Introduction: Build a Multimedia System Using Raspberry Pi2

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In this project, I’ll install OpenELEC on Rpi2, and make the Raspberry Pi2 as the Home Multimedia Center.

OpenELEC is an embedded operating system built around Kodi, the open source entertainment media hub. Home Theatre PCs are known to be hard to install and configure, and it can take a massive amount of time to keep them running. OpenELEC, on the other hand, is designed to be as lightweight as possible in terms of size and complexity, meaning your HTPC becomes no harder to configure than your satellite box or DVD player. With its small footprint, OpenELEC is also ideal for today's small form factor systems, so you won't need a big desktop computer in your living room!

If you want to know more info. about OpenELEC, please click http://openelec.tv/home/what-is-openelec .

Step 1: What You Need

Plastic box for raspberryPi

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B

LCD Screen with HDMI

Loud Speaker Box

Step 2: INSTALL THE OPENELEC

  1. Please click http://openelec.tv/get-openelec to get the current release image. As the picture shows
  2. Installing OpenELEC/Writing the Disk Image.

For Linux：
Extracting the archive using the CLI (Command Line Interface) Each distro has a different way of getting to the Terminal however it is usually called something like Terminal or Term. On Ubuntu it can be found in the Applications menu.

Change to the folder where you downloaded the release archive to (let's assume the Downloads folder in your home directory):

cd ~/Downloads

Then extract the archive. It will be named OpenELEC-build-architecture-version.img.gz. We need to usegunzip to extract the archive.

gunzip -d OpenELEC-Generic.x86_64-5.0.0-efi.img.gz

Creating the USB Stick
Now pop your USB Stick in. After you've inserted the USB Stick use dmesg | tail to find out what /dev/device it is. It should be something like /dev/sdX).

You can also use parted or fdisk

parted -l
Disk /dev/sdb: 1016MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 
Number  Start   End     Size   Type     File system  Flags
 1      1049kB  1015MB  1015MB primary  ext4

First make sure the disk is unmounted

umount /dev/sdb1

Next we need to write the disk image. You'll need superuser privileges to do this, whether you use the root user or sudo. Either way, you need to execute the following command:

sudo dd if=OpenELEC-Generic.x86_64-5.0.0-efi.img of=/dev/sdb bs=4M

Lastly ensure the changes are synced to the USB Stick before removing it:

sync


For windows：


 This will install the OpenELEC disk image to your USB stick / SDcard using Windows.

Requirements:

Instructions

Extract the image using 7zip.

Insert your USB Stick / SDcard into your system. It should appear as a new drive letter.

Run Win32DiskImagerSelect the image file and verify the destination drive letter is correct, then click write.

When it is finished you can safely remove the USB stick / SDcard by right clicking on the drive in windows explorer and selecting eject.

Safely remove your USB key.

For MAC

If you are using a Mac please click here.

Step 3: Hook Up Your Device

After you install the OpenELEC, do as follows:

  1. Insert the micro SD card you prepared into your Raspberry Pi 2 (the slot is indicated by arrow #1 in the image below).
  2. Connect a network cable from your local network to the Ethernet port on the board or connect a WiFi dongle to the USB port on the board.
  3. Connect an HDMI monitor to the HDMI port on the board.
  4. Connect the power supply to the micro USB port on the board.

Step 4: Have a Try

Now, you can have a try to use it, and install some music APPs, listen to the music, and enjoy yourself.