywhere in the house or directly from the internet using practically any
protocol available. Use your media as-is: XBMC can play CDs and DVDs directly
from the disk or image file, almost all popular archive formats from your hard
drive, and even files inside ZIP and RAR archives. It will even scan all of
your media and automatically create a personalized library complete with box
covers, descriptions, and fanart. There are playlist and slideshow functions, a
weather forecast feature and many audio visualizations. Once installed, your
computer will become a fully functional multimedia jukebox.

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Installation
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See docs/README.xxx for specific platform build information.