Looks like all of those Android based HTPCs are overpriced now

[smitbret]

http://www.raspberrypi.org/raspberry-pi-2-on-sale/

 

[poofyhairguy]

I don't know about overpriced. I mean, I just got a $40 Android stick with equivalent CPU power but better GPU power (HEVC decoding) than this refreshed Pi. Plus this Pi platform will stay stagnant for years while Android boxes are refreshing every three months.

The Pi rules internationally where it is hard and expensive to get modern tech. I have never understood why an American would want one for media though- in every way it is inferior to a 2010 ION rig. Heck even the price is close, I got a ION2 box for $40 off Ebay recently. Nothing with a A7 CPU is going to run Kodi with a decent video library at acceptable speeds. The Pi guys admit to me they top out around 1000 movies, just like every ARM device I have touched outside my iPad Air 2.

When we have A8X level SoCs in these boxes is when the fun starts.

 

[smitbret]

I don't know about overpriced. I mean, I just got a $40 Android stick with equivalent CPU power but better GPU power (HEVC decoding) than this refreshed Pi. Plus this Pi platform will stay stagnant for years while Android boxes are refreshing every three months.

The Pi rules internationally where it is hard and expensive to get modern tech. I have never understood why an American would want one for media though- in every way it is inferior to a 2010 ION rig. Heck even the price is close, I got a ION2 box for $40 off Ebay recently. Nothing with a A7 CPU is going to run Kodi with a decent video library at acceptable speeds. The Pi guys admit to me they top out around 1000 movies, just like every ARM device I have touched outside my iPad Air 2.

When we have A8X level SoCs in these boxes is when the fun starts.

It's not a Chromebox or x86 HTPC but with a couple of tweaks it is certainly serviceable with OpenELEC. I have an overclocked Model B (900MHz) running Kodi v15.0 with the Aeon Nox 5 skin and is is more than up to the task. Scrolling through the library is actually smoother and faster than my old WDTV Live Hub through the same library. Granted, it is not as smooth as my Chromebox but it is certainly adequate as a discrete bedroom HTPC. The only hang up is that it chokes on SMB shared files with bitrates over 30mbps. I would bet the added CPU power will resolve this.

It is worth the $35 over a FireTV Stick or Chromecast to not be locked into the OEM environment and have it boot straight to Kodi.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Sure you could run a skin like Bello on one and it would be very snappy with a moderate library. And I do respect that the Pi has some features (HD audio somewhat support, a weak version of de-interlacing, refresh rate matching) that your average Android box doesn't have. With that said, now you can get Openelec for these random ARM boxes:

http://www.freaktab.com/showthread....Amlogic-based-TV-boxes-(M8-MXQ-TV110-MX2-G18)

Which mitigates some of those advantages.

Personally I would probably rather have the FireTV stick though in most cases. Kodi's GUI is so single core performance dependant and those dual cores in the FireTV stick are faster than the four cores in the new Pi, so it would feel smoother. Plus the FireTV stick could get Netflix, Amazon, etc. If you are a casual user that is more than enough, while if you are a videophile I feel a Chromebox is the floor.

I just don't see a niche where the Pi dominates for HTPCs outside of "I am in Brazil and everything costs three times as much." Of course I will readily admit I don't understand so called "enthusiasts" who want a box to watch content on every day but don't want to pay more than $100 for it. But that is my holdup- heck way back in 2011 I was telling everyone that if their HTPC didn't have a SSD it wasn't even worth building as my standards are really high.

I see a huge need outside of HTPCs for the Pis, and I respect that the first one was the first decent sub-$100 XBMC box. This refresh is going into a different world than the original did.

 

[Muadib]

I'm pretty happy with my fire tv, but this is interesting. Where can you find one for $35 in stock?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Looks like some Kodi developers are looking into them, so they might be the box just because of a high level of support. That kind of thing is always underrated.

I really don't like how they don't include all the codecs in the price though, most ARM boxes do.

 

[boomhower]

I'd be interested in one as a second XBMC/Kodi box. Can't justify north of $100 for a secondary box.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'd be interested in one as a second XBMC/Kodi box. Can't justify north of $100 for a secondary box.

For more limited needs there is no way someone needs to spend $100 or near it. Cheaper stuff can do a really good job.

I would look into an ARM box with the AMLogic S805 chipset. Those have a little more CPU and GPU power than the new Pi, plus it has codecs for MPEG2 and VC1 built in so you don't have to pay extra. I have the MK808B Plus which runs Kodi pretty well with certain skins (Aeon isn't terrible), and can play a lot of the streaming plugins. I always run a bunch of sample files through a device before it goes in service and that thing played everything but the VC1 and HEVC (despite the claims, hence why I test). That SoC did handle Blu Ray MPEG2, very high bitrate 1080p h264, and it handled 720 H10 stuff with ease. Heck with a firmware update it even works with a USB ethernet adaptor, which is good because the wifi is weak. Heck a FireTV stick would work good too.

Nowadays you can get a lot for cheap.

 

[Kneedragger]

These Android boxes have been a let down. Well for me they have... It seems like every new one pretty much does what the last did but with newer hardware. We still haven't got many to chose from that pass TrueHD, DTS-MA, 5.1 and 7.1 without too many issues. I guess most just want them to play Netflix and Hulu and the basic torrent files..

 

[mmntech]

Kodi's fine if you're just doing local playback. No good for streaming. Of course Windows 10 will be available free with the Pi 2 later this year. Though it remains to be seen how well it will run.

As for Android, I don't think it's really well suited to DIY HTPCs. Not yet anyway. I've tried it on my Brazos box and just getting it to work properly is a feat. Still can't get sound out of the HDMI port, let alone DTS-MA. Netflix starts but won't load videos. I haven't heard positive things about the official stand alone players like the Nexus either.

It's really hard to find a media box that's the one ring to rule them all (local and streaming). At least without splurging for a Windows license.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Kodi's fine if you're just doing local playback. No good for streaming.

I assume you mean mainstream streaming like Amazon/Netflix and not stuff in the Superrepo.

As for Android, I don't think it's really well suited to DIY HTPCs. Not yet anyway. I've tried it on my Brazos box and just getting it to work properly is a feat. Still can't get sound out of the HDMI port, let alone DTS-MA. Netflix starts but won't load videos. I haven't heard positive things about the official stand alone players like the Nexus either.

Android is a so-so media player. No universal HD audio support or refresh rate matching. But I still use it over Openelec on my ARM box because in a pinch the flexibility is handy.

It's really hard to find a media box that's the one ring to rule them all (local and streaming). At least without splurging for a Windows license.

A FireTV does come close if you have less demanding needs (like no HD audio or live tv).