Android HTPC

[bibletoter]

Do we think that this is really the direction of the HTPC in the future? ~$50 is a killer price point for tight-wads like me 😉 Which device do you think is the sweet spot at the moment?

 

[blackangst1]

You mean like a tablet?

 

[crashtestdummy]

You mean like a tablet?

I think he means the android mini-PCs. They're also working on android for the Raspberry Pi.

I know XBMC is beginning to support android, so it's certainly a possibility. I don't know if the current round will really be powerful enough to run android/XBMC at high resolution, but that's more just a matter of waiting for the right device than anything.

 

[adwilk]

XBMC runs great on my Nexus tablet. It would certainly be easy enough to consider this an option- except for the price. Once the Pi is ported to run ICS and can run XBMC, HULU+ and Netflix, that'll be a winner for me. (currently use openelec XBMC on rasbpi)Although- the slightly more polished interfaces are really nice to have. Control will also be a consideration- running some applications probably won't have the same kind of API control that XBMC has built in. Are there remote functions for Netflix, Hulu+? Just curious

 

[bibletoter]

Thanks for the input!

 

[Zap]

$50 devices are now available

I see some places selling them for less than $45 for a basic one with a single core CPU and more for one with a dual core and WiFi. Actually they sound pretty cool! The typical specs are:

HDMI dongle
1-1.6GHz single or dual core
1080p support
micro SDHC support
supports USB storage
supports playing streaming video or locally stored media
Android 4.X with Google Play marketplace

Hmmm, now I want one, and I don't even need one since I have an HTPC. 😛

 

[drbrock]

that looks pretty cool. It says it runs skype... How can that be possible? That could be a stupid question but I don't see how a webcam would work with this.