Pivos Xios DS

The hunt for the perfect media player to house your digital collection is an ongoing challenge for dedicated movie buffs. There are a lot of options out there but for the serious fan with an extensive collection the interface of choice is XBMC. Unfortunately, unless you have a media PC, Mac Mini or are lucky enough to still own a jailbroken AppleTV 1 or 2, you've largely been out of luck. Thanks to Pivos, however, that's no longer the case. The Android-based Xios DS puts the full force of Google's lightweight operating system in your living room, with all its apps and functionality. Better yet, you can download an Android-based version of XBMC and unlock the true power of this software without having to shell out for high-end hardware.

The Xios is an impressive piece of kit with loads of potential and is shaping up to become the XBMC platform of choice. However, the software is still in its beta phase right now with bugs still being ironed out. If you're technically adventurous and don't mind tinkering under the bonnet, though, then this could be the key to unlocking your media library's full potential. In fact, those looking to use the Xios purely as a media hub also have the option of stripping out Android completely and installing Pivos' custom XBMC Linux firmware instead, which is currently far more stable. Highly recommended for tech heads. More information