Set-top boxes are everywhere these days. Companies like Apple, Roku, and Boxee all have their own devices for streaming video to your television with just an Internet connection. But what if you didn't need to purchase that little device to get all of your content? What if you could just repurpose an old Android device? The team at XBMC has been working furiously to make all of this possible, and their hard work could usher in a new wave of open source set-top boxes for all.

The rumor had surfaced earlier this summer that the already open source XBMC application would eventually make its way to Android, and it has finally come true. XBMC has been long available for a variety of platforms, including OS X, the Apple TV, and even Windows, but this is the first time the team has managed to launch an Android-compatible version. Currently, XBMC supports most common video and image files, as well as playlists, audio visualizations, slide shows, third-party plugins, and even weather reporting. What makes it so ubiquitous is its ability to work with plug-ins that tack on major features like television program guides and access to YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix, along with a plethora of other popular streaming services. On Android, it also enables the ability to playback H.264 and DC1 media files.

XBMC had started out as a media center application for the first-generation Xbox (hence the name, which used to stand for "Xbox Media Center"). As the popularity of set-top boxes grew, however, it started to take off due to its open source and cross-platform nature. Services like the Plex Media Center and Boxee all utilize XBMC, as do a variety of smart TVs and even hotel television systems. The Android port of XBMC started with Cory Fields, one of the primary developers, who had been assigned the task for Pivos, a company that produces XBMC set-top boxes. "The idea was to capitalize on that without having to install Linux... just to be able to ship a box and have XBMC be a loadable application," he told Ars. "We did that port and it turned out to be a general purpose thing that works everywhere."

The fact that it runs capably on Android is quite a feat, but the team at XBMC is most excited about how it can further evolve. Essentially, if it can run on any Android tablet or handset, then it can work everywhere that the operating system works. "There is no jailbreaking required and no hacking. It's a very much out-of-the-box experience, which is something we've never had," explained Fields.

So, what is the target audience XBMC on Android? Is it for Android tinkerers or the average consumer looking for a worthy app for media streaming? Nathan Betzen, a project and community manager on XBMC, noted that it's common to see someone watching a video on their 5-inch smartphone tablet, so "the two use cases appear to be any reasonably sized phone or tablet, plus all the many small form-factor ARM boxes." Fields added that there's the eventual goal of running XBMC on TVs, too. "It's easier to ask '[what] won't it run on?'" he joked.

However, getting XBMC onto those Android-capable devices is not without its hurdles. For instance, the app is still very sluggish on Android devices—even on LG's Optimus G, with its quad-core processor and Adreno 320 GPU. XBMC couldn't manage to get through the latest Die Hard trailer encoded in H.264 without some major stuttering. "Heavy stuttering is a separate hardware decoding issue," Fields elaborated. "XBMC can play video using the CPU with software or using purposely designed hardware decoders. Unfortunately, because of fragmentation, we have to work vendor by vendor to get hardware decoding working, so most handsets right now fall back on CPU software decoding, which results in stuttering."

In the meantime, the team will be working on the ability to bring features like Miracast mirroring to Android 4.2 devices, so users can stream content over the air to television sets that support the technology. The current beta also features built-in DVR features, though it currently just serves as a front end for vendors. The team plans on launching an actual version of the application in the Google Play Store as soon as they hit a final release. "My intention from the start was to get us up on the big screen because that's what we do well," said Fields. "We're not going to try to limit ourselves. If it turns out the manufacturers push Android out to the big screen, TVs, or set-top boxes, we'll go that way."

If you want to try out XBMC for yourself, you can side-load the APK file onto your Android phone by downloading it here. Just remember to go into the settings and enable your phone to load apps from unknown publishers, and keep in mind that the app might be a tad sluggish.