Chromebox or FireTV for XMBC/Openelec

[NikolaeVarius]

I've been thinking about getting a media player for my TV and I've been debating between these twomachines.

I like the fact that the FireTV is cheaper and comes with a remote, but I also think a Chromebox is very snazzy and also very flexible because it doesn't run Android and can run Linux.

Anyone have any opinions on what the current "best" xmbc/openelec machine would be?

Thanks in advance.

 

[smitbret]

I've been thinking about getting a media player for my TV and I've been debating between these twomachines.

I like the fact that the FireTV is cheaper and comes with a remote, but I also think a Chromebox is very snazzy and also very flexible because it doesn't run Android and can run Linux.

Anyone have any opinions on what the current "best" xmbc/openelec machine would be?

Thanks in advance.

I am running the Chromebox with OpenELEC and it is sweet. Set mine up about 3 months ago and haven't looked back. I had the same dilemma but went Chromebox because I wanted an "HTPC appliance" that just boots into the interface without having to go through extraneous stuff. I didn't wanna mess with teaching the family to use the FireTV and then how to use XBMC, too. Not to mention, the Chromebox has a dual-core x86 CPU vs. the FireTV quad-core mobile processor so the Chromebox has a little more Horsepower for a bit smoother ride.

I didn't like the bluetooth remote that comes with the FireTV and the lack of buttons on it meant that I would have gone a different route anyway.

If you need some of the services that the FireTV brings (Amazon Prime, games, etc.) then it is a smart choice.

If you just want an XBMC box, then the Chromebox is your device.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Anyone have any opinions on what the current "best" xmbc/openelec machine would be?

Chromebox. Period.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Chromebox. Period.

Any specific reason?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Any specific reason?

Many reasons.

The FireTV is an ARM box. It can run XBMC, but it runs a port specifically for Android. This port can't use all XBMC plugins, and the CPU of the FireTV isn't powerful enough to decode what the GPU couldn't decode from the factory. The FireTV is a good option for those on a budget, but it is not the best case for XBMC.

The Chromebox is a full x86 computer. In Linux mode it runs what is THE most loved (by the developers) port of XBMC that can use almost EVERY plugin ever made. As a bonus, unlike a FireTV, the Chromebox has enough CPU power to decode almost ANY file you throw at it and not just what the GPU can handle. This extra CPU power also means you can use better skins with a bigger library.

Finally, I personally don't like a bluetooth remote. The whole point of XBMC (compared to just hunting and opening mkv files in a folder on a Dell connected to your TV) is that it provides a beautiful interface that almost anyone can use. Problem is that even if the XBMC box is configured for maximum WAF if the other person who will use it has to juggle three remotes to turn it on and change the volume then it comes apart. With a Chromebox I can add an IR sensor that will play well with a Harmony remote, and a Harmony remote is how you take a pile of home theater electronics and turn them into a system that a spouse or child can use.

Honestly it is not close. On an XBMC scale from 1 to 10, the Chromebox is a 9 (only a custom Nvidia rig is better) and the FireTV is like a 5 or 6.

 

[amheck]

I know I'm bumping an old thread, but I think it's still relevant. I have the same dilemma, but would like to integrate Netflix, Hulu, maybe Amazon Prime. Can I put a plugin for XBMC for these other services and run them all on the Chromebox?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yes there are third party plugins for those in XBMC, but they are all hacks to basically force the desktop version to play ball with a ten foot interface. If you want all that on the same box then the FireTV is a clear choice.

My advice to someone who still wants the Chromebox because its the better Kodi experience is to pair the Chromebox with a smart Blu ray player.

 

[smitbret]

I know I'm bumping an old thread, but I think it's still relevant. I have the same dilemma, but would like to integrate Netflix, Hulu, maybe Amazon Prime. Can I put a plugin for XBMC for these other services and run them all on the Chromebox?

Funny you ask that. I just purchased my PlayOn/PlayLater subscription this morning because I had exactly the same wishlist. I was playing with Amazon and NetFlix streaming on my Chromebox at lunch for about 20 minutes. It is working but there is still some tweaking I have to do.

Once I get it figured out, I will just create a UPnP favorite for the PlayOn server and stick it on the blade.

 

[poofyhairguy]

OOOOOOoooooo good point. I always forget about PlayOn.

 

[amheck]

I found this a little while ago and he mentions PlayOn, too. I'm not sure if this applies to ChromeBox or FIreTV or a real Linux/Windows version of XBMC.

http://mymediaexperience.com/xbmc-guide/

 

[smitbret]

Got PlayOn up and running on my Chromebox but haven't had a chance to really test it out. It seemed to work OK with NetFlix but it looks like there is a framerate issue as the picture just seems weird.... I dunno. I changed some of the frame rate settings in XBMC and I will play again later.

Incidentally, I couldn't get the Test to pass for either NetFlix or Amazon in the PlayOn app but I can still access Netflix through the PlayOn server. Amazon is a complete no go at this point, though.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Well that sucks, please let us know if you make progress.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Intel just announced (CES) their HDMI plugin PC where you have two flavors, W8.1 or Linux for $150/90. Some suggest that getting the Linux unit and installing OpenELECwould make for a nice, inexpensive solution.

 

[sonitravel09]

Chromebox will offer you a great performance and overall stability; FTV is still beta-ish to me and has many limitations.

I'd vote the chromebox anyway!

 

[smitbret]

Well that sucks, please let us know if you make progress.

Been working with PlayOn support staff and it looks like an issue with WHS2011 more than it is with PlayOn. Here's the details:

Server - WHS 2011 booting off of SSD with FlexRAID for storage. No AV and just the stock Windows Firewall.

#1 - Security restrictions on WHS 2011 will not allow you to test your login with NetFlix or Amazon Prime. Works fine for Vudu and HBOGo.

#2 - PlayOn will not stream to HTPCs in HD unless you are running Kodi v14 or higher.

#3 - PlayOn requires an audio device on the server

PlayOn support had me trying a couple of things to try to work around it but not having any luck. The biggest problem is that WHS 2011 will not recognize any audio device. Most attempts at driver installation stall with an error message that WHS 2011 won't support the driver installation. If I find a driver that will install it literally just ignores the installation.

Trying to access NetFlix and Amazon completely fails on the HTPCs.

If I run the PlayOn server in 'User Mode' (Press CTRL when you click <Start Server>, then I am able to select the media files and PlayOn attempts to play them back but then just pops up with the error message that "PlayOn Server could not detect an audio device. Please reinstall PlayOn." So I did with no difference.

To test things out, I installed PlayOn on my desktop tower with Win7 Pro. I am still running XBMC v13.2 on my HTPCs so everything was limited to SD (a lousy SD at that). I installed Kodi v14.0 on my laptop and ran it from there and it was smooth and easy. Even though it is limited to 720p, the video quality was actually better than I expected when you consider that PlayOn transcodes everything to MPEG-2 before streaming.

Anyway, I had been thinking of moving from WHS 2011 to Win 7 Pro or Win 8.1 Pro anyway so it looks like I may end up doing that sooner rather than later unless I can find a way to get an audio device installed to my server in the next few days.

I'm actually quite impressed with PlayOn and kind of wish I had tried it sooner. One huge complaint is the thumbnail resolution is awful, probably 180x120 or something similar. I am used to 600x400 or better.

----Incidentally, looks like there was an update to PlayOn last night. There had been talking of supporting MPEG-4 transcoding for Kodi instead of MPEG-2. Looking forward to installing and finding out----