The first beta release of XBMC 12.0 "Frodo" is now available. This beta to the popular home theater PC (HTPC) software packs exciting changes for end-users interested in the best open-source multimedia playback experience.

With more than one half-year since the release of XBMC 11, XBMC 12 is nearly ready to take flight. This release, which was developed under the codename "Frodo", has the prominent new features of:

- The new XBMC Audio Engine that provides HD audio support. The audio improvements include supporting DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD formats.

- Live TV and PVR (Personal Video Recorder) support.

- H.264 10-bit video software decoding.

- Improved image support, including the handling of new image types.

- Official Raspberry Pi support.

- Initial Google Android support.

- Improved AirPlay support for all platforms.

- Advanced filtering capabilities.

- Advanced UPnP sharing.

More details on the XBMC 12.0 Beta can be found from their blog announcement.